Remember me
Twenty-five years ago this month, in May 2001, a quirky new paranormal mystery called Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris hit bookshelves. It was the start of a bestselling series first known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, also called the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and eventually renamed the True Blood series after the hit HBO television adaptation starring Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, and Carrie Preston. The books star a perky young ingenue named Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress at the local dive bar in her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana, whose secret gift for telepathy makes others think she’s a bit air-headed. But when the world is rocked by the existence of vampires going public, Sookie is shocked to find herself in the middle of the paranormal drama.
It wasn’t the first fictional series to bring vampires into the pop culture zeitgeist. Some might say Harris rode the coattails of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire success or the cult-like following of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Others might say Harris brought vampires into the 21st century and cleared the way for Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling Twilight series. Harris took a notably different approach from other vampire stories, where vampires are hidden creatures of the night, hidden away from most humans’ perception. Her vampires went public, following the invention of synthetic TrueBlood that gave them sustenance without needing human blood, and demanded public recognition and civil rights.
Harris openly shared in interviews through the series’ heyday that she drew inspiration from current events of the ’90s and early 2000s, particularly from the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Problematic though queer representation in Harris’s books may be, that’s what drew me to the series. In the world of Sookie Stackhouse’s vampires, I saw an underground culture that resembled my own as a young queer person living in the Bible Belt, full of hidden identities, secret romance, and seedy bars only for those in the know, clashing with a changing culture and reckoning with swiftly moving public opinions. It wasn’t always the representation I would’ve liked to see, but Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse left plenty of room for queer readers like me to read between the lines.
While there have been many paranormal mystery/romance series published since the Southern Vampire Mysteries hit shelves, none have captured quite the same magic combination of paranormal fantasy, juicy romance, and Southern charm. But these twisty paranormal romance and romantasy series might help quench your post-True Blood thirst.
Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens
Louisiana makes an excellent backdrop for a paranormal romance. This new one—the first in a planned duology, and we can cross our fingers for more sequels after that—is set in a magical modern-day New Orleans. Seraphine, a witch whose misunderstood powers make her an outcast, is surprised to be tapped as the next Prime to represent her witch community. But to do so, she’ll have to navigate messy paranormal politics between the vampires, fae, and shifters (including her werewolf ex, who definitely isn’t over her). Fans of True Blood are sure to love the paranormal drama and bewitching romance in Seraphine’s world.
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Muted, Vol. 1 by Miranda Mundt
Miranda Mundt’s queer witchy romantasy Muted started as a web comic. Now it’s been republished as a graphic novel series, full of atmospheric gothic art and magical self-discoveries. Set in the swamps of Louisiana (probably not far from Bon Temps!), it stars Camille, a young witch who was orphaned as a child and raised by her cruel aunt, the matriarch of the Severin family. When Camille performs a coming-of-age blood ritual, she unlocks a power she didn’t know she had that thrusts her into a world of secrets her family kept carefully hidden. If you wished the love triangles in True Blood were less heteronormative, you’ll love the sapphic polyamorous romance in the Muted series.
Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis
While this new paranormal YA romance series may be closer to the Twilightiverse (the author has even pitched it as for readers who were Team Jacob), it’s also got big crossover appeal for True Blood fans, with a small-town setting full of paranormal beings. Mira is a college freshman in Kansas who made peace with her mom’s disappearance years prior. Then she receives a strange letter from her mom that clues her into the fact that she’s living in the middle of an ancient magical war. The handsome guy in Mira’s class that she can’t stop looking at has secrets that draw her even further into that hidden world. Full of werewolves, vampires, witches, romance, and mysteries to unravel, Blood Moon left readers eager for the sequel, Blood Lust, which is expected to come out early next year.
Happy 25th True Blood-iversary to all who celebrate! You might also enjoy:
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