We have a world where humans mingled peacefully with vampires here in Dead Until Dark. If you have watched HBO True Blood then you will be a fan of this book, Dead Until Dark, for that tv series was an adaptation of Charlene Harris’ Dead Until Dark. Dead Until Dark follows a story of a psychic waitress in a small town in Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse.
Her life has been a struggle for acceptance because of that psychic gift of hers, but she never expected she’ll have more of its turns when one day, Bill Compton, a vampire who just woke up from his coffin, walked into the restaurant where she was working asking for synthetic blood.
Dead Until Dark is a vampire fantasy mystery murder story.
We are introduced here to the Southern Vampires as they find out that they have a killer in their midst. The question is, will Sookie’s psychic ability be an advantage in solving the murder?
Usually, mystery murder stories start simply with a crime scene until readers become engrossed in the case. But here in Dead Until Dark, we are given a different premise. In the opening scene, we encountered a vampire asking for synthetic blood. So, for me this appears more like a vampire romance than a mystery murder book.
The restaurant scene, the description of the characters, of how attractive they are, was more like a romantic build-up for me, than an exposition for the mystery murder sense of the book. Yet in the latter part when various killings arise, Dead Until Dark gives me the mystery murder vibe.
Mysteries are supposed to be intriguing and alluring. So far, Dead Until Dark gives me that kind of feeling as the plot frequently takes unexpected turns, keeping the readers on the edge of their seats as they wait for the big reveal.
Read Vampire Novel Like Dead Until Dark Now
So, yeah, Dead Until Dark lives in its mystery murder genre, which honestly drew me into a question like ” who’s the killer? sure it would be a vampire, the wait is it?” I found that this book, Dead Until Dark will give you that kinds of puzzling thoughts and doubts.
- Part 1: The Main Plot of Dead Until Dark
- Part 2: Main Protagonists of Dead Until Dark
- Part 3: Main Protagonists of Dead Until Dark
- Part 4: Chapters With Interesting Scenes in Dead Until Dark
Part 1: The Main Plot of Dead Until Dark
In a small town in Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse of Dead Until Dark works as a part-time cocktail waitress. She doesn’t go out much, is quiet, and keeps to herself not because she isn’t attractive. She is. Sookie just has this sort of “disability” which is her psychic gift which she considers one. As a result, she’s the not dateable type of a girl.
And then Bill shows up. He is tall, dark, and gorgeous, and Sookie is unable to understand a word he is saying. He is exactly the kind of man she has been looking for her entire life. Bill, however, has a flaw of his own: He is a vampire with a poor reputation.
He hangs around with a very spooky group of people who are all allegedly murderers. Until one of Sookie’s co-workers was killed, she worried then that she’ll be the next.
Dead Until Dark Vs True Blood
The first book in Charlaine Harris’s The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Dead Until Dark, was released in 2001. The first season of True Blood was adapted from it. The tv series and the novel, Dead Until Dark were both narrated by Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress from the little fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps.
Later, the same goes in the film as how it was in the novel, Sookie Stackhouse falls in love with Bill Compton, a vampire she met while working at Sam Merlotte’s Merlotte’s Diner. Then, Sookie came up with the development of synthetic blood, known as True Blood, which helps the vampire’s hunger instead of them feeding on human blood.
Some love the tv series. Some love the book. Both are amazing, however, I think for me, the book could have been better if it was titled True Blood the same as in the tv series.
Part 2: Main Protagonists of Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse
In Dead Until Dark, Sookie’s psychic gift seemed to be the reason why she struggled in school and ended up working as a cocktail server. Sometimes her personality isn’t strong. She wasn’t a striking character at first, except that his psychic characterization added interest about her, but aside from that, nothing more.
Sookie of Dead Until Dark is the kind of female lead who would not draw you in at first read. Or perhaps, it’s the storytelling, the presentation of scenes that bothered me as to why I failed to notice Stookie. Nevertheless, Sookie of Dead Until Dark is an average kind of female protagonist.
Bill Compton
I love how Bill was described in Dead Until Dark. With that, he catches my attention. Bill possesses extraordinary speed, strength, and senses. He manages and disseminates a vampire database, demonstrating his skill with computers.
After meeting Sookie in the restaurant, Bill is saved from being drained by the Rattrays, a married couple who make money by selling vampire blood. Following that, they began to have a relationship which made the residents of Bon Temps hostile to Sookie because Bill is a vampire, and they don’t like vampires.
Part 3: Chapters With Interesting Scenes in Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark Chapter 2
At this point in Dead Until Dark, Sookie had an encounter with vampires and somehow felt guilty the next day, when her grandmother heard about the news but then the incident was covered up to be caused by a tornado. Also, in this chapter, we get to see that Bill is getting along well with Sookie’s grandmother, and is a constant visitor to their house.
Dead Until Dark Chapter 5
Perhaps the highlight scene in this chapter of Dead Until Dark was the meeting with the Descendants of The Glorious Dead. That thing intrigues me as to why Bill needs to meet with these mixed bunches of middle-aged women.
But then I like that part where they were all silenced by Bill’s presence, so at this point, we get that Bill isn’t just the type of vampire who hang around in a restaurant to buy synthetic blood.
Dead Until Dark Chapter 7
In this chapter of Dead Until Dark we see the development of Sookie and Bill’s relationship. The scenes here are sweet and romantic and end with a murder case. What I particularly love in this chapter was the way Sookie opened his dark past to Bill, and how Bill vowed to protect her, and though there are instances that Sookie was scared of him, still he led Sookie to trust him more.
Dead Until Dark Chapter 10
I love the scene here in Dead Until Dark chapter 10 where Sookie called for Bill because her brother got arrested. So, the woman in the other line asked her if Bill is fang or human, and he answered “fang.”
This scene keeps me well aware of the setting of the story wherein it was done in a time when humans are cohabitating well with vampires, but a series of murders interrupted their peace. So, the highlight scene in this chapter was Sam’s detention.
Part 4: Review And Conclusion of Dead Until Dark
At some point, the book Dead Until Dark is quite different from its tv adaptation, but I should say both Dead Until Dark and True Blood is good. The novel started strong. Louisiana is a fantastic combination of truth and fantasy, therefore I like it as a setting. However, I think this book isn’t appropriate for young audiences, or should be consumed with guidance at least.
I think Dead Until Dark gives us the romantic vibe between the characters and shows us as well a story of friendship, and family relationships. The hook here is Bill’s character, a supernatural, attractive guy who vows to protect his girl.
Sure I will be recommending this book. If you’re a lover of the vampire genre, this book will be a good suggestion. Although some fans are comparing this to Twilight, especially with the coming out of the True Blood series, I think the two are incomparable.
They tackle different storylines, especially with Dead Until Dark being centered around the pursuit of synthetic blood, which makes this book different from other vampire books.
