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A review by kandicez
Dexter Is Dead by Jeff Lindsay
3.0
I pre-ordered this book so had it on my Nook the first day it was available. I’ve put off reading it because I just didn’t want to face that this was the last Dexter story I was going to get. I have loved this series since the very first book and loved the Showtime Series equally. Well, until the last episode that is. The last episode of the series was just awful. I didn’t feel satisfied on any front, but I knew, just knew, that Lindsey wouldn’t disappoint. I was wrong. So very wrong.
I want to begin by saying that I love the ridiculously self-assured internal dialogue that Lindsey has developed for Dexter. His internal monologues are why I read these books. Dexter is so incredibly arrogant, absolutely certain he feels no emotion and sure he is always, always the smartest person in any room. This is the background noise to Dexter’s emotional life. Yes, I said emotional. He gives lip service to his pretense at feelings, but at the same time we read his feelings between every single line of text. Dexter loves his sister. And his wife. And his step-children and is absolutely addlepated over LilyAnne. It’s just so charmingly obvious as he says over and over that he must “pretend” to have feelings. In a pig’s eye!
Since this is the final installment in the series, I think I will just spew my feelings for the whole thing here. I can’t help but compare the show to the books. There are things about each that I like better than the other. Because I like different aspects of each and they continued simultaneously for quite some time I felt that I was gifted with more devilish Dexter than either could have supplied alone. The first season of the series is based on the first book and they adapted it perfectly, changing what wouldn’t have made sense on screen. The fact that the series varied from the books was delightful. Like I said, in the case of Dexter I never got enough.
Deb is one of my favorite characters of all time. On the page and on the screen. He language is just so incredibly salty and feels realistic. I know people that speak that way and for the author and show runners to allow this to spew from the lovely mouth of Deb is a terrific decision in my mind. I love that on the show Deb knows nothing of Dex’s Dark Passenger for most of the series, but when she finds out, it completely undoes her. This seems very reasonable to me. Deb is a great character in either incarnation. I do find her acceptance of Dexter’s little “pastime” in the novels to be a bit out of character. Until the end that is.
I do not like that Astor and Cody have Dark Passengers of their own in the novels. To me this seems over the top. Yes, they were abused by their father, but this is small potatoes compared to what Dex and Brian suffer. Speaking of Brian, “Biney”...
Brian is a committable wack job in the novels. He floats in and out of Dexter’s life in such a way that he seems normal to Dexter’s new family, but he is anything but. If possible, he is more of a nut case than our Dexter. At least Dexter uses Harry’s code to vet his victims and, as much as possible, be sure they deserve what they get. Brian just tortures, mutilates and plunders at will. He has no brakes. No checks or balances. When Brian shows up in the final Dexter novel I knew he had to have some ulterior motive and sure enough, he did. Jerk!
And finally the lovely Rita. I love Rita. Her death in both versions of Dexter’s world was just so incredibly sad. She was just a bumbling, loving sweet heart in the books. She is a bit more self possessed in the show, or at least slowly becomes so. She is fiercely protective of her children when she has not a drop of courage in any other area of her life. The way Lindsey has her speak in run on, run off sentences in the novels is such a perfect way to capture her character quickly. I was so sorry to lose her.
I’m also sorry this is the last Dexter book we’ll get. I know there are those that feel the ending was murky enough that Dexter could still be alive. He is the narrator after all and if we aren’t hearing the story from him, then who? I think he died, but I feel he did it with a whimper instead of the bang he deserved. I wanted him to go out in a blaze of glory and this was barely even a candle flame. I guess it was better than the logger ending of the television series, but not by much.
I want to begin by saying that I love the ridiculously self-assured internal dialogue that Lindsey has developed for Dexter. His internal monologues are why I read these books. Dexter is so incredibly arrogant, absolutely certain he feels no emotion and sure he is always, always the smartest person in any room. This is the background noise to Dexter’s emotional life. Yes, I said emotional. He gives lip service to his pretense at feelings, but at the same time we read his feelings between every single line of text. Dexter loves his sister. And his wife. And his step-children and is absolutely addlepated over LilyAnne. It’s just so charmingly obvious as he says over and over that he must “pretend” to have feelings. In a pig’s eye!
Since this is the final installment in the series, I think I will just spew my feelings for the whole thing here. I can’t help but compare the show to the books. There are things about each that I like better than the other. Because I like different aspects of each and they continued simultaneously for quite some time I felt that I was gifted with more devilish Dexter than either could have supplied alone. The first season of the series is based on the first book and they adapted it perfectly, changing what wouldn’t have made sense on screen. The fact that the series varied from the books was delightful. Like I said, in the case of Dexter I never got enough.
Deb is one of my favorite characters of all time. On the page and on the screen. He language is just so incredibly salty and feels realistic. I know people that speak that way and for the author and show runners to allow this to spew from the lovely mouth of Deb is a terrific decision in my mind. I love that on the show Deb knows nothing of Dex’s Dark Passenger for most of the series, but when she finds out, it completely undoes her. This seems very reasonable to me. Deb is a great character in either incarnation. I do find her acceptance of Dexter’s little “pastime” in the novels to be a bit out of character. Until the end that is.
I do not like that Astor and Cody have Dark Passengers of their own in the novels. To me this seems over the top. Yes, they were abused by their father, but this is small potatoes compared to what Dex and Brian suffer. Speaking of Brian, “Biney”...
Brian is a committable wack job in the novels. He floats in and out of Dexter’s life in such a way that he seems normal to Dexter’s new family, but he is anything but. If possible, he is more of a nut case than our Dexter. At least Dexter uses Harry’s code to vet his victims and, as much as possible, be sure they deserve what they get. Brian just tortures, mutilates and plunders at will. He has no brakes. No checks or balances. When Brian shows up in the final Dexter novel I knew he had to have some ulterior motive and sure enough, he did. Jerk!
And finally the lovely Rita. I love Rita. Her death in both versions of Dexter’s world was just so incredibly sad. She was just a bumbling, loving sweet heart in the books. She is a bit more self possessed in the show, or at least slowly becomes so. She is fiercely protective of her children when she has not a drop of courage in any other area of her life. The way Lindsey has her speak in run on, run off sentences in the novels is such a perfect way to capture her character quickly. I was so sorry to lose her.
I’m also sorry this is the last Dexter book we’ll get. I know there are those that feel the ending was murky enough that Dexter could still be alive. He is the narrator after all and if we aren’t hearing the story from him, then who? I think he died, but I feel he did it with a whimper instead of the bang he deserved. I wanted him to go out in a blaze of glory and this was barely even a candle flame. I guess it was better than the logger ending of the television series, but not by much.