Dead Until Dark by Charlaine HarrisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I came to the TV series first, and have now viewed Seasons 1-4. I wasn't sure about starting to read the books, because I had heard that the TV show departed considerably from them. However, I was wanting some escape, so I took out Trueblood Omnibus, the first three books in the series in one volume, from my local library. So this review is treating them all as one, and also covers Living Dead in Dallas and Club Dead.
I wasn't disappointed. They are well written (ever so much better than the Twilight series — not that I didn't devour that). The main character, Sookie Stackhouse, is particularly appealing on the page. I was surprised that two of the main characters in the series are not developed that way in the books. The TV people knew what they were doing; these interesting characters deserve the further development they are given in TV. However, as a writer myself, I'm able to accept that different media require different emphases. The differences from the show mean that I can't predict too closely what will happen next, which is always a bonus for me in reading or viewing. Taking the books on their own merits, I enjoyed them very much and look forward to reading all the rest. They served well as the absorbing escapism I required, and while not Great Literature, I found them a very good read.
I also like the way Harris writes sex scenes. I find them very hard to do in prose (though OK in poetry, where one can wax metaphorical). She manages to be convincing, and finds the right balance between suggestive and explicit.
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