Ardeur: 14 Writers on the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series

by Laurell K. Hamilton (Editor), Leah Wilson (Editor), Nick Mamatas (Contributor)

Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series is a literary sensation, thanks to its strong female hero, well-fleshed (both literally and literarily) characters and unabashed attitude toward sex. The world Hamilton has created is powerfully compelling and stunningly complex—and it gets deeper, richer and more perilous, with every book.

Straddling the series' dominant themes of sex and power, Ardeur gives Anita fans a deeper look into the dynamics, both personal political, that have kept readers fascinated throughout the run of the series. Why is the ardeur the very best thing that could have happened to Anita, personally (aside from all the sex it requires her to have with hot men)? How is Anita's alternate United States a logical legal extension of our own? And as the series continues, what other bargains might Anita have to make with herself and others in order to keep the people she loves safe from harm?

The collection includes essay introductions by Hamilton, giving context and extra insight into each essay's subject.

Genres: Vampires, Nonfiction, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Essays, Horror, Anthologies

197 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2010

About the author

Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her family.

Reviews

[Bookmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in this book because you believe it's about the Ardeur, you will either be vastly disappointed, or incredibly relieved, because it's NOT about the Ardeur.

Fourteen authors have written essays covering fourteen different aspects of Anita and her world. This is by no means a book touting how wonderful the Anita Blake series is. As a matter of fact, you'll find some authors that think the series lost it's value either when Anita finally had sex with Jean-Claude (no more sexual tension or leaving readers wondering who she'll pick) or by doing a 180 with her issues on monogamy in Narcissus in Chains.

What we do have are some interesting and thought provoking theories covering topics such as:
*Anita's relationships with other women
*Romance, and why vampires are such a hot topic
*How cold English words are for different parts of the body and how Laurell has avoided them
*How Anita has to save someone before she can trust them, and why
*How death shaped her
*Edward
*What becoming a monster has done for Anita
*Why the level of violence exhibited by a woman was such a breakthrough in this series
*The law and why it's so unfair to the preternatural community
*And a whole lot more - and yes, there are a couple regarding sex

Each essay is prefaced by a message from Laurell, not pointing out what she believes is right or wrong, but of her own experiences related to the topic and how they affected her writing or Anita's character. This adds a great deal of insight to the hows and whys.

This is a really good book for making you see things in a new light. Of course if you have already stopped reading the series because you don't like the direction it has taken, this book probably isn't going to make you suddenly want to go play catch up with the books you haven't read yet. But I do believe you'd appreciate the insights and theories offered in this book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recently finishing Flirt, and while waiting for Bullet, I found Ardeur to take the edge off of my Anita Blake craving. With 18 books chronicling Anita Blake's adventures as a vampire executioner/necromancer/succubus, it was nice to read something that reflects on the series and all that it accomplishes.

Ardeur includes 14 essays on a variety of subjects, all pertaining to the Anita Blake universe. Everything from how the ardeur has helped Anita to develop and overcome personal boundaries, to lack of racial diversity among vampire characters, to how the series is helping our culture to heal its hang-ups on sexuality is explored. Each essay is also introduced by Laurell K. Hamilton herself, revealing background to the Anita Blake series as well as experiences in Hamilton's personal life that subconsciously made their way into the stories.

One essay that stands out particularly to me is "Bon Rapports" by Marella Sands, a member of Hamilton's writing group. According to Sands, Hamilton had determined at the beginning of the series that Anita was to never, ever have explicit sex--"No sex on stage" as she says. Her essay also explores the lack of good words available in English for writing sex scenes. Something I had never thought on, but about which she makes a great point!

Overall, an eye-opening and interesting read that makes you think twice about how Hamilton and Anita Blake have changed an entire genre.

[Anastasiaadamov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad to have finally got the chance to read this collection of essays. It was very intriguing to read thoughts and interpretations of others to the Anita Blake book series and its intricacies. Some authors provided me with insightful comments and helped me understand some things from a very different angle. Even when I disagreed with their thesis authors were interesting to read.
I was glad that some of my own thought were reflected to me in a new and exciting way. Reading Laurell's introduction before each essay was a pleasure and helped me to understand how she designs her characters and their interactions. I believe Anita Blake is a book series I will be tempted to read again and again.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and reading essays focusing on many different aspects of the series was a wonderful experience. While most of the contributing authors were unknown to me, all had interesting viewpoints on the series.

Having Laurell K. Hamilton herself edit the book concerned me. I felt that her involvement in the project may have caused the book to be less candid than it could have been. The Anita Blake series often invokes strong feelings, for and against Anita's actions. While the subject of her sexuality was touched upon on a few occasions, there was never a strong voice against how the series has progressed, which made me wonder if that just wasn't allowed.

I did enjoy Hamilton's introductions to each essay. She spoke about personal times in her life that seemed to influence the topic each contributor was speaking about. Hamilton is known for being very open about her personal life and these introductions are on par with what fans know of her personality.

The essays will vary in interest according to the reader. Some focus more on the series itself while others focus on the comparisons to either other literary works or "the real world." As I mentioned earlier, all are interesting, but some will be more relevant to fans than others.

Ardeur is a fun look at the entirety of the Anita Blake series, often delving deep into a variety of topics. Much of what is covered in these essays will cause readers to consider aspects of the series in entirely new ways. A must for any Anita Blake fan.

[Larisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilled with the author forewords for each essay, and the multi-faceted insight the book gave me for the overarching character development. And development it is, not the super slut slide as bandied about on many of the book reviews. Shocked by some revelations (Olaf has a fan group? and they want Anita & Olaf to date?!)
I've read the first four to six books countless times, and still recommend them in heavy rotation to friends looking for a new read. Anita will always be my first,favorite, true kick-ass heroine. Her weapons knowledge alone would earn her that status. That she starts with a rigid worldview and moral compass guiding her and learns to embrace many shades of grey which eventually give her a home life and relationships she didn't think she'd ever want, deserve or could emotionally manage.
Reinvigorated to read the series. My curiosity and *need* to read the next book in the series is reinvigorated.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed with most of the essays in this book, but thankfully not all of them. "Showing the Scars," in particular, by Jacob Clifton delves into the aspects of Urban Fantasy that most interest me. He posits that the supernatural love triangle is a communal effort of our culture to cope with the myriad of sexual and gendered changes of the last 40 years. That is the heart of my research interests, there are too many patterns throughout this genre, and they sell WAY too well, for these elements to be purely coincidental.


So, worth reading, worth my time, but the first half is also worth my complaints in that first week. I am pleased with the last essay.

[Lisa Lenox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm one of those people who wrote Hamilton off for a number of years while she was "Working something out". What I realized as I read this treatise was that, I was the one working something out. I'm 62. I was raised very religious. Sex was shameful unless you were married, and then probably only for procreation. This didn't stop me from having sex, but it did affect my enjoyment of it. I won't go into the psychopathology of having sex you don't enjoy, but it was probably something to do with being polite, no matter the circumstances. Gross. I hated myself in the 80s. It was a lost time.
I read all the Anita Blake books up to the current ones, but swore them off after Dead Ice as being "too squishy."

I'm going to re-read them, with fresh eyes. I realize now that I was coming from a place of puritanical sexual mores. That's not who I am now. Oh, I'm an old married lady these days, and monogamous, because that's what my husband expects, and that's fair. But if I was a young woman now? Holy Cow. I'd f*** anyone I wanted, regardless of sex. I'd do it in piles. I'd have FUN, dammit!

Hamilton really did change the face of paranormal lit as we know it. Without her, there would be no Karen Marie Moning. There'd be no Lexi Blake. There'd be none of the stories we have today that explore sexuality in a frank and honest way.

Yeah, sometimes Hamilton gets lost in descriptions of eyes. There are only so many ways to say someone has purple eyes. Tell us once and get on with the story. Every author has their peccadillos. Hamilton is no different. But I think I can learn to live with a lot of it if she keep delivering glimpses into Anita's life.

[Amanda]

Introduction • Laurell K. Hamilton
Giving the Devil Her Due • Nick Mamatas
Girls Gone Wild • Heather Swain
Ambiguous Anita • Lilith Saintcrow
Dating the Monsters • L. Jagi Lamplighter
Bon Rapports • Marella Sands
Mom! There’s Something Dead Sucking on My Neck! • Cathy Clamp
The Other Side of the Street • Alasdair Stuart
The Domestication of a Vampire Executioner • Natasha Fondren
Ardeur‘s Purpose • Devon Ellington
Trying the System • Melissa L. Tatum
Are the Fangs Real? • Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D.
Death Becomes Her • Sharon Ashwood
Death’s Got Your Back • Vera Nazarian
Showing the Scars • Jacob Clifton

Laurell K. Hamilton; Nick Mamatas; Heather Swain; Lilith Saintcrow; L. Jagi Lamplighter; Marella Sands; Cathy Clamp; Alasdair Stuart; Natasha Fondren; Devon Ellington; Melissa L. Tatum; Mikhail Lyubansky; Sharon Ashwood; Vera Nazarian; Jacob Clifton

[CherylB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Analysis of Anita Blake!

This is an analysis of Laurell K. Hamilton protagonist. Arguably the first strong, female, law enforcement and paranormal main character. She pulls no punches when fulfilling her duty. And loses no sleep over it. This collection shows how and why this series broke all the rules. And it shows how Anita has evolved as the series grows. This book was published in 2010. About half way through to our current age in 2023. I love seeing these different authors’ perspectives.

[Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting views from authors, on another author's characters. Good writing that puts you in other peoples' heads and allows you to see their views of very familiar fictional characters.

[Dagne Drake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring as hell. Guess I'm not cut out to read blah-blah-blah book discussions, I just want the stories.

[Taquillia Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soo good!!

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 different pieces discussing the Anita Blake series. I'll review them one by one.

Unfortunately, my pc committed suicide and I'll have to get back to you with the individual reviews. (I wrote them up by hand.) Assuming, of course, that they even fit in this tiny little review space. I got rather wordy. *g*

Overall, I was rather pleased with the selection of essays. I think there were only two I absolutely hated. Another two I gave 5 stars to. The rest fell somewhere in between.

The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that some of these people treated the series, not just as an entertaining story, but as good literature. I like that. Definitely worth the read.

******

1. "Giving the Devil Her Due" - My only complaint is the ever present especially in her early books, but otherwise this first article is accurate and positive. His main points being Laurell brought about a new form of fantasy where: (1) the heroine kicked ass; (2) sex was not hidden or romanticized; (3) everyday issues creeped into the story (which gave the story added realism); and (4) the male characters had to work to keep up with the female lead. Well written. 4 stars

2. "Girls Gone Wild" - Complete crap. For some reason this writer wants to compare Anita Blake to some character in "Jane Eyre", and to Britney Spears. Huh? I see no comparison between Anita and a spoiled and crazy pop star. I'll admit, I haven't read "Jane Eyre", but the characters aren't even living in the same century. Talk about stretching. Anita is a product of her time and her world, not a thinly veiled archetype of a woman.

This writer portrays Anita as the fallen woman. Not in the least. Anita didn't fall from grace, she opened her eyes to the reality of her world, not the shuttered world her narrow minded church wanted her to see. Seeing individuals as individuals is a positive thing. Throwing away stereotypes is a good thing. Finding love in whatever form it comes is a positive thing. Embracing the opportunities that come along is a positive thing.

I fail to see how Anita was better off in "Guilty Pleasures" when she was was alone with her own self-righteousness, slowly burning out on her job. That's existing. The more recent Anita is living.

Bad, inaccurate article. 1 star.

Alternatively, I enjoyed Laurell's intro. Writing about ... [Anita's:] love being fresh and new in that way that makes you think anything is possible while the love of my life was ending was one of the most painful things I've ever done. So, yes, Anita turned from Richard to Jean-Claude at the time Laurell's first marriage was ending. But that doesn't make Richard into her first husband Gary, or any other male lead into her second husband Jon. It just meant Laurell couldn't write HEA when her heart was breaking.

07/06/2010

******

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I generally prefer my time spent in fantasy realms to be purely escapist, I certainly appreciate it more if it is intelligent, so I find myself mildly intrigued by the concept of taking one of my favorite escape destinations and putting a purely scholastic analysis to it. That being said, I am now mystified by the read that anyone can apparently put on anything, given their own method of viewing the world. I guess that says that good fiction can be everything to everyone (or at least, the scholarly types can mash enough words together to make it fit into whatever they want it to be saying).

What I liked about this collection of essays is that none of them felt sycophantic. While I didn't necessarily agree with all of them (along the lines of "THAT'S what you get out of Anita Blake?? Ummm...alrighty, then!"), they did for the most part intelligently present their point without getting too pedagogical. Several of them were downright funny (and completely correct). Don't be misled by the title--surprisingly enough, the focus was not all on the sex in the books. What I most appreciated was how some of the analysis reminded me why I loved the series so much, and for all its current faults, what draws me to it still. I also enjoyed Laurell's editorial comments before each essay--some were things I already knew from her blogs, some were new insights or information. It did make me wonder if it was a surreal experience for her, to be responsible for reading and commenting on other people's interpretations of her intellectual baby.

LKH has vented numerous times (and mentions it in her editorial notes here) on the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" feedback she's received on the sexual content of the series. While I personally have not been happy with the continual ramping-up of Anita's harem, it has nothing to do with the sex itself, but with that fact that the relationships have overtaken what was great about Anita--that hard-boiled, noir detective/animator with the smart mouth and the loaded gun. I love the evolution that she's made in building her power, in allowing herself to love, and in coming to terms with what works for her. But the number of men and the number of internal beasts she now has to juggle means there's no room left for a real story, and that's what I miss. I keep reading in the hopes that I'll get that Anita back again...

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take

April 2,2023 Edit
The book gives MANY spoilers for the people who haven’t read up to book 18 or 19!! The different reviewers are analyzing everything from the first book up to the print date in 2010. While it is a bit of a slog to get through the various viewpoints, I found it interesting to see what themes & memes each one thought were important for the series or were major problems that they felt detrimental. Laurel Hamilton was gracious enough to find something positive to say after each review, even those that savaged elements of the story lines she took. I agreed with some, disagreed with others and found mixed feelings on yet others so all in all it was worthwhile to read this.
In fact it has induced me to begin the series again with the idea of seeing things along the way that I either took differently or perhaps missed noticing the first go around.
But I STRONGLY want to reiterate, under NO circumstances should you read this book before you have read both the books and novellas up to Bullet (June 2010) first!!

My quick initial review from 2021:
When I checked out this book I had thought it was either a collection of short stories or perhaps a novella. However it proved to be interesting to see differing views of the world Anita Blake lives in.

[Ninetailedkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that Anita Blake lovers will like and find interesting. 14 different writers basically write essays on various themes regarding the Anita Blake series covering her maturation and evolvement, struggles with her powers and concerns over becoming what she originally hunts. All are preceded by commentary by Laurell herself which adds to the experience. I found all authors, except one, had something interesting to say and made me want to read all the books again with these thoughts in my head. The only one I didn't like was just too pretentious and condenscending - got to say in my opinion just the worst type of college intellectual elitist, capable of reading way too much into a horror series. It reminded me of this one college professor I had who said the movie "The Lost Boys" was all about heterosexuals and thei latent homophobia - Jeeze!!! Its a goddamn vampire movie, and a campy one at that!!!! Just go with it already!!!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essays are kinda hit or miss, and it's interesting to be on Twitter to sort of discuss them with a friend. Generally, the essays that are in the miss column are the ones that don't even address AB:VH (Marella Sands, for example), or don't have any coherent thought to them (Heather Swain). Whereas Lilith Saintcrow can lay out her argument and use examples from the text to back up her stance, so that was refreshing to read and helped me understand why I liked certain books more than others in the series.

While essays definitely provide some food for thought on the various aspects of LKH's writing, more gets revealed in the introductions that Laurell wrote for each piece than anything someone could write about her books. It's really weird to see someone just...not understand that other people will interpret the text in their own, completely individual ways.

[Caitlin Trepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few essays in here that were 5-star status; I'd say about 4 of the 14. It would be well worth the purchase, but slugging through the other 10 was a bit weird. I liked the essay about why modern protagonists date monsters, and another essay that pointed out the serious problem Anita (or LKH) has with Strong Women who are not Anita. Anita really does only seem to like Strong Women when they are below her in the hierarchy, which is very interesting in itself! Also LKH writes an intro into before each of the essays with a little background, which provides cool insight! I might have rated it higher if it didn't have the strongest essays in the beginning and a slow ending.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting book to read. Whether you love or hate LKH and Anita, and I have done both, it was nice to see other perspectives. I often found myself reconsidering things due to different issues being brought up. Sometimes I didn't agree with what they were saying, but that was ok. I especially liked the new nuggets I learned from LKH, who knew originally Micah was supposed to be a bad buy and betray Anita, I can't really see it even though I don't really like him.

I think if you like Anita, even if it was back when, you will enjoy this new look into the series.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty interesting, although I thought some essays got a bit wordy and tried to be too academic. I zoned out a bit at those. I was pleasantly surprised to fine that some were a bit critical. It was nice to see that dissenting opinions were allowed. I enjoyed the introductions to each essay by LKH, although I know at least some have appeared as blog posts before.

[Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction by Laurell K. Hamilton prior to each essay is what I enjoyed most about this book. They gave interesting insight into the Anita Blake series as well as the author herself.

As for the essays, most were okay. A few were very good and a couple I felt were just way off base and on the boring side.

I'm glad I read it though.

[Lyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not even going to waste my time finishing this book. It's a bunch of authors trying to make more out of a non-fiction series then it really it. Many of the commentaries sounded like authors trying to make stuff up to sell their own books or just to "hear" themselves speak. Absolutely worthless - waste of paper.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found that this book made me think more fully about what is happening in the Anita universe. While I agree with many of the essays, I find that some have no real idea of what the series is about. This can be due to the fact that they insist on viewing it narrowly as it relates to their view of the world in general.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this nonfiction about fiction that is contemporary. I've really only ever read such about old classic works. Fun stuff, although I'm a little scared that it is shattering some delusions I've somehow harbored despite my feminist vigilance.

[Irena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every essay had a comment of one to two pages by LKH herself. She didn't say anything I hadn't heard before. The essays were by writers that most of which I have heard of or read. Nothing new here, folks, move along.

[Alicia Prochnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all of LKH's comments,but skipped 2 of the other author's writings. It was nice to get some background from LKH. And also nice to hear some other perspectives on why certain items exist in the series.
But this book is in no way required to read as part of the series.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I was expecting. But I did like reading other authors' analysis of Hamilton's writing and the character of Anita Blake and her growth in this book series...or should I say development? It also contains commentary/ feedback from Hamilton as well.

[Ellana Thornton-Wheybrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a collection of essays, this covers a great deal of things that I love about the Anita universe. It has also made me rethink parts of the series by introducing me to interpretations that I had not thought of myself. A brilliant collection.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of essays on Laurell K. Hamilton's series, each interesting and some compelling. I love reading books about books.

Reread 2018 after rereading all 26 AB books and still found most of them well done.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like I was grading papers instead of gaining insight to the character of Anita. Disappointing.