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| From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8) | 
 enlarge | Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.49
You Save: $10.46 (42%)
New (21) Used (10) Collectible (2) from $14.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  189 reviews
Sales Rank: 94
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.5
ISBN: 0441015891
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780441015894
ASIN: 0441015891
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, IN-HOUSE READY TO SHIP!!! NOT A BARGAIN, REMAINDER OR BOOKCLUB BOOK!!! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Big Disappointment May 9, 2008
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
Let me start off by saying that I love the Southern Vampire series...have come to know and love my favorite characters...let's go Eric! And have been looking forward to May since i first got hooked on the books last year.
Up until this latest installment in the Sookie saga, i really thought that Charlaine Harris was growing as a novelist. With each book, prior to From Dead To Worse, i felt that the story line got better and better, Charlaine's style of writing grew less insipid, the character development was increasingly exciting, you felt like the author was growing with her heroine. Then you get a clunker like From Dead To Worse and wonder what the heck happened?!
From Dead To Worse is pretty much the theme of this book...it starts off dead and it gets worse. No story line, no mystery, wasted time spent re-describing what's happened in prior books, which honestly could have been handled in a brief preface, wars with no real meaning other then to get a character from one place to the next, and no growth for Sookie. No lessons. No becoming a stronger/better person from what she's been through. No nothing. It was as if the author used this book as a throw-a-way so she could ready herself for the next chapter in Sookie's life (No Pun Intended). The whole book was just filler that got characters from one role to another with no real story line. IMHO this whole book would have done better as a blog.
Throughout most of the book i found myself bored, frustrated, and really disappointed. You can do better Charlaine Harris.
My advice to readers is to buy the book 2nd hand or check it out from the library.
 Mixed Feelings. August 15, 2008
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
This book gave me some hope for the Sookie/Eric eventual happily ever after. These two belong together, and I really hope it happens. I'm glad to see some things about their storyline partially resolved in this book, and I'm thrilled about the guy she dumped. He was hot and all, but something about him was just too white bread for me. He had kind of a "Riley" feel (Buffy reference) that was highly icky for me.
One thing that does puzzle me about this book, and I'm not quite sure how to take it. There is no climax. There's just a lot of stuff that happens. At various points in the story new problems are introduced in the various situations Sookie finds herself involved in. And as the story goes on, those situations get resolved one by one.
The story hangs together, it's cohesive, and all the threads get resolved, it's just, there is no one scene that is the top scene. There is just a string of mini-climaxes, and then an ending. And the ending, though cool and intriguing, doesn't have much to do with the rest of the book.
So I'm not really sure how to deal with that. I'm left with this bizarre feeling that I'm not sure if we've missed something, or if it should have been bigger somewhere. Or if I feel the ending is satisfying or not. I'm not sure because there was no definite point at which I felt like "we won." Or whatever you're supposed to feel when the heroine's journey has come to an end in a particular novel.
I am happy about the developments in the Sookie/Eric situation. And I hate Bill slightly less, though I swear if that vampire tries to come between Eric and Sookie I'll stop reading.
I'm in it for the Sookie/Eric pairing and that's where my loyalties end. As soon as the books stop delivering at least a hopeful Eric/Sookie relationship, I'm out. Though from reading other reviews on this issue, I know there is a pretty big fan contingent that agrees with me.
 Very Disappointed May 14, 2008
10 out of 19 found this review helpful
I waited with baited breath for this book to come out. I found it overshadowed completely by a foul-mood Sookie. There were no humorous come backs or statements by her... just blah.
All the characters seemed out of sorts. "Eric" did not sound/seem like Eric until almost the end. I don't know why it seems the author wants us to like bill again. I felt the Quinn storyline was rushed with a capital R.
I hope this book is merely a bridge --- tying up loose ends and introducing characters to make the NEXT book as fabulous as (some)of the others were. The pattern seems to be one phenomenal, 2 OK, then back to phenomenal. 1, 4 & 7 are by far my faves.
Hoping this was just a burp.
 Louisiana Blues August 7, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
From Dead to Worse (2008) is the eighth fantasy novel in the Southern Vampire series, following All Together Dead. In the previous volume, Sookie Stackhouse finally realized what was going on and organized an evacuation party from the human workers. Cecile set off the fire alarm and other humans started downstairs.
Sookie managed to get Erik Northman up and the two of them got Pam into her coffin and then pushed it out the window. Sookie told the EMTs how to handle the vampires and then acted as a spotter for the rescue teams. Then she found Andre buried under some rubble.
In this novel, just about everybody in town is present for the double wedding of Portia Bellefleur to Glen Vick and Halleigh Robinson to Andy Bellefleur. The ceremony has been scheduled after dark so that the vampires can attend. The Weres are represented by Calvin Norris and Tanya Grissom. Sookie is not very pleased to see Tanya again.
Sookie was invited as a guest, but both Sam Merlotte and herself are working the bar since the intended bartender was injured in an auto accident. Then one of Halleigh's bridesmaids is taken to the hospital and Sookie is asked to fill in for her. Sookie rushes upstairs and changes out of her barmaid outfit.
The bridesmaid dress is a little tight and the shoes are a half size too small. Luckily she won't have to rush around while wearing them. Getting downstairs to the garden is going to be the worst part.
The wedding goes well and the two couples are married without any mishaps (except for the missing bartender and bridesmaid). The photographer takes pictures of Halleigh's bridesmaids first so that Sookie can get back to work. She quickly changes clothes and her toes sigh with relief.
As Sookie is handing out drinks, she meets an oriental vampire who says that he is called Jonathan since his real name is not pronounceable by most people. She notices a Nevada driver license in his billfold as he leaves a tip. He bows to her and she bows back.
Sookie also notices an older man at the edge of the woods. He sees her looking at him and steps forward as he gazes back at her. When he comes forward, all the vampires look his way simultaneously, bow slightly, and then go back their ongoing conversations. The man looks withered, but beautiful.
Sam asks Sookie about Tanya Grissom as they work the bar. Sam has gotten the impression that Sookie doesn't like Tanya. Of course, he is correct; Sookie had some bad experiences with Tanya when she was hired by the Van Pelt family. But Sookie knows that Sam likes Tanya and doesn't feel quite right about spreading her prejudices to her boss.
When Sookie gets home, Amelia Broadway is waiting at the kitchen table to hear about the wedding. She is living with Sookie, but is not really a member of the local social circle and was not invited to the wedding. Amelia also has something else to discuss with Sookie. Her father -- a rich contractor in New Orleans -- wishes to visit Amelia and wants to meet Sookie.
In this story, Copley Carmichael tries to act as like a good old boy, but Amelia's father is obviously used to being a local power broker. Amelia loves the old man, but is also afraid of him. She just can't say no to him.
Eric calls Sookie and asks her to go out with him for a dinner meeting. It is not a date, for Eric intends to escort her to the meeting and then wait outside until she is done. Sookie finds that the lovely, but withered, man is waiting for her. She soon finds out that he is a Fairy prince and also her great-grandfather.
Amelia's witch mentor shows up at the house to speak with her errant student. Amelia has been avoiding Octavia Fant since Bob Jessup was turned into a cat during some exotic sex with Amelia. Of course, Amelia is really not eager to face Octavia and admit that she still hasn't been able to reverse the transformation.
Alcide Herveaux calls Sookie to ask for a favor. One his fellow Weres has been murdered and he would like Amelia to perform an ectoplasmic reconstruction of the killing. Octavia goes along to help Amelia with the spell.
This tale soon has Sookie facing attempts to murder her. On two separate occasions, an unknown Were tries to kill her and no one knows why. Alcide believes that Patrick Furnan -- the new packmaster -- is responsible for the murders and murder attempts.
Sookie blames these troubles on Hurricane Katrina. All Louisiana has been disrupted by the storm. The vampire hierarchy in the state has been greatly weakened and even the werewolves are having problems.
Then there are Sookie's personal problems. Jason is having troubles with his wife Crystal and is not handling it well; Tanya is not helping the situation. Arlene is still hanging around with the local Fellowship of the Sun group and now hates Sookie. Bill Compton is still professing love for her and Eric is still trying to find out what happened when he lost his memory.
The story has some depressing times and moments of pure terror, with occasional flashes of joy. It is just one thing after another in the life of Sookie Stackhouse. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Harris fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of telepathic disabilities, preternatural creatures, and tangled romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
entertaining original fantasy May 6, 2008
9 out of 20 found this review helpful
The bomb explosion at the vampire summit in Rhodes, Louisiana scared, Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic extraordinaire and waitress at a diner owned by a shapeshifter., She prays she will have a respite from problems in the supernatural world. She does not expect any because so many vampires and other species died or are missing including her were-tiger boyfriend Quinn..
Unfortunately the last thing Sookie knows is that a crisis begets a worse crisis. During the were contest for Packmaster, Alcide's father was killed and Furnan consolidated his reign. Now people loyal to Alcide are dying and he thinks Furnan is responsible. When Furnan's wife is kidnapped, he blames Alcidede. Sookie tries to arbitrate a peace.
The New Orleans vampire queen Sophie is in desperate straits as Katrina destroyed much of her power base in New Orleans, the bomb destroyed the vestige of her support and she is helpless while she is regenerating new legs. The city is ripe for a takeover from the king of Las Vegas but not everyone is happy with the new power structure. It is up to Sookie and her blood bonded vamire Eric Northman the vampire to prevent more deaths including the new ruler.
The heroine prefers to keep to herself but tries to help the supernatural community while the humans reject her due to her telepathy prowess. She will do anything to save those she cares about while her animosity towards Bill the vampire who betrayed her remains strong. Action-packed yet character driven, FROM DEAD TO WORSE is Charlaine Harris at her world-building best with this entertaining original story.
Harriet Klausner
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