Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse, #3)

by Charlaine Harris

book data

10,093 ratings, 4.01 average rating, 763 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		30%
4		43%
3		22%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

May 29th 2003 by Ace

binding

Mass Market Paperback, 292 pages

characters

Sookie Stackhouse

setting

The United States

isbn

0441010512 (isbn13: 9780441010516)

description

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant - in anoth...more

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12/01/08

Beth(MN) rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, shapeshifters, tnbbc-winter-challenge, urban-fantasy, vampires, werewolves

Read in December, 2008

With Sookie as her mouthpiece, Charlaine Harris opened up the floor for the discussion of genre fiction in this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, because it turns out our sweet little friend Sookie proudly claims a self-education through none other than two of the least respected forms of the genre novel: romance novels and trashy mysteries.

The snob in me wants to snort in disdain and feel offended for liking Sookie. But the other half, the half that isn’t afra...more

Like this review? yes (14 people liked it)

12 comments

10/16/08

Lara rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: 50bookchallenge-07-08, paranormal, vampires--werewolves---co

Read in July, 2008

Notes: This is, for now, my favourite book in the series and it's not a coincidence that Bill goes missing for the most of it.
I'm quite torn about this series since, while I like the stories a lot and I'm curious about what'll happen next, I can't stand very much 2 of the major characters: Sookie & Bill. I find both of them quite annoying & their relationship just doesn't trasmit me anything...however for 2 I don't like there are some I love! First of all Eric that I liked from the start ...more

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06/18/08

_inbetween_ rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in June, 2008

Annoying, boring, charmless, dumb. Since I was already on a roll of unpleasant books, I finally forced myself to read my second (her third) novel (the magazine SFX had made me import two with their misleading review).

After a typical (cold, boring) interlude showing how irresistable he is (he wears flanel and has hair), vampire Bill disappears at the start of the book and readers are supposed to be stupid enough to fear for his life. Even if Sookie's feelings hadn't been so badly writ...more Annoying, boring, charmless, dumb. Since I was already on a roll of unpleasant books, I finally forced myself to read my second (her third) novel (the magazine SFX had made me import two with their misleading review).

After a typical (cold, boring) interlude showing how irresistable he is (he wears flanel and has hair), vampire Bill disappears at the start of the book and readers are supposed to be stupid enough to fear for his life. Even if Sookie's feelings hadn't been so badly written, I still wouldn't have cared. Bill, like the other vampires, embodies everything I dislike, but supposedly titillates the majority of readers, since vampire novels are now a genre of their own. There is the huge difference between the heroine and her super man that are meant to make it sexier, resulting in off-putting sex as the garnish on a deeply conventional reactionary relationship.

This time dear Sookie once again gets lusted over and groped by a number of men that are supposed to be erotic due to being supernatural. She is still the most beautiful woman, all natural, as she confesses, but the rubbing up to werewolves et al is only pretend sizzle, because she never has sex with anybody but her husband, whom she supposedly loves although mostly is just angry at or afraid of (which supposedly is meant to be erotic) - who btw isn't her husband so she misses cooking him breakfast and she cannot accept his money because they are not legally married. It's a constant praise of the simplest of minds, of the housewife that obeys all the traditional rules for women and gets rewarded by being the object of lust of "wild" (mostly just in their hair styles) men.

I had to stop reading now after she proudly Mary Sued that she got all her education from "genre reading" (although she likes to quote difficult words from her word-a-day calendar too) and toddled off for that wonderful luxury females indulge in, a beauty make-over.

*sigh* Once more into the breach, I go, once more into the breach ...

ETA: After various killings and threats of torture, lil Sookie seriously thinks the following: "Somehow, it had never crossed my mind - I guess since I'm an American - that the vampires who had snatched Bill might be resorting to evil means to get him to talk." AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH I would tear out my hair but really I should tear out Harris'.

FAZIT: A bloody Mills&Boone novel, the only difference being that the men alternately defending or threatening, but always lusting after the safely bland heroine are "supernatural".

BOTTOMLINE: the pervasive trend in current?genre fiction seems to be self-satisfaction. The heroines and possibly the writers night not even be aware of it, but OTOH I noticed it's no longer considered negative and egocentric but positive and strong to state how great oneself is. And never mind the obligatory asides meant to indicate self-doubt: the annoying women from the novels of e.g. Raybourne and Harris are 111 percent sure of their superiority, any lack of knowledge being part of that parcel of perfection.

But towards the end of the book, the reading was easier. That was partly because Sookie was badly beaten up (yay), partly because all the previous action or violence tended to be covered by one sentence, the rest was her moving between bars and flats and petrol stations and doing her nails. To top off the tedium, it ended in a bit of a cliff-hanger, with Eric (yes, he is a Viking) still in better graces than bf Bill, although the next novel might uncover misconceptions. Whatever *puts it up for mooching*(less)

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4 comments

09/30/08

Angela rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in September, 2008

Club Dead for me is where the Sookie Stackhouse series really starts getting its feet under it. Things are definitely not well between Sookie and her boyfriend vampire Bill, and as Sookie heads to Mississippi to track him down and rescue him from lethal peril, she is torn between the attentions of the werewolf Alcide--and way more attention than she'd like from the vampire Eric, who is growing more and more interested in her with every book. Unfortunately for Sookie's peace of mind, the interest...more

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05/24/08

Shannon rated it:

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

Read in September, 2008

Sookie's vampire boyfriend, Bill, has become secretive and distant, and then disappears entirely. Eric's sure he's been kidnapped, and so Sookie goes to Mississippi to find him - even though it looks like he was going to leave her for his vampire ex. A gang of werewolves is causing problems but Sookie has the help of Alcide, a werewolf who owes Eric a favour, and the sexual tension simmers away. Actually, this third book has no sex scenes at all, what with Sookie's love life being so up-in-the-a...more

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08/18/07

Inara rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: novels-vampires

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: fans of Sookie Stakehouse

Honeymoon seems to be over and everyday life has come to Sookie´s and Bill´s relationship. And that Bill has a secret mission he isn´t inclined to talk about and even leaves on a secret business trip doesn´t improve things either. One night Eric (Bill´s charismatic vampire boss) shows up and reveals Sookie that Bill wants to leave her and has gone back to his former vampire lover Lorena. Not only that this news are bad enough Eric tells her also that Bill has been kidnapped and he needs Soo...more Honeymoon seems to be over and everyday life has come to Sookie´s and Bill´s relationship. And that Bill has a secret mission he isn´t inclined to talk about and even leaves on a secret business trip doesn´t improve things either. One night Eric (Bill´s charismatic vampire boss) shows up and reveals Sookie that Bill wants to leave her and has gone back to his former vampire lover Lorena. Not only that this news are bad enough Eric tells her also that Bill has been kidnapped and he needs Sookie´s help to find him. Sookie agrees although her heart is broken about Bill´s betrayal. She is accompanied to Jackson, Mississippi where Bill is supposed to be restrained by the attractive werewolf Alcide Herveaux who is in debt to Eric...
Once again I was delighted by Sookie´s adventures. Even hurt and depressed she doesn´t want to leave Bill to his gruesome fate and comes to his rescue. And that Alcide is handsome and attentive and seems to like her doesn´t hurt either. I really liked the attraction between the two and I hope he will show up in one of the next books again. When Eric showed up in Jackson too I was perfectly happy because when I´m honest I like him more than Bill and I always wish him success with his attempts to get into Sookie´s pants. A nice subplot was the vampire Bubba once a certain famous singer – and don´t say his name – who was sent by Eric to protect Sookie. What he did more or less...
One of the scenes I liked most in this book was in my opinion Alcide and Sookie getting rid of a corpse they found mysteriously in Alcide´s wardrobe - wrapping it up in a shower curtain and taking it to Alcide´s car by elevator and stairs really amused me.
This book was written fluently and very enjoyable to read and I can even ignore the fact that Sookie has been(again) beaten half to death – this seems to become a pattern I could easily do without. But it didn´t impair my entertainment, my frowning was only temporary and I will certainly stick with this series and read the next volume "Dead to the World" as soon as my time allows...

Website of the author: http://www.charlaineharris.com/
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Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

9 comments

12/29/08

Caroline rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, read-in-2009

Read in January, 2009

The Sookie Stackhouse books are definitely not great literature by any means, but they're a bit like candy--hard to stop reading and very enjoyable. This third book was more of the same, and while there were times I wanted to slap Sookie (even though she gets beat up a number of times in here...again. What's with Charlaine Harris's obsession with beating the snot out of Sookie all the time, anyway?), I really enjoyed reading this.

The main thing I liked was actually the introduction o...more

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4 comments

01/04/09

Brooke rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in January, 2009

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

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01/10/09

Alaine rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: 2009-read, fantasy-sci-fi

Read in February, 2009

This novel marks a turning point in the relationship between Sookie and her adored boyfriend Bill, the vampire. Bill is getting in deeper and going higher in the ranks of the vampire community and when he disappears, the vampires call Sookie to find him. Eric makes a much larger appearance in this third book, which I think really adds to the story. You can’t deny that there is some great chemistry between Eric and Sookie. This book has solidified my enjoyment of Eric and the possibility of a r...more

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10/17/08

Rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in October, 2008

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

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09/28/08

Vegas Princess rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: fiction, read-in-2008, vampire-books

Read in September, 2008

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

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1 comment

12/01/07

Lain rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

You know how you sometimes go to those action movies ("guy flicks") and from the moment you sit back in your seat until the closing credits 90 minutes later, you are assaulted by car chase after car chase, explosion after explosion, and you have no idea where to look first or what's really going on? That is how I felt reading "Club Dead."

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but I seriously had no clue where the plot line was -- or if there even was one....more

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07/18/07

Sherrie added it (review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: 2006booklist, vampirelit

Read in February, 2006

recommends it for: vampire lovers.

Third in the series. Sookie’s vampire boyfriend Bill has been in another state working for the vampire Queen of Louisiana. Sookie thinks there is something fishy going on and discovers that Bill may have been kidnapped. While trying to track Bill down she ends up at a vamp nightclub called Club Dead. There, Sookie uncovers a stunning betrayal by Bill and has to decide if she’s going to help him or stake him. You will love some of the new characters in this book including Bubba, a VERY stra...more

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02/10/09

Tracie rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in February, 2009

After suffering through almost all of the Twilight series, I was in dire need of having my faith restored in heroines in this genre. As far as super light, fluffy and quick reads go these books are some of my faves out there so far. They have really grown on me and I enjoyed this one better than the last. I really like the heroine, Sookie Stackhouse. While I cannot specifically relate to her background and lifestyle, I can see how a lot of women would. She's independent, quirky, and smart. None ...more

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10/17/08

Logan rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: blood-suckers, horror, mystery-thriller

Read in October, 2008

Still good. Sookie is getting a lot tougher, she's definitely not some innocent naif anymore. The K@ and I are in agreement that Sookie should be done romancing the vamps and settle down with Alcide, the nice Werewolf from down the road. Still, little Sookie is an intrepid adventurer and proves that even surrounded by the most nefarious creatures that go bump in the night she can more than hold her own. This series is a complete guilt-inducing, sugar-intense ice cream coma of book fluff, but...more

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03/22/09

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

bookshelves: 2009, mindless-self-indulgence, series

Read in March, 2009

Spunky Sookie Stackhouse is off to Mississippi this time, to rescue her beloved undead Bill from the grips of the vampire king of Mississippi. The hitch is that she's really, really mad at him, as he got captured because he fell under the spell of an old vampire flame. With the help of hunky werewolf, Sookie saves the day and saves her man.

These books are light-hearted and fun, quick reads, but they really kind of drive me batty sometimes. Sookie's only slightly shy of being a Mary S...more

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02/25/09

Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in February, 2009

Yes, I'm still reading this series. Great literature? Hell, no. An enjoyable, sort of mindless read, sure. There are parts that I find very funny, such as Sookie using her "word of the day" calendar to improve her vocabulary and the part where the Viking vampire Eric mentions that he took English as a second language in a community college course in the 70's. That sort of stuff is pretty humorous. The parts that annoy me are the writer's fashion sense. It kills me when I read he...more

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02/22/09

becky rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in February, 2009

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

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02/17/09

The Library Lady rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Save for the cheesy dramas made of Danielle Steele's crappy books,I have never preferred books transferred to the screen. (In the case of Steele's books, at least on screen the characters become 3 dimensional). But in the case of the Sookie Stackhouse books, I am going to make another exception to the rule.

The HBO series True Blood in raunchy, violent and vulgar, but it is also fabulously entertaining. And by introducing other 3 dimensional characters and other plot lines it doesn't ...more

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02/04/09

Kath rated it:

(review of isbn 1841493015)

Read in October, 2008

Gripping Story - I can't get enough of this series, October 4, 2008
I liked this almost as much as my favorite so far in this series, (book 4 - Dead to the World).

Sookie's boyfriend, Vampire Bill goes out of town on business and turns up missing. Sookie agrees to help find him and works with Eric (Bill's Vampire Boss) and several others, including a werewolf named Alcide.

Finding out the circumstances why Bill left in the first place (from Eric) leaves Sookie upset ...more