Summary: A Touch of Dead collects all of the Sookie Stackhouse stories that have been published in various anthologies into one slim little volume.

"Fairy Dust" (from Powers of Detection) takes place between Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail, Sookie learns that fairies Claude and Claudette are actually the two surviving members of triplets, and they want her help in tracking down their sister's killer.

"Dracula Night" (from Many Bloody Returns) also takes place between Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail. In it, Eric is getting Fangtasia ready for the celebration of Dracula's birth, in hopes that his idol will actually appear. Things, unsurprisingly, do not go exactly to plan, and once again, Sookie's caught in the middle.

"One Word Answer" (from Bite) is the only story in this collection that contains critical information to the plot of the main books, and belongs in sequence right before Definitely Dead. In it, we finally get the scene where Sookie finds out her cousin Hadley is a) a vampire, and b) dead. We meet Mr. Cataliades for the first time, since he's the one who has brought Sookie the news all the way from New Orleans... the news, along with other, even more unpleasant things.

"Lucky" (from Unusual Suspects) takes place between All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse. In it, Sookie and her witch roommate, Amelia, team up to figure out who has been rifling through the files of their local insurance agent.

"Gift Wrap" (from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe) takes place a week or two before the start of Dead and Gone. It's Christmas, and since most of Sookie's friends are out of town, she thinks she'll be spending it alone... until she runs into a most unusual person in the woods near her house.

Review: While these stories were a fun brief distraction, there was nothing here that was nearly as good any of the normal series books. Because they came from anthologies, marketed to people who haven't necessarily read the series books, they're mostly fluffy and disposable, and filled with exposition that's unnecessary for those of us who actually are fans. Because they needed to exist separate from the series, nothing of consequence happens or changes, and I noticed a few times that something Sookie learned in a short story had been forgotten by the next book in the sequence. (The flip side of that coin was that there were a few lines in series books - about the tie she gave her great grandfather for Christmas, for example - that are raised from being throwaway comments to something a little more, because we actually get to see the events take place.)

The one exception to the generally light, fluffy, and take-it-or-leave-it nature of the anthology is the story "One Word Answer." It's probably the darkest story in the book, and it contains some critical information that would have been excellent to have *before* I started in on Definitely Dead. It was my favorite story of the bunch, but I think that's mainly because something actually *happened*. As for the rest of them... eh. Harmless, and a fun diversion, but nothing to get too excited over. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you're handed a copy of this book before you start Dead as a Doornail, I'd definitely recommend reading the stories in the order that they fit into the chronology of the series. Don't read ahead, though, or things will get very confusing, very fast. Otherwise, I'd say before starting Definitely Dead, get this collection out of the library and just read "One Word Answer" so that you're all caught up to speed. ( )

A decent dollection. I've read some of them before and enjoyed filling in a few blanks from the rest of the series. ( )

Charlaine Harris's characters are a bit drug-like, as is the Alan Ball series (True Blood) based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. True Blood has serious ups and downs of quality - episodes towards the beginning and middle of each season are sometimes sublimely well done, but the season always ends with a flurry of ill-conceived over-the-topness. Harris's novels are just about always over-the-top. But the characters - no, let's be honest, mostly Eric the Viking Vampire (who is the heart of True Blood's sublimeness as well) - just won't let you go, curse them. So on and on I go, devouring these rather appalling novels. (By the by, I try to be general here to avoid becoming a spoilery spoiler. But just in case I fail, the more spoiler-squeamish among you might want to skip the next paragraph.)

This year, Harris has kindly (and profitably) released a collection of short stories to tide us over between longer novels and seasons of True Blood. But sadly these are very slight stories, in which we barely glimpse the characters and issues that are so integral to the novels' appeal. Oddly, some of these stories do make sense of minor plot points which were utterly baffling in the novels, like when exactly Sookie's vampire cousin became a part of the story, or how a whole family of fairies becomes entwined with Sookie's life. In the novels, these characters just appear, with the assumption that we are all already acquainted with the events of stories published in relatively obscure volumes. I kept flipping back to the "Books by Charlaine Harris" list at the front of the novels, thinking I had missed a book. This raises a key question: Why is it that in each novel in the series, loyal readers have to slog through rehashing of central plot points ("And then I saw my ex-boyfriend, Vampire Bill. Bill and I had a history, with a capital H. You see..."), but no one ever bothers to fill us in on the obscure but important events of these short stories?? Grrr.

The TV show and the novels are best when they attempt to fuse the world of vampires with the gothic realism of southern culture. Better NOT to go over the top with a huge cast of characters doing the supernatural cancan and wreaking havoc all over Bon Temps, guys. Keep it simple, and explore how these normal people's lives are affected by the supernatural in real and detailed ways. This is the delight of the Hoyt plot line in True Blood and in the Eric-amnesia strand of the novels.

Excerpted from my blog: http://sycoraxpine.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )

A great Sookie snack - not substantial but diverting. ( )

A Touch Of Dead is a collection of five short stories from the Sookie Stackhouse series that has been published here together for the first time.

"Fairy Dust" takes place after Dead To The World.
Claudine enlists Sookie's help to find a murderer. A fairy has been murdered and only Sookie has the skills to discover who murdered the fairy, and why? But will she be able to discover the truth before the fairies decide to take matters into their own hands?

"Dracula Night" takes place before Dead As A Doornail.
Eric is excited, it's his favourite time of the year, and a huge party has been planed for the event. Sookie has received an invitation to a birthday at Fangtasia, but it is not Eric's, its Dracula's, and rumour has it this year he just might show up...

"One Word Answer" takes place after Dead As A Doornail.
News of Sookie's cousin Hadley arrives in the form of a demonic lawyer, and he's not alone; he comes with vampires. Sookie is about to discover what has become of Hadley, she is also set a task that seems almost impossible to her. But is this one offer she can't refuse?

"Lucky" takes place after All Together Dead.
A mystery has landed on Sookie's doorstep in the form of an insurance agent with magical powers. It's a simple case, or so detective Stackhouse and her partner inspector Broadway thought. But even with a telepath and a witch on the case, they are going to have to be more then good to crack this mystery, they are going to have to be lucky.

"Gift Wrap" takes place before Dead And Gone.
Sookie has accepted the fact that this year she is spending Christmas alone; or so she thought. Someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to make this Christmas one Sookie will never forget; but will it be the killer Were on her doorstep, the naked man in her living room, or the surprise guest for dinner that is the most memorable this Christmas?

This book is invaluable to any Sookie Stackhouse fan, and if you're not a fan you should be. So many hidden gems from the Sookie Stackhouse universe are revealed as we learn all those glorious bits of inconsequential snippets of the lives affecting our heroin, Sookie. These are the background stories that enrich the series, a must read. ( )