Dead in the Family

"Good" is one of those completely subjective terms and I try to keep that in mind - especially when touching the subject of vampire stories. A good vampire story is less about the vampirism and more about the characters (that's true of any story, but a subject for another time). Buffy the Vampire Slayer will always be my favorite - I'm in the process of purchasing the graphic novels so I can own the complete universe.

Last summer buzz about True Blood, an HBO series based upon Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, was steadily increasing. As is my want, I thought I'd read the books before even considering watching the series. A quick check at the library revealed that I wasn't the only one interested - the queue was ridiculous - but NetLibrary (mcpl.org partner site) had them available for audio download. Joy!

I've never been so enthralled by audiobooks for a series I haven't previously read. Johanna Parker captures Sookie's mannerisms, intonations, and emotions so vividly that I enjoy hearing the books more than reading them. Bursts of laughter are not uncommon as I listen to these books.

Dead in the Family is the latest in the series and turns a corner. The past few novels have been quite dark, and you got the sense that Sookie was very much alone in the world. Here we see Sookie renewing and establishing ties with blood-family and chosen family. She's figuring out who she is, who she loves, who's out to get her and trying to enjoy life in her small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. I want to live in her house - its totally the stuff of my dreams!

I love these stories for a variety of reasons - but I suppose at the core it the same as why I like Buffy. They don't seek to glorify the vampire world - they acknowledge it for the evil that exists within it (just like human world, right?). No one longs to be vampire but they've figured out ways to co-exist with them. There are good and bad vampires. In short, its an adult story with adult themes and much more satisfying that the Twilight novels (don't even get me started on those - ugh.).