Laurell K. Hamilton is working on the next Anita Blake Vampire book!!! Not Blood Noir, which comes out in May (I can’t wait!), but a totally new book that doesn’t even have a title yet. I cannot express how much I enjoy these books. I know that I’ve mentioned before on here how I prefer to read books that are part of a series; I have this need to know what happens next and my imagination is just not good enough.
I do not know if this happens to other people, but I know that I’m really enjoying a book when in between times of reading I’m trying to figure out what is going to happen next or I am thinking about the characters A LOT. This series does that to me. After years of following these people’s lives and feeling as though I know them, I wait with baited breath to get the next installment.
For those of you who haven’t read LKH’s Anita series – it is I suppose a sci/fi / fantasy book. It is set in a time when vampires are legal citizens and weres are prevalent. The scenario that LKH has created is completely believable to me. The weres are treated as if it is a disease; there are even vaccines so that people – if exposed – won’t become that were animal. The general populace is aware of these creatures and knows that there are people like Anita, who is a necromancer (someone who can raise the dead), but they do not feel completely comfortable around them.
The star of the show is Anita, a necromancer and vampire hunter and as the series progresses, the reader is introduced to some amazing people. Honestly, if I could make any series come to life, this would be it. I want to hang out with these people. LKH said once on her blog that she saw something in a store and thought “Hey, this would be perfect for so and so’s birthday.” That’s how real these characters are to her and I kind of feel the same way, though obviously seeing as how I didn’t create them, its different for me.
I have read this series more then 5 times now and each time I enjoy the journey more. The stories are interesting, but what keeps me coming back is the growth of the characters. In general I believe that series should be read in order and with this series I think it should be mandatory. For example Anita is simply not the same person that she was in the first book Guilty Pleasures. The people that she (and we) have met and the things that have happened to her, have made her the person that she is now and I really feel that it is important to watch that process. There are people that have stopped reading the series, they feel that the current vein of the story is too dark, ect. But to me, it makes perfect sense. I understand why Anita is ok with the status quo and I understand why she is living her life the way she is.
For those people that haven’t read LKH before, I would certainly recommend this series and for those people that have stepped back from the series – I would suggest giving it another try. I do realize that not everyone is going to enjoy just because I do, but gosh darn it, its just so good! She does have another series, Meredith Gentry, about fairies – which I read, but it doesn’t hook me in like Anita.
Anyway, this blog is to express my excitement about the start of a new Anita book and to impress on all of you how fantastic they are. No, they are not romance novels, but there is some romance in them. I would also say that these are not your typical sci/fi / fantasy books either, they are unique and I love them!
4 Comments
March 21, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’m an Anita fan as well. Although, I don’t like the more recent books as much as I did the first half of the series. I loved the series up till about Obsidian Butterfly, after that the arduer just got a little out of hand for me. I long for the days of the “simple” love triangle between JC, Anita, and Richard. I don’t like her other lovers as much as the original two so it’s harder for me to get psyched about the books. But I liked The Harlequin much better than some of the other recent books in the series. As long as LKH writes Anita books…I will be reading them!
I’m not a fan of the other series I read the first 2 or 3 books in the series but haven’t kept up with them since.
I’m also an MLIS grad. Librarians Rock!
March 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I used to love Anita but lately—well, its kind of lost a little spark. She’s gotten so many powers and everytime something goes wrong she miraculously develops a new power. I liked it better when she was still struggling. Now the other characters. I really like seeing them “grow up” and develop. Nathaniel is getting intriguing instead of a burden.
I like the Merry books! Somehow her take on the “good fairies” versus the “bad fairies” caught my interest. Sometimes she seems to go overboard on the sex in the later ones but I’m wondering where this one is going to go. Will some of the many sexy males develop a little more and become less beefcake? Maybe, if so good.
March 21, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Joy, LKH has been mentioning the Merry books pretty often on her blog, since thats the series she was working on (just found out yesterday that her “secret project” has been the new Anita book). I think that I remember reading that she is moving some of the minor characters up in this new book…but if you really want to know more, check her out at http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/. She writes most days and I find it interesting to see the process of her work…plus hearing about the characters gets me through the in between times while waiting for the next installment.
April 17, 2008 at 3:43 pm
[...] is LKH = Laurell K. Hamilton, one of my all time favorite authors! I’ve written about her before and I’m sure I will again. Melissa has enjoyed the first two books in the series and [...]