Dead and Gone (Book 9)

Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone, the eagerly awaited ninth book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries Series by Charlaine Harris, begins with the public reveal of yet another supernatural species, the weres and shapeshifters, and ends with the possible permanent departure of different supernatural group, with plenty of action and subplots in between. Our telepathic heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, takes it all in stride as usual, but in this book, the stakes are higher, and the mood is darker than what readers have seen in earlier books in this series.

The plot

Sookie faces an escalating number of problems at work, and in her personal life in this book. Starting with the “were-animal” reveal, she is called upon to manage Merlotte’s when Sam must leave to be with his family in the wake of a tragedy. Then a gruesome murder brings more trouble for Sookie, who is also dealing with the intrusion of the FBI into her life. Seems like the old saying is true, no good deed goes unpunished, and now, thanks to Sookie’s assistance at the bombing in Rhodes, the FBI are on to Sookie’s telepathic skills—good thing there is the crucifixion murder in Merlotte’s parking lot to distract them. Unfortunately, for Sookie, the investigation of that crime brings more bad news, and sadness.

However, these problems are minor in comparison to her role in the Fae war, with Niall battling his own family to stay and live among the humans, and Sookie caught in the middle. Bill gets to play the hero, and rescue Sookie with Niall’s help, but pays a high price for it. The body count is high in this book, and the deaths of three recurring characters weigh heavily on Sookie and the readers. In the end, the losses are all for nothing, as the fairies return to their world, leaving a continued threat behind, and bitterness ignites in Jason for being clueless about his true heritage. Dark themes dominate this book.

And what of our major characters?

Bill

Bill’s rescue of Sookie, his silver poisoning at the hands of Sookie’s abductors, and his subsequent contrition, might fool the reader into thinking Bill is now a contender for Sookie’s affections. While it opened the door for Sookie to soften toward him, I think he is a long shot in the race for Sookie’s affections. His act of bravery may have atoned for some of the crap he pulled on Sookie in earlier books in the series, but I find it hard to believe she could forget what he did to her. Forgive, yes, forget, no. However, Sookie’s consideration of Bill in the context of Niall’s parting statement, might blow that entire theory out of the water.

Sookie

I must admit I was drawn to this series because of Sookie’s strengths and take-charge attitude, but in Dead and Gone, you get a confused and uncertain Sookie when it comes to her relationship with Eric. Yes, she has a lot on her plate right now. How else could you explain why she doesn’t talk to Eric about the bond or pledging with the knife? She has two opportunities to ask him about it, and declines both. Although she takes the plunge to go see Eric at Fantasia without being summoned, she is still unsure of her own feelings, and blames the blood bond for her confusion. Come on, girl—you rescued how many vampires from the bombing in Rhodes, but you lack the confidence to know your own feelings? I am just not buying it anymore.

When Eric and Sookie finally reunite sexually after his memory has returned, he brings up the pledge with the knife, and their bond. Wouldn’t that have been a good time to ask what that all meant? In that same scene, she says she feels safe with him, yet declines his offer to come to Shreveport for protection from the fairies. Eric listens to her, shares with her, exactly what made her fall in love with him when he lost his memory, and then Sookie says she is confused about whether what she feels are her own feelings or the bond. Blah, blah, blah.

Of course, it IS their first time in the sack since his memories returned, so why ruin it with important relationship talk.

Eric

Eric attempts to convey his feelings, but still waits for Sookie to make the first move. He might be waiting a long while. He’s tentative with expressing his feelings and I’m not entirely clear if he knows his own feelings or if he doesn’t. Being a thousand years old, I’d like to think he knows his own mind, and he is waiting patiently for Sookie to grow up. Eric has always been practical, a trait I personally love the most about him, but his sense of humor, a highlight in previous books in the series, seems to be lacking in Dead and Gone. We get the super-practical Eric, someone busy with his new bosses, yet he does manage to save Sookie twice, once from clutches of Felipe DeCastro and again from the faeries in the final battle. While there is no new driveway or cranberry coat for Sookie in this book, I’d say being saved twice isn’t too shabby.

He gives her an even greater gift in the hospital after her torture, treating her without pity, preparing her as an equal warrior in the fight. When he tells her how proud he is of her survival at the hands of the fairies, his feelings for her do come through. He’s seen many things in his long life, and his treatment of her in the hospital clearly shows his love, respect and understanding of Sookie’s nature. Much has been made regarding his absence during the rescue, but he does offer to explain later, being ever-practical. They are, after all, about to battle with the fairies, not exactly a good time to get into long explanations. I will give Eric the benefit of the doubt, and believe there is more going on than meets the eye in the aftermath of the takeover. Pam’s cryptic comment, “As you live on in Sookie,” seems to lend credence to that theory, but then again, who knows? Charlaine isn’t telling us.

The big question

Anticipation was built for this book because the loyal readers of the series wanted to know what would happen between Eric and Sookie now that his memories had returned. Yes, Sookie and Eric have sex, but there is little romance to the moment. She is still confused about the bond, and even though she has the opportunity to ask him, she avoids it. Unfortunately, their relationship did not appear to advance at all, in spite of the returned memories. In the words of Bill Murray’s character, Larry Darell, the 1984 movie version of W. Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge, “There is no payoff.” We looked for one in this book, and there just wasn’t one.

The cover
I will admit to liking Lisa Desimini’s cover art for this series, in particular, her depiction of Sookie. While the Dead and Gone cover doesn’t have the details of the Club Dead cover, for example, it does show us a rendering of the presentation of the ceremonial knife. It’s too bad we never found out in the book exactly what the presentation of the knife from Sookie to Eric really means to our central character.

Rating

I’d like to give this book 3 and a half bottles of blood. Personally, I liked it, in spite of the lack of forward movement of the Eric/ Sookie relationship, the torture of the book’s heroine, the death of a beloved character, Claudine and her unborn child, and the brutal death of a friend and protector, Tray Dawson. I found this book to be on par with the others in the series, with some good parts, and some that could be better. However, I’m really giving it an overall rating of 3 bottles, because there were many die-hard fans of the series that really found this book lacking, and they can make a very good argument as to why.

Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about this book, so please share your review of the book in the comments section.

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