Guys, did this happen to you? You’re browsing the bookshelf, probably in the “horror” or “sci-fi/fantasy” section of your local bookstore, and your eye catches the cover featuring a beautiful, semi-nude woman. Intrigue, you pick up a book, but as soon as you put the words “beautiful vampire” or “luxury” or “lust”. book get down quickly, hoping no one has witnessed your trespass. Well, I’m here to tell you, pick up the book back.
Most guys I know, even the ones who do share my appreciation of sci-fi and fantasy, would never consider picking up any of the books in Laurell K. Hamilton’s “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter” series. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had a six-hour flight and nothing to read, I probably would never have read it. Whether Hamilton intended it or not, his series has increasingly fallen into the “Erotic Horror” genre, which tend to be written with a female audience in mind and can often be described as “bite-curled scumbags.” But my fear of sitting on a boat without any reading was far greater than that of reading a book that was less masculine, so with slight hesitation I picked up “Obsidian Butterfly”.
Now, obviously, “Obsidian Butterfly” is a very friendly book of the series, since it involves one of Hamilton’s most popular characters, Edward, a very normal looking monster slayer. But we’ll get to Edward later. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series with “Guilty Pleasures”, as it will help any reader to be immersed in the world of Anita Blake.
The premise of the original series is not ground-breaking; Today’s world aid day is similar to ours except for the existence of the supernatural. However, it is a unique concept of the supernatural, not only existing, it is obvious. Vampires have recently become citizens, although they cannot yet vote, and lycanthropy is considered a disease. The good ol’ USA is the only country where vampires are considered legal, which means America has dealt with a large influx of vampires in recent years. Of all of which, Anita Blake makes that job that much harder, as she’s a licensed vampire butcher for St. Louis. When the vampire forgets his behavior, the court issues a warrant, and Anita takes care of the problem.
While the possible complications and implications of a world where supernaturals have legal rights provides an interesting back drop, the stories aren’t really about that. All about Anita Blake, a woman trying to come to terms with her multiple supernatural connections. Because Anita is not only a butcher, she is also a necromancer and animator who can raise zombies from the grave, a skill that is constantly in demand thanks to the mostly legal industry.
As you can imagine, a butcher of any kind is not your average job, and the main character of Anita Blake’s series, is not your average person. Anita Blake is, in fact, an absolute bad ass, and she appeals to bad readers as much as she appeals to women. She is a stone cold killer, and she definitely believes in pushing the concept harder. And because Anita is a diminutive woman in a very scary monster world, she gets plenty of opportunities to vent.
Pleasures of the guilty” establishes a formula that the next five books quite aptly follow: Anita receives a call from a team of supernatural local police and Jean Claude, the other major character, begins the series as a two-dimensional bad guy, but evolves into someone close to he is as complex as Anita herself. And Richard, a wolf, constantly struggles between his wolfish instincts and a good moral code.
Each book is packed with enough action and blood to fill a “Rambo” movie, and any reader who enjoys it. shots of adrenaline will not be confused with their lessons. But this is not to say that the books are completely gender neutral. Especially in the later books, when Anita’s relationship with one of the other main characters finally blossoms, the books begin to turn a little deeper into the erotic category. But Hamilton makes a more plausible scenario to justify the sudden increase in sex, and while the body of the later books falls short, there’s still enough action and payback to keep readers happy.
Of course, Hamilton didn’t betray his female audience. Almost all the male characters are gorgeous, and she spends more time describing outfits than the reader needs to feel bad. Yes, there are very few male characters, let’s say…outside of the manly, but since women have been watching male visual fantasy events in Hollywood for decades, I can’t really envy them.
So for any guy out there who borrowed Ann Rice’s “The Vampire Diaries” but couldn’t easily get past the feminine tone of the story , I recommend the Anita Blake series. Because in this case, you definitely shouldn’t judge these books by their covers.
