Dead and Gone: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #9

By: Charlaine Harris

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlaine Harris' Anthony Award-winning Sookie Stackhouse mysteries have become a fixture on the New York Times best-seller list and have inspired the acclaimed HBO series True Blood.

In her ninth adventure, Sookie has just tied on her cocktail waitress apron for a night's work when a special report comes on the television. The time has come. The wereanimals have revealed themselves.

But there's an even greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings - older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves - is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

Listen to more titles in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

©2009 Charlaine Schultz Harris (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Loved It!!

To begin with I am a big fan of Charlaine Harris. I have read all her sookie novels and this one is just as great..I am so happy that sookie and eric are somewhat of an item now..I think they are so meant to be together..I also loved the cliffhanger at the end..Cant wait for the next one to come out..

Weres and shapeshifteres and faeries revealed

If you could sum up Dead and Gone: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #9 in three words, what would they be?

Happy, shocking, grief

What other book might you compare Dead and Gone: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #9 to and why?

All the prior entries in the Sookie Stackhouse series would need to be taken in total to make a decent comparison. Each one has shown growth in the characters and the author's writing and the narrator's telling.I’m a big fan of Sookie Stackhouse and the series based on her character by Charlaine Harris. She’s not even 30 years old, but she has lived many extra lifetimes by now.As DEAD AND GONE opens, a public announcement is being broadcast over all TV, radio, cable, and internet waves letting the world know of the existence of the “weres” and shapeshifters. At just the right moment, all these creatures turned from human to their respective animal forms. It seemed to go quite well. It was waitress Arlene who freaked out at Sam’s bar and went running from the building.I would imagine that had the first book started before "The Great Revelation" of vampires, it might have read similarly, but been much more socially upsetting.

Which scene was your favorite?

I felt Sookie's confidence grow when Sam had to leave Merlotte's and return "home" following the revelation of shape shifters to tend to his mother whom his father shot when she "changed." Sam left Sookie in charge of the bar as he rushed to his family, and then life began to change.

Sookie wondered about the faerie part of Jason and her genetic makeup. As it turns out, Adele Stackhouse had had a secret of her own – not that she was a shapeshifter but that she’d had an affair with a faerie, almost to the exclusion of her time and affection for her children and husband. While the genetic lineage Sookie learned from the royal prince and head of her family, her great grandfather Nayall, she wished she understood how the genetic marker passed down and who it skipped. She knew it had passed along to her nephew, Hadley’s son Hunter, who is now living with his father not all that far from Bon Temps.

Nayall spent most of his time in Fae, literally battling another royal prince over the principal of whether Fae should stay open to let faeries pass between the two worlds or if the openings should be shut for good. He did not want to be seen with Sookie in public so as to endanger her. Her grandfather had kept them apart all these years, but now that he’d passed away, Nayall knew he could take the opportunity to meet Sookie. Sookie was delighted that she had more family, but was also sad that they didn’t seem to have much in common.

Eric used the opportunity of transporting Sookie and/or Nayall to see each other to give Sookie a knife used in ceremonies and that in accepting would signify that she was “his.” She did take the knife, but that was as far as things went. Her desire for him is strong throughout this book, while Bill dates no one because he loves Sookie and wants to be available if she needs him. Eric is up to something by calling Sookie his wife, and it probably has nothing to do with matrimony and has everything to do with the new king of Louisiana.

Sookie could have used some help when yet another dead body showed up at Merlotte’s following an event Jason orchestrated. Sookie isn't sure who did the killing, but she was resentful of Jason's poor judgment since she had to give out the punishment for it according to his wedding vows. Jason finds out he is the object of another’s affection, leaving the were-panther community up in arms.

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

I had a stronger reaction to this book than prior books in the series. With so many species inhabiting the world, now that we know about them (or do we?), things start to go wrong even with the lovely, nice, and sweet fairies. Sookie felt it too, and found herself checking on a friendly werewolf who said he would keep watch over her, along with Bubba, the vampire. Someone had approached Trey Dawson and given him some poisoned vampire blood, and Sookie had promised to stop by his home, where she sent him, on her way home from work. As she pulled into her own driveway, she remembered that Amelia, Sookie’s roomie from New Orleans, had said she’d wait for Sookie at her boyfriend Trey’s house. Sookie quickly pulled out of the drive to arrive at Trey’s empty house. Fearful and spooked, Sookie called Bill for help. He was there within ten minutes and followed Sookie home. Only she made it through a traffic light when Bill had not, so she arrived home and headed for the back door anyway. She didn’t make it.As I begin to feel Sookie's physical pain, realized its source and further meaning, I think I cried through the remainder of the book. Sookie was not the only being in overwhelming physical pain, which was even more distressing. This book ended on a much sharper cliffhanger than ever.

Any additional comments?

Certainly not everything has been nice in this series. Moments of joy and sadness and kindness and malice bounce around each other and in and out of dimensions. Never have I seen such gruesome behavior come so close to Sookie, leaving so many inside and at the foot of death’s door in the sleepy town of Bon Temps. Who will live to see the next book? And who really loves Sookie and will stand by her? Will Sookie ever marry "for real" or remain a lone telepath who cannot and will not be controlled by others, human or otherwise. I can't wait to find out, so I'm glad I have Sookie #10, DEAD IN THE FAMILY, already purchased!

Fantastic!

My favorite books in the series will always be 6&7 but, this one really delves into Sookie's family tree and clears up some some long running mysteries in the saga!

Violent

Being a serious Sookie Stackhouse fan I would have bought this to add to my collection. But I was disappointed with how violent this particular chapter in Sookie's tale was. The narrator is very good and always enjoyable to listen to. All that being said I can't wait for the next Sookie story

The best Sookie novel so far!

This is by far Johanna Parker's best work. We love this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the supernatural element! Charlaine Harris really outdid herself on this one.

Dead and Gone

Great series. I'm just sorry that there isn't anymore in the series.

Dead and Gone

Sookie Stackhouse novels are just plain fun.

Who doesn't love Sookie?

Sookie and her friends will draw you into their world and leave you wanting more. This is a fun read. A piece of advice, separate the novel series from the HBO show. HBO has given the book a Hollywood make-over, and what they haven't changed, they've left out all together. I'll take the books over the HBO series any day. It's just that much better.

Cute

I enjoy these books! They help me pass time while I'm at work and sometimes I even look forward to qork since that's the only time I'm able to listen. I do have 1 complaint though, maybe my attention hasn't been 100% sometimes, but I SWEAR some characters changed names slightly. I knownfor certain the little boy Cody, is now Kobe. And Holly is now Halle?I appreciate consistency, and ths little change distracted me to the point that I missed a few sentences each time this happened.

Joie de Vivre Dead and Gone

As another die hard SVM fan, I've been waiting for this book to come out, hoping for the promised pivotal conversation between Eric and Sookie. It doesn't happen. We were told it would be a darker book, and it is. But the essence of Eric and Sookie is that they share the same joie de vivre, that they are two sides of the same coin. This is missing in the novel.

It seems like True Blood, the TV series, has had some influence on the characterization. Plus, it does the characters a disservice to keep avoiding personal growth. Sookie's immaturity continues though events that would change the world view of any sentient being.

There was not as many humorous or loving scenes as before and I also agree that it needed to be further proofread.

So now we begin the grim wait for #10. Hoping against hope that our questions will finally be answered, and that the characters regain their joie de vivie.