Living Dead in Dallas
A Southern Vampire Mystery by Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse
Sookie is the main protagonist in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Sookie is a beautiful and intelligent young woman and it isn't hard for her to find a date. Except she is a telepath and can read minds. Sookie works at the local bar and grill as a waitress where the whole town goes to eat just about every meal/ Sookie struggles with controlling her ability and sometimes has constant headaches and thoughts of others freely flowing into her head. In the first book Sookie meets someone who she finally can not read, a vampire named Bill. Sookie is quickly drawn to him and is also quickly sucked into his world of disaster and fear which is new to her. Since all of her life in Bon Temps life has been quiet, simple, boring, and safe.
Characters
Antagonists
Callisto
Callisto is a follower of the Greek Dionysus called a maenad. She arrives in Bon Temps in hope that the Vampire Sherrif will pay tribute to her and Dionysus. Callisto is known to have hosted two wild parties filled with passion and violent enthusiasm. Callisto has killed before so we know that she is ruthless, wild, and very devoted to the worship of her god.
Steve Newlin
Although a very animated and cheerful preacher, Steve leads a church which views vampires as abominations and secretly plots to exterminate them physically and by public propaganda. He begins this by starting the Light of Day Institute. Sookie's brother Jason is quickly drawn into this organization and is nearly brainwashed into their cause.
Fellowship of the Sun
The Fellowship is an church and underground organization lead by the Newlins. That is Steve and his wife Sarah Newlin. The Fellowship is positive, bright, and "sunny" on the outside. But underground it has a cold agenda against vampires. Many members of the Fellowship are more than happy to die for the cause which they believe is their God given duty.
The Theme of Living Dead in Dallas
Living Dead in Dallas features a lot about religion and spirituality. From a spectrum we see the more conservative Newlin family, and the uncontrollable and primal beliefs of Callisto and her Pre-Hellenic beliefs. This book shows that just because something is believed to be spiritual by another or as the Newlins call it "God given", it does not mean that it is morally right. Dangerous unsupervised parties that result in a homicide are in no way moral. Plotting to kidnap someone, scheme, and execute another for public recognition from masses is also in no way moral. So this book is based around the theme of "Just because its religious, doesn't mean its right."
Bon Temps
Bon Temps is a small town in Louisiana that is a very conservative and tight nit. Bon Temps is full of people who gossip and lie about eachother, its usually a very dramatic town full of "All American People". 5 hours from New Orleans and 30 minutes from Shreveport. When Sookie Meets her vampire lover the town does not know how to keep quiet, everyone has something to say. The town hunk and football star is Sookie's brother Jason. Her best friend and town loudmouth is Tara. And Tara's cousin Laffayete is famous for his gay reputation.
Summary
The story begins with Sookie being attacked by Callisto. The scratches are poisonous and eat away at Sookie's body. When she is cured she, under the supervision of her boyfriend are sent to Dallas by the Vampire Sheriff of Louisiana to retrieve a kidnapped vampire from a church that hates and discriminates against vampires. After this task is completed and an almost fatal massacre is avoided by the vampires from the Fellowship, Sookie returns home to Bon Temps. After a week she finds that the whole town has been brainwashed into joining Callisto's Greek rituals and secret parties. After Callisto's spell is broken, Sookie and Bill's relationship lands on thin ice due to the recent dangers that she has faced.