Dead Ever After: Hopes and Dreams

Collage by Olga Daniels

It's not a huge secret that most of the Wenches are wishing for a DEA HEA that involves Eric. But I caught up with my fellow Wenches and some SVM friends, and asked them about their other hopes and dreams for Dead Ever After, as well as any burning questions from over the years they hope finally get answered. We've been discussing these things for a long time, and we're less than 24 hours from our speculation and questions being put to rest. After 12 books, it's an odd feeling indeed. Bittersweet, if you will. Anyway, keep reading after the jump to find out what we're hoping Dead Ever After has in store for us Sookie.



Wench Angela

I'm actually looking forward to saying goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse. Expectations? I want Sookie to be happy. Of course I want her to end up with Eric, but if that doesn't happen and Charlaine Harris leaves me satisfied with the ending then I couldn't ask for more. She has known how the series was going to end from early on, and I really believe she will do justice to Sookie. As the lone Sam lover, I want Sam to finally meet a nice, normal woman. He seems to date only psychopaths. I need lots of sarcastic Pam, too. If I have these 4 characters standing at the end, then I can't really ask for more.

Aw, Sam. He really doesn't have a great track record with women, does he? And I agree about Pam. The more Pam, the better. In fact, I'd read the hell out of a spin-off series about Pam! Let's see what Anne thinks about Dead Ever After; I bet she's got some good theories.


Wench Anne

My first thought on reading the description for Dead Ever After was that Bud and Alcee finally got their wish. They've thought for years that Sookie was up to no good. They just couldn't catch her. They finally managed to pin something on her, trumped up charges or not. My second thought was her friends better come out of the woodwork to help her through this hard time. She has been there for all of them through the years, good times and bad. They better fucking come through for her. This also means that we'll get to see some of my favorite characters, Amelia, Barry, and my personal favorite, Alcide Herveaux. I think it's a great way to end the series, no matter how it turns out. It's sort of a last episode of Seinfeld, "Sookie-Stackhouse-this-is-your-life" plot.

I know there has been some controversy on whom Sookie will end up with, but, I really, truly believe that the series will end with Sookie and Eric together. I do think it'll be a rocky path for our two lovebirds. There is a small possibility that Sookie will end up alone, but I don't think that's what Ms. Harris has been building up to through all of these books. I don't think she would throw it all away and go with Sam or Bill or (much to my dismay) Alcide. But I would like to see where she and Eric end the series. Do they just solve this final problem and go happily on their way, or do they finally have all those big talks that Sookie has been putting off all this time?

Right on, Anne! It's about time Sookie gets a story where all her friends rally round to help HER out. They certainly owe her! It also fits with what we know about many of the previous characters making return appearances. I wonder how Barb is approaching the end of one of our favorite series?


Wench Barb

The love story I saw developing between Sookie and Eric was what really captivated me about the Southern Vampire Mysteries. From Eric's snarky, flirty banter in the early books, to Sookie falling for the vampire without all the trappings of power in Dead to the World, to Eric remembering his time in Sookie's house, to Sookie realizing that she really did love Eric, even without a blood bond. I have been awed by the beautiful tale of two people finding one another, and was hopeful that, at the end of it all, Sookie and Eric would be able to find their happily ever after. That is still my greatest hope for Dead Ever After. But that hope is tempered with a fear that Sookie will choose a more typical life, with a boring safe partner, one who already has the picket fence she used to dream about. I don't have faith that this will finish the way Sookie deserves, with a partner she loves truly, madly, so I am holding my breath, waiting for my fellow Eric Lovers to let me know it's safe to finish Sookie's saga.

Theirs really is a special story, isn't it, Barb? I really have loved reading about Sookie and Eric discovering each other, and wish they could have had more time together throughout the books. What about Beta, and her hopes and dreams for Sookie, Eric, and Pam?


Wench Beta

Wow, my hopes and dreams for Dead Ever After. . . Well, first and foremost I want Sookie to be happy. I'd like to see her content with her life, with all the ups and downs that might come her way in the future, and I want her to be proud of what and who she is and has become. And all that has to come from herself, and not be tied to a man she might or might not end up with. I hope she gets to do what makes her happy, no matter what anyone else thinks or feels. I also want to see the people who call themselves friends of Sookie to really start showing it, to stop judging her and just be there for her and support her, like she has done time and time again for them. After having read the description of Dead Ever After, it seems like they should get the opportunity to do just that. Perhaps some people might follow Pam's example, since she has shown herself to be a better friend to Sookie than many of the people who have been in her life since she was a kid.

I also want to see Eric happy. I know he loves the undead life, who and what he is, and all that. I just want to know that, at the end of this series, he's at a place where he's happy and will continue to love his life. The same goes for Pam. Of course I care about others, too, and wish for the same, but those three are absolutely my favorite people in this series, and I can only cross my fingers and hope for them to have plenty of page time in Dead Ever After. . . but I'm not going to hold my breath about that. I'm hoping that I will see more of the humor and sarcasm I loved so much in the first 9 or 10 books, and the banter between Eric and Sookie — I've been missing that. A lot. I hope Eric and Sookie will start to communicate. If they are to have any chance of staying together, they REALLY need to do that, and it's now or never — and please don't let that happen in just the last couple of chapters. Enough is enough with the stalling and the annoying interruptions.

My hope is that they'll be together in the end. I know love isn't everything, though they sure do love each other, but they're just so great together, when they actually have time to be together. Like every person and every couple, they aren't perfect, but they
"get" each other, respect and complement each other in so many ways. I think all the good aspects of their relationship (assuming they'll get the chance to discuss some important things they need to discuss and get out in the open) are worth putting up with the bad parts and will outweigh them if they stay in the relationship.

I have a couple of questions that I've been wondering about, like what's up with Amelia regarding Eric, and regarding him being together with Sookie? Maybe it's nothing, but something has been bugging me ever since her enthusiasm over breaking the blood bond. Also, is there something up with Sam, and if so, what?

No matter what my hopes and dreams are for Dead Ever After and Sookie, no matter how bittersweet it will be to say goodbye to Sookie, her friends, and her family,  and no matter how it ends, I am looking forward to finally finding out how Ms. Harris has envisioned (from book 2, if I remember correctly) the ending of the story of my "friend" Sookie Stackhouse.


Harris certainly has a lot to deliver in this final book of the series;, I think she's going to have to borrow some magic from Amelia to fit it all in! I wonder what our friend Diane is hoping for in Dead Ever After?

Fellow SVM Friend Diane

I would like a satisfying end to the series, one that stays true to who Sookie is now. I will feel gutted when the series ends, because Sookie has become a friend of sorts, and I would like her to be as happy as possible. Happy with the Viking, of course!

It will definitely feel weird when Sookie's story comes to an end. It will be a loss when we don't have that next installment to look forward to. But I wonder what kind of end Sookie is hoping for? Donna has some thoughts about that.


Wench Donna

A lot of the fans have Sookie's happiness tied to either Eric, Sam, or Bill. They think that, in order for her to have a happy future, she needs to be with one of these men. Are these Sookie's only options if she wants to be happy? What I mean is, can a woman be happy with her life without being "the wife of . . ." or "the girlfriend of . . ."? That's not to say I hope she ends up alone. In some way, each of these men have added something good to Sookie's life. They've also added complications and danger. When I start reading Dead Ever After, I'm not going in with the mindset that I hope she ends up with Eric (but that would be totally okay). I hope Sookie gets an awesome finish to her story, the one that she deserves and has earned in spades.

It's true, Donna, we have no idea where Dead Ever After is going to take us, but Sookie has most certainly earned an end that leaves her contented and fulfilled. That could be on her own, but, like Katherine, I hope that means a future with Eric!


Wench Katherine

Well, I obviously hope that Sookie ends up with Eric. After all these books, I just can't imagine it going in any other direction. That would be just, well, confusing. I wish that Eric offs Freyda and becomes king in his own right. I hope Pam becomes sheriff of Area 5. I hope Sookie really proves that she does love Eric, and that he is able to feel it clearly (I am overprotective of my Viking). But most of all, MOST of all, I truly hope that Charlaine Harris gives us a good story, a great ending, and that she does not write in the lazy manner that she has in the last couple books. I feel like she has lost touch with Sookie somehow, and that she is very tired of these characters. Almost like she is rushing through it just so it can be done. Kind of like how we crammed and pulled all nighters to finish a paper by morning in college, and how we really didn't give a shit what we wrote, we just wanted to hand something in so we could be done with the assignment. I'd be very disappointed with that type of writing, and I'm hoping that she has mustered up the energy to give us, her faithful readers, a great story and a fitting last chapter in the lives of the characters whom we've grown to love so much.

You know, Katherine, I think I can take any journey with Sookie, as long as it feels authentic and true to the world we've been given thus far. Whatever happens, and whoever Sookie ends up with (if anyone), it really is about bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion. Let's spend some time with Kathi and learn about her wishes for Dead Ever After.



Wench Kathi

I fell in love with Sookie and Eric's playful camaraderie, a delightful combination of her moxie and his joie de vivre, and I feel like we've lost that over the last few books. Things were on track and then they just sort of weren't. I've been so frustrated that I haven't been able to reread those last three books, so it's hard to remember clearly all the various events — they aren't indelibly burned into my brain like practically every word in the first 9 books. So my biggest hope is that Dead Ever After recaptures that magic. And I think the first order of business toward that goal would be to give our couple a giant time out from the myriad distractions and let them learn to communicate.

I have been quite envious of the blood bond, because it has enabled effortless communication. (Maybe it's just me, but generally speaking I find communication with men to require quite a bit of effort and a fair amount of guesswork as to what's going on in their head. ;-) ) And as a result, they've been able to cultivate a relationship despite never bothering to set aside time to work on it together. Without the bond, I feel like they definitely need to make that a priority or they will lose each other. Though between the political schemes, assorted crises, and pesky predicaments, I'm not sure they'll be able to find that time.

It seems to me that Harris could wrap up the Freyda problem fairly easily if she wanted to, since Victor might want to discourage such a powerful alliance amongst rivals, and give our beleaguered couple some time to sort things out, but I rather doubt she'll be so accommodating. Whatever her plan turns out to be, I am extremely excited to finally read that closing scene she has been picturing in her mind ever since book 2!! And I have every confidence that her #1 allegiance is to Sookie, who will remain strong and true to herself until the end. But in addition to that, what I really want to see is the fulfillment of amnesiac Eric's promise to Sookie in Dead to the World, to make her his partner: "I would bring you to my side. I will share everything I have with you. Every vampire who owes me fealty will honor you."

*Sigh* It has been one obstacle after another in the past few books. I haven't gotten nearly enough quality Sookie/Eric time, and I'm with you, Kathi — I hope to see quite a lot of it in this last book. And if that quote from DTTW isn't foreshadowing, then I don't know what is! However, Naomi brings us back to earth with a reminder of an interview Harris did not too long ago.


Wench Naomi

Oh God! I really can't make up my mind! The romantic in me wishes for a Sookie and Eric HEA, but somehow my mind goes back to one of Harris' interviews in which she had this reply: "Q: If you were Sookie, what would you consider? CH: I would consider whether the good part of being Eric's girlfriend was worth the bad part of being Eric's girlfriend. I would consider what the future was likely to hold if I stayed that close to him." THAT! As much as I try to put myself in Sookie's shoes, I cannot decide. This reply and another one Ms. Harris made in the same interview: "It has a very big ending, an almost Shakespearean ending . . ." make me feel that Sookie will end by herself. Not that this is a bad thing, but I love a romantic end to a story (most of the time).

Being on Team Sookie is quite the roller-coaster ride, isn't it? And I don't like that Shakespearean ending bit at all. Not. At. All. But Wench Shau brings faith and optimism in Harris back to the forefront.


Wench Shau

Well, to be honest I have two different endings I'd be happy with. First, Sookie ends up with Eric. Second, Sookie ends up alone and happy about it. But, all in all, I have to have faith in Harris and hope she gives our heroine the best possible future.

Sookie's happiness is really what it's all about, isn't it? I mean, I need would love to see her with Eric, but as long as Sookie is happy, then I'm happy. I wonder what Olga has to say about all of it?


Once a Wench, Always a Wench Olga

I'm waiting for this book, and it terrifies me at the same time. I feel like a pregnant woman anxious to meet her baby, but horrified of the impending delivery. The woman will have her baby, but the delivery could go wrong in so many ways! And it will hurt like hell. I hope that, in the end, it will all be worth it. Harris scares the shit out of me.

Olga, I don't think you could have summed up my feelings any better! Perfect analogy is perfect. I bet Zee has something to say about Harris and how we're feeling about the impending finale of the Southern Vampire Mysteries.


Wench Zee

I want Sookie to be happy. And at peace with her decisions. For once, I want her to not say how what she was doing wasn't something a "good Christian" or a "good person" would do. I just want her to do something that makes her happy, fulfills her desires, and EVERYTHING else be damned. And oh, did I mention, I want her happy with Eric? Because, and only because, she LOVES HIM. They complement each other in a way no one else does. And they just get each other. Anything less, and I will not be happy.

I just don't trust Harris with the HEA anymore, honestly. Since True Blood, especially. And the shoving of Bill in our faces in the books since. I mean, did she REALLY need to crawl NAKED into his hidey hole? And no traumatizing flashbacks for her? Really???? Pandering to the Bill fans. . . not okay. And doing it at the expense of Sookie's personal experiences. . . even worse. Time will tell what happens, though.

Question: What's up with Amelia and her sudden anti-Eric agenda since Dead Reckoning? I can't remember her being this weird about it before that.

I couldn't agree more. I hope we see Sookie come to terms with the decisions she has had to make, and realize that those don't make her a bad person. And I do hope that Amelia's sudden change in attitude toward Eric gets explained, and that it wasn't just random. So, let's see. . . What's next? Oh, yes! Me!


Wench Veronica

As I look back over the series, I realize our Sookie has been through quite a lot. As of this writing, I just finished Dead as a Doornail, and there are some telling soundbites in that book. At one point, Sookie was thrilled she had gotten a full night's sleep without interference from life-threatening emergencies. And when Sookie and Eric are having their first of many interrupted heart-to-hearts, when Sookie tells Eric that Mickey is at the window: "You're so much trouble," Eric said, and yet he didn't sound exasperated. He sounded excited. Bill also tells Sookie that she is full of vitality, and regarding Eric: "He's as vital as you are, and you share a zest for life."

So my hope for Sookie is some peace, and a lifetime of nights free from life-threatening emergencies. But I also hope for her to have a lifetime of exciting and meaningful moments that feed her vitality, with someone who shares her zest for life. I want to see Sookie and Eric together not just because they love each other, but because they are good for each other. I also really hope they have at least one heartfelt, lay-it-all-out, no-holds-barred discussion that isn't interrupted by anyone or anything.

Finally, my biggest question I want answered. What is Sam up to? And how long has he been up to it?

Sounds like the Wenches aren't quite sure how Harris is going to end Sookie's story, but I think it's fair to say most of us believe that no matter what happens, whether we are happy with the ending or not, Sookie will be happy at the end. Well. . . perhaps not happy. . . but satisfied. Harris has said some things over the years that definitely keep us guessing, but many of us trust that she is invested in Sookie and will give her the ending she deserves (even if it's not the one we hope to see in our heart of hearts). So tomorrow (or tonight at midnight), I'm going to open up my Kindle, start reading, and hold my breath until the very last page. And then I'm going to seek out my fellow Eric Lovers for celebration and/or support.

Tell us about your hopes, fears, and dreams for Dead Ever After. What Happily Ever After do you wish for? What burning questions do you hope finally get answered?