I’m debating whether or not I should re-read the Anita Blake series again. To, um, study Laurell K. Hamilton’s technique with actions scenes, and her, um, character development. Yeah.
Oh, who am I kidding with that blatant rationalization? Her books are vacuous, sexy soap opera violence with plenty of goth, BDSM, and erotica to keep it spicy. But damn, I’m so addicted to them. I’m weak. Help.
*hides the killing dance*
um..who me? rereading the series? nah..not me…
*bangs head* I think I’ve read the whole series through three times now, with certain books in them that I’ve read several times more than that.
What is it about those books? I swear the pages must be dusted with cocaine.
It’s Crack I tell you…
pure crack. I hardly ever reread…but damn, I may do it with those books. It’s trash…yes..definately, but well written trash. I simply ‘sucked’ them down, pardon the somewhat intentional pun. And amazingly, I’m liking her faerie series almost as much as the vamps.
Ohh….Jean Claude…hhhhmmmmmmmm….
—oh, oops sorry…good thing drool doesn’t hurt key boards.
Re: It’s Crack I tell you…
“pure crack“
It is! It is! They should be USDA schedule 1 controlled! Ack. I got the Science Fiction book club 3-in-1/2-in-1 sets and read them cover to cover eschewing sleep and occasionally food.
Jean Claude . . . mmmm. *pause for quick little fantasy nip*
“I’m liking her faerie series almost as much“
I’ve read them too. Actually, I even hunted down Nightseer as well–Hamilton’s earlier, YA novel. I’m a rabid fan. Eek.
I like the sex in the Merry Gentry series. And the men. Damn but LKH can write sexy men. But I keep getting this niggling “she wrote Merry like that intentionally as a sharp contrast against Anita” feeling.
But, still buying and reading them, so she’s obviously still got me hooked. With a big, pointy, barbed titanium hook . . .
Re: It’s Crack I tell you…
You know, I got the same feeling about Merry and Anita, but couldn’t put a finger on it. She spends so much time talking about Anita and her now nonsense very ‘not’ girly attitudes and talking about her plain undies…then spends almost as much time talking about Merry’s sexy underthings.
Oh, yeah, and then there’s the sex. Um…well…yeah, there’s the sex.
Re: It’s Crack I tell you…
Yah. When I think about it too hard, the contrasts feel a bit forced.
Anita = not into clothing except as comfort and to cover up her very modest ass, ostensibly prudish (snarf), stresses about being fed upon, etc.
Merry = clothing oriented, not at all modest, into group sex and pain, happy to get her blood sucked for gain, etc. etc.
I think LKH might’ve been consciously trying to ensure that Merry wasn’t too much like Anita, since they’re both strong, magical women in a police/detective line of work dealing with occult murders and mysteries while juggling their very complicated romantic life.
But whatever LKH is doing, I’m hardly one to complain. I’m just panting for her next book in whatever series is due out next.
Re: It’s Crack I tell you…
Pant, pant, pant.
My only complaint is all of Anita’s internal struggle. I think it gets overdone just a tad…for Chrissakes woman, get over it and enjoy your life…just a little. ;-)Not everything has to be a moral ethical debate.
As much as I like the main characters, I think what really kept me mainlining is that LKH fleshes out her secondary and tertiary characters so well. Gah…now I can’t remember the blonde vamps name that was scarred so horribly…loved his character. I almost wept when he tells Anita that he went out into the night for the ambush because he thought she was ‘calling’ him. It was so sad and poingnant(sp).
And that’s just one example. I think that ‘fleshiness’ is what keeps me coming back.
Re: It’s Crack I tell you…
“My only complaint is all of Anita’s internal struggle“
I hear you. Anita doth protest too much. I wish she’d just do Jean Claude and Richard in a big ole steamy menage trois and have done with it. What’s with all the angst? Toss Asher (the sexy blond vamp) into the mix too! It’d be a party.
“the blonde vamps name that was scarred so horribly…loved his character“
*Fervant nods* I’m deeply in lust with Asher, myself.
LKH has a knack for making her characters, especially her sexy male characters IMO, really complex, interesting, and vulnerable. What I really love about Jean Claude, Asher, et al. is how vulnerable they are, while at the same time being so powerful. Just make my knees gelid. Gooey wobbling. Yep.
I’ve been thinking about reading those books since they certainly looked entertaining, but that means I’ll have to track them down in order. Hmm…addictive, you say? ;-D
Addictive with a capital “A”! Be warned. They’re not deep, the prose isn’t masterful (although it’s solid enough), and there are some inconsistencies that a copy editor should have caught. But DAMN. Can’t put ’em down, I tells ya.
If you do decide to join the crew of LKH addicts, let me recommend getting the collected volume sets from the Science Fiction Book Club (http://www.sfbc.com.) Much cheaper, easy to collect in the proper order, and hard bound!
Hmm, getting them through the SFBC sounds like a good idea. (I’m already a member of course!)
I have much the same relationship with Chelsea Quin Yarbro’s Saint Germain series. :}
Y’know, I haven’t read those. I keep hearing good things about them, and mean to pick them up. But I remember being unable to find the first one in print, and I dislike starting a series in the middle . . .
Used bookstore haunting time.
They’re actually very good… if you can get past the fact that they’re predictable, formulaic historical romances w/ vampires. ;} Even if you can’t get past that fact, most of them is good on it’s own (I’m particularly fond of _Blood Games_). It’s a little like Anne Rice… it’s only after you read several that the distinct sense of deja vu kicks in.
The best place I’ve found to get the out-of-print books is eBay. You can usually pick up paperbacks pretty cheaply.
Intervention with the Vampire by Rachel Potter. Go, read, shriek with laughter!
OMG!