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30th out of 163 books
—
203 voters
Strange Candy (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 0.5)
#1 New York Times bestselling author's Laurell K. Hamilton's first short story collection-including an all new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story.
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 and lush parables as...more
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 and lush parables as...more
Hardcover, 257 pages
Published
October 3rd 2006
by Berkley Hardcover
(first published February 4th 2006)
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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 comments in the intro...more
Overall, a pretty good read, although some of Ms. Hamilton's snarky comments in the intro...more
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 love my work. But now that I'm famous I'm a...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 love my work. But now that I'm famous I'm a...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 light-hearted, fluffy r...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 light-hearted, fluffy r...more
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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 wasn't...more
I love LKH, I have loved her writing since I first came across her work in the late 90’s. I adore her series, but her short stories are where she really excels, they’re where she has a chance to play and expand as a writer. The stories in this work range from (as the author puts it) as dark as she gets as a writer to as light as she gets.
"Those Who Seek Forgiveness" – The darkest one in the work, really pitch black in subject matter. It did beg the question though, doesn’t Bert do background che...more
"Those Who Seek Forgiveness" – The darkest one in the work, really pitch black in subject matter. It did beg the question though, doesn’t Bert do background che...more
I've looked at some of Hamilton's work before, and never really been drawn to it. My roommate was a fan of the Anita Blake stories, but we had very different tastes in fantasy - and Anita Blake is certainly not my taste.
When I saw Strange Candy in the bookstore, I was originally drawn to the cover art, which was right on the border between a little too erotic and aesthetically intriguing. I was a little wary of the author, but I'm always out for a good short story anthology.
Overall, I really e...more
When I saw Strange Candy in the bookstore, I was originally drawn to the cover art, which was right on the border between a little too erotic and aesthetically intriguing. I was a little wary of the author, but I'm always out for a good short story anthology.
Overall, I really e...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 funny. She's...more
It's fabulous. FABULOUS. She can write. She's funny. She's...more
3 likes · like · see review
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 complain about the...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 complain about the...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 themselves, and a different narrator for the introductio...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 particular gems? IM...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 particular gems? IM...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. I...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 the fa...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 hardened vampire hunter...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 hardened vampire hunter...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 world" are much better w...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 heart in different ways. A...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 heart in different ways. A...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
This anthology, which I listened to as an audiobook, was my introduction to Laurell K. Hamilton and I came away with mixed feelings. Most of the entries were just okay for the short story format, though two or three stood out as quite good or even excellent. From the Anita Blake offerings, I deduced that Charlaine Harris probably owes Hamilton half her cut of the Sookie profits. From the author's self-narrated prefaces to each story, I deduced that Hamilton is something of an arrogant prima donn...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 current series. I like some fantasy, so Hamilton'...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! The...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 about in her...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 about in her...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 of the others in the col...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 total and about as i...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, and some that...more
Another audio book checked out from the library in an attempt to help Mt TBR get read (I have a hard copy of this book as well)
Those Who Seek Forgiveness An Anita story before she evolved into a Vampire Hunter as well as an animator...in any case it was fun to have a story about Anita back when she wasn't all powerful
A Lust of Cupids A cute little story, would love to hear more about this interesting world where Cupids are a common thing
The Edge of the Sea entertaining, although it seemed a bit...more
Those Who Seek Forgiveness An Anita story before she evolved into a Vampire Hunter as well as an animator...in any case it was fun to have a story about Anita back when she wasn't all powerful
A Lust of Cupids A cute little story, would love to hear more about this interesting world where Cupids are a common thing
The Edge of the Sea entertaining, although it seemed a bit...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 some of them made me laugh...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 some of them made me laugh...more
Nov 14, 2011
Amanda
rated it
2 of 5 stars
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 thing about fant...more
The thing about fant...more
Those Who Seek Forgiveness is set in the Anitaverse, right before Guilty Pleasures. Back to the old pre-porn Anita, a story about a zombie raising where not everything that the client tells Anita is the truth, which has repercussions.
A Lust of Cupids. A very short story about two people trying hard to avoid cupids that are determined to get them involved with each other. I disliked the fact that the characters really didn't have much of a choice and my reaction to finding out that my parents had...more
A Lust of Cupids. A very short story about two people trying hard to avoid cupids that are determined to get them involved with each other. I disliked the fact that the characters really didn't have much of a choice and my reaction to finding out that my parents had...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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