Robots and Vamps

Reviewed by Christel

Narrated by  Johanna Parker

Audio Length:  8 hrs and 23 mins

In preparation for the next season of True Blood, I wanted to review Ms. Harris’ story before watching the Alan Ball version. So I decided to listen to the Audio version of Living Dead in Dallas rather than read the written version again.  And I am really glad that I did.

Sookie is in trouble again. One of her close friends turns up murdered. A maenad has targeted her to send a painful message to Eric, and after helping her heal from her wounds, Eric sends Sookie on a job to Dallas. A vampire has gone missing and Sookie is sort of “on loan” to the Vampires of Dallas to find their missing brother. In usual Sookie fashion, all hell breaks loose and she has to save herself from danger and keep the supernatural community happy at the same time. Not to mention, there is still that murderer in Bon Temps to find.

Johanna Parker does a great job finding Sookie’s voice. She has the southern accent down well, but she doesn’t over-exaggerate it. Sometimes when the accent is too thick, it just sounds ridiculous to me. Sookie is a complicated character, while she has this “telepathic gift” to deal with; she is still just a normal young lady who has fallen head first into the Supernatural world. Johanna makes you feel like you are listening to your friend tell you about her most recent adventure. She also does a fine job with the other voices in the story. I really enjoyed listening to her portray Luna, the feisty little bat that she is.

If you are like me and have already read the Southern Vampire mysteries (a couple of times) but you are wanting to enjoy the story again, I highly suggest listening to the audio version. Since we already know what is going to happen, it is sheer entertainment and it sure does make the long drive to work a little more interesting.

This looks the perfect movie for my wife and I.  Throw some vampires into a Sci-Fi world and it’s fun for the whole family.

Edward Dalton is a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

Release date is January 8, 2010.

Public Enemies (R)

Spoiler summary: In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard in the incredible and true story of legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger (Depp)the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoovers fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyonefrom his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.

But while the adventures of Dillinger’s ganglater including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham)thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw’s capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America’s first Public Enemy Number One. Hoover sent in Purvis, the dashing “Clark Gable of the FBI”. However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis’ men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) who were real gunfighters and orchestrating epic betrayals from the infamous “Lady in Red” to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nittiwere Purvis and the FBI able to close in on Dillinger.

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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG)

Spoiler summary: The trailer for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which is to be fully produced in 3-D, is the latest installment to the hit Ice Age franchise, which has grossed more than $1.2 billion around the world. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs will be directed by Oscar-nominated Carlos Saldanha, who directed Ice Age: The Meltdown and co-directed Ice Age. The film is being produced by Academy Award-winning Blue Sky Studios, the creative force behind all the Ice Age films and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who.

Beautiful Creatures captured my attention when I first saw the cover and the more I learn about it, the more excited I am to read it.  Coolest part… one the authors has roots in the state I was born in and spent the early years of my childhood in, North Carolina.  So when I read their blog about grits and when I hear about them drinking sweet tea, it get a bit nostalgic (and I get cravings too.  I have been craving some grits since I saw them on their blog.  You just can get good grits here in the middle of the country!).

Daphne Durham of Omnivoracious writes that “Beautiful Creatures charms you from the first page, drawing you into a lush world of mystery and magic until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering how you lost the last few hours and how many more you are willing to give up. Star-crossed teenagers, (one with a mysterious secret), find each other in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, and drama ensues. To tell too much is to spoil the fun of finding out, but let’s just say that in this fresh, smart, fun read, the boy is chasing the girl who has the dark, dangerous, life-altering power. Love it, love it, love it.”

The book description adds even more to my excitement “There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that’s what I thought.  Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.  There was a curse.  There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.”

You can also keep up with the authors and all things related with the book at Beautiful Creatures.

According to the publisher it is due out December 1, 2009.

Reviewed by Matt

A Madness of Angels is written by Kate Griffin which is a pen name for Catherine Webb, a successful Young Adult author. This is her first adult fantasy novel and the first in a series. I really, really, really wanted to like this book but had an extremely hard time finishing it. I almost gave up about half-way through but was able to find the strength to make it to the end.

Essentially, this is a tale of revenge. Matthew Swift, our anti-hero, was taken in by the talented magician Robert Bakker when he was very young. Mr. Bakker tutored young master Swift into his adolescence in the secrets of magic. Eventually, Mr. Bakker begins to suffer from the typical aliments that happen when you age and he is not ready to pass quietly in the night. Mr. Bakker formulates a nefarious plan to extend his life. You see, Matthew has very special talent as he is of the few people that can hear the Blue Angels inside the phone lines. Mr. Bakker is aware of this talent and demands that Matthew draw out the Blue Angels so that he can use them to his benefit. Matthew is unwilling to obey with his request. No one ever refuses a request from Mr. Bakker and in response he sends a dark magical creature to kill Matthew. As expected, things do not go well for Matthew and as he lies dying, he picks up the phone and suddenly disappears.

Fast forward two years, Matthew Swift suddenly returns to the world of the living and he is pissed. He also brought another entity back with him that is extremely powerful and dangerous. Now Matthew will seek his revenge against former mentor.  The only problem is that over the same two years Robert Bakker has built an empire called the Tower. He has surrounded himself with powerful magicians and an army. Bakker has become the godfather of the magical universe. As with any empire, there are enemies and Matthew must find some way to form alliance with these dissidents in order to help him get his revenge.

The essence of a solid urban fantasy story exists inside this novel but it takes way too long to get and keep things moving. There are some really fresh and creative ideas that Ms. Griffin develops in her book. She invented several other magical communities, such as the Beggars, the Whites, the Bikers and the anti-magic group called the Cult that all exist inside London.  Matthew’s interaction with and the history behind these groups are very well thought out, making for some entertaining reading.    Overall, Ms. Griffin does a good job of building a believable magical world.

For me, the real problem has to do with the writing style. Ms. Griffin tends to over write almost every aspect of this novel. Too much time is spent describing every sight, smell and sound of each and every part of London. After awhile this just becomes tiresome and sucks out any momentum. At points it became so tedious that I gave consideration of putting it down.

The story is told in a straight forward manner and is basically plotted like a video game.  You go from point A to point B then fight the level boss.  Move to level 2, repeat the same pattern until you reach the Big Boss and fight him.  If writing style was cleaner then I could have lived with the formulaic plot as this novel’s strength was  Ms. Griffin’s creative magical world and it’s atmosphere that was created.

I’m glad I stuck it out and finished the novel. There are so many interesting aspects to the story but it is dragged down by a tiresome writing style. I will likely pick up the next book in the series in hopes the prose is crisper and the creative elements of the story are allowed to shine through.

Author’s website: Urban Magic

To discuss this book, please visit Robots and Vamps Book Club

Over at examiner.com Aaron W Tello interviewed Anne Rice about her famous books, the making of her book into a movie and her thoughts on the new era of vampire entertainment.  Interview with a Vampire was the first vampire book I read and I was hooked forevermore.  She is truly the pioneer in modern day vampire lore.  All hail Queen Anne…

Q: What inspired you to write you vampire novels?

The vampire novels were inspired by a whim. I wanted to “interview a vampire” about what it was like to be him. I wanted to know. And I wrote a short story which then grew into a novel.

Q: What was your favorite to write?

Memnoch the Devil was my favorite of the Chronicles to write, because I felt it really broke new ground in terms of ideas as well as the emotional life of the characters. It was very challenging and it contained a number of parts. I had not had Lestat visited by a ghost before, or by an angel, and this was new and interesting to me.

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Q: How did you feel about your books becoming major motion pictures?

Especially “Interview with a Vampire” which was and still is a very popular

book and film?

Seeing Interview with the Vampire made into a film was painful for me because I cared so much about the emotional heart of the work, but it was ultimately satisfying. My script was used and I think the film was a great film. It has enduring value. And new people discover it all the time.

Q: What do you think about the direction that the vampire legend has taken over

the past few years?

I am intrigued by the direction the vampire legend has taken. I think the teen vampire romance, Twilight, was a curious film in many respects, one obviously made for 12 year olds, and it presents a very tame picture of the vampire and one that does not entirely make sense. We are to believe that a group of immortals choose to life in a tiny town rather than a metropolis, and that they go to high school over and over again, which certainly sounds horrible. But obviously this appeals to very young kids and the vampire, Edward, is charming, and strong, and is a powerful metaphor for the outsider and also he represents what teenagers dream of: a boyfriend who is really deep and caring and powerful and protective. In a way, it is about a young girl’s desire for an older man.

True Blood, the HBO series, is infinitely more complex. The show is clever, satirical and yet deeply involving. It is full of humor and yet its characters have tender and emotional scenes. I find it very engaging and fun to watch. Obviously it has too much sex and violence for very young teens. But for an adult audience, it is an amazing development in the vampire mythology, putting the vampires right into the mainstream of the modern world. I like the show. I think the vampire Bill is the usual metaphor for the outsider and the sensitive outcast who suffers. He’s excellent.

for the full interview visit www.examiner.com

Eve of Chaos ( Marked book 3 ) by S. J. Day

Dust Jacket Summary: How do you tell Satan that you ran over his hellhound? Evangeline Hollis has no idea and she doesn’t want to find out. Living with the Mark of Cain — and the two sexy brothers who come with it — is trouble enough. She doesn’t need to borrow more. Too bad Satan is too pissed to oblige her. Incensed at the loss of his pet, Satan has put a bounty on Eve’s head, and Hell’s denizens are converging en masse. The proliferation of Infernals is complicating Eve’s hunts and creating chaos in her once orderly life. They’ve also brought her to the attention of an overzealous reverend who is certain she’s Jezebel reincarnate.

How can a Mark drafted by God strike a bargain with the Devil? Eve’s about to find out…

Dust to Dust (The Prophecy #1) by Heather Graham

Dust jacket summary: Not long ago, Scott Bryant would have described himself as an ordinary guy. But one act of heroism has changed his life forever – or at least until the apocalypse occurs. Because the end of the world is on its way.

Suddenly and inexplicably possessed of superhuman strength, Scott finds himself allied with the enigmatic and alluring Melanie Regan in a quest to find the mysterious Oracle in hopes of averting the absolute destruction that threatens.

Melanie herself has been falling into trances, sketching terrifying visions of future events – and she wants answers. She knows better than Scott where to look for help, but even she cannot fathom the powers that have thrust them together in an epic battle of good against evil.

The earth itself will soon turn against its inhabitants, and now mortal and immortal must join forces if any are to survive.

Thirteen Orphans by Jane Lindskold

Dust jacket summary: As evocative and moving as Charles de Lint’s Newford books, with the youthful protagonists and exciting action of Mercedes Lackey’s fantasies, Thirteen Orphans makes our world today as excitingly strange and unfamiliar as any fantasy realm . . .and grants readers a glimpse of a fantasy world founded by ancient Chinese lore and magic.

As far as college freshman Brenda Morris knows, there is only one Earth and magic exists only in fairy tales.

Brenda is wrong.

A father-daughter weekend turns into a nightmare when Brenda’s father is magically attacked before her eyes. Brenda soon learns that her ancestors once lived in world of smoke and shadows, of magic and secrets.

When that world’s Emperor was overthrown, the Thirteen Orphans fled to our earth and hid their magic system in the game of mah-jong. Each Orphan represents an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Brenda’s father is the Rat. And her polished, former child-star aunt, Pearl – that eminent lady is the Tiger.

Only a handful of Orphans remain to stand against their enemies. The Tiger, the Rooster, the Dog, the Rabbit . . . and Brenda Morris. Not quite the Rat, but not quite human either.

Vanilla Ride (Hap and Leonard #7) by Joe R. Lansdale

Dust jacket summary: In this Texas-sized thriller, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine – best friends, freelance troublemakers, and tough guys with good intentions – find themselves in the crosshairs of the Dixie Mafia.

Hap is an East Texas smart mouth with a weakness for southern women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. They’re not the makings for your typical dynamic duo, but never underestimate the power of a shared affinity for stirring up trouble and general mayhem. So when an old friend asks Leonard to rescue his daughter from an abusive no-good drug dealer, he gladly agrees and, of course, invites Hap along for the fun. Well, the dealer may be lowly, but he is on the bottom rung of the Dixie Mafia, and when Hap and Leonard come calling, the Mafia feels a little payback is in order. Cars crash, shotguns blast, and people die, but Hap and Leonard come out on top. Unfortunately for them, now they’re facing not only jail time but also the legendary – and lethal – Vanilla Ride, who is still out to claim the price on their heads.

Full of twists and turns, gunfire and gaffes, this hilarious, rip-roaring novel will have readers turning the pages faster than a Texas tornado.

The Stars Down Under by Sandra McDonald

Dust jacket summary: Chief Terry Myell and Lieutenant Commander Jodenny Scott are in that most precarious of military situations, a mixed marriage. Enlisted and officer. It’s unnatural.

Terry and Jodenny have been assigned to duty on the planet Fortune, away from the huge ships that carry colonists from the wreckage of polluted Earth to clean new worlds across the galaxy.

But there’s another way besides spaceships to travel from world to world. A group within Team Space is exploring the Wondjina Spheres, a set of ancient alien artifacts that link places and times. Now those spheres have shut down and Team Space thinks that Terry and Jodenny are part of the key to make them work again —no matter how the two of them feel about it. They can volunteer, or be “volunteered.”

What the researchers can’t anticipate is that the status quo, in which Team Space holds the monopoly on travel between worlds, is about to change. And as a result, Terry and Jodenny will be tested to their limits and beyond….

The Women of Nell Gwynne’s by Kage Baker and J. K. Potter

Dust jacket summary: Lady Beatrice was the proper British daughter of a proper British soldier, until tragedy struck and sent her home to walk the streets of early-Victorian London. But Lady Beatrice is no ordinary whore, and is soon recruited to join an underground establishment known as Nell Gwynne’s. Nell Gwynne’s is far more than simply the finest and most exclusive brothel in Whitehall; it is in fact the sister organization to the Gentlemen’s Speculative Society, that 19th-century predecessor to a certain Company… and when a member of the Society goes missing on a peculiar assignment, it’s up to Lady Beatrice and her sister harlots to investigate.

Huntress by Christine Warren, Marjorie M. Liu, Caitlin Kittredge, and Jenna Maclaine

Dust jacket summary:

Christine Warren

‘Devil’s Bargain’

Supernatural bounty hunter Lilli Corbin made a pact with the Prince of Hell: She agreed to recover a book of prophecies. When she learns it could trigger the apocalypse, Lilli is forced to make the ultimate choice: save her soul, or the man she loves?

Marjorie M. Liu

‘The Robber Bride’

Welcome to a post-apocalyptic world where women are fed on for their life forces. Now it’s up to Maggie, one of the last female survivors, to hunt down and destroy an army of darkness.

Caitlin Kittredge

‘Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go’

Ava is a demon slayer who needs help from mage Jack Winter to reach the demon underworld – a place of dark seduction.and, maybe, one of no return.

Jenna Maclaine

‘Sin Slayer’

London 1889. Jack the Ripper is killing off the city’s vampire population, and now it’s up to Cin Craven to hunt him down – and save the infected Michael, the love of her undead life.

Star Trek: TNG: Losing the Peace by William Leisner

Dust jacket summary: A new six-part epic covering the first year of service of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, leading up to the events of the hit movie Star Trek: First Contact. A major turning point in the lives of two of the Enterprise crew! Newly promoted Admiral Hayes gives La Forge a shocking ultimatum: his VISOR is a security risk, and he must either have it replaced with ocular implants or be transferred to a less-sensitive post.

Meanwhile, Troi has some issues of her own. Though she knows that her mother, Lwaxana, recently remarried to the Tavnian named Jeyal, she was unaware of the subsequent pregnancy–and now Lwaxana’s about to give birth. To make matters worse, the Tevnian government has decided that, even though Lwaxana and Jeyal have since divorced, the child still belongs to them.

Queen of Song and Souls (Tairen Soul #4) by C. L. Wilson

Dust jacket summary: The first deadly battles of the new Mage Wars have been fought, and victory has been won at a terrible price. As the toll of an unfulfilled matebond and the torment of war begins tips Rain towards madness, Ellysetta knows if she cannot find a way to defeat the darkness growing inside her and complete the truemate bond, Rain will die and she will become the prophesied monster Vadim Maur uses to destroy the Fey and enslave the World.

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Vicious Circle by Linda Robertson

Dust jacket summary: A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do….

Being a witch doesn’t pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full — even if witches aren’t supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she’s written. Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered…and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends — werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6′2″ leather-clad hunk, she’s starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

Red Gold Bridge by Patrice Sarath

Dust jacket summary: In the heart of the gordath, danger is waiting…

A year ago, Lynn Romano and Kate Mossland stumbled through the gordath, a portal between our world and the war-torn society called Aeritan. Now, a powerful Aeritan general has crossed through to Earth, and his obsession with Kate could tear both worlds apart.

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Rapture: The Shadowdwellers by Jacquelyn Frank

Dust jacket summary: The Shadowdwellers live in a realm of darkness and sensuality, where order is prized and sin must be punished. Yet for Magnus, the head priest of Sanctuary, salvation rests with the one woman who can entice him to break every rule…

She Was The Ultimate Temptation

Magnus is a man of contradictions—a spiritual leader in a warrior’s body. To him, laws are for enforcing and visions must be followed—even if that means freeing a beautiful slave and making her his reluctant handmaiden. Betrayed once before, Magnus can barely bring himself to trust another woman. Yet Daenaira’s fiery innocence is drawing them both into a reckless inferno of desire.

City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4) by Vicki Pettersson

Dust jacket summary: In Sin City, a little girl suffers from a strange and terrible malady. If she dies, the Light will die along with her.

Warrior, avenger, Joanna Archer has survived countless otherworldly terrors—and has found her rightful place among the agents battling the all-pervasive evil of Shadow . . . even as she struggles against the darkness within herself.

A war is raging for Las Vegas—a city without a heart—one that catapults Joanna into a new world hidden from mortal sight. In this lethally seductive alternate dimension the lines blur between good and evil, love and hate, and here lies the last hope for the Light. But Joanna’s price of admission is a piece of her own soul—and the odds of her escaping are slim . . . to none.

Witches Incorporated (Rogue Agent) by K.E. Mills

Dust Jacket Summary: It’s a case of espionage, skullduggery and serious unpleasantness

And it’s also Gerald’s first official government assignment. He’s hunting down a deadly saboteur, and time is quickly running out. Old enemies and new combine forces to thwart him. Once again, innocent lives are on the line. He needs his friends. He can’t do this alone.

But Princess Melissande and Reg have troubles of their own. With the help of Monk Markham’s brilliant, beautiful sister, they’ve opened a one-stop-shop witching locum agency, where magical problems are solved for a price. Problem is, the girls are struggling to keep the business afloat. Things are looking grim for Witches Incorporated – and that’s before they accidentally cross paths with Gerald’s saboteur.

Suddenly everybody’s lives are on the line and Gerald realizes, too late, that there’s a reason government agents aren’t supposed to have friends …

WITCHES INCORPORATED is the second novel in the Rogue Agent trilogy, from one of fantasy’s newest stars.

Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu

Dust Jacket Summary: Demon hunter Maxine Kiss, inked with living tattoos, is on a mission to rescue the man she loves from a bloodthirsty army. To save him, Maxine has only one choice: to lose control-and release her own powers of darkness.

Spoilerific…

An angry erratic driving Vampire Bill argues with Sookie like the parents of a preteen girl as Jessica sits in the back seat crying tears of blood. Bill is still angry with Sookie for taking Jessica to her parent’s house and causing a big stir. To tell the truth I was more interested in how Bill got Sookie’s piece of crap car to go that fast, than what their silly tiff was about. Finally Sookie has had enough of Bill’s shouting and she gets out of the car to “walk home”. (classic angry girlfriend move, works every time)

As she stomps through the woods, Sookie hears something in the brush. With all the drama of a scream queen in a horror thriller, she turns to see what is rustling in the leaves, and says what we are all thinking, “WHAT THE….?” Taking off in a flat out run, Sookie tries to get away from her would be attacker, but the beast?, man?, bull headed person?, minotaur like thing? Whatever the hell that thing is, it catches up with her and uses its giant claw like hands to scratch deep wounds in her back.

Bill is still sitting in the car wallowing in his stubbornness, when he hears Sookie’s shrill screams. Good thing he can run in fast forward so that he can get to Sookie AFTER the scary bull headed man has attacked her. Way to go Bill. (PS. It looks ridiculous when the vamps move in FFWD. Please, TV and movie directors… for the love of Greedo, stop doing that! I beg you! It is much cooler and far less comical if you illustrate a vampire’s tremendous speed by just making them appear in one spot one second and magically they appear in a much closer spot the next. Okay, rant over.) These must be some hell’a scratches ‘cause Sookie is pretty much paralyzed and even Bill’s blood doesn’t seem to help.

What does Bill do to save the ailing Sookie? He gets in her POC car and runs to Eric for help. Not the brightest move since Eric wants something of Sookie and if he helps her she will owe him, big time. If you are indebted to Eric, you better plan on paying up!

Bill orders Jessica to take the car and herself home with a simple “As your maker, I command you!” Dude! How do I get that special power? Too bad you have to sire a newborn vamp to get it; otherwise I would do what ever it took to get that power. “Husband, fetch my slippers, I command you!”

Eric has called in Dr Ludwig, healer of all supes, to aid Sookie (Dr. Ludwig is spot on by the way!). As Sookie approaches her death, Dr Ludwig dismisses the Vamps and gets on with the healing. When the Vamps are finally allowed back in, Eric catches sight of Sookie’s wounds. He is just sitting there wide eyed, fangs out, staring at her like she is a hunk of chocolate cake and he hasn’t eaten in a week! On Dr. Ludwig’s orders, Bill starts to give Sookie some of his blood when Eric pops over and mentions that he should do it since his blood is so much stronger. “Nevah!” is Bills reply and so begins a wrist grappling stare down for the right to heal the poor afflicted Sookie. Seriously?

Sookie wakes up at Fangtasia in the day, all healed and perfect. Enter Ginger, the crazy, loveable, skanky, barmaid. She is loose with her thoughts among other things and let’s a little fact about Lafayette slip. Sookie finds that Eric has been keeping him chained in the basement like a dog, and bargains with Eric for his freedom. He agrees to let Lafayette go if Sookie will travel to Dallas and help him find the missing Vamp.

Eric orders Pam and Chow to search the woods where Sookie was attacked. I love Pam’s response “He (Chow) can do it. I am wearing my favorite pumps!” Eric will have none of this attitude and with a quick Swedish threat, Pam is off to frolic in the woods. When Pam returns her fabulous pumps are ruined and she has leaves in her hair. What on earth was she doing out there?!?! She doesn’t look happy, you don’t mess with a woman’s shoes!

Meanwhile back at Summer Vampire Hate Camp, Jason is having some doubts about the motives of the Fellowship of the Sun. Just when he starts to show a glimmer of hope in the brains department, little Sarah Newlin brings him back to his old self through some flirting and a little prayer.

Over dinner, Sarah’s husband Steve, spews some nonsense and tries to convince Jason that the Fellowship is right. Just when he has Jason where he wants him, Sarah brings in her Banana Puddin’. Being from the south, I know the merits of some good banana puddin’. But Sarah’s puddin’ must have something that my pudding hasn’t got, because a conversation like this has never ensued over my banana puddin’!

Steve Newlin – “ You know, my wife must think you are pretty special”

Jason – “Really?”

Steve – “Well, Sarah doesn’t whip out her pudding for just anybody!”

Maryann and mystery man Karl are cooking up some strange concoction to feed to her party guests. While the strange soupy stuff is simmering, Tara and Maryann sit down for some girl talk and coffee. Nonchalantly, Maryann rolls up a fat doobie over breakfast. No biggie. Weed seems to be a breakfast staple in these parts.

At first, the party is innocent enough with Eggs serenading the guests with a little ditty on his guitar. Next thing you know, there is a strange fog everywhere, the guests are all drinking the weird soup concoction and people start stripping and making out with whoever is close by. Shoot, even Jane Bodehouse the town drunk, is getting’ busy with Dr. Phlox…er..I mean Mike Spencer. (don’t get a mental picture, don’t get a mental picture.)

Old Mr and Mrs Compton (aka Sookie and Bill) drive home in Bill’s non POC car, the BMW. They are in the middle of a witty conversation about good vs. evil and petticoats. But when Big Daddy Bill gets home and finds Hoyt making out with his Jessica, he is not a happy Vampire daddy! Poor Hoyt, he just found himself a girl, and her daddy has fangs!

Sam has been whiny all episode and is packing to runaway from his troubles. He is about to take off when his collie friend comes around for one more run through the woods. Sam is skinny dipping in the lake when Daphne walks up out of nowhere. In an effort to make up for her ineptness at work, she cracks a joke or two about her hard-nosed boss and undresses to join him for a late night swim. But wait…. What are those hideous scratches on her back?…

1. Right off that bat. What the Fang is that thing in the woods that attacked Sookie? Bull headed what? I don’t get it. That is no Maenad!

2. Why is Eric always wearing a track suit with no shirt under it and a chain? He looks like a mobster! Are there Vampire Mobsters? Matt thinks he raided the Sopranos wardrobe. I do however dig the T-shirt, jeans and flip flops ensembles! My personal favorite attire. NICE!

3. What the heck is up with Daphne? And her scratches? I thought the poison in those scratches was lethal. Hence the whole Kimodo dragon speech from Dr. Ludwig.

Next week there is no new True Blood so sit back and enjoy the 3 episode marathon and some fireworks. But keep an eye out for those vamps  lurking around while you are staring at the purdy lights in the sky.

Reviewed by Christel:

It helps to know the right people and Eve’s got connections. She was just killed by a dragon and suddenly she is awake and alive. Resurrected after the brothers Cain and Abel pleaded on her behalf, Eve is now back in business as a Mark. And it is time for her to complete her training.

It is Raguel’s turn to hold Mark training and he doesn’t plan to make it easy on the newbies. The new Mark’s are traveling to Fort McCrosky, (a military installation that is all but abandoned now) to train in a controlled environment. Of course nothing is that easy for Eve and the nice pre-planned training exercises quickly turn into “on the job training”.

There is a new classification of demon in town and Reed (Abel) is investigating just what kind of demon it is. This new and terrible demon is obliterating Mark’s with incredible ease. How can it be defeated if even the best and brightest can’t defend themselves against it? Good thing Reed can shift anywhere at a moments notice. He finds himself shifting between Australia and California trying to keep Eve safe while his investigations continue. He must find out what is destroying the Mark’s before it comes for Eve.

Alec (Cain) is on assignment. He is charged with sending the werewolf pack leader Charles back to Hell. While separated from Eve and hunting Charles, Alec runs into several demons who are terminating themselves. Just what is going on to make them want to send themselves back to Hell? Alec has to get to the bottom of this, but having Eve in his head is proving difficult for him to concentrate on the task at hand.

All the while, the 3 have formed a bond quite unlike anything they have ever seen. Constantly being in the forefront of each other’s awareness is starting to take its toll. While it would be amazing to have 2 angelic men clamoring for your affections, I am not sure it would be fun for them to be brothers. Especially brothers who have the biggest sibling rivalry in history! The whole “brothers being into the same girl who is named after their mother thing” was at first bit odd for me, but Ms. Day makes it work somehow. Perhaps Cain and Abel have been around for so long, they really aren’t that brotherly anymore. While they are still testosterone laden rivals, they must find a way to work together in order to protect the woman they love. Makes for some rough patches, but in general they have managed to get through it, thus far.

For the first couple of chapters I thought this was going to be one of those “middle books”. You know the ones I mean. The kind that pretty much goes nowhere but sets up the story for its big conclusion in the third book. And then it got exciting and I found out I was wrong. There is a dangerous mystery to solve and while there is a conclusion to the story part of the plot is left unfinished, making me want to run to the store and grab the third book Eve of Chaos to see what happens next. Unfortunately, as of the time I finished reading this book, the next installment isn’t out yet. So I must wait. Since the books are being released in 3 consecutive months, my wait is thankfully brief.

Authors Website: S.J. Day

To discuss this book, please visit Robots and Vamps Book Club

Night Shift, the first book in the Jill Kismet series, can now be read for FREE. Yeah. Click the cover below.