Sookie Stackhouse Book 11 - Dead Reckoning

Book number 11 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Reckoning, has just come out.

Even though, I’m on a waiting list for the book at my library I am ambivalent about what to expect.

The last two books were really average and the last book, Dead in the Family, was a major disappointment.

At what point do you give up on a series? When has an author ‘jumped the shark’?

I’m edging toward closing the book on the Sookie Stackhouse series. I think that Harris has exhausted all possible and interesting storylines.

She has had the competing boyfriends issues (Eric and Bill), romance with a werewolf and discovery of fairies relatives.

Now, the characters just seemed to be treading water. In fact, I found Sookie quite annoying in the last two books as all she seemed to be doing was bleat on about wanting a nice boyfriend to settle down with. Ugh!

So, why do authors do it?

Sure, there is a fan base to satisfy and of course the money, but at some point I wish someone would step in and say ‘enough already’.

Don’t they realise they just destroy the legacy of their own work.

A prime example I’ve previously blogged about is Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series. I finally stopped at Book 15: Scarpetta Factor.

And I just checked her website and I can’t believe that she is bringing out another Scarpetta book this year!

News flash: Emperor of All Maladies won the 2011 Pulitizer Prize for general non-fiction.