148-395: True Blood is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball . It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries , a series of novels by Charlaine Harris . The series revolves around Sookie Stackhouse ( Anna Paquin ), a telepathic waitress living in the fictional rural town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. It is set two years after the invention of
296-695: A Chicago church, and on a stage and in a bar in Seattle . The opening sequence of TRUE BLOOD contains shots that are composed of original documentaries, tabletop photography, studio and found footage which are completely handmade. Creative director Matt Mulder explains that they wanted the edit to “rumble through the swamps, wilderness and the cultures of the South to eventually reach into the hearts and minds of its inhabitants.” During editing, individual frames were splattered with drops of blood. The sequence's transitions were constructed differently; they were made with
444-422: A Golden Globe and an Emmy . The fictional universe depicted in the series is premised on the notion that vampires exist, unbeknownst to the majority of humans until two years before the series premiere, when the creation of synthetic blood ("Tru Blood") by Japanese scientists, which eliminated vampires' need for human blood to survive, allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and reveal their existence to
592-434: A Polaroid transfer technique. The last frame of one shot and the first frame of another were taken as a single Polaroid photo, which was divided between emulsion and backing. The emulsion was filmed being further separated by chemicals, and those shots of this separation were placed back into the final edit. Eight different typefaces, inspired by Southern road signs, were created manually for cast and crew credits, as well as
740-448: A True Blood jewelry line in collaboration with New York-based designer Udi Behr. Inspired by the series, the jewelry has a Gothic look and features sterling silver, polished steel, and rubies. In the same month, HBO.com began selling Tru:Blood, a beverage branded to resemble the fictional synthetic blood that appears in the show. The beverage is a carbonated blood orange-flavored drink, developed and manufactured by Omni Consumer Products ,
888-560: A maenad with the power to influence humans. She begins by manipulating Tara and Eggs to achieve her goal of summoning her god to earth, and eventually takes control of almost the entire population of Bon Temps. While Maryann begins establishing her hold on Bon Temps, Sookie is recruited by Eric to investigate the disappearance of his two-thousand-year-old maker and the Sheriff of Area 9 in Texas: Godric ( Allan Hyde ). While Sookie
1036-399: A 1,000-year-old vampire and Sheriff of Area 5; and Lafayette Reynolds ( Nelsan Ellis ), a short order cook , drug dealer, road crew member, and medium . The show explores several contemporary issues such as the struggle for equal rights, discrimination, and violence against minorities and homosexuals, the problems of drug addiction, the power of faith and religion, the control/influence of
1184-587: A body in Detective Andy Bellefleur's car in Merlotte's parking lot. The second season loosely follows the plot of the second novel of The Southern Vampire Mysteries , Living Dead in Dallas . In addition, the character of Sophie-Anne Leclerq , initially introduced in the sixth novel Definitely Dead , was introduced as a major supporting character. The main theme of the season involves
1332-461: A city in the clouds with the birds and challenges Zeus 's authority. Ovid 's Metamorphoses and Apuleius 's The Golden Ass are both works that influenced the development of the fantasy genre by taking mythic elements and weaving them into personal accounts. Both works involve complex narratives in which humans beings are transformed into animals or inanimate objects. Platonic teachings and early Christian theology are major influences on
1480-473: A company that specializes in defictionalizing brands from television and movies, and FMCG Manufacturing Company, a specialist manufacturer of licensed entertainment products. In June 2010, HBO held a special event at a number of movie theaters around the U.S., complete with red carpet, searchlights, and swag bags. Contest winners were invited to watch a live special, the Season 2 finale, a preview of Season 3, and
1628-410: A detailed mythology and an alternative history scenario in which supernatural beings exist. Not only vampires but also werewolves and fairies exist in this scenario, and a growing public awareness of their presence is part of the plot development. The setting is contemporary, and the stories occasionally reference popular culture. The series is narrated in first person perspective by Sookie Stackhouse ,
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#17327727206861776-690: A feudal society hindering the modernization of China. Stories of the supernatural continued to be denounced once the Communists rose to power, and mainland China experienced a revival in fantasy only after the Cultural Revolution had ended. Fantasy became a genre of pulp magazines published in the West. In 1923, the first all-fantasy fiction magazine, Weird Tales , was published. Many other similar magazines eventually followed, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction ; when it
1924-493: A few powerful witches) can block their minds from telepaths. Sookie refers to their minds as being "shielded". Telepaths are rarely encountered in the supernatural community. It is revealed in Dead Reckoning that Sookie's power of telepathy was granted to her family by the half-demon Desmond Cataliades. He was great friends with Sookie's half-fairy grandfather Fintan, and so he became a sponsor to Fintan's descendants and
2072-430: A frog, while the rotting of a fox's head is sped up to reveal maggots feeding off the corpse. Rebirth is represented by an image of a woman being "washed clean" from her sins in a lake, and a preacher blessing and possibly performing an exorcism on a member of his congregation. Some of the footage used in the sequence was filmed on location. Digital Kitchen took a four-day trip to Louisiana to film; it also shot scenes at
2220-400: A group of infected vampires heading toward the bar during a human/vampire outdoor night barbecue mixer. The final season premiered on June 22, 2014, with the last episode airing on August 24. In this season, Bon Temps is terrorized by a group of vampires infected with the virus created in the previous season. They kill Tara and kidnap Arlene, Holly, Jane Bodehouse, Kevin and Nicole. Pam travels
2368-667: A hard time resisting fairies because of their smell and taste; fairy blood is intoxicating to vampires. A fairy, Claudine , is first introduced in Dead to the World . Watching vampires react to her, Sookie thinks that “it was like watching cats that'd suddenly spotted something skittering along the baseboards.” This makes face-to-face interactions between them all but impossible. However some individuals, such as Sookie's great-grandfather Niall Brigant , can "suppress their essence", effectively masking their scent and making such contact safer. In
2516-453: A home unless invited, and if an invitation is withdrawn, they are physically unable to remain on the premises. Since vampires can persuade humans to invite them to enter their homes, humans must avoid eye contact and order the vampire off the premises when an unfriendly one tries to gain entry. Fangbangers , the human cult followers fascinated by vampires, include volunteers willing to be bitten to provide fresh blood nourishment to vampires. If
2664-564: A large audience. Lord Dunsany established the genre's popularity in both the novel and the short story form. H. Rider Haggard , Rudyard Kipling , and Edgar Rice Burroughs began to write fantasy at this time. These authors, along with Abraham Merritt , established what was known as the "lost world" subgenre, which was the most popular form of fantasy in the early decades of the 20th century, although several classic children's fantasies, such as Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , were also published around this time. Juvenile fantasy
2812-419: A live interview on the set of True Blood with the cast and Alan Ball. HBO also began selling True Blood figural busts featuring Bill, Sookie, and Eric. Busts of other characters became available later. HBO and IDW Publishing announced at the 2010 WonderCon that they would be publishing a comic book based on the series. Alan Ball developed and wrote the comic. The first booklet, with a print run of 53,000,
2960-471: A main plot element, theme , or setting . Magic, magic practitioners ( sorcerers , witches and so on) and magical creatures are common in many of these worlds. An identifying trait of fantasy is the author's use of narrative elements that do not have to rely on history or nature to be coherent. This differs from realistic fiction in that realistic fiction has to attend to the history and natural laws of reality, where fantasy does not. In writing fantasy
3108-491: A medium, while Sam hires a new waitress at Merlotte's, Wiccan Holly Cleary ( Lauren Bowles ). In season 4, Jessica Tuck ( Nan Flanagan ) and Janina Gavankar (Luna) became season regulars. Alexandra Breckenridge (Kate) and Vedette Lim (Naomi) became recurring actresses. Joining the cast for season five was Christopher Meloni , who previously starred on another of HBO 's own original series Oz as well as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for 12 years. Also joining
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#17327727206863256-458: A more prominent contribution to the cast after a brief introduction in the first season. In the penultimate episode of the second season, once the conflict in Texas is concluded, the vampire queen of Louisiana Sophie-Anne Leclerq ( Evan Rachel Wood ) is introduced. Both Bill and Eric visit her in an attempt to find out how to defeat Maryann. Bill uses the information provided by Sophie-Anne to devise
3404-412: A new style of "fuzzy" supernatural texts. The fantastic is on the dividing line between supernatural and not supernatural, Just as during this time period the women were not respecting the boundary of inequality that had always been set for them. At the time, women's roles in society were very uncertain, just as the rules of the fantastic are never straightforward. This climate allowed for a genre similar to
3552-403: A plan involving Sam and Sookie, and the three manage to kill Maryann in the season two finale. Subsequently, Bill takes Sookie out to an exclusive French restaurant to propose to her. However, before she can give her answer, Bill is kidnapped. Season three picks up straight after the events of season two with Sookie on the hunt to track down Bill and his kidnappers. She turns to Eric for help, who
3700-556: A potential love interest for Sookie. He will also help Sookie and Jason discover the truth about their parents' murders. Robert Patrick , who guest starred in season five as Jackson Herveaux, was promoted to series regular for season six. Rutger Hauer , who starred in Blade Runner and Batman Begins , was announced as a series regular playing Macklyn, a character with "strong ties to Sookie and Jason." As reported by The Hollywood Reporter , Adina Porter would be returning for
3848-613: A single source. The Welsh tradition has been particularly influential, due to its connection to King Arthur and its collection in a single work, the epic Mabinogion . There are many works where the boundary between fantasy and other works is not clear; the question of whether the writers believed in the possibilities of the marvels in A Midsummer Night's Dream or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight makes it difficult to distinguish when fantasy, in its modern sense, first began. Although pre-dated by John Ruskin 's The King of
3996-453: A stake, exposed to sunlight, burned by fire, completely drained of their blood (if not treated promptly), or decapitated. Silver is highly toxic to them. Unlike the vampire mythology of other universes, Harris' universe states that crucifixes do not affect vampires, garlic only produces allergic reactions, vampires can be photographed, and most (except the "very old ones") can enter places of worship or step on "holy ground". They cannot enter
4144-410: A strange "accident". During the second season of True Blood , the influence of Maryann Forrester and the conflict between vampires and humans is expanded. Most of the cast from the first season returns and several new main characters are introduced. The same style of interconnected storytelling used in the first season is repeated, with the foremost plot focusing on Maryann Forrester being revealed as
4292-536: A summer premiere. True Blood' s Emmy-nominated title sequence is composed of portrayals of the show's Deep South setting, and runs to " Bad Things " by Jace Everett . The original featurette was created around the Jennifer Herrema ( Royal Trux ) song "RadTimesXpress". Conceptually, the sequence was constructed around the idea of "the whore in the house of prayer" by intermingling contradictory images of sex, violence, and religion and displaying them from
4440-430: A synthetic blood product branded "Tru Blood" that has allowed vampires to "come out of the coffin" and let their presence be known to mankind. It chronicles the vampires' struggle for equal rights and assimilation while anti-vampire organizations begin to gain power. Sookie's world is turned upside down when she falls in love with 174-year-old vampire Bill Compton ( Stephen Moyer ), and for the first time, she must navigate
4588-481: A two-year agreement with HBO to develop and produce original programming for the network. True Blood became the first project under the deal after Ball became acquainted with Charlaine Harris 's Southern Vampire Mystery books. One day, while early for a dental appointment, Ball was browsing through a Barnes & Noble bookshop and came across Dead Until Dark (2001), the first installment in Harris' series. He read
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4736-419: A vampire and a human share blood (each drinking from the other), it will form a blood bond, linking the pair's psyches. Vampire blood without exchange is sought after by humans as a drug that can enhance strength, heal wounds, and increase attractiveness, among other desirable effects. Due to the shortage of willing vampire donors, human "drainers" attack vampires and drain their entire blood supply, either staking
4884-402: A vampire as punishment. The immature Jessica is left under Bill's care and starts to grow up both as a vampire and as a person. In the end, it is revealed that Arlene Fowler's fiancé, Rene Lenier, has been killing women who associate with vampires. Further, he is actually a man named Drew Marshall who created a false identity, complete with a fake Cajun accent. The season ends with the discovery of
5032-522: A vampire named Warlow. Hoyt gets involved with a hate group, then decides to leave for Alaska, just as Andy heads towards life as a family man, and Lafayette tries to deal with the powers given to him by Jesus. The season ends with the Authority leadership being wiped out during the True Blood crisis, and Bill drinking the entirety of the sacred vial of Lilith in front of Sookie and Eric. He soon meets
5180-409: A vampire to convince him to stop his campaign, but she is put into a vampire camp by her father along with Eric, Pam, Jessica, and Tara, where they are all supposed to meet the sun according to Bill’s prophecy. Bill asks Sookie for help, who is considering becoming Warlow's vampire-fairy bride after discovering her parents tried to kill her when she was young. Eric has discovered that Sarah Newlin created
5328-572: A vampire. Bill and Eric are captured by the Vampire Authority for killing Nan Flanagan. The two are almost sentenced to death by the Guardian, Roman, before revealing that Russell Edgington is alive and free after being released by a mysterious vampire. With the help of Sookie, the team discovers his hiding place and brings him in. Russell and his new vampire-companion, Steve Newlin, along with Salome, and Eric's vampire sister, Nora, redefine
5476-434: A virus that kills vampires, later witnessing Dr. Overlark and Governor Burrell infect Nora in front of him. When the vampires are about to meet the sun, Bill offers his blood to them, allowing them to walk in the daylight. The season finishes six months later where Sookie is dating Alcide, Bill has released a book about the effects of drinking Lilith's blood, and Sam being the mayor of Bon Temps and selling his bar to Arlene, and
5624-444: A waitress and a telepath in the fictional town of Bon Temps in northwestern Louisiana . Harris was originally contracted to write 10 books, but she revealed at Comic-Con 2009 that she had signed a contract for three additional books. On May 14, 2012, Harris' Facebook administrator confirmed that the 13th book, Dead Ever After , would be the final book of the series. Two years before the first novel's timeline (in 2002 according to
5772-603: A were can transform a person unwillingly at full moons into a man/beast form closer to that of classic legend, but a person must be bitten several times to accumulate growth. Shapeshifting conditions manifest in puberty . As Sam tells Sookie, shapeshifters can assume the form of any animal , but most often change to the same animal every time, usually a creature they have a special affinity for, and they call themselves by that animal, e.g., werebat or weredog. In contrast, weres are only able to shift into one animal (werebats, werelynxes, werepanthers, weretigers, or werewolves). Within
5920-674: A wide audience, with the success of Robert E. Howard 's Conan the Barbarian and Fritz Leiber 's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. However, it was the advent of high fantasy , and most of all J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , which reached new heights of popularity in the late 1960s, that allowed fantasy to truly enter the mainstream . Several other series, such as C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Ursula K. Le Guin 's Earthsea books, helped cement
6068-624: Is One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) , which is a compilation of many ancient and medieval folk tales. Various characters from this epic have become cultural icons in Western culture, such as Aladdin , Sinbad and Ali Baba . Hindu mythology was an evolution of the earlier Vedic mythology and had many more fantastical stories and characters, particularly in the Indian epics . The Panchatantra ( Fables of Bidpai ), for example, used various animal fables and magical tales to illustrate
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6216-417: Is a genre of speculative fiction which involves themes of the supernatural , magic , and imaginary worlds and creatures . Its roots are in oral traditions, which became fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film , television , graphic novels , manga , animations , and video games . The expression fantastic literature
6364-652: Is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris . The first installment, Dead Until Dark (2001), won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001 and later served as the source material for the HBO drama series True Blood (2008–2014). The book series has been retronymed the True Blood Series upon reprinting, to capitalize on the television adaptation. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood Series, Harris develops
6512-529: Is absent from Bon Temps, Sam hires Daphne Landry ( Ashley Jones ) to join Merlotte's staff. Daphne (who is revealed to also be a shapeshifter) begins a romance with Sam, but is later exposed as working for Maryann. Jason also leaves Bon Temps for Dallas to join the Fellowship of the Sun, which Reverend Newlin has steered in a new militant direction despite the protestations of his wife Sarah ( Anna Camp ). Godric
6660-452: Is also implied that Fairies can cast spells, as Claudine was muttering something under her breath to hypnotize or calm down the people she and her brother, Claude, were interrogating. Claudine also magically appeared to aid Sookie when she was in mortal danger on several occasions, however, she hinted that there were limits to how and when she could perform that trick. Sookie was not always aware of her fairy godmother's timely interventions. It
6808-453: Is also known that fairies can conjure objects, demonstrated by Claudine in "Fairy Dust", when she summoned a contract, and in Dead to the World , when she changed her outfit magically. A fairy, Preston, also displays the ability to shapeshift and to seduce even Sookie, who is usually telepathically resistant to such abilities. Telepaths are humans who can read the minds of other humans and feel
6956-726: Is also often used to refer to this genre by the Anglophone literary critics. An archaic spelling for the term is phantasy . Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these can occur in fantasy. In popular culture , the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that emulate Earth, but with a sense of otherness. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works. Many works of fantasy use magic or other supernatural elements as
7104-574: Is also revealed later in the season, a major plot element from the eighth and ninth novels From Dead to Worse and Dead and Gone . This season ends with Jason left to take care of the werepanthers of Hotshot, Tara leaving Bon Temps after a traumatic experience with a vampire, Sookie discovering that Bill was first sent to Bon Temps by the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sam shooting his brother, Tommy, and Hoyt and Jessica moving in together. The final cliffhanger involves Claudine taking Sookie away to
7252-487: Is based in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, a noticeable number of the actors are originally from outside the United States. In an interview, Ball explained that he didn't intentionally seek out "non-American" actors, but was willing to go anywhere he needed to in order "to find the actor who makes the character breathe". Ball went on to explain that, in casting, there was more of a focus on who would portray
7400-434: Is centuries old. Those who have fairy blood in them but are not full-blooded fairies are immune to the effects of iron, lemons, and limes, while maintaining some of the attractive qualities of fairies. Niall states that Sookie and Jason have both inherited the beauty of the fairies, but only certain creatures can tell they are part-fairy. As a genetic quirk (possibly due to fairy blood), Jason greatly resembles his great-uncle to
7548-407: Is characterized by her relationship with her alcoholic and abusive mother Lettie Mae ( Adina Porter ) and her own inner "demons". During the season, Lettie Mae achieves sobriety but Tara's life begins to spin out of control. Kicked out of her home and totaling her car in a drunk driving crash, she's taken in by "social worker" Maryann Forrester ( Michelle Forbes ). While staying with Maryann, Tara
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#17327727206867696-437: Is discovered in the custody of the Fellowship, and one of Godric's lieutenants, Isabel Beaumont ( Valerie Cruz ), sends her human boyfriend Hugo ( Christopher Gartin ) to assist Sookie in infiltrating the church. Though Eric's primary interest in Dallas is finding Godric, he also attempts to place himself between Sookie and Bill. To accomplish this, he enlists the aid of Bill's maker Lorena ( Mariana Klaveno );, who thus becomes
7844-495: Is hired as a bartender at Merlotte's by bar owner, shapeshifter, and admirer of Sookie, Sam Merlotte ( Sam Trammell ), with whom Tara later has a brief relationship. Tara's cousin Lafayette Reynolds ( Nelsan Ellis ) already works as a cook at Merlotte's (in addition to several other jobs that include road crew, prostitute, and drug dealer) with Andy's cousin and Iraq War veteran , Terry ( Todd Lowe ). Tara's story
7992-402: Is introduced to "Eggs" Benedict Talley ( Mehcad Brooks ), to whom she becomes attracted. The final major plotline of the first season revolves around the elements of vampire society that Sookie and Bill's relationship introduce. While trying to prove her brother's innocence in relation to Maudette and Dawn's murders, Bill takes Sookie to the vampire bar "Fangtasia" to investigate. There, Sookie
8140-622: Is introduced to Fangtasia's owner and the vampire sheriff of "Area 5" in Louisiana: Eric Northman ( Alexander Skarsgård ). Eric is immediately interested in Sookie and her strange abilities, but his progeny and assistant Pam ( Kristin Bauer ) is less impressed. Eric employs Sookie to find a thief in his bar, but the perpetrator (a vampire named Longshadow) attempts to kill Sookie when she reveals his identity. Bill stakes and kills
8288-451: Is mixed. The policy in Muslim countries is death and torture for vampires, while most African nations, Argentina , and Bosnia refuse to acknowledge vampires' existence. Some nations, such as France , Germany , and Italy , acknowledge vampires and do not torture them, but do not give them equal rights as citizens. Canada , Japan , Mexico , Scandinavian countries, Switzerland ,
8436-401: Is not a trait she obtained from her fairy blood. Sookie's telepathy is demonic in origin, specifically, Mr. Cataliades granted it to anyone of Sookie's grandmother's bloodline born with an "essential spark" or openness to the supernatural world, mixed his blood with In the short story "Fairy Dust", Sookie says Fairies love attention and admiration, a fact she learned from Sam. In this story, it
8584-640: Is not interested (seeing this turn of events as a chance to get Sookie for himself), but he ends up sending werewolf Alcide Herveaux ( Joe Manganiello ) for assistance after it is revealed that Bill was taken by V-addicted werewolves in the employ of the 3000-year-old vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington ( Denis O'Hare ). Meanwhile, back in Bon Temps, Lafayette embarks on a relationship with his mother's care nurse and brujo Jesús Velasquez ( Kevin Alejandro ) and learns about his own special powers as
8732-632: The Epic of Gilgamesh . The ancient Babylonian creation epic, the Enûma Eliš , in which the god Marduk slays the goddess Tiamat , contains the theme of a cosmic battle between good and evil, which is characteristic of the modern fantasy genre. Genres of romantic and fantasy literature existed in ancient Egypt. The Tales of the Court of King Khufu , which is preserved in the Westcar Papyrus and
8880-587: The New York Post wrote of the opening episodes: If HBO's new vampire show is any indication, there would still be countless deaths – especially among vampire hunters and the viewers who love them – because everyone would be dying of boredom. And so it is with HBO's new series from death-obsessed Alan Ball, creator of the legendary Six Feet Under , whose new show True Blood , won't so much make your blood run cold as it will leave you cold. Robert Bianco of USA Today concluded: Fantasy Fantasy
9028-521: The Elder Edda and the Younger Edda , includes such figures as Odin and his fellow Aesir , and dwarves , elves , dragons , and giants . These elements have been directly imported into various fantasy works. The separate folklore of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland has sometimes been used indiscriminately for "Celtic" fantasy, sometimes with great effect; other writers have specified the use of
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#17327727206869176-431: The "true death", but shortly after, he "rises from the blood", as an even more powerful vampire reincarnation of Lilith ("Billith"). The sixth season of True Blood premiered on June 16, 2013. After Alan Ball's departure from the series at the end of season 5, Brian Buckner replaced Ball as the show's showrunner. Season six focuses on Bill's abilities after he had drunk Lilith's blood. Sookie and Jason try to find Warlow,
9324-429: The 16th century, Antonia, possesses the body of Marnie in order to exact revenge on all vampires. Sookie starts a romance with Eric who has amnesia due to a spell cast by Antonia/Marnie. The witch Antonia eventually realizes the wrongdoing she's caused to innocent people and decides to stop. Yet Marnie, addicted to Antonia's power, binds her against her will to acquire her powers. Subplots include Lafayette's introduction to
9472-436: The Bon Temps bar "Merlotte's". The show's main protagonist, Sookie Stackhouse ( Anna Paquin ), is a telepath and waitress at Merlotte's. In the opening episode she saves Merlotte's first vampire customer, Bill Compton ( Stephen Moyer ), when a local couple attempts to drain him of his blood (vampire blood is known on the show as a human narcotic: "V" or "V Juice"). Through the relationship that develops between Sookie and Bill,
9620-600: The Golden River (1841), the history of modern fantasy literature is usually said to begin with George MacDonald , the Scottish author of such novels as Phantastes (1858) and The Princess and the Goblin (1872); the former is widely considered to be the first fantasy novel ever written for adults. MacDonald was a major influence on both J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis . The other major fantasy author of this era
9768-594: The King or Queen. Each kingdom is subdivided into areas (formerly known as fiefdoms), each controlled by a sheriff who owes allegiance to the monarch. Weres and shapeshifters can assume either human or animal forms, and are collectively referred to as the "two-natured". A variety of different types of weres and shapeshifters exist in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, including werefoxes, werepanthers, weretigers, werewolves , etc. Being bitten by
9916-592: The RPG products sold in 2005. The science fantasy role-playing game series Final Fantasy has been an icon of the role-playing video game genre (as of 2012 it was still among the top ten best-selling video game franchises ). The first collectible card game , Magic: The Gathering , has a fantasy theme and is similarly dominant in the industry. Fantasy encompasses numerous subgenres characterized by particular themes or settings, or by an overlap with other literary genres or forms of speculative fiction. They include
10064-689: The Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson , and the Harry Potter films, two of the highest-grossing film series in cinematic history. Fantasy role-playing games cross several different media. Dungeons & Dragons was the first tabletop role-playing game and remains the most successful and influential. According to a 1999 survey in the United States , 6% of 12- to 35-year-olds have played role-playing games. Of those who play regularly, two thirds play D&D . Products branded Dungeons & Dragons made up over fifty percent of
10212-481: The Sookieverse timeline ), vampires around the world revealed themselves, via television, to the world as actual, and not mythical, beings after the development of a synthetic blood product (the most popular marketed brand of which is called "TrueBlood") that provided adequate sustenance for vampires and therefore did not require them to feed on human blood. Worldwide, reaction to the vampires' "Great Revelation"
10360-510: The Southern Vampire Series, fairies can be killed with either lemons, limes, or iron. When a fairy dies, a corpse is not left, just a sparkling powder (or fairy dust); the body just fades away, and the fairy's spirit goes to the next oldest family member to tell them of their death. The fae calls their afterlife " The Summerlands ". Fairies are secretive about their race, customs, interactions, and world. They normally inhabit
10508-476: The Supernatural in the 1890s and 1920s , Lizzie Harris McCormick, Jennifer Mitchell, and Rebecca Soares describe how the social climate in the 1890s and 1920s allowed for a new era of "fantastic" literature to grow. Women were finally exploring the new freedoms given to them and were quickly becoming equals in society. The fear of the new women in society, paired with their growing roles, allowed them to create
10656-674: The UK "TV on Video" chart. However, it reached only number six in the combined DVD chart. In its first week of release in North America, it sold over 660,000 units, earning nearly $ 20 million. In its second week of release in North America, it sold a further 120,000 units (making a combined total of 784,000 units sold), earning another $ 4 million. The series has an approval rating of 70% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The first season of True Blood received positive reviews, despite initial impressions being mixed. Linda Stasi of
10804-569: The US. By the end of 2009, the first season DVD had sold over 1.6 million units and taken in over $ 57 million. It was the only TV show in the 50 top-selling DVDs of 2009. The second season DVD sold a total of 1,159,509 units in 2010, earning over $ 41 million. The third season DVD was the 61st best-selling DVD of 2011, selling almost 1 million copies and earning over $ 30 million. It was the best selling TV box set of 2011. In its first week of release—the week ending June 2, 2012—season four debuted at number one on
10952-755: The United Kingdom , and the United States are more tolerant; However, even in the US, vampires are not permitted certain rights like the right to marry . Rather than acknowledging the legend that vampires are deceased humans who have risen from the dead to prey on the living, the vampires insist they are simply the victims of a medical condition that makes them allergic to sunlight and affects their dietary needs. Vampires are pale and cold, possess unfathomable strength and speed, and have keen senses of hearing, smell, and vision. This makes it easy for them to protect themselves. They can also remain completely still, expressionless, and silent. Vampires can control
11100-505: The air of uncertainty in its narratives as described by Todorov. Jackson also introduces the idea of reading the fantastic through a psychoanalytical lens, referring primarily to Freud's theory of the unconscious, which she believes is integral to understanding the fantastic's connection to the human psyche. There are however additional ways to view the fantastic, and often these differing perspectives come from differing social climates. In their introduction to The Female Fantastic: Gender and
11248-438: The author uses worldbuilding to create characters, situations, and settings that may not be possible in reality. Many fantasy authors use real-world folklore and mythology as inspiration; and although another defining characteristic of the fantasy genre is the inclusion of supernatural elements, such as magic, this does not have to be the case. Fantasy has often been compared to science fiction and horror because they are
11396-451: The blood has been removed, and the individual chemistry of the drug user. In this universe, the effects of vampire blood on humans are feelings of power, increased strength, acute vision and hearing, increased sexual desire, and enhanced physical appearance. The results are notoriously unpredictable and vary per person, lasting from weeks to months. Some people go mad—even homicidal—when the blood hits their systems. Vampires hate drainers and
11544-637: The body's former inhabitant. Though many vampires in this universe try to live among humans, they remain very secretive about their organization and government. The vampires divided the continental United States into four divisions (clans), each represented by a symbol: the Whale, the Feather, the Thunder Bolt, and the Eye. A division consists of multiple kingdoms, each controlled by a single lead vampire known as
11692-405: The cast is Scott Foley as Patrick, Terry's old war buddy, Louis Herthum as JD, Kelly Overton as Rikki, a new werewolf curious how Marcus died, Carolyn Hennesy is expected to be Rosalyn Harris, a Texas vampire with twang, and Jacob Hopkins will play child vampire Chancellor Alexander Drew. For season six, it was announced that Robert Kazinsky would join the principal cast as Ben, a faerie and
11840-591: The central Indian principles of political science . Chinese traditions have been particularly influential in the vein of fantasy known as Chinoiserie , including such writers as Ernest Bramah and Barry Hughart . Beowulf is among the best known of the Old English tales in the English speaking world, and has had deep influence on the fantasy genre; several fantasy works have retold the tale, such as John Gardner 's Grendel . Norse mythology , as found in
11988-638: The character in a compelling way rather than who would physically resemble the characters from the book. Noting that there's a definite difference between the characters and storylines portrayed in True Blood and the ones depicted in The Southern Vampire Mysteries , he described Harris as being very understanding in terms of how her work was being reinterpreted. The major characters of the first season of True Blood are introduced among various intertwining plot lines that surround
12136-644: The circular effect that all fantasy works, even the later The Lord of the Rings , were therefore classified as children's literature . Political and social trends can affect a society's reception towards fantasy. In the early 20th century, the New Culture Movement 's enthusiasm for Westernization and science in China compelled them to condemn the fantastical shenmo genre of traditional Chinese literature. The spells and magical creatures of these novels were viewed as superstitious and backward, products of
12284-598: The completion of the development deal. It was written, directed, and produced by Ball. Cast members Paquin, Kwanten, and Trammell were announced in February 2007, and Moyer later in April. The pilot was shot in the early summer of 2007 and was officially ordered to series in August, at which point Ball had already written more episodes. Production on the series began later that fall, with Brook Kerr , who portrayed Tara Thornton in
12432-646: The convention. The first WFC was held in 1975 and it has occurred every year since. The convention is held at a different city each year. Additionally, many science fiction conventions, such as Florida's FX Show and MegaCon , cater to fantasy and horror fans. Anime conventions, such as Ohayocon or Anime Expo frequently feature showings of fantasy, science fantasy, and dark fantasy series and films, such as Majutsushi Orphen (fantasy), Sailor Moon (urban fantasy), Berserk (dark fantasy), and Spirited Away (fantasy). Many science fiction/fantasy and anime conventions also strongly feature or cater to one or more of
12580-469: The difference of critical traditions of each country have led to controversies such as the one led by Stanislaw Lem . Rosemary Jackson builds onto and challenges as well Todorov's definition of the fantastic in her 1981 nonfiction book Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion . Jackson rejects the notion of the fantastic genre as a simple vessel for wish fulfillment that transcends human reality in worlds presented as superior to our own, instead positing that
12728-415: The disappearance of Godric , the 2,000-year-old vampire Sheriff of Area 9. Eric enlists Sookie and Bill's aid in finding the ancient vampire in Dallas. Their paths cross Jason's as he seeks to discover meaning in his life with the Fellowship of the Sun, a church dedicated to anti-vampire activities. A second theme concerns a maenad named Maryann who visits Bon Temps after Tara attracts her attention at
12876-412: The earliest portrayals of vampires in legend, literature, and cinema. The second, A New Type , discusses vampire culture from Nosferatu to today's sensual, sexual creatures. To that end, the show also covered the modern vampire subculture and real-life vampire clubs. Actors and writers from True Blood appeared in the documentaries. The shows first aired on September 6, 2008, on HBO. Thousands of DVDs of
13024-475: The emotions of different creatures that are portrayed in a creature's "brain signature". Vampires have a "hole" as their signature, so telepaths cannot read their minds. (However, Sookie occasionally picks up a few flashes of thought from vampires.) Were and shifter signatures portray emotions or colors. Demons' signatures are compared to a buzzing sound or like the "static in a radio station". Maenads' signatures are represented as an endless mystic chant. Fairies (and
13172-408: The end of the first season. Maryann is a figure from Sam 's past and knows his true identity as a shapeshifter. Her influence on the town and its residents results in mayhem that grows more destructive as the season progresses. At the end of the season, Bill proposes to Sookie but is kidnapped by unknown assailants when Sookie retreats to the bathroom to consider his proposal. Season 3 loosely follows
13320-409: The entries that followed and became interested in "bringing [Harris'] vision to television". Having already had two other adaptation options for the books, Harris said she chose to work with him, though, because "[Ball] really 'got' me. That's how he convinced me to go with him. I just felt that he understood what I was doing with the books." The project's hour-long pilot was ordered concurrently with
13468-537: The episodes, usually heard during the closing credits. The title usually indicates something about the events that will unfold throughout the given episode. For example, episode ten of season four is titled " Burning Down the House ", and the end credits feature a cover version of the classic Talking Heads song performed by The Used . The premiere of True Blood was prefaced with a viral marketing / alternate reality game (ARG) campaign, based at BloodCopy.com, throughout
13616-451: The essential spark are born to experience or perform something wonderful, something amazing." Although Adele had the essential spark Fintan did not want her to have the gift. When each Stackhouse child was born Cataliades came and inspected them to see if they had the gift. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries canon , a witch practices magic rituals, drawing from a power most people never tap into that can be focused for various effects through
13764-430: The fae world, named Faery , but there are portals and doorways between it and the human world. Sookie's great-grandfather Niall is a fairy prince, and Claudine and Claude are Niall's grandchildren. In later books, Claudine admits that she is Sookie's fairy godmother. She was assigned this role to move on to the next level, which is angelhood. Sookie's great-grandfather is over 1000 years old, and her half-human great-uncle
13912-514: The fantastic is a liminal space , characterized by the intrusion of supernatural elements into the realistic framework of a story, accompanied by uncertainty about their existence. However, this precise definition is not the predominant one in English critical literature, and the French term fantastique is used to differentiate the French concept from the broader English term of fantastic, synonym of fantasy. The restrictive definition of Todorov and
14060-429: The fantastic represents the unspoken desire for greater societal change. Jackson criticizes Todorov's theory as being too limited in scope, examining only the literary function of the fantastic, and expands his structuralist theory to fit a more cultural study of the genre—which, incidentally, she proposes is not a genre at all, but a mode that draws upon literary elements of both realistic and supernatural fiction to create
14208-554: The fantasy publisher Tor Books , men outnumber women by 67% to 33% among writers of historical, epic or high fantasy. But among writers of urban fantasy or paranormal romance, 57% are women and 43% are men. Fantasy is studied in a number of disciplines including English and other language studies, cultural studies , comparative literature , history and medieval studies . Some works make political, historical and literary connections between medievalism and popular culture. French literature theorists as Tzvetan Todorov argues that
14356-481: The first episode were handed out to attendees of Midnight Madness, a special film festival. Blockbuster Video provided free rental of the first episode of True Blood several days before it was broadcast on HBO. On April 16, 2009, HBO released the first teaser poster for season 2. The image uses a perspective technique that shows observers one of two images. A minute-long promotional video advertising season two, which featured Bob Dylan 's " Beyond Here Lies Nothin' ",
14504-504: The first time, women started to possess more masculine or queer qualities without it becoming as much of an issue. The fantastic during this time period reflects these new ideas by breaking parallel boundaries in the supernatural. The fantastic breaks this boundary by having the readers never truly know whether or not the story is supernatural. The Southern Vampire Mysteries The Southern Vampire Mysteries , also known as The True Blood Novels and The Sookie Stackhouse Novels ,
14652-536: The following: In her 2008 book Rhetorics of Fantasy , Farah Mendlesohn proposes the following taxonomy of fantasy, as "determined by the means by which the fantastic enters the narrated world", while noting that there are fantasies that fit none of the patterns: Publishers, editors, authors, artists, and scholars with interest in the fantasy genre get together yearly at the World Fantasy Convention . The World Fantasy Awards are presented at
14800-528: The genre is inseparable from real life, particularly the social and cultural contexts within which each work of the fantastic is produced. She writes that the "unreal" elements of fantastic literature are created only in direct contrast to the boundaries set by its time period's "cultural order", acting to illuminate the unseen limitations of said boundaries by undoing and recompiling the very structures which define society into something "strange" and "apparently new". In subverting these societal norms, Jackson claims,
14948-633: The genre's popularity. The popularity of the fantasy genre has continued to increase in the 21st century, as evidenced by the best-selling status of J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter series, Robert Jordan 's The Wheel of Time series, George R. R. Martin 's Song of Ice and Fire series, Steven Erikson 's Malazan Book of the Fallen sweeping epic, Brandon Sanderson 's The Stormlight Archive series and Mistborn series, and A. Sapkowski 's The Witcher saga. Several fantasy film adaptations have achieved blockbuster status, most notably The Lord of
15096-491: The idea that vampires should be given rights equal to those afforded the mortals of the True Blood universe. During the first season, one of the ways in which anti-vampire sentiment is expressed is through regular televised appearances by the "Fellowship of the Sun", a Dallas-based church that in Season 2 becomes headed by the Reverend Steve Newlin ( Michael McMillian ) after his father and family are killed in
15244-466: The land of Faerie. A coven of witches, led by Marnie, poses a threat to vampires when they discover the witches are working on necromancy. Sookie returns to Bon Temps after a year (even though for her she was away for only a few minutes in Faerie) to find Bill as the new King of Louisiana and that her brother and friends had given up hope of finding her. As the series progresses, a powerful necromancer from
15392-415: The major categories of speculative fiction . Fantasy is distinguished from science fiction by the plausibility of the narrative elements. A science fiction narrative is unlikely, though seemingly possible through logical scientific or technological extrapolation, where fantasy narratives do not need to be scientifically possible. Authors have to rely on the readers' suspension of disbelief , an acceptance of
15540-432: The media, the quest for identity, and the importance of family. The main mystery of the first season concerns the murders of women connected to Sookie's brother, Jason. Maudette Pickens and Dawn Green are both strangled shortly after having been alone with him. Though Detective Bellefleur has little doubt that Jason is the killer, the town sheriff does not suspect him. Sookie's grandmother is murdered shortly afterward. After
15688-623: The minds of humans ("glamor", often seen as a form of hypnosis ) by staring into a human's eyes and speaking in a soothing, trance-inducing voice. Vampires can induce complete or partial amnesia in a glamored human, and can compel them to do anything the vampire desires. A few vampires can even fly; others may have other powers and abilities. Vampires' fangs come out when they are hungry, see blood, are sexually aroused, or need to fight. All vampires are compelled to obey their makers. Harris' vampires do not age. They can survive and recover from most forms of physical injury, but they will die if stabbed by
15836-510: The modern fantasy genre. Plato used allegories to convey many of his teachings, and early Christian writers interpreted both the Old and New Testaments as employing parables to relay spiritual truths. This ability to find meaning in a story that is not literally true became the foundation that allowed the modern fantasy genre to develop. The most well known fiction from the Islamic world
15984-413: The murders, Jason becomes addicted to vampire blood and has a short relationship with another addict, Amy Burley, which ends when she is murdered as well. The season also focuses on Sookie's relationship with Bill and Sam's relationship with Sookie's friend Tara. Bill explains the rules of being a vampire to Sookie and, after killing a vampire to defend her, is forced to "turn" a young girl named Jessica into
16132-483: The natural spirits... all some form of fairy." —Claudine Fairies are portrayed in the series as beautiful, with pointed ears and glossy, thin skin. Physically, fairies are superhumanly strong and durable. They are tough, ferocious, and incredibly long-lived, but not immortal. The Shreveport werewolf pack master says, "They love to flirt with disaster, they love to role-play." In this universe, fairies are extremely attractive to humans as well as to vampires. Vampires have
16280-399: The new Tru Blood with the antidote. The last scene of the series shows a pregnant Sookie sitting outside at a table full of people on Thanksgiving beside an unknown man. They kiss and drink, and everyone around them appears to be happy. True Blood employs a broad ensemble cast composed of regular, central characters and a rotating group of impermanent supporting characters. Though the series
16428-466: The original pilot, replaced by Rutina Wesley . Two more episodes of the series had been filmed before the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike shut down production of the 12-episode first season until February 2008. That September, after only the first two episodes of the series had aired, HBO placed an order for a second season of 12 episodes, with production scheduled to commence in January 2009 for
16576-604: The original score for the series, which features the cello, guitar, prepared piano , and glass harmonica among other instruments, all of which he performs himself. The main theme song is "Bad Things" by country music artist Jace Everett , from his 2005 self-titled debut. Both Nathan Barr and Jace Everett won 2009 awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated in the BMI Cable Awards category for, respectively, True Blood's original score and theme song. The show's individual episode titles are named after songs featured in
16724-646: The plot of the third novel of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Club Dead , and introduces werewolves to the show's mythology through Alcide, a werewolf hired by Eric to help Sookie find Bill. It also introduces the characters of Russell Edgington , the Vampire King of Mississippi, who wishes to overturn the Vampire Authority. In addition, some characters from the fourth novel Dead to the World are introduced: Crystal Norris as Jason's love interest, her family of werepanthers from Hotshot, and Sookie's "faerie godmother", Claudine. Sookie's heritage as part faerie
16872-454: The point of view of "a supernatural , predatory creature observing human beings from the shadows ..." Ideas of redemption and forgiveness are also explored, and thus the sequence progresses from morning to night and culminates in a baptism . The title sequence was created by the independent film company Digital Kitchen. The sequence also features images and themes of death and rebirth; the circle of life. A Venus fly-trap can be seen engulfing
17020-410: The point where others are unable to differentiate between the two of them. Sookie appears to have inherited more magical fairy powers (such as immunity against mind spells from vampires and maenads), while Jason only has the power of attraction and seduction. However, most assume this is mainly due to his physical appearance. It is also stated in one of the books, by Mr. Cataliades, that Sookie's telepathy
17168-519: The power of telepathy. However, Cataliades revealed, that only the descendants who, like Sookie's grandmother Adele, had the essential spark would inherit the telepathy. When asked what the essential spark was, Cataliades responded, "It isn't easy to pin down in terms of your DNA. It's an openness to the other world. Some humans literally can't believe there are creatures in another world besides ours, creatures who have feelings and rights and beliefs and deserve to live their own lives. Humans who are born with
17316-400: The season, Lafayette entering a relationship with Jessica's ex-boyfriend James, and Sam leaving Bon Temps with Nicole. At the end of the series, Bill refuses to take the antidote to heal himself from the virus and asks Sookie to give him the "ultimate kindness". Sookie eventually agrees and strikes Bill's heart with a wooden stick in his grave at Bon Temps cemetery. Pam and Eric successfully sell
17464-450: The series, other supernatural creatures are introduced, among them shapeshifters , werewolves , faeries , witches , and a maenad . The series revolves around Sookie Stackhouse ( Anna Paquin ), a telepathic human-faerie hybrid known as a halfling (not to be confused with similarly named, but unrelated creatures found in other fantasy works). Sookie is a waitress at Merlotte's Bar and Grill, owned by Sam Merlotte ( Sam Trammell ) in
17612-484: The seventh season as a series regular after being credited as a Special Guest Star since season two. Also upgraded to regulars are season six guest stars Amelia Rose Blaire as Willa Burrell, Bailey Noble as Adilyn Bellefleur, Luke Grimes as James and Karolina Wydra as Violet Mazurski. Series creator Alan Ball had previously worked with the cable channel HBO on Six Feet Under , which ran for five seasons. In October 2005, after Six Feet Under wrapped, Ball signed
17760-458: The several subcultures within the main subcultures, including the cosplay subculture (in which people make or wear costumes based on existing or self-created characters, sometimes also acting out skits or plays as well), the fan fiction subculture, and the fan video or AMV subculture, as well as the large internet subculture devoted to reading and writing prose fiction or doujinshi in or related to those genres. According to 2013 statistics by
17908-463: The show's title card. In a 2010 issue of TV Guide , the show's opening title sequence ranked #5 on a list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers. Gary Calamar , who supervises the series' music, said his goal for the show's soundtrack is to create something "swampy, bluesy and spooky" and to feature local Louisiana musicians. True Blood soundtrack albums have twice earned Grammy Award nominations. Composer Nathan Barr writes
18056-504: The small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. Sam is a shapeshifter, though this secret is kept hidden from most of the town. Other characters include Bill Compton ( Stephen Moyer ), a 173-year-old vampire who has returned to Bon Temps to take up residence in his former home following the death of his last remaining relative; Tara Thornton ( Rutina Wesley ), Sookie's tough-talking but insecure best friend; Jason ( Ryan Kwanten ), Sookie's womanizing brother; Eric Northman ( Alexander Skarsgård ),
18204-465: The social structure to emerge. The fantastic is never purely supernatural, nor can the supernatural be ruled out. Just as women were not equal yet, but they were not completely oppressed. The Female Fantastic seeks to enforce this idea that nothing is certain in the fantastic nor the gender roles of the 1920s. Many women in this time period began to blur the lines between the genders, removing the binary out of gender and allowing for many interpretations. For
18352-562: The summer. This included setting up multiple websites, encoding web address into unmarked envelopes mailed to high-profile blog writers and others, and even performances by a "vampire" who attempted to reach out to others of their kind, to discuss the recent creation of "TrueBlood", a fictional beverage featured in the show. A MySpace account with the username "Blood" had, as of June 19, uploaded two videos; one entitled "Vampire Taste Test – True Blood vs Human", and one called "BloodCopy Exclusive INTERVIEW WITH SAMSON THE VAMPIRE". A prequel comic
18500-520: The thief to save her, but has committed a serious crime in killing another vampire. When Bill is tried for his crime, his punishment is to transform seventeen-year-old Jessica Hamby ( Deborah Ann Woll ) into a vampire to replace the one he destroyed. A secondary plotline introduced in the first season (which later becomes a main plotline in Season 2) is that although many humans are attracted to vampires (referred to as "fang bangers") and flock to establishments like Fangtasia, not all people are accepting of
18648-478: The trials and terrors of intimacy and relationships. The show was broadcast on the premium cable network HBO , in the United States, and was produced by HBO in association with Ball's production company, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment. The series premiered on September 7, 2008, and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes. The first five seasons received highly positive reviews, and both nominations and wins for several awards, including
18796-410: The turmoil he encounters. Rene, who becomes engaged to Merlotte's waitress Arlene Fowler ( Carrie Preston ), is eventually exposed as the Bon Temps murderer and is killed in a final confrontation with Sookie. A secondary plot in the first season (that later develops as the primary storyline in the second) revolves around Sookie's best friend Tara Thornton ( Rutina Wesley ). In the first episode, Tara
18944-400: The two-natured community, the capitalized term "Were" is reserved only for those who can change into wolves. The Weres consider themselves superior to all others, but they all cooperate. Most of the two-natured beings organize themselves into packs; a packmaster leads each pack. Although vampires announced their existence to the world, the two-natured beings maintained their secrecy to observe
19092-494: The unbelievable or impossible for the sake of enjoyment, in order to write effective fantasies. Despite both genres' heavy reliance on the supernatural, fantasy and horror are distinguishable from one another. Horror primarily evokes fear through the protagonists' weaknesses or inability to deal with the antagonists. While some elements of the supernatural and the fantastic were a part of literature from its beginning, fantasy elements occur throughout ancient religious texts such as
19240-519: The use of rituals and spells. A Wiccan , on the other hand, practices a pagan religion that follows the ways of the Mother. Practitioners can be both Wiccan and a witch, or more one or the other. Witches and Wiccans first appear in the fourth book, Dead to the World . Sookie's colleague and fellow barmaid at Merlotte's, Holly , is a Wiccan practitioner, but not a witch. In later books, Sookie learns more about witchcraft and befriends Amelia Broadway ,
19388-409: The users of the drained blood. A vial of blood can cost from $ 200 to $ 400, depending on the age of the vampire and the preference of the seller. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries , humans reactions to vampires are varied. In The Southern Vampire Mysteries universe, fairies "...are your basic supernatural being. From us come elves and brownies and angels and demons. Water sprites, green men, all
19536-510: The values of the Authority and view humans as nothing more than food: just as Lilith of the Vampire bible wanted. Meanwhile, Alcide deals with his troubled rise to pack-master, Terry learns he is death-cursed after committing a terrible crime during the war in Iraq , while Tara learns how to deal with her newly given life as Pam's progeny. Jason and Sookie discover that their parents were murdered by
19684-400: The vampire who killed their parents, with a fairy grandfather named Niall who arrives in Bon Temps while Louisiana governor Burrell leads a platform to eradicate the entire vampire race with Sarah Newlin. Sam and Alcide fight for Emma's safety; Terry struggles to live with himself after having killed Patrick; Andy raises his fairy daughters. Eric decides to turn the governor's daughter Willa into
19832-402: The vampires' results. In this series of mythology, the shifters decide to publicize their existence in the ninth book, Dead and Gone (2009). Demand for vampire blood has been growing on the black market , as the blood is very powerful and addictive. The strength of the blood depends on the age of the blood (the time since it has been removed from its owner), the age of the vampire from whom
19980-403: The vamps or leaving victims to die in the sun. The blood is then sold as a drug, in vials on the underground market. It can be highly addictive, but may cause psychotic or murderous rampages by human users upon first use; it is highly unpredictable who will be affected in this manner. In "One Word Answer" , a vampire's blood given to a dead body, in combination with magic words, raises the ghost of
20128-400: The viewer is always aware of Jason's innocence in their deaths, Detective Andy Bellefleur ( Chris Bauer ) targets him as the prime suspect in the investigation he conducts with Sheriff Bud Dearborne ( William Sanderson ) to identify their killer. Jason's best friends and co-workers, Hoyt Fortenberry ( Jim Parrack ) and Rene Lenier ( Michael Raymond-James ) provide him with support despite
20276-554: The viewer progressively learns more about vampire culture and the limitations of vampire physiology (e.g. susceptibility to silver and the sun). The major plot of the first season revolves around the murder of several women connected to Sookie's older brother, Jason ( Ryan Kwanten ). The women murdered include sexual partner Maudette Pickens (Danielle Sapia), on-and-off romantic interest and Merlotte's waitress Dawn Green ( Lynn Collins ), grandmother Adele ( Lois Smith ) or simply "Gran", and girlfriend Amy Burley ( Lizzy Caplan ). Though
20424-673: The world in search of Eric, who is found in France infected by the virus. They return to Bon Temps and help Sookie, Bill, and Jessica rescue the people who were kidnapped, after Sookie and Bill’s first attempt results in Alcide's death and Sookie being infected by the virus which she later transmits to Bill. Eric and Pam search for Sarah Newlin, who supposedly has an antidote for the virus. Several characters encounter closure like Lettie Mae making peace with Tara through visions caused by vampire blood, Jessica and Hoyt getting married after reuniting during
20572-466: The world of magic and his abilities as a medium, Sam's family troubles, Alcide and Debbie's troubled relationship, and Jason, Hoyt and Jessica's love triangle. The finale is a series of cliffhangers, including a warning from the ghost of Rene that Terry will cause Arlene trouble, the escape of Russell Edgington, the reappearance of Steve Newlin as a vampire, and the shooting of Tara. The season starts with Sookie and Lafayette asking for Pam to turn Tara into
20720-529: The world. This so-called "Great Revelation" has split vampires into two camps: those who wish to integrate into human society (i.e., "mainstream") by campaigning for citizenship and equal rights, and those who think human-vampire co-existence is impossible, because it conflicts with the inherently predatory and violent nature of vampires. It has also caused similar divisions amongst non-vampires; some believe that vampires should be accepted and granted rights, while others view them as monsters to be destroyed. Throughout
20868-551: Was William Morris , an English poet who wrote several novels in the latter part of the century, including The Wood Beyond the World (1894) and The Well at the World's End (1896). Despite MacDonald's future influence with At the Back of the North Wind (1871), Morris's popularity with his contemporaries, and H. G. Wells 's The Wonderful Visit (1895), it was not until the 20th century that fantasy fiction began to reach
21016-483: Was considered more acceptable than fantasy intended for adults, with the effect that writers who wished to write fantasy had to fit their work into forms aimed at children. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote fantasy in A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys , intended for children, although his works for adults only verged on fantasy. For many years, this and successes such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) created
21164-401: Was founded in 1949, the pulp magazine format was at the height of its popularity, and the magazine was instrumental in bringing fantasy fiction to a wide audience in both the U.S. and Britain. Such magazines were also instrumental in the rise of science fiction, and it was at this time the two genres began to be associated with each other. By 1950, " sword and sorcery " fiction had begun to find
21312-592: Was handed out to attendees of the 2008 Comic-Con . The comic centers around an old vampire named Lamar, who tells the reader about how TruBlood surfaced and was discussed between many vampires before going public. At one point, Lamar wonders if TruBlood is making the world safe for vampires or from them. Several commercials featured on HBO and Facebook aired prior to the series premiere, placing vampires in ads similar to those of beer and wine. HBO produced and broadcast two documentaries to promote True Blood , entitled "True Bloodlines". The first, Vampire Legends , explored
21460-548: Was probably written in the middle of the second half of the eighteenth century BC, preserves a mixture of stories with elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and satire. Egyptian funerary texts preserve mythological tales, the most significant of which are the myths of Osiris and his son Horus . Myth with fantastic elements intended for adults were a major genre of ancient Greek literature . The comedies of Aristophanes are filled with fantastic elements, particularly his play The Birds , in which an Athenian man builds
21608-604: Was released in July 2010 and soon sold out. The second issue went on sale August 18, 2010, with a second printing of the first issue going on sale August 25. Six comics were issued in the series, and they were compiled as the graphic novel All Together Now on February 15, 2011. This was the first in a series of four graphic novels released by HBO under the True Blood franchise and sold in major bookstores. Ensuing titles include Tainted Love , The French Quarter , and Ongoing . The True Blood DVDs have been consistent best-sellers in
21756-482: Was released via Entertainment Tonight in early May. There was also a website for The Fellowship of the Sun, antagonists from the book series, featuring videos about hot-button issues such as becoming a vampire. In September 2009, HBO filed a trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a possible future electronic game based on True Blood . The network then launched
21904-410: Was required to give them a gift. He had the power of telepathy and thought it a great gift to Fintan's family, as it would give them an edge over their fellow humans to know what other people were thinking and planning. Fintan and Adele drank Cataliades' blood (although Adele was tricked into it, as Cataliades mixed it with her wine), and from then on Fintan and Adele passed on to most of their descendants
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