Dead in the Family: Prime Impressioni

Dead in the Family will be available May 4, 2010.
Dead in the Family picks up about a week after the end of Dead and Gone, where some pretty gruesome things happened to Sookie during a war between the faeries and the vampires. Dead in the Family starts out with Sookie trying to recover from her injuries, both physical and psychological, from a torture session with two psychopathic faeries. Recovery is slow and painful and the book takes us forward week by week for the first month, until Sookie’s life settles back to some semblance of normalcy. Normal, that is, for Sookie.
I think I liked this book a bit better than the last one only because this one went back to being lighter than Dead and Gone. After Sookie recovers, we see the same witty, snarky Sookie we’ve all come to know and love. Sookie is also much wiser and a bit more hardened concerning some things than she ever was. This is no surprise, although to me, it’s a little melancholy. I guess it’s the loss of innocence that gets to me.
Rather than prattle on and on, let me just list some of the highlights and a couple teasers for you from Dead in the Family.
One question that is settled pretty quickly is why Eric didn’t come to Sookie during all the torture. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but I can say that for me, it was not what I expected at all. Thank you, Charlaine! I love surprises.
Charlaine has mentioned often that Eric’s maker appears in this story. Boy does he, and he brings a surprise for Eric. Eric has quite a few in this book.
Jason has evolved into someone I actually like.
Sam deals with some family issues and a new girlfriend who turns out to be more than he bargained for.
Alcide is very much in this book and up to his same tricks with Sookie.
Bill was indeed, as Charlaine revealed, very ill throughout the book. However, healing comes from a surprise source.
Hunter pays Sookie a visit and I hope we see more of him in future books.
Debbie Van Pelt makes a cameo appearance.
A nod is given to HBO’s True Blood.
Sookie gains another housemate.
I don’t want to say too much more so I’ll stop there. Overall, I’d have to say that Dead in the Family will be one of my favorites in this series. Ms. Harris sets up the next book quite well and we are not left with a huge cliff-hanger practically in the middle of a sentence. The title of the book is the theme throughout, of course. And Sookie will make you laugh again, which was something I worried about after Dead and Gone.

- Una domanda trova presto risposta ed è perché Eric non è andato da Sookie durante le torture.
Non voglio spoilerare ma per quel che mi riguarda, non è quello che tutti ci saremo aspettati!!!Grazie Charlaine!!!Amo le sorprese.
-CH ha detto piu’ volte che il maker di Eric avrebbe fatto visita e ragazzi lo fa!portando una sorpresa per Eric! Ne avrà alcune di sorprese Eric in questo libro.
-Jason si è evoluto piacevolmente
-Sam deve vedersela con affari di famiglia e una la suaAlci ragazza che si rivela essere piu’ di quello per cui l’aveva assunta.
-Alcide c’è molto in questo libro e finirà sempre col suo solito inganno verso Sookie.
-Bill è molto malato ma la guarigione arriva da una fonte inaspettata.
-Hunter fa visita a Sookie
-un gesto di assenso è stato dato a True Blood
-Sookie si ritrova con un altro coinquilino (non sappiamo se maschio o femmina)

With nine books’ worth of material to work with, Charlaine Harris must have felt like a kid in a candy store when writing Dead in the Family. The tenth book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series is an example of how to use a rich mythology that has already been established while keeping the story fresh. The author deftly weaves threads from as far back as book one into a story that longtime fans will enjoy, bringing new insights and answering old questions.
Dead in the Family combines vampires, fairies, weres, and telepaths in a way that somehow feels so normal, I actually chuckled when I realized that, like Sookie, “supes” no longer seemed unusual. Sookie has a lot to handle in this book, but it’s a testament to her character’s growth that she does it with a maturity and insight that wasn’t there previously. Her terrible ordeal at the end of Dead and Gone has changed her irrevocably, but in true resilient Sookie fashion, she’s choosing to grow instead of wallow. OK, there is a little wallowing at the beginning of the book, but can you blame her? The physical evidence of her torture is almost healed, but the emotional wounds require more time. I appreciated that we were given the week-by-week prologue to deal with that as well as get some answers about Eric’s whereabouts and Bill’s condition. The fallout from the fairy war impacts more than the fairies, most of whom are now sealed into their world, and Charlaine’s manner of addressing it felt appropriate and respectful without being too depressing.
Once we reach the first chapter of Dead in the Family, we leave much of the darkness from book nine behind as the next mystery is introduced. With the weres now out in the open, there are some who want to legislate them practically into illegal alien status. Conspiracies and paranoia abound, and naturally Sookie is caught up in it thanks to her “friend of the pack” status with Alcide’s pack, plus Jason and Sam’s shifter abilities. In addition to that, she must deal with a couple of fairies who did not go back with Niall, even as she grieves for Claudine. Meanwhile, Eric is mired in complex vampire politics and hierarchy now that Louisiana is under the rule of the King of Nevada and his devious second in command, leaving Sookie both worried about and missing her boyfriend.
After finishing the novel and reflecting on everything that happened, the title took on so many implications that I had to applaud Charlaine. Family is the theme of this book, both literal and figurative, good and bad. There are some wonderful moments between Sookie and Jason that show how strong their bond has become, and how much Jason has matured. Sookie’s grief over the loss of her cousin Claudine is palpable and her death impacts Sookie in unexpected ways. The complicated “made” families in the vampire world are also highlighted, giving us more insight into the differences (and similarities) between human and vampire connections.
Dead in the Family is a rich, rewarding book for fans of the series (and there’s even a clever tip of the hat to True Blood). So many previous stories and connections are touched on that it could have read like a lame television clip show; instead Charlaine used the abundance of material already established to write a story that simply could not have taken place any earlier. She even sows the seeds for the remainder of the series, particularly in a few introspective paragraphs with Sookie considering her options for the future. While not as lighthearted as some of the earliest novels, when Sookie was still very naive, Dead in the Family is not nearly as dark as the last book, even delivering a few adorable and laugh-out-loud moments. It’s engaging and entertaining without being frivolous, substantial without being heavy. I suspect this will land pretty high on the list of favorite Sookie novels for many fans.

Questo libro combina le varie nature e Sookie ha molto di cui occuparsi ma lo fa con una maturità che prima sarebbe stata inaspettata. Le torture subite l’hanno cambiata per sempre, ma Sookie ha deciso di crescere e andare avanti invece che regredire e arrendersi.

Dopo la rivelazione dei Were lo Stato vuole dichiararli illegali e Sookie in quanto “amica del gruppo” dei Were è tratta in mezzo da Alcide.
Mentre deve vedersela anche con fate che non sono rientrate nel loro mondo, Eric è impegnato in affari politici complessi dello Stato della Luisiana e lasciano Sookie molto preoccupata e sente la sua mancanza.

La Famiglia è il tema centrale, nel bene e nel male.
Ci sono momenti molto belli fra Sookie e Jason che mostrano quanto forte il loro legame sia diventato e quanto Jason sia maturato.
Sookie sente ancora la mancanza di Claudine e la sua morte la segna in modi inaspettati.
Il concetto di famiglia nel mondo vampirico viene spiegato dandoci le differenze e similitudini fra la connessione umano-vampiro.

IO VOGLIO LA MORTE DI ALCIDE!!!!!

e che cavoli..e' proprio falso...sono contenta del rapporto fra jason e sookie....

ti sta proprio sulle balls eh?
Cmq quando spunta lui ci sono sempre casini all'orizzonte per Sookie...sarà che porta iella sto lupo?

A buried body was discovered shortly after Alcide’s local werewolf pack used Sookie’s land for full moon activities in an obvious attempt to frame her for murder. The sudden appearance of Eric’s maker and former master, Appius Livius OCella along with Alexei Romanov throws tensions into high gear. With the local werewolf pack and vampire politics in an uproar, Sookie has plenty of enemies but the most deadly could prove to be the one she never saw coming.

Alcide e il Pack usano la luna piena per setacciare le zone dove vive Sookie e trovare il corpo di Debbie. Vogliono accusare Sookie di omicidio e con la scusa che lei è amica del Pack le chiede aiuto...ma in realtà sarà un atto di accusa....
Fra le quistioni dei vampiri e dei were Sookie scoprirà che le creature piu' letali devono ancora arrivare.......

mi sa che nei prossimi libri Eric farà rotolare molte teste.....
e sinceramente non vedo l'ora di un po' di Eric's action....in fin dei conti è un Guerriero!!!!!

Here’s the review:
When the opportunity to get an advance copy of the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel presented itself, I did what any fan of Charlaine Harris’s wonderfully quirky “rural fantasy” series would do: I pounced on it and then proceeded to abjure all my responsibilities in order to devour it immediately. Happily, it was a satisfying read, but—as usual—it left me craving more.
Dead in the Family—the 10th and latest installment in the New York Times bestselling series about a telepathic barmaid from Louisiana—begins with Sookie’s physical and mental recovery from her torture at the hands of the vicious fae at the end of the previous book, Dead and Gone. Sookie will never again be the same person we knew and loved from the earlier books, but this new, edgier Sookie is not without appeal, not least of which is because of her new found practicality and proactive approach to her problems. She is also less inclined to angst over what she has seen as her moral failings and gradual evolution into a survivalist. Now if she could just get over her self-esteem issues . . . .
Read the rest of the review after the cut.
Sookie is understandably more cautious and less trusting now, but she is still willing to take some risks to help those she cares about—and fortunately this time she doesn’t suffer greatly as a result. Her willingness to help people is one of her best qualities, and I enjoyed seeing her regain some of her old moxie and be the “rescuer” instead of the victim. I especially liked seeing her bully Eric when he most needed it . . . and speaking of Eric, this book reveals even more facets of his fascinating and complex character; Eric is, as Ms. Harris herself said, “large and in charge”, here.
As always, trouble surrounds Sookie, but for once her brother Jason is not one of her problems; he’s finally decided to “man up” and give his sister some support, something she can always use. She even manages to spend some quality time with her family: Jason, her telepathic five-year-old cousin, Hunter, and—most surprisingly—her cousin Claude, who seems hungry for fairy companionship, if only with his slightly-fae cousin. That’s enough to make even the chronically self-absorbed Claude work a bit on his social skills… And maybe there’s a little more to his request to bunk with Sookie than first meets the eye.
But troubles abound, and Sookie is drawn into Eric’s family crisis and more of Alcide’s pack issues, while danger looms in the form of a vengeful fairy and the discovery of a body in Sookie’s woods. As if these problems weren’t enough, Sookie must also deal with the ongoing danger she faces — now that Sookie has settled into a relationship with her Viking vampire, she is a target for anyone who wants something from Eric. As a result, Eric decides that forewarned is forearmed, and Sookie gains some insight into the vampires’ inner workings. But her usual vampire issues are soon superceded by a new one in the form of Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, and his newest child, Alexei Romanov, who arrive at Sookie’s house most unexpectedly. As Eric struggles with his family conflicts, Sookie sees a new side to her Viking—one that will forever change how she perceives him.
Meanwhile, Sookie hasn’t forgotten about her ex-boyfriend Bill and lends a hand in his recovery from the silver poisoning he contracted while rescuing her in Dead and Gone. Bill seems unconcerned about his failing health, so Sookie uses stealth to find a remedy . . . with some unexpected, and satisfying, results. For the most part, Sam is back to his supportive self—despite the issues the Were’s Great Reveal is causing him. Meanwhile, Alcide is finding out that being pack leader is no picnic.
Ms. Harris recently commented that she feared the “Shakespearean ending” to this book was perhaps “too over the top,” but I found the conclusion entertaining and satisfying, though of course it left me wanting more.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I liked seeing Sookie’s growth and determination as she adjusts to the demands of her life in the supernatural community. While sometimes it seems she is still less than understanding of her loved ones, she has come a long way in a short amount of time. It was also just fun to read about good things happening for Sookie, considering how much hardship she’s had to endure. I love that—no matter how many times I read the books and how much I follow Ms. Harris’s comments—I am still surprised by some of her plot and character twists. I always enjoy her talent for creating realistic, believable characters. And this book saw a return of the humor that originally made me such a fan of the series. I thought Pam got the best lines this time, but Eric, Claude, Sookie, and even Terry had their moments.
Dead in the Family is an excellent addition to the Sookie series. It answers several lingering questions readers have had, and it resolves more plot points than it introduces, so it stands on its own better than the previous installment did. I am really looking forward to the next book to see how Sookie deals with the ongoing threats to her, and, well, to see if she is ever going to find anything interesting in that attic. ;-)
~Hope