by Amy Montz
Harris, Charlaine. Dead Until Dark. New York: Ace Fantasy,
2001. 260 p.
Harris, Charlaine. Living Dead In Dallas. New York: Ace Fantasy,
2002. 262 p.
Never judge a book by its cover.
This worn-out adage has warned readers for centuries, and in all actuality, it's pretty good advice. I swayed from this tried and true, however, one early February day in a local Barnes and Noble. I must admit, Gentle Reader, that I'm the better for it. The cover of Charlaine Harris' vampire novel Dead Until Dark called out to me, what with the vampire and blonde woman draped in a cape floating over a southern landscape.
And what's inside made me regret ever listening to cliches.
Harris weaves an unusual tale in her two vampire novels. Unlike more recent vampiric fiction, Dead Until Dark and Living Dead In Dallas hold no pretensions, rather they hold tongues firmly tucked in cheek. Dead Until Dark introduces a feisty heroine, a rural Louisiana barmaid named Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie seems like a usual backwoods Louisiana girl: pretty, blonde, voluptuous, and oh, also telepathic. The local townspeople think she's a bit insane because she's tried her entire life to get people out of her head. As she bemoans in the novel, being telepathic is hell on your social life, especially when you try to date. Sookie tells the reader, "Can you imagine knowing everything your sex partner is thinking? Along the order of 'her butt is a little big ."
Her telepathy is the reason that when the vampire Bill Compton walks into the bar, Sookie falls head over heels in love. See, she can't hear his thoughts, and she loves him for it.
Despite the obvious humor with which she handles Sookie and Bill, the vampire myth itself is Harriss piece de resistance. The rules for vampirism follow all the rules of the old legends: an adversity to sunlight, silver, and garlic. However, Harris gives the myth a new twist. In these novels, vampires have "come out of the coffin" and are trying to assimilate into normal society. The majority of them are unionized, working to get themselves declared legal minorities. Japan has begun the production of synthetic blood to help the vampires live, although there are still "unfortunate accidents" in which humans show up dead, drained of their blood. There are vampire owned bars where tourists will come and take a walk on the wild side, so to speak. Fangbangers are vampire groupies who either work or hang out at these bars in the vain hopes that the vampires will choose them as the night's dinner. But vampires and humans rarely date; there are too many intrinsic problems, like incompatible schedules. Luckily for Sookie, she already works nights.
Sookie saves the vampire Bill from two "drainers," people who attack vampires, drain them of their blood, and sell that blood on the black market, and he develops an attraction to her. They begin to date, wholeheartedly supported by Sookie's grandmother, who asks Bill to speak about his experience in the Civil War at her Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting, but not by Sookie's boss, Sam, who has a little secret of his own.
Unfortunately, women are starting to die in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and all of the victims enjoyed a little fangbanging of their own. Bill and his vampire associates are the number one suspects, of course. Sookie begins her own investigation in order to clear Bill's name and ends up indebted to the vampires. She begins a "telepathic for hire" service for Eric, a Viking vampire who owns a nearby vamp bar.
Who said dating was easy?
In Living Dead in Dallas, Harris continues her unusual story with Sookie and Bill. Sookie has been loaned out to Bill's union for her unusual abilities, and she and Bill travel to Dallas. More comedy, another mysterious death back home, and a questioning of what Sookie really wants from her relationship with Bill inform this sequel. Maenads, shapeshifters, vampires, televangelists, werewolves, and yes, another telepath, appear to form one of the most entertaining books you will read this year.
Harris' two novels are without a doubt the most intriguing and humorous vampire tales I've ever read. Her brilliance lies in her ability to weave a world so similar to ours that we can see what would happen if vampires did exist and decided to go mainstream. They would try to vote, own property, run for office, travel publicly, and appear on Oprah. If you are looking for dark, mysterious, Lestat-ish vampires, Bill Compton and gang will not amuse you. If you're looking for a humorous romp and quite a sensual love story, Compton and friends might just fill the bill.
Oh, and you'll probably like the cover art, too.