The Southern Vampire Mysteries
#3723.97 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 13 books Status Complete 2001–2013 Reading commitment High Charlaine Harris Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
Also known as the Sookie Stackhouse novels, this thirteen-book series (2001-2013) follows a telepathic waitress in a small Louisiana town after vampires reveal themselves to the world. It became the basis for the television series True Blood.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (13 works) counts toward ranking
The Southern Vampire Mysteries Charlaine Harris
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dead until Dark | 2001 | 1 | core | 3.97 (565,614 ratings) |
 | Living Dead in Dallas | 2002 | 2 | core | 3.96 (264,953 ratings) |
 | Club Dead | 2003 | 3 | core | 4.02 (246,695 ratings) |
 | Dead to the World | 2004 | 4 | core | 4.12 (268,828 ratings) |
 | Dead as a Doornail | 2005 | 5 | core | 4.01 (226,538 ratings) |
 | Definitely Dead | 2006 | 6 | core | 4.02 (212,873 ratings) |
 | All Together Dead | 2007 | 7 | core | 4.05 (209,231 ratings) |
 | From Dead to Worse | 2008 | 8 | core | 4.01 (196,629 ratings) |
 | Dead and Gone | 2009 | 9 | core | 4.02 (196,617 ratings) |
 | Dead in the Family | 2010 | 10 | core | 3.91 (171,273 ratings) |
 | Dead Reckoning | 2011 | 11 | core | 3.82 (134,385 ratings) |
 | Deadlocked | 2012 | 12 | core | 3.75 (108,780 ratings) |
 | Dead Ever After | 2013 | 13 | core | 3.55 (93,076 ratings) |
Also known as the Sookie Stackhouse novels; the basis for the television series True Blood.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Southern Vampire Mysteries? The Southern Vampire Mysteries's Core Canon is 13 books.
- What is the reading order for The Southern Vampire Mysteries? Publication order, starting with Dead until Dark. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Southern Vampire Mysteries finished? Complete (2001–2013).
- How much reading does The Southern Vampire Mysteries take? High reading commitment (estimated from 13 Core Canon books).
- How is The Southern Vampire Mysteries ranked? #372 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 2,895,492 reader ratings across 13 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #372?
Ranked #372 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.97 across 13 core books.
- Backed by 2.9M reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.55 to 4.12.
- Less than 0.01 behind #371, Alchemical Journeys (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 13 books · Complete · 2.9M ratings · Ranks #372 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (13 Core Canon books)
- Dead until Dark (2001)
- Living Dead in Dallas (2002)
- Club Dead (2003)
- Dead to the World (2004)
- Dead as a Doornail (2005)
- Definitely Dead (2006)
- All Together Dead (2007)
- From Dead to Worse (2008)
- Dead and Gone (2009)
- Dead in the Family (2010)
- Dead Reckoning (2011)
- Deadlocked (2012)
- Dead Ever After (2013)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- Rivers of London Urban fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.06
- Garrett P.I. Sword & sorcery / Urban fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.05
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.97 across 2,895,492 ratings on 13 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Southern Vampire Mysteries accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core = the complete thirteen-novel main sequence.