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Laurel K Hamilton - Anita Blake
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Meredith Barrons
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Jun 05, 2009 04:43AM
Hi. I recently started reading the Anita Blake vampire hunter books and I am really liking them so far. I am currently reading the 3rd book Circus of the Damned. I have read some reviews that the series really changes as the books go on, and now I am worried. Has anyone read the whole series? What is your opinion? I would hate to read all 15 books and be disappointed! : )
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Meredith,I have read the whole series including the latest Skin Trade, and yes there is a drastic shift. However, I don't feel disappointed that I have read them all. Most people approach this by reading up until they just can't stand the changes. However, LKH evidently listened to the readers because the newest book is much closer to the original books than the last 4 have been.
Jylepore wrote: "the newest book is much closer to the original books than the last 4 have been."Thank goodness! The series started so strong and then just lost momentum. I'll look forward the new one.
Thanks. Sometimes it is hard to follow the same characters for so many books while keeping the story interesting and pleasing to everyone. I guess I will keep reading and if I get too frustrated I will stop. I get so invested in a series and then I feel like I have to continue reading even if I start to hate the books! ha ha
Jylepore we need to discuss the new one...a specific indident in the book irked me to NO end...I'm sure you can figure out which one it was.I think LKH went a little to far in the ardeur department on this one. should we open a spoilers thread?
Meredith919 wrote: "Thanks. Sometimes it is hard to follow the same characters for so many books while keeping the story interesting and pleasing to everyone. I guess I will keep reading and if I get too frustrated ..."Meredith, i completely understand, we become attached to the characters. I personally only read series if I have a choice.
Yeah series can become tedious but I follow this one because I want to know what happens with the characters.Though this latest one pissed me off to no end. 400 pages of amazing. 100 pages of, WTF? Its still a good book just a shitty ending. thats just my opinion
As far as the Ardeur, it makes sense and it fits. People who don't like it I find just can't understand the story line and how she has changed as a person. (or are just prude lol.. )A book without an ongoing and changing characters = boring. Which is what people want from this series it seems.
The whole lifestyle LKH has created with the vampires and weres is intense and as such Anita being IN that world of COURSE she is going to change. Otherwise take out the vamps take out the weres and have a boring series imo.
I don't mind the ardeur, I minded what one of the actions the ardeur made her do. Hamilton took it too far. And I love this series but the ending made me mad because the rest of the book was so good.
Most of us who are still reading the Anita series don't mind the ardeur or the sex, but there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed even in fantasy. Especially when crossing them adds absolutely nothing to the plot.
I think I'm the only person who hated this from the get-go.Anyone hear about Hamilton being a Wiccan now?
Yeah. She went from being christian to nothing to wiccan.
lol. Her wiccan beliefs really come through in the merry books the whole "goddess" thing. She kind of threw me off guard in the latest book because she makes references to how anita is catholic...i was like...huh?!? :P
This is a highly debated topic between Anita fans and foes. This is from my MySpace blog...The Evolution Of Anita
It's no secret that I'm a huge Anita Blake fan and get rather passionate in my defense of all the sex in the later books. I hear the same complaints all the time. They started out really good and then about half way into the series they become nothing but porn...blah, blah, blah. Since this my blog I'm just going to say it...are you fucking crazy??!! The sex is what makes Anita become a human being instead of just a zombie raising killing machine. It's the relationships between all of the characters that drives the story and leaves you breathless for the next book. The other thing that really pisses me off is the person who picks up, oh let's say Cerulean Sins, the 11th book in the series and then gives it a scathing review. How you can start any series in the middle and expect to really understand it and enjoy it? You can't. And you've done a huge disservice to the author, the fans, and yourself when you do that. This series is all about the slow build. It's a layering of characters, emotions and power that builds one on top of the other as the series progresses. Anita is undergoing her own metamorphosis. She's transformed from a rigid bitch into a sexual siren. Her harem of sexy bed partners is every woman's fantasy...well, as long as you're into vamps, wereswolves, werecats and being the creamy fiilling between a Jean Claude & Asher sandwich. I, for one, appreciate being able to live vicariously through her sexual adventures. You go girl.
All your comments are cracking me up! I definitely don't mind change and growth in a character so I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books. Sex in a book doesn't bother me either... I love J.R. Ward and Kenyon so that shouldn't be a problem for me either! I am surprised that there has been no sex in the first 3 books yet! ha ha
Meredith919 wrote: Sex in a book doesn't bother me either. I am surprised that there has been no sex in the first 3 books yet! ha ha ."Don't worry Meredith sex galore awaits you in the upcoming books. It sorta sneaks up on ya. You just want her to give it up and sleep with Richard or JC for a long time and then finally that happens and then comes Micah and Nathaniel, and jason and Requiem and London and Truth and Christian and the Siren/Vampires and the swans and the dust bunnies and the demons from the last circle of hell and I even think Captain Kirk was in there somewhere you should probably look out for random trekkie sightings on this board.
Seriously though a lot of fans gripped about all of the sex, but me personally I just can't stand the constant whining about it, even though Lori is right and it's a big part of her character development and I understand it's purpose. Personally If it were me and fantasy were real I would be like a pregnant woman in an ice cream store. Let me get a scoop of this and a scoop of that. Never met a flavor I didn't like. Well, except perhaps vanilla. LOL
Capt. Kirk. Lol!It's a series that starts with no erotic aspect, then shifts to a heavy erotic aspect as part of the plot line and in specific relation to powers the heroine obtains.
I had mixed feelings about the transition, solely because Anita becomes a victim of her own power. I didn't like the lack of control over her own body. If she consciously chose to be with so many men, no problem--bring em on! The lack of choice is what made me uncomfortable with the last few.
But even through all of that, my discomfort wouldn't prompt me to stop reading. There was so much more going on that I just had to know about!
Yea, Kyle, Anita was Catholic in the beginning of the series. The church excommunicated all necromancers so she had to switch. I seem to recall her trying something else before settling on Episcopalian.
Lori wrote: "The sex is what makes Anita become a human being instead of just a zombie raising killing machine."It also makes her a whore.
H wrote: "Lori wrote: "The sex is what makes Anita become a human being instead of just a zombie raising killing machine."It also makes her a whore."
lol, I actually laughed out loud. :P
Still laughing..... I am about to start Lunatic Cafe.... It is hard to believe that Anita is going to become some sort of a nympho because so far she has been such a prude! ha ha. So far I like the growing relationship between her and Jean Claude. I wish Anita would be more open minded to the fact that he is a vampire. I was starting to believe they definitely love each other in a way. I also like Richard too but I am definitely hoping she will end up with Jean Claude. It doesn't sound like that is going to happen though if she sleeps with everyone in sight. I guess I will just have to read on and see what happens!
You'll grow to love Richard in a "I love to hate him" sort of way ;)
Meredith919 wrote: "Hi. I recently started reading the Anita Blake vampire hunter books and I am really liking them so far. I am currently reading the 3rd book Circus of the Damned. I have read some reviews that the series really changes as the books go on, and now I am worried. Has anyone read the whole series? What is your opinion? I would hate to read all 15 books and be disappointed! : )"It all depends on what part of the series attracts you the most. Those who prefer the mystery, the police cases, and the fact that Anita is a vampire Executioner tend not to like the later books.
I personally love the whole series. I've actually enjoyed the later books more than the early books. In the early books Anita is sure of her own self righteousness, but she's very much alone. As the books progress, she gets closer to the monsters, and she herself becomes more and more of a monster. (Being born a necromancer, she wasn't human to begin with.)
I like the evolution from seeing an entire group as evil, to judging individuals in that group on their own merit.
So, basically, if you prefer the urban fantasy side of things more than the mystery, you might enjoy the later books. The later books are more character centric than plot centric, as well. And, yes, they're more sexual. It's a good thing.
I say ignore everyone and give them a try. Judge for yourself.
I don't mind the sex its just that she gives such a stupid reason for it. Not to mention it was just pathetic, "im in the middle of something but I MUST fuck you or we will all die". I'm glad she has control of it now so she has sex but it isn't pointless.
It's all a personal thing. Can't please all of the people all of the time! Especially with such a long standing series.
I really like the total arc of the series. The most recent book, Skin Trade, kind of pulls it all together and shows how much Anita has evolved and grown. She's a Federal Marshall, a necromancer, a vampire's human servant, a leader of several shapeshifter groups, a devout Christian, a target for a lot of power-hungry people/beings, and a woman who loves her family and friends. She's learned a lot about love and loss, priorities and passion, courage and honesty, and loyalty and despair. She's just a really complex character. I like her a lot better now than I did when she was younger and thought everything was so straightforward. Real life is complicated, too, and sometimes things happen that we never expected to have to deal with. Sure, her stuff is pretty wild and extreme, but I felt like it all makes sense when read in the context of the full series. But, as Michelle M. says, to each his or her own, right? Give it a try, see if you like it. That's one of the reason I like the library so much. I only buy books now that I've read already or know I'll love, the rest I "check out" first :)I think it's interesting how much debate this series generates. I haven't seen any other books get this much spirited discussion in the various groups I belong to, even LHM's other series. So many people have such strong feelings about it. The author must be doing something right, huh?
I thought it was LKH not LHM...so confused...
That was probably a typo :PAnd to the whore comment, to each their own. I like how men can flaunt their stuff and sleep around but when a woman does it.. oh man people get outraged.
I love the series and well as it was said before this is such a debatable topic and you can't please them all.
Stop reading them is my only suggestion if it appalls you so much. Simple.
It doesn't appall me...I'm confused -_-Well everyone makes the same typo then :P
Kyle your a butthole you know it was a typo:PI agree if the series irritates you stop reading and than stop whining about how it has changed just move on. Another thing I hate is when some begins reading the series,reads the reviews for the newer books, than starts bashing Anita and her plethora of men because of all the harping she read about how Anita changes. They never even got to the part where Anita becomes sexually awakened but yet they cry Whore. I say atleast read one of the more sexual books before voicing such strong opinions.
Not a typo, just a brain freeze, sorry. LKH!
Jael wrote: "Another thing I hate is when some begins reading the series,reads the reviews for the newer books, than starts bashing Anita and her plethora of men because of all the harping she read about how Anita changes. They never even got to the part where Anita becomes sexually awakened but yet they cry Whore. I say at least read one of the more sexual books before voicing such strong opinions."Can't agree more. Some people even judge without reading any of the books at all. That's just scary.
If a person doesn't like overtly sexy stuff in books, cool, just skip it. No biggie. But no need to run it down either, lots of people do like it. And if you've read the books and don't like the way they were/are going, that's cool too. Not everyone likes that same thing. Heck, there are actually people out there who don't like anything with magic, vampires, shapershifters, etc.! There are even people out there who don't read, although that I will never understand ;)
So far I like all the characters in the books and I feel really invested in reading how everything turns out. Usually I check out reviews on a series while I am reading them just to get an idea if the series continues to be good. To tell you the truth after 3 books after Anita NOT have sex with anyone, I just want her to do it with someone already! ha ha. I think what caused me to post my original comment was that when I read the reviews for this series they were all so different... loved it, hated it, etc. I just couldn't see how Hamilton would make Anita go from "I don't kiss on the first date" to having her sleep with multiple "people." I will definitely keep reading to find out! I just hope LKH keeps Jean Claude in all the books because he is defintely my favorite. : )
Michelle M. wrote: "I had mixed feelings about the transition, solely because Anita becomes a victim of her own power. I didn't like the lack of control over her own body. If she consciously chose to be with so many men, no problem--bring em on! The lack of choice is what made me uncomfortable with the last few..."Hey Michelle. I understand what you're saying but I look at it this way. In the beginning, Anita was very rigid, narrow minded and judgmental. Her struggle to gain control over her power was necessary to break her down and make her realize what the other "monsters" struggle against and that maybe life isn't so black and white. She was also very stubborn in the beginning and because she fought against the ardeur so much, she LET it control her instead of the other way around. My theory is that Anita's journey closely parallels Laurel's own. She went from being married to a conservative catholic to having a passionate affair with a younger fan club member. Her life was derailed and she was faced with embracing a more passionate and far less rigid lifestyle. She also seems to be embracing her true self for the first time in her life and I think the same is true for Anita. Now that Laurel is married and settled into her new life, I think we'll see the books do the same and Anita will find a balance as well.
Lori, I totally get it. I know that if she hadn't lost control, she would have likely remained rigid and frigid. She wouldn't have gained as much of a connection with the monsters either. But, it still made me a lil squirmy! That said, LKH is certainly an author who's just not afraid to make you squirm to get her point across. It's part of what makes her so controversial and enjoyable.
Jael wrote: "Kyle your a butthole you know it was a typo:PI agree if the series irritates you stop reading and than stop whining about how it has changed just move on. Another thing I hate is when some begi..."
You have to AT LEAST get through Incubus Dreams before you can cry whore in my opinion :P
And i wasn't picking on her, literally EVERYONE makes the same typo :P Its really weird, lol
@ Kyle I know you weren't teasing but I just had to tease you. You darn Richard lover. LMAO
Jael wrote: "@ Kyle I know you weren't teasing but I just had to tease you. You darn Richard lover. LMAO"I don't love him. He would be my favorite male character though if he got his metaphysical shit together.
It's not the amount of sex that offended me, it was the lack of plot movement. I enjoy the smutty stuff, but I want there to be more to the story than just the sex.
Hi, new to the site & the group, and holy smokes, is it nice to hear a lot of what my sister & I say to each other about LKH & anita, it's not just us! Don't get me wrong, luv anita and all the men-folk (and there are plenty), but sometimes it's like, jeez, how many pages can you commit to a bj? :) By the time it's over, you almost have to go back a few pages to remember what the point was to begin with!
Mod
There are so many things that bother me about the direction LKH took with this series, though. The increase in sex would have been fine if we hadn't been given a lame excuse for it in place of real character development. The ardeur seems to me like LKH's way of making Anita *not* seem like a slut.
See, I think that if Anita had just changed, like people do, had become more open about her sexuality, that would have been great. If she realized she was being prudish and that she really wants to have orgies with hot men, more power to her. But by making the need for sex a compulsion rather than a choice, LKH is implying that if you're going to have lots of sex with multiple partners, you'd better have a reason other than "I wanted to." I have the same problem with the Merry Gentry series. She's not having all this hot sex because she wants to; it's because she has to get knocked up or she'll DIE, etc, etc. It really defangs all of the sex-positive feminist stuff that LKH seems to think she's accomplishing.
I have problems with the narrative itself, too. I hate the cast of thousands and LKH's refusal to kill off any of Anita's/Merry's harem. For me, there's no thrill in reading if you know you don't have to worry about the characters you love.
And frankly, I just don't find her sex scenes all that hot anymore. They're kind of boring and repetitive, and I swear, if I had to read one more scene where a guy felt like he was trying to pound his way through Anita/Merry, I would have screamed. She uses several sex scene cliches over and over and over, and that got really frustrating.
And before anyone jumps me, claiming I haven't read the whole series, I'll admit that I gave up at Incubus Dreams. I have read through Anita's "sexual awakening," and I'm not impressed. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I really feel the need to stick up for the naysayers, who seem to be getting a bad rap in this topic. I'm sure there are some people who bash without having read the whole thing, but don't assume that all of us haven't read the books/are prudes/so on.
The Discriminating Fangirl wrote: "See, I think that if Anita had just changed, like people do, had become more open about her sexuality, that would have been great. If she realized she was being prudish and that she really wants to have orgies with hot men, more power to her. But by making the need for sex a compulsion rather than a choice, LKH is implying that if you're going to have lots of sex with multiple partners, you'd better have a reason other than "I wanted to." I have the same problem with the Merry Gentry series. She's not having all this hot sex because she wants to; it's because she has to get knocked up or she'll DIE, etc, etc. It really defangs all of the sex-positive feminist stuff that LKH seems to think she's accomplishing."Very well put. You are a present day Betty Friedan.
...She's dead now, right?
Well Kudos to you Tdfangirl for sticking up for the naysayers but my post was directed at exactly who I directed it to. People who went no farther than say book4 ,read someone's review of the later books, and decided to bash Anita and LKH. Everyone has their opinion and not everyone is going to love the same books but when a person can't seem to form their own opinion and goes off of what others say, that is what pisses me off. For those who have read farther in the series and still doesn't like I simply say to each their own. On the same token it's tiring when the people who don't like the series continously bash those who do. Calling them "mindless ass kissers" I still say if you don't like the series move on and leave the ones who enjoy it alone. It's really ridiculous how far and heated these discussions on this series goes.What you find you have problems others enjoy. It's just that simple. When I don't like a book I state why and I move on. It's just that simple.
Yeah, this series seems to inspire wrath for some reason! I've seen heated discussions on other boards where people get personally offended if another reader doesn't adore every word of it. I think the bible thumpers (why are they reading PNR/UF erotica anyway?) who have accused the series of being pure trash have gotten some of the fans defensive about it. I have my own issues with the series, but what series doesn't have some problems? I think maybe the main issue is differentiating between someone who hates the series sight unseen on principle and just wants to bash it, vs someone who's read it, but just wasn't thrilled with the direction the author took the plot or with some aspect of the character/storyline. The second type of person wants to discuss their likes and dislikes, but I think they're getting lumped in with the haters.
Sexual awakenings can be such a fragile topic, apparently!
Fangirl, I see what you mean and in a way would have preferred a natural evolution myself. It does at times seem like a "reason" is being given, but she was so on the other side of the spectrum, she was so totally frigid, that SOME reason had to be provided. Otherwise, with such a huge behaviour change? Can we say bipolar anyone? Or brain tumor?
Hmn. Since she was already going for the whole Beast Queen theme, she could have linked the awakening to that, but it's still a "reason" by your definition.
But, her awakening ain't gone THAT far. For the love of god woman, get Cookie into bed already. Stop being squeamish about him! You had that weretiger and he's only been around a day!
Damn she didn't give Cookie any yet? That's one of her men I wouldn't mind getting some from
Oops! That's a mini spoiler! Sorry!
