Dead Until Dark: Twilight for Sexually Frustrated Adults

Vampires in the Buzz

It's hard not to notice that vampires are the next big thing. New TV shows, movies, and books with a theme of the undead are popping up everywhere, hoping to catch some of the after-splash of the Twilight phenomenon. To be honest, it kind of bothers me. I've been a fan of vampires for over 10 years, mostly due to my love of the cult-hit, Buffy the Vampire Show. So, I realize vampires are kind of (grrrrrr) bad…evil….monsters! So it's just a little bit disturbing seeing all these preteens dream of doing god knows what with a vampire (asking R. Pattinson to bite them?!) and books that really dilute the myth making vampires these fluffy bunny creatures with bad teeth. 

True Blood on HBO

All that aside, I have really enjoyed the HBO drama True Blood. Like most HBO shows, it's not afraid to push the boundaries, providing much enjoyment. The first season of the show follows the first book in Charlaine Harris' vampire series, Dead Until Dark. Since I liked the show, I decided to give it a read. 

Exposition

For those unfamiliar with the show, it follows barmaid Sookie Stackhouse in the small northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps. By some strange happenstance, Sookie can read minds, except for the mind of a certain vampire (Bill) who enters the story conveniently at the beginning of chapter one. In this world, vampires are out of the closet (or coffin?), so society knows they are real. The Japanese discovered a method of making synthetic blood so that vampires could feed without harming the human-folk, making them able to live 'mainstream.' After that it's a typical story of boy saves girl, boy likes girl, boy puts girl in danger a lot, girl's brother has a lot of sex….and people die.

Where's Tara?

While the show goes into a lot of detail into what's happening with the minor characters, (Tara and the 'demon', Jason and his women, Lafayette and the drug scene) this isn't in the book. The book chronicles everything from Sookie's perspective so it is mostly about her and her vampire lover. Tara doesn't even exist. I really enjoyed those parts of the show, but I'm actually glad they weren't in the book and I got to delve more into Sookie and Bill's romance. 

Seven Reasons to Read This Book 

1. You can get this paperback for 5.99 at Walmart/Target
2. The sex scene was pretty intense, and made my jaw drop 3 times within 3 pages.  
3. It's a fast/fun read.  
4. The writing was pretty good, while reading the ending my heart was even racing a bit.  
5. You'll be prepared for True Blood Season 2 on HBO  
6. Bill is a more likable character than on the show 
7. You can be a know it all if people talk about the show around you and say pretentious things like "Well, actually in the book….."    

Anyone else read the series have any thoughts to add? I say it is Twilight for sexually frustrated adults, because like the show, the book isn't afraid to 'go there.' This book (unlike Twilight) is not bound by a teen rating so they can go beyond first base.