Sookie is the curious, adventurous, drily witty narrator and human friend to an increasing circle of supernatural beings, aka, "supes".
None of the first three novels are plot-driven, so having a weaker plot doesn't distract that much from the story, which is driven by Sookie's further immersion into the world of the supernatural and her juggling three suitors: Vampire Bill, Eric the head of Louisiana's vampire Area 5, and a new one, Alcide Herveaux (pronounced "Al-see with the d barely sounded".) Alcide is a surveyor and also a "supe" (supernatural being), more specifically a werewolf.
We learn a lot more about the world of the shapeshifters, including the fact that the werewolves are a type of shapeshifter but prefer to be calls Weres. Weres get huffy if other "shifters" use were- as part of their disignation, e.g., were-dog, were-panther. Weres also have a reputation as blue-collar toughs among the supernatural world, vampires being a wealthier bunch, on the whole. Alcide is fairly wealthy, though, through the family survey business.
Vamps and Weres are generally wary of each other. Alcide comes into the story because his father has gotten over his head in gambling debt and the Louisiana vamps wound up with his marker. So he has to accompany Sookie to Jackson, Mississippi, to help her find Bill. Vampire Bill disappeared there while working on a special project for the vampire queen of Louisiana, who we hear about but don't meet. Bill has also fallen back in love with a former lover of his, Vampire Lorena, and intends to dump Sookie for Lorena. This doesn't make Sookie very happy. But she agrees to help Eric find Bill.
Just as most of the second novel was set in Dallas, this one is mostly set in Jackson. There are some local touches there, including Sookie and Alcide going to the Mayflower Cafe and to Hal and Mal's, both real places and longtime Jackson landmarks.
This is the first time we learn about the state-level organization of the vamps involving royalty. Mississippi has a king vampire, a gay vamp named Russell Edgington.
As in the first two novels, the tone is humorous and light, despite the Gothic darkness involved in the settings and conspiracies. And with this novel, it seems fair to say that there is a meta-plot at work, too. It turns around the interaction of various factions among the supernatural (vamps, shifters, Weres) and Sookie's romances with Bill's rivals for her love. In this novel, Bill becomes a minor character, with most of the story devoted to Sookie's relationship with Alcide and Eric. Especially Eric. Running off to Mississippi with Lorena was not Bill's optimal move to keep Sookie's romantic allegiance. Sookie removes Lorena as a rival of hers. But she's major-league ticked off with Bill over the whole thing. Plus, there's a darker reason for her breaking off with Bill, due to a situation set up by Debbie Pelt, Alcide's were-fox former girlfriend, but nevertheless ugly and ugly moment with Bill.
Vampire Bubba, who was a very, very famous singer from Memphis in his human life which ended in 1977, plays a bigger part in this novel. He's mainly comic relief, but he fits into the story much better than when he was introduced in the first novel, i.e., he doesn't seem such a kitschy character. He does get crucified in this novel. Literally.
Sookie's friend Tara also plays a larger role in this installment. A new type of supe is introduced, a goblin named Mr. Hob [groan]. And Alcide's were-fox former girlfriend Debbie Pelt becomes a very annoying factor in Sookie's life. As Lorena finds out, Sookie can be a surprisingly tough enemy. Even aside from her vampire and other supe connections.
From the previews it appears that the second half of the second season of HBO's True Blood will be based in part on Club Dead. The Lorena character has already been introduced on the TV program while Bill and Sookie are in Dallas, which was the setting of the previous novel, Living Dead in Dallas. In the series, Jessica the Teenage Vampire apparently is the comic relies substitute for Bubba, who doesn't appear in the series.
Tags: charlaine harris, club dead, sookie stackhouse, true blood
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