The Sookie Stackhouse Companion

This book really bummed me out. It wasn't at all what I expected and it definitely wasn't what I hoped for. If someone feels like skipping all Sookie Stackhouse books it would be helpful, but then what's the point anyway. I didn't see it as a "companion" I saw it as a rip off. I think the description was really misleading as well. Big Dissappointment. It really seemed like a way for the publisher to make money off Sookie fans. I can't see a true fan of all of the books enjoying this at all. The Bill and Eric voices were absolutely horrendous. No offense to the guys who read them, but they just did NOT work for the characters.

I rate all of the Sookie novels high and the short story read by Johanna Parker was good. However this book has so much filler. I would have preferred to read it on a Kindle and skip most of it. The summary of all the novels was OK but a fan doesnt need that. The secret communications between Eric & Bill was definitely interesting. Though the two guys reading as Bill and Eric are experienced narrators, they weren't convincing in these roles. For example Bill had no Southern accent. I am not a fan of the TV show. That's another topic, but Steven Moyer nails Bill, IMO, and the show does have great actors. This Companion Novel lost my suppport when i reached the chapter dedicated to the President of the Charlaine Harris fan club. Seriously, who cares! That was filler.

If I would't have bought it

The telling of the story

no, not if it's the same format

Disappointment

I have read or listened to all of the Sookie Stackhouse books several times. I love them.
They are fun, interesting and leave you thirsting for more at the end of each read/listen. But if you are looking for a Sookie "hit" before the next book comes out or if you think you will learn something new and exciting by buying this title you will be sorely disappointed. I felt like this was such an obvious play for more money because the books/TV series have become so vastly popular that it left me angry and no wiser or more entertained than I was before I started the listen. The only thing that saves this book from a straight one star in each catagory was the presence of Johanna Parker. A serious waste of a credit. I felt cheated by an author that I had previously enjoyed very much. As an aside, I really don't care to hear about the "fan club" and their variously vapid and insipid exploits. Really?

I have read all of this series and enjoy Charlaine Harris Books.

The story Small Town Wedding was quite enjoyable and I could have just spent the credit on that.

It is a synopsis of all the books and some letters and discussions between some of the Characters. But the only narrator I enjoyed in the whole book, was Johanna Parker.

Unless you want synopsis of each story to jog your memory, the only part I would give higher stars to is Small Town Wedding.

Don't buy it unless you have not read the books. It's mostly a recap of the books. And when it's not, the narrators are not good. The short story by the actual Sookie narrator was ok, but def not worth even a credit, much less the ridiculous price. This is not a companion, it's a recap and a way to rip off Sookie fans. I never thought I would give anything "Sookie" a bad rating but that day has come.

She could have made it a real book, not a ripoff recap.

Yes, Johanna Parker's. That's it. The others, heck no.

One short story. Worth 1/10 of a credit.

Stick with the actual books, they are great. This is not.

I would rate this book at a 5 or 6 out of 10 in my ranking of all the books i read so far.

Eric of course :-). But all of the characters are so well written, that they almost jump off the page. It is hard to pick a favorite.

I loved the condenced version of all of the books so far. I wish the book had given a little bit more about the upcoming book,

No extreme reaction. It was a decent read

I will probably end up buying the hard cover, as I wanted to see the map of Bon Temp as well addition items not coverd in the audio book.

I liked the simple recap of the Sookie stories.

As I said, it's all a recap.

I love Sookie. Her stories make me happy.

Yes, the audio edition was preferable to the print version. I don't think I would've read the entire book...for those of us who have read and/or listened to the series several times (okay, many times), I probably would have read the novella, Ms. Harris' message to the readers, but skipped the rest of the book. I found the "review" of the series quite enjoyable as I commute to and from work on a daily basis. The only regret is that there is no way to "see" the map of Bon Temps via the audio version.

The novella was worth the price of the book. I am a great fan of Sam and was very happy to "meet" his family. I also enjoyed learning about other novellas that were developed, but do not include Sookie. Somehow I missed one or two of these. I look forward to correcting that omission as quickly as possible!

As always, Johanna Parker does a stellar job with the narration of the novella. I was very sad to hear Amanda Ronconi's reading later in the book. Ms. Ronconi did a wonderful job, but the voices belong to Johanna Parker and it sounded strange to hear someone else portraying the characters. The gentlemen who portrayed Eric and Bill did an admirable job and definitely made me laugh. However, Ms. Parker's narration still works best for me.

I wanted to read the wedding novella in one sitting...but not the entire book. It is way too long and covers too many different subjects to make that possible, or even desirable.

Thank you, Charlaine Harris, for a wonderful set of books. Your plot lines throughout the series have often surprised me. That is a good thing! I do hope that Sookie ends up with Eric or Sam...that is my request. I will admit that even I can see flaws with both/either of these desires. I look forward to reading your final book in this series...sigh...it will be a bittersweet treat, I am sure.

This book is a companion to the series. It is not meant to be a novel in and of itself. The negative reviews I have been seeing are actually pretty laughable, because they are complaining about the fact that they wasted a credit on something like this. Only die-hard Sookieverse people should use a credit on a COMPANION book. That said, it was pretty well-presented for the type of book that it is, and the inclusion of the novella was a nice touch. I had been looking for that slice in the storyline of Sookie and Sam. I will miss the series when it is over, and will have to get my fix of Bon Temps from True Blood.