Dead but Not Forgotten

Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse

By: Charlaine Harris (editor), Toni L. P. Kelner (editor), Rachel Caine, MaryJanice Davidson, Leigh Evans, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

Charlaine Harris' smash-hit Sookie Stackhouse series may have reached its conclusion, but the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives on in this all-new collection of 15 stories. Written by a killer lineup of authors, including New York Times best-sellers Rachel Caine, MaryJanice Davidson, Jonathan Maberry and Seanan McGuire, and with introductions read by Charlaine herself, Dead but Not Forgotten puts your favorite characters center stage.

The stories included in Dead but Not Forgotten are:

"Nobody's Business" by Rachel Caine (featuring Kevin Pryor & Kenya Jones)
"Tyger, Tyger" by Christopher Golden (featuring Quinn)
"The Real Santa Claus" by Leigh Perry (featuring Diantha)
"Taproot" by Jeffrey J. Mariotte (featuring Andy Bellefleur)
"Knit a Sweater Out of Sky" by Seanan McGuire (featuring Amelia)
"Love Story" by Jeanne C. Stein (featuring Adele Hale Stackhouse)
"The Million-Dollar Hunt" by Jonathan Maberry (featuring Mustapha Khan)
"Borderline Dead" by Nicole Peeler (featuring Desiree Dumas)
"Extreme Makeover Vamp Edition" by Leigh Evans (featuring Bev & Todd)
"Don't Be Cruel" by Bill Crider (featuring Bubba)
"What a Dream I Had" by Nancy Holder (featuring Alcide Herveaux)
"Another Dead Fairy" by Miranda James (featuring Claude & Claudia Crane)
"The Bat-Signal" by Suzanne McLeod (featuring Luna)
"The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars" by Dana Cameron (featuring Pam Ravenscroft)
"Widower's Walk" by MaryJanice Davidson (featuring Eric Northman)

Dead but Not Forgotten was edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.

©2014 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Wildly entertaining... Crisp storytelling, sharp dialogue, and great pacing are the highlights of what, for Sookie fans, will be an anthology to die for." ( Romantic Times)

Great return to BonTomps and Sookie's world.

I have read and enjoyed all the Sookie Stackhouse books and miss not having new ones, so this was a great return to that world. Johanna Parker did a fantastic job reading each of the short stories and I feel made the return trip 100%, because you could feel you were back in Sookie's world hearing her voice. Thank you for this treat.

Bitter Sweet

This collection of stories are a little of old home, the writers kept the feel and taste of CH's books. I give a big "Well Done" to each of them. They also made a wonderful choice by keeping Johanna Parker as the narrater. Again, "Well Done". I have loved and still love the Sookie books and I mourn the end of the series. I find this book bitter because It's the last of a great thing, I find it sweet becouse it gave me one last taste of a wonderful series. So, if you loved and enjoyed the Sookie books as I have, this is a must buy.

Awesome addition to Sookie's world!

This awesome lineup was the most entertaining 12 Hours and 36 Minutes I have ever purchased! I absolutely loved the stories all the writers came up with from the Sookie Stackhouse world! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to this audiobook, but couldn't imagine it being all that bad because it's about Sookie, and Charlaine put her stamp of approval on it.

Each writer involved (mentioned above), picked characters they were intrigued by and wrote a story about them within the confines of Sookie's world. Being the huge Sookie fan that I am, I was extremely happy to be able to visit the world again through this anthology. Each story reminded me of the different books throughout the series, by capturing Charlaine's essence and writing style. However I do have to point out, with Mary Janice Davidson's story you can tell she wrote it. Mary put her signature style in the writing which was very pronounced, but blended well with the Sookie world, (and why am I not surprised she chose to write about Eric? LOL!)

While listening to the extreme care the writers put into the details and dialogue of the stories, I fell in love all over again with Sookie's world. I miss them so much, and for Leigh Perry to show us Sookie and Sam's future after the last book with their children was so heartwarming. The Real Santa Claus was my most favorite, thank you Leigh Perry! The Bat Signal by Suzanne McLeod was runner up featuring little mind reader Hunter, Sookie's cousin. I can pretty much guarantee any Sookie fan that you will love this work of art as much as I have!

Narrator Review:

Johanna Parker has been the voice of Sookie through all the books in the series as well as the short stories. I totally love her Louisiana Sookie accent! Johanna does such a wonderful job with all the characters voices, and just pulls you into the story as if it were Sookie herself! Great job with the whole series Johanna, I give you 5 Fangs for your wonderful performance!

A Different Perspective

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Entertaining stories of "Dead" characters outside their interaction with Sookie.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dead but Not Forgotten?

Quinn's story was riveting. I wanted more!

What three words best describe Johanna Parker’s performance?

Versatile, well paced

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, movies never do justice to the images created in my head.

Any additional comments?

When I re-listen to the Sookie books, the "Not Forgotten" stories will add more color to the way I envision these characters.

Dead But Not Forgotten At All!

If you could sum up Dead but Not Forgotten in three words, what would they be?

Delicious Little Snippets

Who was your favorite character and why?

Diantha - her take on who Santa really is is awesome!

Which character – as performed by Johanna Parker – was your favorite?

Pam. She had the snark down pat!

Any additional comments?

When Audible offered me the chance to try the latest book set in the Sookieverse, I didn't balk at the fact that I had never read an audio book before, but jumped at the opportunity to see Sookie's world through eyes other than her original creator, Charlaine Harris! (And for those of you who have never read an Audio book before: if you have an Amazon account and a smart phone, you can hook up your Amazon account to Audible and download the Audible app and you are ready to roll! For fitness junkies, you can now run and read AT THE SAME TIME! So much love for my new reading regime.)

And what a treat this book is. Now I know a lot of fans are pissy at how Charlaine Harris ended the Southern Vampire Mysteries series - so much so that my review of the final book, Dead Ever After, is still one of my largest viewed reviews on this blog - but please, please, PLEASE give this book a chance! Dead But Not Forgotten is written entirely by authors other than Charlaine Harris. Yes, Harris has edited the novel, but the work is still each author's creation.

And what a delicious blend there is. Not only do we get to see the world through the eyes of some of the big players in Sookie Stackhouse's world; Alcide, Eric Northman, Pam - but we get welcomed into the lives of the smaller players too - and this is where the magic occurs.

While I was excited to see stories dedicated to Eric and Pam, it was the stories of Bubba, Diantha, Kevin & Kenya and Bev & Todd that really made my day. Each story is fantastically written as well as woven seductively around the other main characters in Bon Temps and Shreveport.

Just fantastic!

Where does Dead but Not Forgotten rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Just behind all of the Sookie Stackhouse books :)

What did you like best about this story?

I loved hearing stories from all the different characters! I really REALLY hope there are more of these in the future!

Which scene was your favorite?

Do I really have to pick just one?! Hmm... maybe the Eric story? Pam's story was great! Or maybe Diantha? I also really like Alcide's story. I just can't choose!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

If you loved the Sookie books then purchase this! You won't be sorry!

It was good catching up with great characters

If you could sum up Dead but Not Forgotten in three words, what would they be?

Major character update

What did you like best about this story?

I like that a lot of the secondary characters were given a story of their own ( Dianta, Quinn, Eric, etc) now we need a sequel on the sequel.

What does Johanna Parker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brought life to the story and she brings life to the sequel.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The one with Dianta made me laugh and Eric's made me happy.

Any additional comments?

This was a very good series and another sequel would be great.

I liked it. . .

I was on the fence when this book came out but in the end, the fact that Johanna Parker was narrating and because some of the contributors are some of my favorite authors, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. Let me point out that none of the stories are written by Charlaine Harris, so if they don't "sound" like her, it's because she didn't write them. They do, in my opinion, get pretty close. Also, Sookie only makes a brief cameo in a few of the stories. The stories are about other characters, some well known, some not so much. I'm a pretty big fan of the Sookie books and I really liked getting to see some of the other characters in a different light. Parker did a good job, I'm glad she read this one, it wouldn't be a Sookie book without her.

So boring...could not get past 1st story.

What would have made Dead but Not Forgotten better?

Nothing, it is just a rehash of older work.

What could the authors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Refrain from recycling.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Johanna Parker?

She is a great narrator, I must admit

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

None

READS LIKE "FAN FICTION"....

I wish Ms. Harris had better material from the writers and stories she chose. When the Sookie Stackhouse series was turned into the HBO hit "True Blood ; suddenly almost every fan of the books and the show thought they were accomplished writers..... and then came thousands of made up stories using her characters: fan fiction...... UGH! i thought most of them were no better than some teenager's wish list. sorry, but the stories in this book reminded me of them. Especially the last two in the book. Pam's turning and Eric's ennui were so boring i could barely finish the book. Alcide's story made little sense to me. And not one story from the point of view of the lead male, Bill Compton, or the lead female, Sookie Stackhouse. I was disappointed in nearly every single story. I don't recommend it to any fan unless you can borrow it from a friend for a free reading.

Perhaps what you images is better!

After finishing the Sookie Stackhouse books I was excited when another book came out of the woodwork. This was a selection of stories written by other writers about the characters. It tells you stories like what happens to Quinn, Eric and some other of the smaller characters. When a book ends you imagine what happens to the other characters and well they certainly didn't tally with mine and where I didn't mind the other stories Eric's and Quinns certainly didn't sit we'll with me. Since Charlaine Harris edited it she must agree with the stories but I would like to think if she wrote the next book she would have had a different life for Sookie. I would hope it would be far more exciting than what was written.

one last bite of the cherry

loved this book, it was great to hear about some of my favourite characters again, although some of the stories are quite sad.

Different but still enjoyable

Any additional comments?

Very interesting to hear about the Sookie world written by different authors, and to be privvy to Charlaine Harris' take on each of them. The stories themselves vary in quality, but some of them are hugely enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed the tale of a particular vampire 200 years after the Sookie main stories.

surprisingly enjoyable

Where does Dead but Not Forgotten rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

pretty good as an end of series

What other book might you compare Dead but Not Forgotten to, and why?

Generally the Sookie Stackhouse ones, because its linked to them

What about Johanna Parker’s performance did you like?

Again a great reading

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it suited being heard in chunks, or individual stores

Any additional comments?

One of my favourite characters told my least favourite tale, Eric Norseman. It made a good point, but just didn't grip me. Basically the book is a good epitaph to a fab series

even more magic

there never seems to be too much of the world of Stackhouse. This collection of short stories were a perfect antidote for post Stackhouse blues.

Really great extras

Upset that CH has finished her Skokie stories this book follows on for lots of the characters in different periods of time!