Southern Vampire Mysteries
New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris is no stranger to mystery, or the process of creating worlds. With a career in writing that’s spanned over thirty years, she’s given us so many characters who — fantastic as they may seem — are ultimately grounded in true, raw, human nature; it’s impossible not to feel invested in their stories.
Through Sookie Stackhouse, the focus of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, we’ve not only seen the darker side of the things that go ‘bump in the night’, but of humanity itself. Prejudice, politics, oppression and corruption are all themes Charlaine has brilliantly explored, while still expanding her own passionate mythology involving witches, vampires, werewolves and fairies — to name a few. Knowing Charlaine’s work, it isn’t surprising at all to see that Alan Ball, creator of the hit HBO show Six Feet Under, has brought her characters to life through the immensely popular show True Blood. When you write something so alive, it comes off the pages and lives.
“My intention was to anchor the vampire world to the prosaic world of humanity,” Charlaine said in an interview with DarkMedia. “I thought that would make a great contrast, and it’s the source of a lot of fun to me. Sookie’s an insider, but also an outsider, in both worlds, because of her unique gift, so her insight is what gives the books their spark. As I thought of the vampire world, a hierarchy made sense to me; if the vampires had made the decision to “come out,’ that meant there was a structure to their world. It also made sense that not all vampires would agree with this decision. The world evolved from these basic premises.” When asked about True Blood, she continued. “Alan surprises me all the time,” she said, “and I’m always entertained by the places he goes. I don’t compare the novels to the TV show any longer. His talented writers are going their own way, as I knew they would. I’d be bored if they were following the books slavishly, and as it is, TRUE BLOOD is a constant surprise.”
Have you read The Southern Vampire Mysteries? Do you watch True Blood? Love or hate any of the above? Please share your thoughts with us below.