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Strange Candy
Known for her darkly violent, stunningly erotic Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels, New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton reveals new dimensions of her talent in these fantastical fairy tales, lush parables, and Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter stories. Share her vision as she welcomes you to the far corners of her “fertile imagination” (Diana Gabaldon)…
From a w...more
From a w...more
MP3 CD
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So this was ... well "strange". I've never read any Hamilton books so I'm probably coming to it from a completely different background than most readers. I was really surprised by the fact that most of the stories were "straight" fantasy stories.
I was also a little put off by the attitude of most of the introductions. Many of them sounded angry, basically saying, "This was rejected by some editor who was obviously a retard because he didn't absolutely lov...more
I was also a little put off by the attitude of most of the introductions. Many of them sounded angry, basically saying, "This was rejected by some editor who was obviously a retard because he didn't absolutely lov...more
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I was a huge fan of Hamilton's Anita Blake series, until the series went from supernatural to super-pornographic. The hyper-erotic turn simply ruined the character of Anita Blake for me, and angry at Hamilton I swore I wouldn't read any more of her books.
I'm glad that I put that anger aside and picked up "Stange Candy." The book is mostly a collection of short stories published early in her career. The stories are suprisingly diverse, ranging from hard science-fiction to l...more
I'm glad that I put that anger aside and picked up "Stange Candy." The book is mostly a collection of short stories published early in her career. The stories are suprisingly diverse, ranging from hard science-fiction to l...more
Seeing these short stories by Laurell K. Hamilton was a treat. Some were good, some were great, and some can be skipped over. My biggest problem with the whole shebang is the cover. This book has nothing to do with women in bondage attire eating candy. Actually, this book has no sex in it at all. Which, when you think about it, is "strange" indeed when you consider the other series' that this author writes.
Overall, a pretty good read, although some of Ms. Hamilton's snarky...more
Overall, a pretty good read, although some of Ms. Hamilton's snarky...more
Strange Candy is LKH's short story collection, and it's alternatively refreshing and narcissistic. When I read some of these stories, I remembered how I used to actually enjoy reading her books instead of slogging through them. She's a pretty good writer when she's not just writing porn. The stories in this book are not excellent, but definitly entertaining. I found it really hilarious when she wrote things in introductions to some of the stories like "When I first submitted this story, I w...more
I would never have bought this book if Kroger hadn't been selling it, hardback, for $1.50. Heck, I would never have looked at it, period, because I hadn't heard good things about the author, only that she sells a lot of books. I also have never liked short stories. Lastly, I have never liked fantasy or science fiction. But it was $1.50, and she does sell a lot of books, so there's a lesson there, and so I bought it. How bad could it be?
It's fabulous. FABULOUS. She can write. She's ...more
It's fabulous. FABULOUS. She can write. She's ...more
I found this in the discount book bin of a grocery store... glad I did! Although this is apparently the author of a vampire series, the stories in this collection are very heavy on fantasy and can be a little macabre. Not really creepy, scary stories, though. Sometimes it is hard to read fantasy/sci-fi because the author is so wrapped up in describing the world they have created ~ happily, this is not the case with Hamilton. She is super creative and a great story teller :) The fictional worlds ...more
Strange Candy
1-star
11/27/10
An extreme chore to read and would not of finished it if not for Group Read. In general I have been an avid fan of LKH, however the last few Anita books I have not bought and just borrow from the library. I feel like Hamilton has been making a mockery out of the Anita Blake series because she's pissed off at all the negative reviews and comments. The fans complain about too many boyfriends so then she adds more in the next book. Whatever the critics co...more
1-star
11/27/10
An extreme chore to read and would not of finished it if not for Group Read. In general I have been an avid fan of LKH, however the last few Anita books I have not bought and just borrow from the library. I feel like Hamilton has been making a mockery out of the Anita Blake series because she's pissed off at all the negative reviews and comments. The fans complain about too many boyfriends so then she adds more in the next book. Whatever the critics co...more
I picked up "Strange Candy" after having read the first "Anita Blake" book. (I've read the entire "Merry Gentry" series since the beginning, and had avoided "Anita Blake" 'till recently.) This review is for the Audio CD format. There are a collection of short stories in "Strange Candy," each with an introduction by Laurell K. Hamilton about the history of or commentary about each story. The Audio CD format used one narrator for the stories th...more
Why do I torture myself like this? Strange Candy is collection of LKH's short stories ranging all the way from her first Anita book all the way to her latest short story concerning Anita and Jean Claude. LKH is a classic example of the type of author who I really really want her to get rid of the cloying and frustrating dangling plotlines and multitude of men who just can't help but hang around Anita. PLEASE.
The differences between the first and last short stories were enough to made me sigh an...more
The differences between the first and last short stories were enough to made me sigh an...more
As a fan of the short story, this collection has some nice gems in it. Some of the stories feel as if they should have been developed further, but in having followed Ms. Hamilton on Twitter I pretty clearly see that she works hard keeping things sensible & moving forward in her two basic series of Anita Blake & Merry.
Most of these stories don't fit those worlds, having come from earlier fantasy settings, or as other modern quirky stories. So the get collected here.
The par...more
Most of these stories don't fit those worlds, having come from earlier fantasy settings, or as other modern quirky stories. So the get collected here.
The par...more
The best thing about this book is it comes on the IPOD for download at the library. I like the supernatural vampire stuff and it is hard to find that I can download from the library. The bad...I have started a Hamilton before and found it too erotic for my tastes. I thought her collection of short stories would be better-not enough time to build the nasty is what I was thinking. Well, she has a merman be a serial rapist. Most of the stories are not erotic, however, they are incredibly creepy...more
I've long since given up on buying Hamilton's books, but I'll still pick them up if if our library has them. So, I thought I'd give this one a shot. I liked the more present day stories pretty well. I think the problem I usually have with short stories is that usually the ones I've read are too long. I say that because it feels like they're long enough that they should be a whole novel, but they aren't, so everything feels rushed. These stories were just the right about of short. Some of ...more
"The #1 New York Times bestselling author's short story collection-including an all-new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story-now in paperback.
From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, readers will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables. Even harden...more
From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, readers will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables. Even harden...more
This is a compendium of short stories set either in the land of Laurell K. Hamilton's debute novel "Nightseer" or in some other fantastic worlds and scenarios. I especially liked the story "Wild geese" about a young magician who is going to confront the ursurper of her people and killer of her parents. However, the short story about a magical misfit who can kill somebody in her dreams will also stay in my memory for a long time and the short stories set in the "Nightseer...more
It's been a couple of years since I read Strange Candy and for the most part, it's just a decent collection of short stories. The least interesting stories for me were the Anita ones, although they're obviously the ones hyped so the book would sell.
Skip the more recent stuff if you don't like the way her current books are written or the way the 'plots' flow.
In the two years or so since I read the book, I can still vividly remember two of the stories, and both break my hea...more
Skip the more recent stuff if you don't like the way her current books are written or the way the 'plots' flow.
In the two years or so since I read the book, I can still vividly remember two of the stories, and both break my hea...more
Apparently the cover artist for Hamilton’s books moonlights as an erotica cover artist. I had almost forgotten how I feel the need to wrap Hamilton’s books in a brown paper bag while I sit wearing an overcoat and large sunglasses in a dark corner. But seriously, if you can overlook the bad design, you might be surprised to find some decent stories in here. Among my favorites include a disturbing tale of two psychopaths “Here be Dragons,” a lighthearted tale of people trying to escape love in “A ...more
I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book, since it's a collection of short stories. I was immensely impressed, however, with how easily it took hold of me and captured my interest. It was a very quick read and each story was captivating with an array of characters, new and old. I especially enjoyed Laurell K Hamilton's introduction to each story, as it provided insight into the story not found elsewhere. Laurell's ability to paint pictures with words is unmatched and her writing continues to dr...more
Over all, an excellent collection of short stories. I liked Hamilton's modern paranormal stories better than her more purely fantasy stories, but both are worth reading. For fans of Hamilton's "Merry Gentry" and "Anita Blake" series, there's lots of good stuff here. Perhaps the most interesting stories in the collection are set in the same world as "Anita Blake" (and presumably "Merry Gentry" too), but don't involve any characters from Hamilton's curren...more
With this book, Laurell K. Hamilton has secured her place as a master of the written word in my book (no pun intended). I've read the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series, and am undeniably addicted, but sometimes it is more the quality of the plot than the quality of the author that makes a book good, and the plot carries the author. However, the short stories in this book were so varied and original, yet so uniformly enthralling, that it can only be credited to the excellence of the author! Th...more
This book gave me pretty much what I've come to expect from Laurell K Hamilton. Like pretty much every book I've ever read by her I found it well written, interesting, and easy to read. It wasn't an absolutely-love-it-couldn't-put-it-down read, but it's definitely one I would read again for entertainment (also like all her other books).
I liked most of the stories in this anthology - especially the ones more towards the fantasy world than horror - the world Laurell K Hamilton writes a...more
I liked most of the stories in this anthology - especially the ones more towards the fantasy world than horror - the world Laurell K Hamilton writes a...more
This is a great collection of short stories -- My personal favorites are "Goose" and "A Scarcity of Sea Monsters". Hamilton brings us on a journey with familiar characters (there are two Anita Blake stories in here), introduces us to new worlds, and delves deeper into a the world of her very first novel (Nightseer). I like the mix of her usual paranormal themes and more traditional Fantasy genre stories. Though not all the stories are an compelling as her novels and some o...more
I enjoyed most of these stories, especially the tale of the psychotic psychic. Among other short stories she also had a couple of Anita Blake tales. The first was a tale where Hamilton was "trying on" Anita's character and it had a lot of the elements of the first few Blake books. The second, and last story of this book, was a more recent Anita tale with all the "trimmings" of Hamilton's later books. I could go into a rant about how the actual plot was about one page long in ...more
A look into the earlier works of Laurell K Hamilton, before she gave life to Anita Blake & Merry Gentry. Earliest work is "A Token for Celadine" from 1989. It is set in the world of her first novel "Nightseer" and is a story of elves, demons, goddesses, prophecies, unicorns, magic and the like. Tolkien-ish for sure. There are 2 more stories set in this world, one which includes a witty yet very deadly speaking blood sword named Leech. There are a few shorts that are whimsical...more
Some of these stories were skippable, some were so-so and some were awesome.They are a mixture of light and dark- a perfect combination if you ask me.
I just have to throw this out there- I think the cover is silly. The stories have nothing to do with bondage. I would love the cover if it had something to do with ... something? anything? from the stories. Maybe I'm just too dense to get it ;]
Some of the introductions to the short stories left a bad taste in my mouth and so...more
I just have to throw this out there- I think the cover is silly. The stories have nothing to do with bondage. I would love the cover if it had something to do with ... something? anything? from the stories. Maybe I'm just too dense to get it ;]
Some of the introductions to the short stories left a bad taste in my mouth and so...more
Amanda
rated it
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review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Amanda by:
Anne Marie passed it along to me
Shelves:
2011,
fantasy-and-some-sci-fi
There are certain people in the world who have a realness, deeply rooted in the earth, bare to sun and moon. And then there are other people in the world who look at the real ones and mimic their stance, planting roots and glancing out of the corners of their eyes every once in a while to make sure they're still doing it right. But they are a forgery and it doesn't take long to tip these fakers over, upending their shallow roots. This is how I feel about Laurell K. Hamilton.
The ...more
The ...more
The Strange Candy anthology from Laurell K. Hamilton is leaps and bounds above her cliched romantic/horror novels about Anita Blake. Love is tackled by a gang of cherubs targeting a single woman, a dream therapist must battle the sociopathic tendencies of a young boy, a merman seduces his victims by the edge of the sea, and Captain Housework is fed up with his lot in life. Though Anita Blake does pop into the volume, the overall grouping is a fantastic read.
this anthology is a compilation of stories laurell k hamilton had tried to get published before she became a well know author. the best part about this anthologq is there is a small intro to every chapter that includes explanations and rejection letters for the upcoming story. i highly recommend hiis book if you are unfamiliar with her writing style. these stories are fun and dark. more of an adult read. but once you read it youll be hooked. enjoy
Hmmm... this was my first read by L Hamilton, probably not a good choice since it is a collection of shorts.
Very quick easy read, but I found most of the stories incredibly boring. I picked this up cause it was on super sale at B&N for like 4 bucks for hardcover. i probably would have been upset had I spent more.
I think I will move on for now, and maybe try another of Hamilton's books in the future, when I have run out of other things to read...
Very quick easy read, but I found most of the stories incredibly boring. I picked this up cause it was on super sale at B&N for like 4 bucks for hardcover. i probably would have been upset had I spent more.
I think I will move on for now, and maybe try another of Hamilton's books in the future, when I have run out of other things to read...
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When I originally requested this book, I was not aware that it was a book of short stories. I hate books of short stories. I don't feel that I have enough time to get to know and like the characters. However, I should have more faith in my favorite author. She wowed me by crafting short stories that are not only likable. They suck you in from the first sentence and keep picking up momentum until you just sit back, stunned that it's over. Finally: short stories that are a complete story in and of...more
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Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES and continues to thrive with over sixteen volumes to the series and an comic adaptation. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilt...more
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