Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #19)

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Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #19)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

3.70 · rating details · 7,428 ratings · 730 reviews

The music came back up and the next group of little girls, slightly older, came out. There was a lot of that in the next hour and change. I liked dance, and it was no reflection on the kids, but my will to live began to seep away on about the fifth group of sequined children...

Anita Blake is back in St. Louis and trying to live a normal life-as normal as possible for so...more

Hardcover, 356 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by Berkley Hardcover

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Jun 04, 2010

Amy or "Ames" rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of erotica inc. m/m, m/m/f, f/f, BDSM

Shelves: read-in-2010, shit-list, vampires, urban-fantasy, erotica, do-not-own, i-heart-the-cover-art, gblt, menage, polyamory, will-not-continue

Stay away from it. Stay away. If you had any love for this series at any point, do not read this book. If you do, make sure you're a fan of erotica including m/m, m/m/f, f/f, and BDSM.

It’s shocking the abrupt u-turn the series takes with Bullet, deciding that sex (and lots of it) is better than guns, blood and action. The death of a character (not an important one so don’t worry) was anti-climactic, it was a good scene but I expected the death to be of someone a lot closer to Anita, ...moreStay away from it. Stay away. If you had any love for this series at any point, do not read this book. If you do, make sure you're a fan of erotica including m/m, m/m/f, f/f, and BDSM.

It’s shocking the abrupt u-turn the series takes with Bullet, deciding that sex (and lots of it) is better than guns, blood and action. The death of a character (not an important one so don’t worry) was anti-climactic, it was a good scene but I expected the death to be of someone a lot closer to Anita, and therefore more painful but she agonises over it anyway, despite knowing all along that they may have to die.

Right off the bat we go into repetitive descriptive overload. Sex politics, self-pity and whining is in abundance. LKH even uses a three-year old boy in the first chapter to give us hope that Anita will rein in her loose ways, and then uses him again (at his expense, which offended me - children should be protected) at the end to stick two fingers up at those that dislike the porn. And I’m sad to say this did read like emotionless porn -the group sex with multiple voyeurs made me think "porn movie set" with everyone taking turns. And they were doing it to save lives or for political reasons rather than because they wanted it or because they loved each other. And since when was Anita OK with her men having sex with other women, or even Anita herself having sex with women? What?! Will the real Anita please stand up?

Which leads me on to the main characters themselves who've have changed in ways I don't feel are realistic and the number of side characters has grown to a point where I don't remember who they are. Although LKH attempts to soothe my newfound dislike of Anita at the end of Flirt by making her remorseful. I can’t say it worked. She has become all-powerful and arrogant, a combination which is off-putting to put it mildly. Plus the reference to her and others possibly doing evil things in order to do good has put me on edge.

All the bits that interested me, like the plot, shocking that there even was one but it was thin throughout. It was alluded to but there was little depth. Many references were made to previous books, characters reappear with Anita's relationships with them being reassessed however, big events happen elsewhere whilst we were stuck watching Anita have sex with everything that moved. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not even sure I have enough fingers to count out how many times she had sex, or even with the number of people. At least she wasn't the only one getting it this time. Although the m/m scene between Asher and Jean Claude was incredibly disappointing. They'd been pining for each other, desperate to re-consummate their love for so long, you'd think LKH could've taken the time to describe the emotional side of it better.

More happened in the concluding chapter than in the entire book, which focused heavily on the tigers. I couldn't care less about them really, the info dump was boring. Given the chance I’d have wanted to witness the events (especially in Atlanta) in that chapter rather than the sex or sex politics. Instead they were glossed over. So sad.

I dragged myself through this book, and employed everything possible to get to that last page. I skimmed, I skipped paragraphs/pages – there’s only so much repetitive description I could take. I can’t read another sex scene for a bit because I’ve had enough. Enough. Yep, that’s how I feel about this series now. Enough. I’m done.

If I sound angry, bitter and wistful it’s because I’m all of those things. I’m angry that old-Anita is nowhere to be found despite her reappearance in the past couple of books. I’m bitter because I wasn’t expecting the abrupt change back to everything revolving around sex. I had hope and LKH had encouraged it, that old-Anita was resurfacing. She crushed it so forcefully that I don’t want anything more to do with her.

This series to me is now a sick and mangy wolf that needs to be put down, it's begging for an end to it's suffering. It needs a Bullet to the brain.(less)

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Sep 06, 2011

The Flooze (Michelle M.) rated it

Recommends it for: My worst enemy, perhaps. Might be too cruel.

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2010, glutton_for_punishment

If my updates weren’t expressive enough, I’ll reiterate: This is the most tedious drivel I’ve read in a long time…or perhaps ever.

Although the idea of a vampire civil war should be a thrilling one, LKH’s writing deprives it of all excitement. The events of this book seem like a rehash of every other attack we’ve seen on the supernatural sect of St. Louis. If you’re a long-time reader of the series, very little will seem new.

I could easily blather on about the lack of inno...moreIf my updates weren’t expressive enough, I’ll reiterate: This is the most tedious drivel I’ve read in a long time…or perhaps ever.

Although the idea of a vampire civil war should be a thrilling one, LKH’s writing deprives it of all excitement. The events of this book seem like a rehash of every other attack we’ve seen on the supernatural sect of St. Louis. If you’re a long-time reader of the series, very little will seem new.

I could easily blather on about the lack of innovation present in Bullet, but instead I’ll focus on a few irksome aspects. Although I’ve never envisioned Anita as a startling intellect, the dialogue here paints her as an absolute mental midget. Pages and pages of various men explaining simple concepts to her and Anita continuously parroting: “But why?” “What does that mean?” “What does he mean by that?” “What am I missing?” Apparently, my dear, you are missing a vast amount of brain power. And when she finally grasps the idea presented, her only response is: “I don’t know what to say to that.”

The basics of this exchange are repeated every few pages, making most conversations feel like pulling teeth and inspiring me to smack my forehead no less than twenty times. If Anita is this thick, I can’t imagine how she’s managed to live this long, never mind build her power center up to unfathomable proportions.

Hand-in-hand with Anita’s stupidity is her inability to be reasonable. Constantly on the defensive, she forces all of her men to tiptoe around her in trepidation. And yet! She feels immeasurable guilt about having taken away Nicky’s free will. Guess what, dumb-dumb. With every one around you in fear of getting dumped--or perhaps shot--absolutely no one in the group can exercise free will. They are all slaves of some sort to the sorcerous snatch.

Speaking of that wondrous body part, I’ve heard time and again that this series is as much about Anita’s “sexual awakening” as it is about vampires and weres, oh my. Though I grant that she’s come a long way from the virginal prude of Guilty Pleasures, Anita has not been awakened. She has been coerced, cajoled, convinced, and given the excuses she needs to allow herself--after much waffling--to fall into bed with various people. Even in this book, she spends more time trying to get out of having sex than she does actively wanting it. It is only when someone badgers her into responding to her “monstrous” side that she willingly goes along with physical intimacy. More often than not, she is embarrassed by her sexual desires. That does not scream “awakening” to me.

I’d already decided when I read Flirt that I would no longer throw money into LKH’s coffers. Having gotten Bullet from the library, I think even that small nod of encouragement was wasted on her. The quality of writing is beneath that of any writer I’m familiar with. Her plots have become secondary to descriptions of wardrobe, hair, and seating plans. Sex scenes are robbed of eroticism. Dialogue brings the action to a screeching, painful halt. I no longer find anything of merit in the Anita Blake series, so I bid these characters a not-so-fond adieu. Don’t let the door smack you on the way out.
(less)

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Jun 05, 2010

Lmb rated it

Shelves: paranormal-pnr, overrated

I am normally a loyal fan & have a lot of patience for LKH in general. I have hung in there with Anita (& Merry) & when many fans started turning away calling the series "porn" - I still liked it, still defended it, was still very into the stories & the characters (bar a few).

This book crashed & burned the series IMO. It was a pathetic mess. I don't even know what this was. I think LKH's massive amount of hubris made her lose the plot.

This was an extension of...more

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Jun 08, 2011

mlady_rebecca rated it

Shelves: abvh__us_hb_v2__horror, author__laurell_k_hamilton, genre_sub__vamps, genre_sub__lycanthropes_and_shifter, genre__urban_fantasy, series__anita_blake, fiction__part_of_a_series, 2010, read_more_than_once, pov__first_person_female, 2011, genre_sub__necromancers_or_reapers, fiction__speculative

"Bullet" was all the good things I like to see in an "Anita Blake" book, and some.

1. It was home in St. Louis, because - aside from "Bloody Bones", "Blue Moon", and "Blood Noir" (all "B" names - weird) - all of the out of town books seem to be lacking something.

2. It included the fullest cast list we've seen since (at least) "The Harlequin". And most of those cast members had more than a walk on role. ...more

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Jun 01, 2010

Mistress ~ ♠ Mistral's Kiss ♠ ~ (Mist) rated it

Shelves: series, paranormal-romance-chick-lit, speculative-fiction, 2010, hate-it-love-it-hate-it, heavens-to-murgatroyd-wtf-is-going, crackalicious, erotica, just-get-over-it-already-jeeze, made-me-vomit-in-my-mouth-a-little, jane-get-me-off-this-crazy-series, erotic-wtf-ery-hide-your-kids-hid

Same ole Anita, which means butt loads of gratuitous metaphysical nookie. Not enough of a cohesive action based plot to be Urban Fantasy. Way too much whining, repetitive dialogue about emotions ( My gawd, I've never read so many gag worthy conversations about FEELINGS as in this series. Everyone just can't freaking shut up about their FEELINGS lmao). And not strongly written enough to classify as "good".

But the anita-verse is as thrilling, sexy, and addictive as crack as...more

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May 31, 2010

Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) rated it

The main storyline surrounds Anita, the triumvirate, her animals to call & an unexpected reunion with the Mother of All Darkness who everyone thought was dead. Because of the return of the Mother of All Darkness, Anita must come to terms with all the men surrounding her & try to complete the cats she calls. On top of it, Richard comes back & Anita doesn’t know if she can trust him again. Then we have an appearance by Haven & he is demanding Anita’s love, it’s all or nothing for Haven.

...moreThe main storyline surrounds Anita, the triumvirate, her animals to call & an unexpected reunion with the Mother of All Darkness who everyone thought was dead. Because of the return of the Mother of All Darkness, Anita must come to terms with all the men surrounding her & try to complete the cats she calls. On top of it, Richard comes back & Anita doesn’t know if she can trust him again. Then we have an appearance by Haven & he is demanding Anita’s love, it’s all or nothing for Haven.

For you Anita fans, there is lots of Jean-Claude, Asher, Nathaniel & Richard time! Let me tell you, Richard really grows up in this book & Asher is still my absolute favorite. Micah is around but not as prominent as in other books in the series. There are new females introduced, which we haven’t really seen before in an Anita book, so we get to see how Anita interacts with new females. It also has a really dark & disturbing moment with child vampire Valentina, which totally creeped me out. She has to be the scariest vampire in any book I’ve read, children always scare me worse than anything but Valentina is just horrid.

Of course it wouldn’t be an Anita book without some hot romance scenes, I kid you not LKH is the only author that makes me squirm when I read her sex scenes. It got all sorts of hot at some points! *grabs a cold cloth*

What I found with Bullet was that it ties up a lot of loose information, from Asher & Jean-Claude to Richard and his issues. It’s closure for the old drama & setting up for a huge battle(s) in book 20 of the series. It also is a book of growth for Anita, she goes through some very bad experiences & has to either move on with her life or just breakdown. There’s completion & new openings, so you know book 20 is going to be something huge!

Thankfully Laurell K. Hamilton is currently writing book 20 in the series, so the wait isn’t going to be too long! Long time fans of the series will like Bullet, but book 20 is the one we’ll all be waiting for.(less)

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Nov 20, 2011

Beth rated it

Recommends it for: No one

Recommended to Beth by: Library

Shelves: brain-candy

LKH you've done it again. Another AB book with no plot, no resolution but oooh gobs of pointless sex of all varieties this time. Hey, but at least you're branching out. I keep picking up these books hoping the Anita of Obsidian Butterfly will come back. LKH never fails to disappoint.

Bullet actually starts out fairly well. There is the requisite vanilla opening in which all the main chars are in play. Anita is annoyed with someone and we get to "see" Nathaniel and Jason dan...more

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Jun 22, 2010

Linda Moosechick rated it

I am on chapter 22 and it is so ----- I cannot find the words to describe how boring this book
is. First of all Anita Blake - formally known as the Slayer of Vampires has turned into the Slut who has to sleep with pretty much any thing that breath's or undead and furry. What happened to the lady who kicks butt and takes names ? Please bring back the real Vampire Slayer !

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Feb 08, 2011

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-2011, e-book

4,5 stars.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. There's so much I want to get out, but I still don't want to spoil it! I truly enjoyed it. Really. I didn't know just how much I'd missed my Micah, Nathaniel and Jean-Claude! I think I love Anita's men as much as she does. I'm not sure I'd be able to even try to pick one of her men for her to me monogamous with. Good thing I don't!

This book was almost crazy with all of it's unexpected (and maybe expected) events and surprises...more4,5 stars.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. There's so much I want to get out, but I still don't want to spoil it! I truly enjoyed it. Really. I didn't know just how much I'd missed my Micah, Nathaniel and Jean-Claude! I think I love Anita's men as much as she does. I'm not sure I'd be able to even try to pick one of her men for her to me monogamous with. Good thing I don't!

This book was almost crazy with all of it's unexpected (and maybe expected) events and surprises. Some of them you could have foreseen, but some, I'll admit, took me completely by surprise. Asher's demands for one thing, and his threat if they weren't followed through. Personally, I was more annoyed by the issues and the slightly immature threat, but I can see where he is coming from. I was just with Anita on her reaction; I never saw it coming. Richard also surprised me with his acceptance. I don't trust it though, since it feels like there's been to little time for him to have accepted it all. It felt rushed and like he'd change back at any moment. I guess we'll see how it goes! He's not welcome back into my heart yet though, if he ever will be...

There were good secrets revealed also though, that took me by surprise. One of them were the reason as to why Devil was introduced along with Pride and Envy. I fell for Devil fairly quickly actually, even though I did like Pride a bit more in the beginning. That however, changed quickly! He was just such an interesting character; his reactions to things and how he grew up, are just some of the them.

Compared to the last two books, this one is much more focused on relationships and metaphysical issues, and the sex is definitely back in full force (not that I'm one to complain!) I have to say though, that it was even more necessary than before. Bullet might not be a full 5 star rating, but it is extremely close! If there'd been just a little more action, it would have been almost perfect. I love my Anita & Co. with both action and magic. (And of course some hot romance!) It was enough though, to get me hurrying to pre-order Hit List, and I'm now (im)patiently waiting for it to be released!(less)

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Jul 16, 2010

Lesli rated it

Shelves: anita-blake, fantasy, contemporary, fiction, laurell-k-hamilton

First, LKH has lost me with the Anita Blake series. Like others, I read the books because it's like a train wreck. I just cannot look away. Second, I see flashes of brilliance mixed with the badly written soft porn. Third, I see flashes of the original Anita mixed with the new Anita. Fourth, I skipped most of the sex scenes because if you've read one Anita sex scene, you've read them all. Lastly, I actually liked this book. Bad sex, over-sharing of the back story, weird Anita...I still start...more

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Apr 10, 2011

Crystal rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

What a complete waste of what used to be an interesting character and series. I was rolling my eyes by page 3, and just tossed the book down halfway through. This is a complete mess of sex and violence and hand-wringing, emo writing. It reads like the worst kind of fanfiction. I had hopes after the last book that we'd be getting back to the Anita Blake of old, but with this book, I am finally, completely done.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

The worst part? The neut...more

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Oct 15, 2011

Jenn rated it

I miss the good ol' Anita days where she'd kill the monsters instead of screw their brains out.

Don't get me wrong, I love me a fantastically written sex scene but when a menage with Jean-Claude, Asher, Richard & Anita makes me yawn and go "Yeah...so?" it's a bit of a downer.

I miss when the series had plot.

So many scenes in this book felt superfluous. What was the point of the whole "Run Anita Run!" scene in the basement of Circus of the Damned other than to show that she's g...more

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Jan 09, 2011

Bec rated it

Shelves: vampire, raunchy, witch-magic, were-shifter

This is a review of the whole series, because I can't remember all the books individually, especially the last, say 12, as they became a mass of twisted sweaty and occasionally furry limbs.

This series starts out strong, Anita Blake is a tough talking ass-kicking necromancer. She raises zombies for a living, mostly to settle wills, and give evidence in trails etc. Cool idea, really. She's magic, she's talented, so talented and magic, of course she's the best but hasn't realised it...more

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Jun 14, 2010

Stine rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2011

The Holy Terror rated it

Shelves: vampires, werewolves, shifters, borrowed, paranormal-erotica, wtf-is-wrong-with-me, hated-this-book, hate-this-series, you-are-dead-to-me, terrible-writing

I never wrote a review for this one, even though I meant to. I moved across the country right after I finished this, and even though I kept notes, I've just never gotten around to writing a proper review. Please read my status updates if you're curious why I gave this 1 star. I sometimes find it hard to properly convey my absolute RAGE with this series, but my knee-jerk reactions to various passages are pretty accurate portrayals of my overall feelings. I can't help but think I'm doing my friend...more

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Jun 05, 2010

Lindsey rated it

Please, LKH, for the love of God, give us an Anita Blake installment where the sex to plot ratio isn't 1000:1. Less fucking, more plot, and PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT EVERYONE'S FEELINGS.

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Nov 09, 2010

♥ ♥Lynn ♥ ♥ rated it

Shelves: laurell-k-hamilton, vampires, shifters, paranormal-romance, necromancer, urban-fantasy, read-in-2010, july-2010

I really use to love the Anita Blake series. The last couple of books have just not been that great for me. There is just not enough plot to go along with Anita sleeping with everyone. It is annoying. Batman never looked at Robin and said, "Come Robin, we can save the world if we have sex with everyone within reach," It didn't make sense then or now. Come on LKH!!! Give Anita back her cool job, though I have to say, I am not sure if Anita's can use her nercomancer powers to bring this ...more

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Dec 30, 2011

Alexandra Middleton rated it

Uh... I really am lost for words. Let me just qualify that I haven't finished, nor do intend to finish this book. It was seriously one of THE worst books I've ever picked up off a shelf. I don't know why LKH is still in print - even her editor must've had the sense to leave after around book 9 (I mean, c'mon, people. Typos!).
I skipped the whole dance recital part since most reviews said it was pointless, and then I flicked to the part where Asher is going off on one. She has RUINED my favo...more

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Nov 12, 2011

Amy rated it

This was horrible. While I am slightly invested in the storyline after 15+ books, it seems the author has run out of fresh ideas. Paragraphs feel like they were lifted word-for-word from previous books -- repeatedly and often!

The sex scenes are way too long, and quite frankly boring. They're simultaneously too descriptive and totally unclear as to what exactly is going on. Four pages to describe the orgasm and a vague sentence alluding to what caused it is just plain annoying. I have ...more

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Nov 05, 2011

1000 + rated it

So I've been anxiously awaiting the release of Bullet and was really excited due to some of the authors comments on the characters that would be in the book.

Rough summary is: the Mother of All Darkness was NOT killed and has pieces of her self in each member of the Vampire council. She is after Anita and Jean Claude. The Lover of Death starts killing in Atlanta. Lots of metaphysical shit happen (Anitra tries to strengthen their power base by become the Master of Tigers and ties more Ti...more

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Oct 25, 2011

Cndbooks rated it

Wow, this series seems to be getting worse and worse. It was such a struggle just to finish this. In just the first 75-100 pages it's just some sort of political sex game. The whining that no one loves anyone but Anita is getting kinda old...like 10 books ago. All they did at the beginning was discuss sex. How, when, where, with whom, why, why not, how big, who's going down on who...really not something I cared to read about. And then read them actually go through all of that. That was not what ...more

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Sep 25, 2011

Mary Grace rated it

This book may actually save the series! Yey! I actually loved this book. The series as I always rant about lost it's touch to a lot of it's followers. After the 7th book, the series went downhill. LKH lost character development, lost a good plot, lost it's story. But in my in my honest opinion, this book may do it. May save the series from, further bad reviews.

It's a joy that finally the characters are given what they always wanted in the first few books. Richard stop being whiny, Ashe...more

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Aug 17, 2011

Gina rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I stopped reading this series a few years ago for any of number of reasons spelled out in countless reviews. I had read, according to recent reviews, that the latest Hamilton contained much more US Marshall action with appearances by Otto and Edward. So, when I saw this on the new release shelf at the library, I decided to give it another try. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how outdated the new release shelf was and ended up with a previous book.

I'm not sure if I can truly count that...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Fangs for the Fantasy rated it

Shelves: laurell-k-hamilton

Yes. I read it. I know I know, reading Anita Blake at this point redefines flogging a dead horse. But I feel compelled to finish this hot mess – and it's like a trainwreck, you just have to keep watching. So here I am, suffering through book 19 of the series. Book 19! Ye gods, who would have thought it would last this long

On the actual plot (let's cover it quickly since it's a relatively minor element). And there's some sorta there, carefully sandwiched between the drama, angst and ran...more

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Jul 05, 2011

PoisonCupcakes rated it

Recommends it for: Porn aficianados; Masochists

Recommended to PoisonCupcakes by: I inflicted it upon myself

Shelves: never-again, paranormal-vamps-werewolves-werethi, love-like-lust, put-me-outta-my-misery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***SPOILERS***

More along the lines of 1.7 stars, and that was only due to the Jean-ClaudexAsher buttsex...

Also, all of my favorite characters were present, Richard wasn't acting like a dick *le gasp* and that asswipe Haven was finally wiped out of the picture. And: I love Asher!

By the way, was it just me, or was Anita creepily fascniated with her own breasts in this one? Shall we add narcissm to her list of growing faults?

This is a basic rundown o...more

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Jun 20, 2011

Angie rated it

Bullet is and was so much netter than Flirt by a longshot. We see the revival of three characters: Richard, Valatina, and Monica. I have to say that Monica has been my least favorite character since being introduced in Guilty Pleasures; with that being said. I was surprised to see how well Monica understood and knew to get under Anita's skin in such thought provoking way. I was even more stunned by how Richard finally seemed to be getting his head out of his own ass for a drastic change that has...more

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May 18, 2011

Fruit rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anita fans who are on the fence about dumping the series.

Recommended to Fruit by: Nobody, I'm just a sucker for punishment!

I'd give it three and a half if I could, but I'm always inclined to round up on my reviews. Much better than the recent crop of bland Anita Blake stories. This one heads back in the direction of actually having a plot, rather than a lot of talking heads sitting around whining about Anita's love life. While the now requisite soft-core porn scenes are all over the place in this book, at least they are within a context. Also, this book goes a long way towards justifying the constant sex, by explain...moreI'd give it three and a half if I could, but I'm always inclined to round up on my reviews. Much better than the recent crop of bland Anita Blake stories. This one heads back in the direction of actually having a plot, rather than a lot of talking heads sitting around whining about Anita's love life. While the now requisite soft-core porn scenes are all over the place in this book, at least they are within a context. Also, this book goes a long way towards justifying the constant sex, by explaining the evolving effect of the Ardour in detail.

I don't care so much that the series has had Anita become a raging horndog, but without context, the nonstop sex is generally tiresome and slows down the narrative. Well-written sex scenes are great, but if they just seem random, I lose interest. It's like sex for the sake of sex, and that's not what made me a fan of the books in the first place. That said, there isn't even that much sex at all until more than halfway through the book. There is also a very hot sex scene between Anita and a woman-- I won't say more than that, but it's great stuff.

It would be nice if every male in her life weren't utterly spineless. I include Edward, Richard (despite his wussy attempts at rebellion), and sadly, even Jean-Claude in this critique. Some of them are so dull I don't care about them at all anymore. It's at the point that any time I see a scene with Nathaniel and Micah, I just start to tune out automatically because there is a 90% chance I will be bored by it. Haven is the most interesting male in Bullet-- he actually has his own subplot and grapples with real conflict. So why did I keep reading? Because the premise and central plot are very interesting, and there is usually enough action to keep the story moving.

Another thing that has been bothering me in the last, oh, ten or so books is that Anita has become practically superhuman. Invulnerable heroes are boring! Her near-invincibility makes her hard to relate to. She has pretty much zero weaknesses, and men just fall at her feet left and right. Despite the powers of the Ardour, all the men fawning over her in this book are really played out. Surely, in that big bad metaphysical world of Anita's, there is someone who *doesn't* find her irresistible. It's not the power that's dull, it's the predictability-- whenever she encounters obstacles, there is minimal tension, and that kills the suspense that was a hallmark of earlier Anita adventures. Why should we care what happens in a scene if we know she's always going to come out on top, in control of everyone?

I do concede that in Bullet, Anita's ability to attract more and more animals to call is explored in detail, which clarifies some of the love life stuff a bit. And that's very cool. Feels a bit like the author has been listening to the thousands of fans who want to stay on but are growing weary of Anita's one-note exploits. I'm one of those fans, and I do appreciate that LKH has directed Bullet back in the direction of the first seven or eight books. There is a strong plot here, and the beginning of the book is really excellent. It has an opening to rival anything I've read in a long while, and that was a delicious surprise.

I recently re-read The Laughing Corpse (Book #2) and remembered why I originally got hooked on the series. There is powerful action, great characters, real risk and danger, and unexpected twists at every corner. I also loved Anita's affiliation with the local police-- now that she's a US Marshal, we never see Zerbrowski and company anymore. I can't remember which book contained the last mentions of them, but they were fantastic. Apologies if I missed that they were killed off (if they were)-- sometimes the details elude me after reading the entire series. Anyway, as most of the humans she meets in the last few books are usually cannon fodder, the wonderful characters in the local police are sorely missed. I'm not saying they should come back, but they sure made an impression-- five minutes after reading Bullet, I couldn't tell you who any of human Marshals were, and I didn't really care either.

Anyway, Bullet ventures in the same direction as the first seven or eight books even if it doesn't totally get there. It's a start though, and enough to make me read Hit List when it comes out next month. Laurell K. Hamilton (less)

· see review

May 08, 2011

Liath rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Inhalt:

Anita Blake, Necromancer und US Marshal versucht ihr Leben und ihre Jobs unter einen Hut zu bringen. Gar nicht so einfach wenn man nicht nur jedem ihrer „Männer“ gerecht werden muss, sondern auch noch die Schulaufführungen von den Kindern seiner Angestellten besuchen muss.
Als wäre letzteres nicht schon schlimm genug, stellt sich auch noch heraus das „The Mother of all Darkness“ nicht wie geglaubt bei einer Explosion ums Leben kam. Sie regt sich wieder und plant Anita un...moreInhalt:

Anita Blake, Necromancer und US Marshal versucht ihr Leben und ihre Jobs unter einen Hut zu bringen. Gar nicht so einfach wenn man nicht nur jedem ihrer „Männer“ gerecht werden muss, sondern auch noch die Schulaufführungen von den Kindern seiner Angestellten besuchen muss.
Als wäre letzteres nicht schon schlimm genug, stellt sich auch noch heraus das „The Mother of all Darkness“ nicht wie geglaubt bei einer Explosion ums Leben kam. Sie regt sich wieder und plant Anita unter ihre Kontrolle zu bringen, und so auch den Rest der Vampire in den USA. Und sollte ihr das nicht gelingen, so wird sie dafür sorgen, dass niemand anderes durch Anitas Kräfte an mehr Macht gelangt...

Meinung:

Die Serie und vor allem Anita Blake, hat sich in eine andere Richtung entwickelt als noch in den ersten Büchern. Ein Prozess der sich langsam aber stetig entwickelte und daher auch nicht überraschend war.
Mittlerweile geht es nicht mehr nur um die einsame und knallharte Anita, die Zombies auferstehen lässt und der Polizei bei Serienkillerfällen zur Seite steht.
Es geht darum, dass Anita immer mehr akzeptiert nicht mehr einfach nur ein Mensch zu sein, sondern auch eine Art von Vampir. Es geht um Macht und wie man sie behält, damit die Sicherheit all der Menschen die sie liebt und die für Jean Claude arbeiten gewährleistet ist.
Und es geht darum eine Balance zu finden, zwischen all den Männern denen ihr Herz gehört, und denen die sie zwecks des „ardeur“ braucht. Eine Gradwanderung, wenn man niemandes Gefühle verletzen und sich selbst nicht hinten anstellen möchte.
Mit Bullet ist Laurell K. Hamilton etwas tolles gelungen. Sie konzentriert sich hauptsächlich darum den Personen mehr Seiten zu gönnen, die in den anderen Büchern etwas vernachlässigt wurden. Lose Handlungsstränge werden wieder aufgenommen und zusammengefügt. So bekommt z.B. Asher endlich die Aufmerksamkeit die er sich schon so lange wünscht, und Richard scheint auch etwas umgänglicher zu sein. Und während die Autorin all die großen Gefühle und Personen unter einen Hut bringt, stellt sie parallel die Weichen für den nächsten Band/Bände. Denn während Anita ihr Leben ordnet, passieren außerhalb des „Circus“ viele Dinge gleichzeitig, mit denen „The Mother of all Darkness“ ihre Truppen für den nächsten Angriff in Stellung bringt.
Eine hervorragende Lösung um eine Serie, die inzwischen aus 19 Bänden besteht, mal ein wenig aufzuräumen ohne den großen Plot ganz zu vernachlässigen.
(less)

· see review

May 04, 2011

Karen rated it

Laurell K Hamilton is a new author to me. I find her immensely interesting and although I have many authors I love on my auto-buy list, Hamilton’s genius has carved out a special place in my reader heart.

Her bio from her website,

http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell.html,

is very fascinating. Here is a snippet of it:

“College found me enrolled in the creative writing program. I would be kicked out of that program at the end of my sophomore year. The head...moreLaurell K Hamilton is a new author to me. I find her immensely interesting and although I have many authors I love on my auto-buy list, Hamilton’s genius has carved out a special place in my reader heart.

Her bio from her website,

http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell.html,

is very fascinating. Here is a snippet of it:

“College found me enrolled in the creative writing program. I would be kicked out of that program at the end of my sophomore year. The head of the writing program told me I was a corrupting influence on the other students. I’d gotten into the writing program on the strength of two short stories; a vampire story and a Lovecraftian story that had my first sex scene in it. The teacher thought she could cure me of wanting to write horror. When she realized she couldn’t “cure” me, she decided to destroy me. She told me I’d never make it as a writer, and pretty much crushed me. I finished out my English degree with literature courses, and went to the biology department. I would get my bio degree in two years time. People ask me, “Have you sent her your books? Have you let her know what a success you are?”

No, because she didn’t believe I couldn’t succeed as a writer, she feared I could. She feared I would go out and do exactly what I have done, corrupt millions. Wahaha!”

Read the rest at your leisure but Hamilton is an inspiration and a real life badass. As for her writing, Hamilton’s creativity and use of horror is so captivating you’ll become an addict by the first page.

Anita Blake is a badass with an attitude. She starts off as a prude with a lot of hang-ups and develops into an extraordinary and powerful character. She has a unique occupation as an Animator and consultant for the police and a penchant for trouble. Anita’s development from Guilty Pleasures to Bullet is nothing short of amazing. But even with all that growth she never loses that smartass teasing quality we readers have come to know and love.

I always review series as a whole if I can. I just like to do it that way. So, what can you expect from this series? You can expect action, horror, romance, über hot sex scenes, and characters that are beyond authentic. In a world so otherworldly, Hamilton grounds you with Blake’s religious and moral convictions, which gives a world of vampire, shapeshifters, and goddesses a sense of realness.

I cannot say enough good things about this series. The covers are insane. The titles are original, eye-catching, and just remarkable. The writing, world building, and character development is off the charts outstanding. So just go read it god damn it. *takes a deep breath* Thanks.(less)

· see review

Mar 25, 2011

Maneden rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: No-one

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

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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Books by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1)

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3)

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #2)

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4)

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #5)

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“Some moments are perfect, and then someone comes along and f*cks it up. Ain't it always the way.” — 63 people liked it

“Regrets are about decisions that you know you should have done different.” — 53 people liked it

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Bullet (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #19)

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