Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

by Charlaine Harris

book data

22,952 ratings, 4.16 average rating, 1,558 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		39%
4		40%
3		18%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

May 3rd 2005 by Ace (first published 2004)

details

Mass Market Paperback, 291 pages

characters

Sookie Stackhouse, Bill Compton, Eric Northman

setting

United States

isbn

0441012183 (isbn13: 9780441012183)

description

When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clu…more

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Dec 01, 2008

Beth(MN) rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, challenge-winter-2008-2009, fairies, shapeshifters, urban-fantasy, vampires, witches

Read in December, 2008

This book starts off with a bang. Boring Bill announces he is leaving for Peru and Eric, the 6’4” Viking, makes an appearance in Bon Temps under a set of highly unusual circumstances: he is running down the side of the road half naked and he has amnesia. Now honestly, don’t you think more books should start with a half naked vampire who has amnesia? If that doesn’t appeal to you, well, to be perfectly honest, you and I might have a hard time finding something to laugh about together b...more This book starts off with a bang. Boring Bill announces he is leaving for Peru and Eric, the 6’4” Viking, makes an appearance in Bon Temps under a set of highly unusual circumstances: he is running down the side of the road half naked and he has amnesia. Now honestly, don’t you think more books should start with a half naked vampire who has amnesia? If that doesn’t appeal to you, well, to be perfectly honest, you and I might have a hard time finding something to laugh about together because that tickles my funny bone on so many levels; I can’t even begin to explain.

There are several things going through my head right now in regards to this book:

--Eric with amnesia is hot.

--I’m not thrilled with the inconsistencies that continually crop up, but I find myself willingly forgiving them because I’m having so much fun with the story. One example that stood out in this book was a description of shirtless Eric where he didn’t have chest hair. But a later description is about what his chest hair looks like when it’s covered in blood. Hm.

--I’m glad Harris finally explained how Bubba is able to enter private residences even if he hasn’t been extended an invitation. I’d been wondering about that ever since the end of the previous book.

--Jason, Jason, Jason. What’s going to happen to you, Jason? I’ve felt indifferent to Jason for most of the series thus far, but in this one it hit me that he reminds me of someone I knew years ago. My then-boyfriend had a goofy friend who fit Jason’s description to a T in personality, appearance, you name it. That made me laugh.

--As for Sookie herself, she continues to get more interesting with each book. She’s likeable and funny and appealing because she feels like a real person. It’s typical in this genre for humans who spend a lot of time hanging around vampires, werewolves and other supernatural creatures to become something more human than human. But not Sookie. At this point, the only thing she has to protect herself against the big bads of the supernatural world are her telepathic abilities and the fact that she can wield a mean shotgun (which is kind of hot in a lesbie friend kind of way). The only thing I would change about Sookie is to advise her to lose the word of a day calendars. They’re silly.(less)

Like this review? yes (25 people liked it)

9 comments

Sep 05, 2008

Shannon rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, mystery-suspense, shape-shifters, urban-fantasy, vampires

Owns a copy — Read in September, 2008

With Bill off to Peru, one night Sookie finds cocky, authoritative, smug Eric running almost naked down her road, his memory gone and his personality changed along with it. She takes him in despite many misgivings, and learns from Pam that he's been cursed by a witch. Then her brother Jason disappears and Sookie's worried the witches have taken him - though how could they know about him? Weres from Alcide's pack are being murdered and although she had promised herself not to get involved, she's ...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

4 comments

Nov 21, 2008

Fabio's Floozy (Michelle M.) rated it:

bookshelves: mystery, urban-fantasy-paranormal

Read in November, 2008

Ahhh, Eric...

::swoon::

One of the best of the series, especially in terms of character development. Sookie makes a very telling New Year's Resolution: to avoid getting beat up. And not half an hour later she's picking up a stray amnesiac vampire.

The chemistry between Eric and Sookie is wonderful. Pam in her take-charge mode is hilarious. The Were community is more complicated than ever. And Sookie's knowledge of Supes is growing every day. Charlaine Harris kno...more

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Nov 06, 2008

Jim rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, paranormal-urban

Read in January, 2009

Somewhat to my surprise, this book was every bit as good or a bit better than the previous ones. Very enjoyable, quick read which for me to say about a 4th novel in a series is somewhat unusual. I generally tire of series as repetition takes its toll. Not in this case.

Some new oddities are introduced in a good, logical manner, opening the world up & adding a bit more depth. Sookie's character develops more & our time line of events is confirmed. This book takes place about a y...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

Jan 16, 2010

Amelia rated it:

bookshelves: comedy, own, paranormal-romance

Read in January, 2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

114 comments

Sep 29, 2008

Vegas Princess rated it:

bookshelves: authors--charlaine-harris, fiction, read-in-2008, vampire-books

Read in September, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I really loved this book! Mainly because I loved the dynamic between Sookie and the memory-addled Eric. Plus the scenes with them "a-heming" were HOT! And Sookie didn't really get hurt too much, a nice change from the previous stories. Once again, Bill was absent for most of the book, which was fine by me. I much more enjoy Sookie's interactions with Eric, Alcide and Sam. What did confuse me a bit was him suddenly showing up for the fight and then when the fight was over nothing....more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

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Mar 13, 2009

Joanie rated it:

bookshelves: own, vampire-fiction

Read in April, 2009

Book #4 in the Sookie Stackhouse series is just as good as the first one-maybe better. In this one Eric the vampire has been cursed by a witch and lost his memory making him much more vulnerable and endearing. Sookie's brother Jason goes missing and she has to try to save him as well as Eric. Sookie gets stronger and fiestier with each book-this series is really addictive.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

Dec 28, 2008

Jodi rated it:

Read in October, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 22, 2007

Kathy rated it:

Read in April, 2006

From a blog post I wrote in 2006:

My friend, Chris, loaned me the first five books in Charlaine Harris' series of Southern Vampire books. I went through the first three on the cruise and quickly finished off the last two when I got back to dry land.

These are really enjoyable books. The heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, is a telepathic waitress at a neighborhood bar in small town Louisiana. She spends most of her energy trying to avoid reading other peoples' minds. When she meets...more

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Jan 10, 2009

Alaine rated it:

bookshelves: 2009-read, all-time-favourites, fantasy-sci-fi

Read in February, 2009

This is another fast paced action-packed novel from Charlaine Harris. I honestly don’t know how she does it. I have read four in a row of the Southern Vampire series, and I’m neither sick of them nor have they slowed down even though the same plot format has been used in each book. Charlaine Harris is a master story-teller.

Further layers of Sookie and other characters are revelled in the course of this novel and yet another mythical creature. This book centres around Witches and ...more

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Mar 27, 2008

Jessie rated it:

Read in April, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

5 comments

Sep 24, 2008

Shae rated it:

Read in September, 2008

Witches now? Really? It seems like every book there seems to be more supernatural creatures to come in for some plotty goodness. I liked the Sookie/Eric stuff, even if he wasn't his normal self, I really liked him. I'm wondering if in future books he might be more like his memory-modified self, but who knows. I liked them together - even if they weren't actually a couple he was a million times better to her than Bill ever was. This book made me really dislike Bill because Sookie was realizing ho...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

Feb 25, 2009

Stacey rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I love this series, lighthearted, fun. A mindless enjoyable read.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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Jun 10, 2009

Heather rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, own, vampires

Read in September, 2009

Holy crap, I LOVE this series!!! Talk about the ultimate brain candy...I don't think it gets much better than this. I'm so glad I went ahead and bought the books because I know that I'll be re-reading these babies. This is seriously some good stuff :)

This is definitely one of my favorites in the series so far. My man, Eric, plays a starring role, and let me just say, that's it's one heck of a role too! There is one scene in particular that's getting flagged with a post it note for qu...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

3 comments

Jan 01, 2010

Michelle Shannon added it

"This one definitely started slower than Ms. Harris' previous novels. I was actually able to put it down for a day or two. I'm also torn about Sookie's increasing involvement with Eric. I liked Bill better, and even Alcide was a better option, in my opinion. So, my heart just wasn't in to reading more about their burgeoning relationship...at first.[return][return]However, the action definitely picked up towards the end, not to mention some fabulous bedroom scenes. This was the first of the ...more "This one definitely started slower than Ms. Harris' previous novels. I was actually able to put it down for a day or two. I'm also torn about Sookie's increasing involvement with Eric. I liked Bill better, and even Alcide was a better option, in my opinion. So, my heart just wasn't in to reading more about their burgeoning relationship...at first.[return][return]However, the action definitely picked up towards the end, not to mention some fabulous bedroom scenes. This was the first of the series, except for the first one, where I honestly did not figure out how it was going to end. I also made the mistake of bringing the book with me to work today to read during lunch. I may or may not have taken a longer lunch in order to finish it. In my defense, a battle between witches, Wiccans (they are different from witches if you didn't know), werewolves, and vampires is like heaven to anyone who adores the genre, like me. I couldn't stop without figuring out what happened![return][return]Poor Sookie. The girl just can't catch a break, can she? All she wants is to love and be loved in return but is constantly thwarted by factors out of her control. I was a bit bothered that she appeared weaker than normal, not the strong female lead I had found her to be. Then again, when I think that the first five books are supposed to have taken place roughly one month apart from each other, the girl has been through more than most people would be able to handle. Once I figured that out, I was able to cut her some slack and admire her ability to be able to deal with so much in such a short period of time. And this book does pack some emotional punches for her, more so than the previous books. Her relationship with Eric becomes something that she never had with Bill, and I'm curious how this is going to play out in the end.[return][return]A few days ago, I was ready to just chalk this one up to the fact that not all books can be at the same excellent level as previous ones. Authors are allowed one bad novel now and then. However, as I mentioned earlier, the plot picked up in a hurry, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I'll take that as a sign that Ms. Harris did it again. She managed to weave a thrilling action story filled with ""supes"", a bit of a mystery, and even more heartrending decisions for Sookie. It definitely left me wanting more, yet again![return][return]I'm going to give the Sookie Stackhouse series a rest for a few days and pick up some other books that I recently received. But, I have a feeling that my thoughts won't be far from Bon Temps as I wonder what the next installment has in store for Sookie, Bill, and Eric!"(less)

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Feb 22, 2009

becky rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Dead to the World was one of my favorite books of the series. It kicks off with Sookie and Bill having parted ways due to his no good cheating ways, with Sookie back in Bon Temps waiting tables and hoping for a return to normalcy. Ha! As Sookie's driving home from Merlotte's one night, she sees a half naked beautiful blonde man running down the road. Because Sookie is a sweetheart and let's be honest, has dealt with worst things than a possible crazy hitch hiker, she pulls over only to find ...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

Feb 04, 2009

Kath rated it:

Read in October, 2008

My favorite in this series so far, October 4, 2008
I absolutely loved this book and it's my favorite so far in this series. Sookie is an incredible character. She's sweet, smart, sassy and doesn't take any crap from anyone. She's also a telepath, which makes her even more interesting.

She finds Eric, a gorgeous vampire leader who been interested in her past and she happens to have a blood bond with. When she finds him, she realizes, Eric doesn't remember anything at all. She agr...more

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Jan 19, 2009

Kristen rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

Read in March, 2006

This series (the "Southern Vampire" series, that is) keeps popping up in my Amazon recommended list, probably because of stuff I've told it I own or like. So I've borrowed Dead to the World from the library.

I actually want to like this book more than I do. The heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, is appealingly intelligent and self-reliant and competent. The book's plot really does make sense, as long as you accept that the virtually never seen villains are total psychos. I suspect ...more

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Jan 17, 2009

Nymphsin rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Nymphsin by: Firnds from Hunters Haven!
recommends it for: Anyone who would like to read a great fictitious novel in style.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is the fourth installment, in the Southern Vampire Series, and, once again...it was a great read!
This is a book for all the Eric lovers.
Eric is found (half nekkid ) on the side of the road by, Sookie.
He doesn't recognize her and he had no clue who or where the hell he is.
Sookie, takes him home and has to take appropriate action to see what has happend to her Northman.
As the story evoles, her brother Jason, once again , becomes tangled in an odd web himself.
...more

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Dec 02, 2008

Fabian rated it:

(review of isbn 0441011675)

So after Bill there's Eric... the amnesiac. Whereas anybody else would run with the Mulholland Drivesque plotline and linger on the noir aspects that go hand-in-hand with vamp myth, Book 4 radically changes the series from the "Twilight" part of the spectrum to more "Buffy" territory. Proud to say that "Dead to the World" has less Sookie injuries and more beastly bloodshed than any of the books that came before it!

There is still that erotic prose that ri...more

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polls

Who is your favorite love interest of Sookie's in The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris?

As of May 2009, The Southern Vampire Mysteries series includes: Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead, From Dead to Worse, Dead and Gone, and several short stories included in various anthologies.

Eric Northman

308 votes, 71.8%

Bill Compton

41 votes, 9.6%

Sam Merlotte

31 votes, 7.2%

John Quinn

24 votes, 5.6%

Alcide Herveaux

20 votes, 4.7%

Other

4 votes, 0.9%

Calvin Norris

1 vote, 0.2%

Preston (from the short story, Gift Wrap)

0 votes, 0.0%

429 total votes

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quotes from this book

"As I climbed up into the high old bed, the large fly in my personal ointment did the same. Had I actually told him he could get in bed with me? Well, I decided, as I wriggled down under the soft old sheets and the blanket and the comforter, if Eric had designs on me, I was just too tired to care. "Woman?" "Hmmm?" "What's your name?" "Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse." "Thank you, Sookie." "Welcome, Eric." — 17 people liked it

"Though I was standing in front of a mirror, I wasn't really seeing my reflection. I was seeing, very clearly, that—at the moment—I was all in the world that Eric could think of as his own. I had better not fail him." — 19 people liked it

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