Sookie Stackhouse

[RiDuvessa]

[RiDuvessa]

Does anyone here read the Southern Vampire series? I am looking for some new Urban Fantasy while I am waiting for some of my regular authors to come out. Haven’t ever read Sookie Stackhouse, the descriptions seemed a little too romance novel for me. Still the author has a new boxed set out and I am thinking of picking it up. Anyone have any opinions?

[Pegasi1978]

I haven’t read anything by Charlaine Harris yet (other than short stories in anthologies that is). Some of the urban fantasy authors I read are Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, Mike Carey, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Mercedes Lackey (her’s is older and doesn’t come out often), Lilith Saintcrow, Carrie Vaughn. I also have a couple books by Karen Chance, but I don’t really plan on getting anymore of hers. It was okay, but I lost my interest after the third one.

[RiDuvessa]

pegasi1978 wrote:

I haven’t read anything by Charlaine Harris yet (other than short stories in anthologies that is). Some of the urban fantasy authors I read are Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, Mike Carey, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Mercedes Lackey (her’s is older and doesn’t come out often), Lilith Saintcrow, Carrie Vaughn. I also have a couple books by Karen Chance, but I don’t really plan on getting anymore of hers. It was okay, but I lost my interest after the third one.

Love Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher. Especially Jim Butcher. Grew up worshipping Chicago from a small town 80 miles south. Can’t wait for Turn Coat. Since most of the Urban Fantasy is based on female protagonists right now, it is a nice change to have a dude as the hero.

Also read several of Kelley Armstrong and Mercedes Lackey. Actually, ML got me into urban fantasy. Carrie Vaughn is a fun read too. Haven’t read LKH since the change in her stories.

Have you ever read “War of the Oaks?” It’s by Emma Hull, I think. If you like the above, I bet you would like that book too. Also, you might like C.E Murphy. The Urban Shaman series. Not the other one though, I don’t care for her other series.

Don’t know much about Lilith Saintcrow or Mike Carey. I will have to check them out.

[Pegasi1978]

You’ll want to look for Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series. It’s about a freelance exorcist in London. First book is called “The Devil You Know”. I haven’t seen any of his other books out in the US yet. Since he lives in England the books come out there first, then are eventually publiched here.

Lilith Saitcrow has several series out. I’ve read two of her series so far. The series featuring Dante Valentine (it’s a woman) is about a necromancer who makes a deal with the Devil and what comes afterwards. The Jill Kismet series is about a Hunter of things that “go bump in the night.” I’m also interested in her “Steelflower” series, just haven’t picked it up yet.

I haven’t read anything by Emma Hull. I’ll add that one to the list of potential things to pick up. You know the newest Carrie Vaughn (Kittie goes to Hell) came out this past week right? I had a hard time leaving it in the bookstore, but as I already had three other books in my hand I figured I better be good.

[RiDuvessa]

Already picked up the new Carrie Vaughn. I am getting ready to deploy again though, so it’s sitting in my stash of unreads, waiting to help pass the time far from home. I must say, it is torture to try and keep from reading it. The Kitty books are so much fun.

[dragonmedley]

I love both Sookie (Harris) and Kitty (Vaughn). Yes, they are a bit romancy, but not too much (otherwise, I wouldn’t read them). I also picked up the Harper Connelly series by Harris – mystery with a supernatural twist.

I tried a few Jim Butchers, but I just didn’t get hooked.

Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
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[Pegasi1978]

Picked up “War for the Oaks” by Emma Bull (not Hull) a few weeks back and finally got around to reading it. Quite enjoyable for a 20+ year old book (originally published in 1987). Once again an early book in the urban fantasy genre. It’s always fun to find those and be able to point at them and say “See someone else did it way before XX did.”

Also snickered my way through “Kitty Raises Hell!”

[Pamela]

I love the Sookie books! I’ve been reading them for years. Actually I’ve read everything Charlaine Harris has written. She has a couple of old mystery series that are pretty good – and fairly realistic from the life point of view. The main characters age and get involved with a couple of different men – don’t fall in love with the “once in a lifetime” guy right off. They have issues that they have to work through. I actually just got back from the Romantic Times booklovers convention in Orlando and they were talking a bit about Sookie and True Blood – very interesting. I highly recommend the series. I will say that as “urban fantasy” the discussion at the con was that in urban fantasy there isn’t always a guaranteed happy ending between the hero and heroine while in paranormal romance there is. Hint. Hint.

[dragonmedley]

I just recently read the Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard series – those are the ones DDVM mentioned. I really liked them, especially Lily Bard, which is, I think, her first series.

Harper Conelly is also good: she was struck by lightning and can tell what was the cause of death when presented with a corpse. The mystery part is there too!

Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

[Pamela]

dragonmedley wrote:

I just recently read the Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard series – those are the ones DDVM mentioned. I really liked them, especially Lily Bard, which is, I think, her first series.

Harper Conelly is also good: she was struck by lightning and can tell what was the cause of death when presented with a corpse. The mystery part is there too!

Thanks! I couldn’t remember the name of the series. She’s definitely grown as a writer since she wrote those but I still really enjoyed them. Although the Lily Bard ones can be hard to read…

[dragonmedley]

Yeah, Lily’s her toughest character so far. I do like to see her unusual emotional disconnectedness, though. I find Aurora’s collection of frames for her glasses hilarious!

Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

[Nightcrow]

RiDuvessa wrote:

Does anyone here read the Southern Vampire series? I am looking for some new Urban Fantasy while I am waiting for some of my regular authors to come out. Haven’t ever read Sookie Stackhouse, the descriptions seemed a little too romance novel for me. Still the author has a new boxed set out and I am thinking of picking it up. Anyone have any opinions?

I’ve read all but the last two Sookie books, because they were free… and they are *definitely* romance, with a thin veneer of fantasy. As the series went (dragged) on, it became more and more about Sookie’s choice of studly men — should she choose the jerk-vampire Eric, who was so sweet when he had amnesia? or the first-love vampire Bill, who brought her into the world of the supernatural? or the hunky werewolf, in spite of his crazy ex-girlfriend issues? Or the exotic were-tiger, who, uh, will probably be cancelled out in some way in the next book I didn’t read, since it has a tiger on the cover.

Personally, like I said, I only read ’em because they were free; I couldn’t identify with blonde, blue-eyed, leggy, small-town-Southern Sookie at all, not least because she didn’t appear to have a brain in her head; and the continual wardrobe descriptions got to be awfully boring to me as a non-shopoholic. Not to mention I hated most of her male options, especially Bill, whose Crazy Possessive Stalker had me screaming at her to ditch him before they even became an item in the first place, never mind after {spoiler}.

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