Romantic SF & Fantasy Novels

I finally gave up on the Anita Blake books before the latest release. I simply couldn’t handle her all sex, all the time without any plot style anymore. I’ve never read her Merry Gentry books though my brother still likes them.

I’m not even going to read her message mentioned above!

Left by Robin Greene on January 2nd, 2007

Funny how two people can perceive the same thing in such a different manner. You considered the blog entry proof that Ms. Hamilton is crazy delusional. I believe it proved that she is as human as the rest of us. Honestly, as much (unconstructive) criticism and unjustifiable cruelty as she has been subjected to by people she calls “negative readers” (but I would call asshats), she deserves to say her mind in whatever manner she wishes. I personally think it is very big of her that she managed to remain as polite as she did.

I can’t help but wonder what kind of person would be gleeful when someone else, even a stranger he/she has never or rarely met, has what he/she considers a “self-defeating outburst” when they are “bitter” and “hurt.” I dislike Ms. Douglass’s Wayfarer Redemption series, but I would not be joyous if something bad happened to the author.

By the by, checked out the book review link. I find it superbly fascinating that you posted book reviews (even if they are someone else’s opinions) of her books when you haven’t read anything past Obsidian Butterfly. Danse Macabre is– what?– four books later?

Anyway, you mentioned your curiousity about the current readership of the series. I have read all the books, in both series, written by Ms. Hamilton. I dislike the ardeur, and I wish the books would contain more mystery/crime solving than they currently do. However, I admire that great leap that Ms. Hamilton has made in her writing style from Guilty Pleasures to Danse Macabre. She has grown as a writer, not locked in stasis like other writers I have read in the past.

When The Harlequin is released, I will purchase the hardback copy. The little sneak peek that Ms. Hamilton gave in her “t-s-h-t-b-r-b-c-a-c-d” blog entry makes me squee! inside. Perhaps, even the negative readers who stopped at Obsidian Butterfly will enjoy this book.

-Jacynthia Mackin

Left by J. Mackin (DuchessPariah) on January 2nd, 2007

I haven’t touched or read an LKH book in a few years. I listened to one – I can’t even remember the title, if that says anything about how memorable it was – and remember having to turn it off every time I went through a drive-thru. I’m not a prude; I like sex in books, and I like good sex in books.

However, the sex in LKH’s books isn’t good. I’ve never been more bored during a sex scene in my entire life. Seriously, if my husband made love the way LKH wrote her sex scenes, we’d be in sex therapy. So IMO, the sex scenes serve no purpose other than childish titillation.

That said, I also dislike the complete lack of plot or real character development, for both main and secondary characters. All the secondary characters are there to show how sexy/strong/powerful Anita is.

If I wanted to read erotica, I’d buy good erotica. I hate that LKH has gone this erotic urban fantasy route. She was an okay writer to start out with – with driving characters who were interesting. Now, however, it’s crap.

I think if readers are continuing to hound her boards and her signings, it’s because they are so awfully disappointed to see what was once a great series go into the crapper. I, personally, don’t have the time and energy to waste to even read reviews of her books. I gave up not long after Narcissus in Chains (which I read, forgot I read, then read my review on Amazon when i was thinking about buying it – says something, huh?). But I was one of those readers once upon a time – holding out hope that things would get better, that she’d get over this phase and write a real book.

I see that I’ll continue to be disappointed, however. No, LKH doesn’t have to heed the “negative reader” and I admire an author who decides to write what she wants, and not what the fans want. But she’s lost me as a reader, and I refuse to give any $$$ to her in any way, shape or form. I don’t even buy her books used. I need my shelf space too much.

Left by Troutqueen on January 2nd, 2007

I do enjoy LKH’s books, but I have to say – the quality is definitely not worth the price anymore.

Left by Sky on January 2nd, 2007

Gotta say I agree that the books have become awful. And I also understand why people keep telling her they’re awful and keep reading them (or skimming them in the book store as I do). Because we keep hoping they’ll go back to the awesomeness of the first books in the series! When she didn’t repeat the same phrase a bajillion times, when the same plot wasn’t repeating itself over and over, when it was about Anita and not about sensitive crying guys, and yes, when it wasn’t all sex. If she doesn’t understand that, then frankly I’m amazed she was able to write the first books to begin with. And it pisses me off that she’s rewarded with more money. *sigh* If she’s more happy with that, and not with putting out a good story, then it’s lost anyway.

Left by Erin on January 2nd, 2007

I haven’t read the Anita Blake series but I have started the Meredith Gentry series. I enjoyed the first 2 books I read, then there began to be too many love interests for me. I wouldn’t say I hate the books, I can see where people would be turned off, but I can also see where complexity = more interesting as well. I guess I’m middle of the road on this. I would continue reading but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find the books, it would be a library read for me. I do have a friend that hates the series but more because they didn’t like the character of Anita (they said it sounded like the author was trying too hard to make her sound kick-ass and this turned them off), and I have friends that love the series and got very upset over the first friend who put it down.

Left by jai on January 3rd, 2007

I haven’t read any of the Anita Blake adventures. Vampires aren’t really my thing.

My beef is with the Merry Gentry series. I really enjoy the books but they are so SHORT and so far they don’t really go anywhere. I thought the current plot line would be over in a few books. Evidently its to be the only MG plot line and there will be no more once she gets a baby off one of her hareem.

Maybe she will lay off the Anita stories for a while and I will get some good MG stores.

Left by Lisa on January 3rd, 2007

I only read the first book of the Anita Blake saga. It wasn’t…too bad, but I had borrowed it from a friend who had read on and she told me what went on to happen in the books and even the re-telling was too painful to bare. It shocks me that she is still making these books…..Poor poor women.

Left by Anrui on January 4th, 2007

The interesting bit is that people were posting on LKH’s own message board. I guess she couldn’t refrain from responding, whereas she might easily ignore other sites. I’m one who read (and very much enjoyed) her earlier books (even if I had a few problems here and there), but haven’t read the recent ones. It wasn’t a conscious decision; I bought some of her more recent books, and left them sitting on the shelves, whereas previously I couldn’t wait to start the books. So, though it never occurred to me to say anything directly to Ms. Hamilton’s face, I can identify with the disappointed readers.

I do think that’s the problem, why there is such strong reaction, because the earlier books were so very promising, and readers are so very disappointed. But Ms. Hamilton’s accusation that readers don’t like it because she is pushing the envelope, and moving to the edge of *her* comfort zone, is insulting. A lot of us read other books/graphic novels (and see movies) that push various envelopes, so to think that’s the *only* reason we haven’t followed the latest adventures of Anita (and Meredith Gentry) is just plain wrong. I know one reader who found the initial books excessively gory, but overcame her aversion. I’m not a huge horror fan. So the fact that we read the books at all is saying something.

I’m glad that Ms. Hamilton is successful and increasing her readership, and I’m sorry she was attacked on her own message board and has been confronted in person. There are probably better ways to say “I used to love your books, now I don’t.” But that does not mean there’s something wrong with us because we don’t choose to follow her current direction. Although I understand Ms. Hamilton’s frustration, I don’t see how her particular message (her attack against former fans) is going to help her.

BTW, this website takes contributions from more than just one person, so the fact that there are reviews of the most recent books isn’t odd at all.

Left by Lori on January 4th, 2007

The last Anita Blake book I read was Micah and only because it was cheap at a used bookstore. I refuse to pay full price for any of her books. They are very disappointing now and I am one of those who wishes she would get back to Anita and her ‘career’. But I don’t think that can happen. Anita changed from the pseudo-virginal heroine to a lust crazed nymphomaniac. And now she’s got all these ‘new’ abilities. I think her development as a character has stopped and she’s just too unbelievable.

Left by Teldira on January 4th, 2007

I am one of the readers who is still a fan. I may not recommend her books as often or as highly as I once did but I still care about the characters. What I find amazing is so many people are so bitter and mean about the books not going in a same old same old predictable pattern. I like that when I sit down to her books I don’t know what is going to happen next. That is very rare these days. If you don’t like her books don’t read them. End of story. Why do you have to take pleasure in her rant, saying it looks like she is crazy and delusional. If people were saying they hated the stuff that I did to my face I would start to get a little miffed and would feel the need to answer back. I thought she did it very politely and coherently. So I would like to say to all of you out there who don’t like her stuff, don’t read them and stop bad mouthing her choice in direction of the series. They are her books after all. Get a new hobby if that is your only one.

Left by Leslee on January 4th, 2007

I’m with the folks who stopped reading the Anita Blake books back around Obsidian Butterfly. I started one and just…stopped. I bought several after that – and I still pick them up used, thinking I’ll try again someday. But so far I haven’t been tempted to pick them up again. Speaking of guilty pleasures, though (ar ar) I’ve picked up the Dabel Brothers comic adaptation and am enjoying that. Happy to hear your New Year’s resolution is to get involved with the site again – it has been the inspiration for many wonderful hours of reading. Thank you!

Left by Simba on January 4th, 2007

I used to love LKH’s books, both the Anita and Merry Gentry series – however, having read the most recent volumes of both these series, I have to say enough is enough. Her newest books have been downright boring – no plot, no character development (Anita is rehashing the same angst she was dealing with approximately 3 books ago), the only things that seem to change are the sexual partners. And I have to agree with another reviewer – the sex scenes are boring and tedious – which could be overlooked accept LKH is now packing her books with more.

In regards to the negative reviews LKH received on her website – honest,constructive criticism should be encouraged and accepted graciously by the author. These books are a ‘product’ that she is selling – if she was simply posting it for free on her website and letting us ‘share’ in her artistic vision we would have no room to complain – however, as we are ‘paying’ for her work she should have some interest in making it palatable to her audience. This does not mean that I think it is alright for disgruntled fans to attack LKH personally. Common courtesy should extend to the internet as well as face to face interactions. I believe that any any reviewer should keep in mind ‘constructive’ when they are dishing out criticism.

Left by merryday on January 5th, 2007

I can still remember how enchanted I was by Guilty Pleasures. I raced through the books. But the introduction of the Ardeur and (shudder) Micah started to lose me. When she wrote a menage a tois between Anita, Jean Claude and Asher and I yawned through it, I knew I was done.

I don’t really think she owes her readership any thing, she’s a writer, she needs to follow her “muse” as it were. As a reader, I showed my lack of ardor for ardeur by not buying any more books and skipping her signings. Nothing personal, I’ve met her twice and found her charming and personable, but I don’t enjoy the books anymore.

Fans tend to take this stuff personally and LKH seems to fan the flames with her responses. Negative reviews are part of the territory and as a bestselling author, she’d better accept that. She also has an arrogance about her books I find offputting, particularly in her blog post. Her books don’t make me uncomfortable, they bore me. I don’t know anyone who buys her books anymore and I do wonder about the truth of sales figures. Perhaps the dollar amount relates to the increasing price of the books?

Left by Rene on January 5th, 2007

What I find fascinating is the compulsion of some of her fans (such as Jacynthia Mackin) to post to numerous blogs defending her. What tedious work to scour the net for any hint of negativity. But then this person is probably a relative if not LKH herself.

Left by Ita on January 6th, 2007

The last LKH I enjoyed was Obsidian Butterfly, and to be honest I enjoyed the first 50 or so pages of Narcissus in Chains too. I struggled with the new direction the series was taking and although I enjoyed frequenting LKH’s message board to discuss things with other fans. I pretty much consider myself an ex-fan these days. By the by, I have read up to Incubus Dreams, but it frustrated me too much that all these plot threads were left dangling and to be perfectly honest if she had the talent to engage my attention with her new erotic direction, then yes I would still be reading.

It may sound crass, but I think LKH has gotten sloppy, and lazy in her techniques with both series of hers. Now I don’t even recommend them to friends. Even the dangling carrot of an Edward/Olaf reunion isn’t going to tempt me back; I’d be too afraid Edward would succumb to the Crotch of Doom.

I’m not glad that LKH has taken this approach but it wouldn’t be the first time she’s pulled a hissy fit. I’d respect her more if she’d stuck to the party line of ‘it may not be for you but this is where the books are going, please respect that.’ As it stands she comes off like a cartoon villainess.

Left by Blue on January 6th, 2007

I read the first five Anita books and then dropped them. I might have been able to forgive the ever-increasing sexual dramatics if I didn’t feel Anita would be unable to get past her self-hate. And I for one didn’t enjoy spending time with a self-hating character no matter how exciting her sex life is. I didn’t feel any inclination to read the MG series.

While I wish well to Ms. Hamilton and I believe that she has the right to write whatever pleases her, I do wish she wasn’t quite so sucessful. Suddenly everybody is writing novels in this vein. Couldn’t Charlaine Harris keep on writing her Shakespeare series? And why does Patricia Briggs have to start writing this kind of books also? Tania Huff’s Blood books, written before the AB craze, seem wildly original in comparison.

BTW, I’m happy the site is back and running again.

Left by Luiza on January 6th, 2007

When people attack you, unfortunately, the human reaction is to attack back. I thought LKH’s blog was perfectly fine and human and certainly not delusional or crazy. People have said it before but let me reiterate: If you don’t like LKH’s books, don’t read them. Why do some readers feel the need to then ‘personally’ attack the author? Why do some people feel the need to attack others who are still fans of the series with statements like they must be a relative or LKH using an alias? Can’t there still be fans of the series? And vice versa, there can be folks who don’t like the series, no reason for a war. Both sides don’t have to agree, but I’m disappointed with everyone attacking everyone else as if only their opinion counts and, even worse, the personal attacks.

Someone commented that a writer should listen to what their fans want. Why should they? Fans don’t even agree. If at the end of the day you are satisfied with your work, whether others like it or not, that should be your goal, no matter your profession. People pleasers are going to produce a boring product. And, if nothing else, that is absolutely something I commend about LKH. She does what she wants.

So I didn’t actually say whether I’m a fan or not and it’s because I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m disappointed with Anita (consider a library read if I’m bored) but still enjoying Merry (although I do agree that these books are too short!). At the end of the day, I like these blog sites because I use the reviews as information about series I might not know anything about and then decide for myself what I do and don’t read. What’s turning me off though are the personal attacks.

Left by Kathy on January 7th, 2007

I’ve given up on Anita Blake and am about ready to give up on the Merry books. They’ve turned into pornographic crap. The books don’t further the story line in either series. Just more and more sex, repetitious phrases, etc. Why not just tell the stories and get on with it. I heard she was a techno-phobe–probably doesn’t even read her blog. Lets her people do that.
Shirley

Left by Shirley on January 7th, 2007

I read through the first 13 Anita Blake books very quickly, so the drop in quality was very obvious. I was a huge fan but no longer. It’s all the boring sex and agony aunt angst that annoys me. Boring.

Left by Ciara on January 10th, 2007

I usually divide Anita fans into two categories – Early Anita and Current Anita. I am more fond of early Anita and the plot pace in early Anita books. Current Anita does have plot points but alas, I’m more interested in Anita doing things other than sex.

Since her publishers keep on giving her multi-book contracts which allow her to prolong the storyline (such as it is) I complain by borrowing the books from the library instead of buying a copy, even used. These days, I root for my favorite long time characters to get sex scenes and mock the Anita-verse harem count with my boyfriend. And count the words “steel” and “velvet”.

As my boyfriend would say, “I’m glad LKH has a good sex life but where’s the plot?” We both wonder she buys warehouses worth of books in order to bump her publication numbers.

I like her books as a longtime fan and keep on hoping Anita/Merry will discover a way to power the world other than via sex. But until they do, I really don’t want to pay for a book which leaves a bad taste in my mouth and hollowness inside. There are plenty of other books that actually provoke thought in that category. Ones that are worth re-reading to discover different facets and understanding.

Left by freecia on January 10th, 2007

LKH has been writing for more than 10 years and in the last couple of years she has written 2 books a year. She needs a break.
Although the quality has dropped off, she still has a better plot than some of those best selling “romance” writers.

Left by Letitia on January 11th, 2007

I’m a recent reader of LKH books as I started the AB series with Micah, read all of the books after that and then went back to the early books. I only got through the first three of the earlier books before I realized that the whole series had a similar characterization that started to bother me. However, I really enjoy the MG series and just devoured the latest book which I actually purchased. I guess everyone has a plot structure, characterization, and level of detail that they prefer to read. Personally I could never read through some of the wildly popular JRR Tolkien novels due to the level of detail in his writing. That doesn’t mean that I do not like those authors or novels, it just means that their writing doesn’t fall into the level of plot, characterization, or level of detail that I prefer. Of course my preferences for these do change and I could come back next year and really enjoy a novel that previously did not interest me.

As for the comments made about fans attacking the author personally. Unfortunately, that type of thing happens more regularly than we realize I think. I’ve read some things said on bulletin boards as well as by authors themselves in a similar vein. For example, one of my favorite series by Mercedes Lackey has been discontinued due to her fan’s reactions. She has several letter’s to the readers on her website explaining why she discontinued writing those books. I would hate to see other series discontinued for all of the fans that DO like the series simply because “negative readers” cannot understand and provide constructive criticism.

Left by Becca on January 12th, 2007

I loved the first 5 books in the Anita Blake series. After that though, there was an ever-increasing decline in quality. It does seem that Anita Blake readers are taking this extreme story shift quite personally, and I believe it is because the early AB books were quite captivating and made the reader feel like they were in a new, exciting world, and with such a major story shift they are incredibly disappointed. I know I am disappointed in the latter books. I know that Anita Blake is Ms. Hamilton’s own creation and she has the right to do whatever she wants with the series. But you would think that the opinion of the fans would mean something to her, at least financially. Ms. Hamilton has mentioned that her book sale figures are only increasing with each new novel, but I’d like to see the figures in detail on that. I’ll bet alot of her book sales are actually by disappointed readers hoping that the series will improve and who simply have to know how it all ends after so much time now invested in the series. She said that her “negative fan” base is a small minority, but from what I have read in numerous reviews and talking to people, a LARGE portion of previous fans dislike the turn of the series. Also, what she said about her fans being uncomfortable with her pushing the envelope of the mundane and being scared is insulting as well as ridiculous. She says these things as if it is cowardly and wrong for her readers to not want to read anything the “pushes their envelope beyond the mundane” or makes them scared. Hey, child molestation is out of most people’s comfort zone, maybe Anita could start doing that next. And honestly, by their content, fans of the earlier books probably weren’t interested in the mundane or easily scared by literary fiction. And lastly, although there is an excessive amount of sex in the later books (hey, I like sex, I like hot sex, but…), it is not good sex. It may be descriptive and what most people would consider wild and kinky (which often is interpreted as good) but it is not interesting. There is zero romance or sexual tension, and it is those two thing that really make it hot when two (or more) characters in a novel get down to business. So the sex isn’t entertaining, there is little to no plot anymore, Anita’s story-driving character has been reduced to a whiny whore, so what’s the point anymore?

Left by Summer on January 13th, 2007

ive recently started reading the LKH books, and i must say they are unique in content. but i d enjoy reading them and am eagerly awaiting the latest book.
But what i will say if u dont like the content then simply just dont read them, its very simple. These books clearly wont be to everybodies taste. there is no need to write very nasty a harmful comments about them.

Left by nicola on January 17th, 2007

I’ve seen several comments to the effect that folks don’t believe the sales figures for Anita Blake books, that the author must be buying them herself because the ‘people’ they have spoken to or the blogs they read reflect a Large number of negative responses to LKHs books. First, the assumption that you’ve spoken to or read blogs from enough people to make that statement is ludicrous. LKHs books have gone back several times for reprint which means millions of people are reading them. Not everyone who has read and enjoyed (or not) either series has expressed their opinions on blogs – but they obviously have through sales.

Second, I can’t even comment on the statement that LKH buys them herself. It isn’t like a book is a couple of pennies and one can afford to buy lots of them – well, maybe Donald Trump. What reason could one possibly come up with to support that supposition? She’s trying to save face with negative readers by hurting her own wallet??

Don’t like the books. Lots of folks have great constructive critiques – lack of plot, too much sex, lack of character evolution. That’s useful knowledge to other readers or potential readers. Yes, I am still a fan and buy her books. Is it completely to my taste? No, but I still find something to interest me in each story and I’m a fan of the characters. And, no, I’m not LKH or anyone who works for her or her publishing company. Just a plain, book buying fan…

Left by Tamara on January 19th, 2007

Ms. Hamilton doesn’t understand why negative readers keep commenting on her books. It is because these readers were once “positive readers” who really loved the Anita Blake series. Ms. Hamilton can write. However, I agree that the Anita Blake series has gone terribly awry. Narcissus in Chains was the first book that I read where I felt the author and publisher owed me my money back.

Late last year, I won a copy of Danse Macabre. I wanted to love this book. However, I haven’t been able to read past the first chapter. The character Anita has become so narcissistic, it is stomach churning.

On the other hand, I still buy the Meredith Gentry books. I would love to read a sequel to Nightseer.

Ms. Hamilton should realize negative readers keep commenting because they know Ms. Hamilton can write so much better than she has in the recent Anita Blake series.

Left by flip58 on January 19th, 2007

Does anyone remember a tirade posted by Ms. Robin McKinley on her site a few years ago. Unlike the post by Ms. Hamilton, I was shocked by the Ms. McKinley’s post. Among her many, many gripes, was her anger over school children writing letters to Ms. McKinley rather than using her married name. Like they knew that she used a different name in her personal life.

I love the works of Ms. McKinley, but that tirade left me with a very poor impression of her personally.

Left by flip58 on January 19th, 2007

I like the viewpoint of Patricia Briggs on book reviews. http://www.patriciabriggs.com/

Left by flip58 on January 19th, 2007

Whenever I read LKH’s attacks on the “negative fans” I always interpret her words as attacking the whole fan base – she says things that seem targetted to anyone who ever said anything about her books, whether positive or negative. Also, she contradicts herself several times in the two attack blogs she wrote, along with calling people names, etc. Yeah, these posts show she’s human, etc., but they’re still bad Public Relations and only serve to make her look bad. Her PR and assistants don’t seem to be helping her very much.

I don’t read the books anymore. I read the sample chapters I find on her website free, if I’m incredibly bored – and then I look at the boards there, and the reviews on Amazon because I start getting sucked back in by my old feelings about the series. I still care about the characters made in the first books, although I look back now at even the books I DID like and realise they were never as good as I thought; partially because at 14 I was stunned by the stories and now I’m not. At 21, I know there are a lot of better authors out there, or maybe they just work harder (I believe LKH is stuck in a formulaic writing style right now). Charlaine Harris’s Sookie series may seem a copy cat, and I agree she was probably spurred to write this series because of other “successful” entries, including both of LKH’s series, but I believe her first 2-3 Sookie books were wonderful; I just see a downspiral from the last 2-3 (that’s almost half the series, *cries*) because of some of the things that are changing to become more like the Anita Blake series.

Also, has anyone seen the huge shift between the first Merry Gentry and the rest? Doyle used to have SPIDERS in his livery and they were his tools. What happened to that? Spiders were also all over one of the halls of the Sithen, and Rhys killed a big one there when talking to Merry – I don’t remember spiders in the sithen in the last MG book I read. I found the first book of the series the best – I rather liked the creepy hints… which are practically gone now.

I won’t address my problems with the content, but the writing style and the EFFORT shown in the books of LKH: LKH always had phrases she used and reused (bad), she always took pieces from old books so she could rehash everything that ever happened in the beginning of the new book (gets boring after a while), and she reuses images way too much without redescribing them. Her grammar and spelling have had problems, which she and her editors should have worked together to fix – as the latest books didn’t show the best she could offer. In the later books, LKH doesn’t even reword the passages she takes from old books: they are word for word, or at least it was in the last book of hers I read. Isn’t that considered plagiarism? Sorta like writing a paper for college and turning it in to two different teachers, you’d still get in trouble for that. The plot lines are not dynamic and the characters haven’t really changed in the last several books I read – which is why I stopped. Her endings are usually rushed now – which admittedly happened in a couple of the early books as well. Her characters are being deconstructed in order to server the purpose of making Anita/Merry look good. The current books also send very negative messages about men and women now as well – everyone is a sex object and not a person with a mind and a soul.

Ok, I need to stop, I’m beginning to get sad all over again, because I DID love LKH’s books at one time, and I DID love all the books I read BECAUSE of her books. The Anita series was like a gateway to a new genre for me – and I’m sure many of the books I still enjoy were at one time inspired by them. So thank you LKH, for writing a series that inspired some of my favorite authors, and for writing some books that were very enjoyable reads at one time, even if I do not feel that way about your more recent publications.

Left by Sarah on February 6th, 2007

I’ve always loved the characters in the Merry Gentry series. I keep reading them for that reason, though I thought the last two books should have been one book rather than two. On a positive note, the sex was cut way down in Mistral’s Kiss, and I was relieved to see that the plot moved forward a bit. I still have hopes for the future Merry books. The sex in either series has never bothered me, though I also agree that the last few AB’s and the MG’s before Mistral’s Kiss were way too saturated with it.

I wanted to address something in a couple of the above comments–about how so many authors are jumping on the Anita Blake urban fantasy bandwagon instead of writing other types of fantasy fiction, romantic or otherwise. As a writer who’s been trying to get an epic fantasy trilogy published for the past four years, I have to say that most of this trend you’re seeing is due to the publishers themselves. I have an agent who’s been marketing my manuscripts for me, and all of the houses who usually publish epic fantasy have said they liked my book. Problem is, none of them have elected to publish it. They want urban fantasy, urban fantasy, and more urban fantasy, although they’re asking for urban that strays from the vamp/werewolf into other less well-used areas. Now, it is my understanding that Patty Briggs wrote her Mercy books (Moon Called and Blood Bound) because her publisher specifically asked her to write something in the urban fantasy arena. The publishers are no doubt trying to find the next LKH, and they’re buying what they think will sell the most. No doubt in a few years, something will hit big in a different fantasy arena and the trend will change.

Left by KH on February 8th, 2007

I too used to love the Anita series but sadly she lost me. Her books have no consistancy anymore. In the books before NIC she spent building the world, the characters in it and now they are unrecognizable. There are no alpha men, Anita is the end all and be all of everything. And just how much more power can she get? Every book she gains another one, now through sex. Boring!

Also LKH has stated in her blogs that she was tired of writing about the dark things and that she promised Anita after GP when she killed off Phillip that no one close to Anita would ever die again. Where is the sense in that? This was supposed to be a vampire hunter series. Death was expected. You can’t take a series that has been set with 8 or so books and change it to something else. If she wanted to write sex she had the MG series to do that in. If she was tired of the dark side of things in Anita’s world she should have ended the series and gone on with something else. And despite the sales, her fan base includes a lot of underage fans who of course think this type of writing is very cool. Well, sorry, I need something more than boring sex to read. It’s too late for her to try and bring this series back on track. And her latest rant about the haters is one of many she’s done over the years. Push the envelop? Hardly! She took me more out of my comfort zone with some of the gore in the previous books than she ever has with any of the sex she’s written. But that was why I liked the books. The last book I read was Incubus Dreams which was a mess of epic proportions. I’m done. I don’t believe LKH has the talent to write more than one series at a time. Some authors can and some just can’t. She’s now got Merry and Anita where they almost blend into one character. She also should not do blogs as they give out way to much information and she sets herself up for whatever bad press she gets from the fans. I wish I’d never read her blog, it’s tainted the series for me so much that I traded all of her books in at the used book store.

Left by Cat on February 23rd, 2007

As someone who discovered Anita after she had written a few books, I have to agree with those commenting on LKH’s genre-breaking work. If not for her, the term “urban fantasy” might not exist and other great authors like Butcher, Banks and Harrison might be trying to sell their stories in vain. Having met Ms. Hamilton in person I can attest to the fact that she is very self-deprecating and possesses a wry sense of humor. Knowing those things, I feel as though it must have been a pretty sharp attack that prompted her defense. And I have to say that I agree – don’t like ‘em, don’t keep reading them….I may not like the ardeur but I have a vested interested in the characters as a whole and am always interested in where she will take me next.

Left by Paula on May 4th, 2007

I can understand how many people who read the first few books and became fans would be uncomfortable or diappointed with her newer books. Anita and the story has changed quite a bit. Personally I have enjoyed the ride I dont need Anita or her author to make the story go in any particular way I just enjoy the characters and how they grow and change. I think if Anita hadn’t been able to grow and change I would have stopped reading, and if I had I certainlly wouldn’t spend my time whinning about it to the author or others. LKH has a point you don’t like the books stop reading!

Left by tonya on May 23rd, 2007

For the longest time I didn’t want to pick up the Anita Blake series of books, as I thought all vampire stories were the same. I was mildly amused by Barbara Hambly books and some of the other authors, but they never really caught on with me.

I had started reading the Meredith Gentry books and got hooked. Finally, after waiting too long for the next meredith sequel to come out, I picked up the Anita books and was surprised at how much depth they had. If you want to talk about character development, every book is like a new Anita. Maybe there is too much sex and the ardeur thing kind of smudged Anita’s character. Yet this has actually made her more human and appear like the rest of us, pocessed of both good and evil inside of us.

I for one will not stop buying her books, I think she knows where she is going with Anita and Meredith and I trust her to take those characters where she thinks they will go. I just wish she would publish or rewrite her sequel to Nightseer. Which I recently discovered was the first of her books that I have ever read. A long time ago.

Left by Ko on May 29th, 2007

I was a huge fan of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series…until it turned more into Anita Blake: Vampire Humper. Is it wrong of me to want more story and less of which chosen dozen she’s sleeping with this book? I don’t see the point of buying a book for 80% sex and 20% story…they make movies for that. I miss the early books. I want her back on a case…not opening the “Cooch of Doom” for whoever looks her way.

Left by Misti on May 30th, 2007

I started reading the AB books recently. The first book I read was Blue Moon, I liked it a lot and bought all of the AB series at once and started reading from the beginning (I couldn´t get enough of it). The early books were very good and entertaining, even though there were problems with repetition, spelling and Anita was too uptight about sex and waisted a lot of time with stupid dilemas. There were good stories, interesting characters (specially Jean-Claude and Richard) and a cool Anita. In the recent books, she turned Richard into a pain in the a…, Jean-Claude lost his personality and a bunch of short, unsecure, needy and boring guys like Nathaniel and Micah started showing up and getting a lot more attention from AB. The ardeur was ridiculous and a poor excuse for AB to have lots of sex. It would be much better if AB simply enjoyed sex and had it whenever she felt like without having to do it because of the ardeur or to save someone. She starts out the series almost a celibate and in the end changes 100% and does everybody not necessarily by choice (give me a break!). Everything goes down hill from there, she is so powerful that no bad guy/girl is a match for her, you know that she won´t have any trouble winning the battle and that having sex will always help her in someway to get more powerful and/or save the lives of helpless men. I do love sex scenes in books, the more the better, but in AB´s case, most of the time, they are anticlimactic, not sexy, have stupid, unrealistic dialoguesa nd moral dilemas. The men are all unsecure, helpless and dependent on AB. It really is a pitty that the series changed so much, I couldn´t even finish Micah and gave up on the series.
Unfortunatelly, I don´t believe that LKH wants to listen to her fans or will turn the series back on track.
LKH started with a great idea and ruined it at the end. The best thing to do for whoever is not happy with the series anymore is to drop it and find other authors with better stories.
I was pleasantly surprised with Patricia Briggs´s ” Moon Called “, Mercy reminded me so much of AB but without the things that always annoyed me on the character and the book is better written. I know that the concept is not original, probably AB was original(I really don´t know), but the whole point of these books is to have fun, to be entertained, to relax, to dream and get away from real life problems. These books are not supposed to increase your knowledge, change your life, or make you spend hours thinking about its real meaning.
So, if anyone has other book suggestions please let me know.

Left by Carla on June 21st, 2007

The only reason left to continue reading the Anita Blake books is the boys. Jason, Nathaniel, Jean-Claude… I want to hear about THEM. I find it interesting that as Anita grows more and more powerful – and powerfully bitchy – the men around her grow complex. Also amusing is the use of Asher as a sort of mirror, reflecting the idiocy of Anita’s self-absorption back at her.

Of course, I’ve been in the ‘kill Richard’ camp since about book eight.

In my opinion the Merry Gentry books are much better. While the sex DOES mainly involve the gaining of more and more power, at least LKH is up front about the fact that she’s turning Meredith into a goddess.

All-in-all I consider Laurell to be good library material: worth a read, but not the cash.

Left by Anna on July 11th, 2007

I recently read all the Anita Blake stories from beginning to end so I easily saw the progression from good to bad. Luckily for me I read only from the library and saved myself the money. As for LKH having an overall plan for her characters, don’t believe it. I got it from her website to a question I specifically asked. She said she has no plan, just a few ‘general’ ideas. She’s making it up as she goes. For those that expect resolutions to particular storylines, forget it. She doesn’t know where her characters are going or what to do with them. I think that speaks volumes on her skill level as an author.

Left by Marianne on July 31st, 2007

As with many series, there are always those who despair when the author takes the characters into a new direction. My husband and I can’t watch certain Star Trek offshoots together. There is a vast difference, however, between an author pushing the envelope and simply shuffling it around without truly changing the content. I am not uncomfortable with the content of the last four books of the Anita Blake series as much as I am bored.

The simple truth is that when Ms. Hamilton changed her vision of Anita Blake, she seemed to have lost track of where to go with the character and the story line. I have read every book (and reread the first eight more than once)but did not purchase the last three simply because as I glanced through them at B&N, I realized I had better things to do with my money. (It took four different trips to the store to work up enough effort to finish Harlequin. I purchased other books, including Butcher’s latest instead) I even hoped she would use the old ‘oh, this has been a bad dream’ escape or some other hokey device to back away from the dead end road her characters seem to all inhabit rather than continue in the vein which focuses on tired themes.

I liked her characters but now find them tiresome. I keep looking, as one sometimes does with longrunning t.v. series that lost their way over time as well. I find the rationalization of the ‘rightness’ of multiple partners, sadism/masochism, and how any character that doesn’t adore Anita must be twisted into someone shallow or evil (Richard and Dolph, for example) simply isn’t good writing. Where once I might have felt a tingle over the idea of Anita and Raphael hooking up, instead I found myself looking again to see if I was reading the names right when he was demanding the right to have sex with her. Although he’d always been a rather aloof and proud individual, in Harlequin he simply came across as a one dimensional ass.

Perhaps as much as I and many others find ourselves wondering about the characters and their lives (although I am not one to forget they are simply fictional), it is time for Ms. Hamilton to hang up this series. I, too, find the demarcation line stops at Obsidian Butterfly. At that point, my imagination allows that the characters have a wide variety of options for the playing out of their lives. I find that much more in keeping with the spirit in which anyone who enjoys such imaginations than the current status of the characters, all of whom are trapped between those who do have sex with Anita and those who don’t (yet). Eeh gods, I even wondered briefly if poor Peter was going to become one of her sex slaves.

As for book sales as proof of popularity, I know I have purchased the earlier books for gifts with a warning that the later books are far too adult for most of the recipients (many of whom are in their 40s). Pointing out book sales as proof of popularity is a little like comparing box office numbers. The numbers gets distorted by resales to discounters (sort of like straight to video). I believe there are many people who no longer look forward to the new Anita Blake book as they once did since the last three (four if you count Micah) books are simply more of the same. I also stopped buying a great many other authors’ books when they became formulaic beyond a point where they could pique my interest.

It is my hope that those who read this review accept that I know little about Ms. Hamilton, truly do not care about her personal life nor feel the need to abuse her verbally or at all. That is because I am a reader, not a fan. I expect value for what I purchase and I no longer find that in her Anita Blake series. I think I’ve given it a fair shot and if, my some miracle, she takes a long hard look at her current work and shifts into some real writing again, I’ll certainly give it another chance. But for now, I doubt I’ll even bother to try to wend my way through another, for free or otherwise. My time is important, too.

I continue to look for new books and this is an excellent site. Thank you for letting me speak.

Left by AndieG on August 9th, 2007

I’m late to the discussion, but just as a side note: Forget reading her insulting, condescending tirade at her fans. Just read the blog. Every title is melodramatic and seems to be dripping with self importance. It reads like it was created by a sexually abused tweener with a very high IQ. References to her difficulties in life that hint at horror but reveal (actually) nothing are tiresome and childish. Flowery phrases and expressions really don’t reveal much of anything but that LK has an overdeveloped sense of drama.

Why would anyone buy the books of a woman who seems so mentally off? Why would anyone buy books written by someone who takes criticism as a mark of the critic’s intellectual inferiority rather than– gasp– legitimate observations. Those who are saying they have stopped buying her books are, at least, letting her know she’s losing income. What can she gain by insulting them rather than considering they may have a point?

It’s not as if the observations are few and far between.

Left by Dami on August 15th, 2007

I found her rant insulting. There’s something wrong with me because she’s turned her books into a pornographic version of “24″. Whatever. It would be nice if _time passed_ in her books…because unless one of her new supernatural powers in secreting super lube…the amount of sex in the books should just be physically impossible by now.

And…take into account the statistics that say one in six women have been victims of sexual assult. Having your strong, independent female main character be infected with a compulsion for anonymous sex…it’s going to cause ANGER in some women. Approximately one in six. And they might not just say “tra-la-la” and wander off to the next author because they’re ticked that another woman would DO THAT TO THEM. LKH is right…these characters are real to her…and they’re real to some of us too. So watching characters you love get sunk into an extended BDSM rape fantasy…she’s just going to have to smile and take it. Because yeah…MOST READERS just put a series down when it goes somewhere they don’t like. But this isn’t the type of turn that MOST READERS will sit through quietly. It’s a lot like if Sesame Street decided to have a crystal meth episode where Big Bird goes to rehab.

For every one fan who stands in line for two hours…there are probably 50 who just stopped reading. That’s the known philosophy of customer service…and why most businesses are quick to address complaints. Should every artist pander to their audience? No. But neither should they change genres mid-series and not expect a few people to look up and say…”Hey…what gives?” And because we HAVE plunked down money for the books that we liked…we deserve an answer at least. Not insults.

Left by EAH on September 17th, 2007

I anticipate many posts after what I write, but I actually get turned on by her books. Something my husband enjoys. I don’t want to have a sex life like that, but its fantasy and different. I do agree that I prefer Anita when she was the bad ass vampire slayer and it seems that Harlequin tried to involve more adventure. Hopefully she will continue to take
Anita on more adventures outside of the bedroom again. although, I’m rather interested in the role Cookie will play. I did get tired of Richards role and hope she will give him some balls in future books. thanks for letting me express myself. By the way, I like Kelley Armstrong’s series. They keep getting better and more complex. I encourage you to start from the beginning as the characters develop. She has small stories involving these characters on her website as well.

Left by Lynn on September 30th, 2007

i really can’t see what people don’t like about the anita blake books.

i think they are great and anybody who thinks diffrently should go and pick up a mills & boon and leave the comments to people who actauly picked up the last book.
to the person who wrote that people who back laurell are a relative should know that i am not and have never actauly met laurell k. hamilton.

Left by xia on October 24th, 2007

I personally will always be a LKH fan. I just love something about her style. To me she stands out, being bold enough to write a new flavor of paranormal romance but even I will admit that while I feel her books are getting more interesting in the plots I also feel like they are becoming crowded with the constant stops to feed the ardeur. The lusty intervals take up precious pages in her books which I could probably overlook if it weren’t for the fact that I wait months for the next issue only to find it full of “filler” sex scenes and many, many pages shorter than the last. I dont hate LKH but I am becoming dissapointed.

Left by kimi on December 8th, 2007

Well I started reading the Anita series and I am hooked. I recommend her to all my friends. I love her characters. I love the complex relationships they have with each other. I love how they evolve and change. Writers who keep thier characters the same from first book to last are B-O-R-I-N-G. And the readers that read them to me are those that are too scared of change and have no imagination. People change get over it. I am in my 30s now and several of my views have changed from when I was in my 20s. Why? Because life changes. Yes her books had quite a bit of sex in them. But unlike many sexually timid Americans sex is sex and I dont see what the big taboo about sex is. We dont discuss it or write about it. It amazes me how many characters she has and with every book there are more characters. I prefer characters and how they change and develope over just boring mechanics in a book. If I have to say anything negative about her books is that because I love her style of writting and hr books it makes me hard to find other books I really enjoy. I have a habit of comparing them to her and they just never measure up enough. But other than that LKH rocks and there is no other series that can touch the Anita series. It does amaze me that people have such a problem with the sex in the books. Its nothing different than the sex in the movies. I personally enjoy all of it.

Left by Piper on January 8th, 2008

I have read all the Anita Blake books but have decided to stop reading the series because it is too predictable. The last few books were hard to stay interested in because I knew no one of significance would be killed off and the cast would continue to expand; there would be lots of sex all written the same way and none of it sensual and loving; there would be rambling, repetitive relationship dialogs at the expense of plot; Anita would be dominating everyone and all situations so I never felt she was really in danger any more no matter how many times she landed in the hospital. LKH repetitive phrases drove me crazy, not to mention the inconsistencies.

The fact that most all of the male characters beg to get in bed with her gets old real soon, another very predictable story element. I think one of the reasons Edward is such a favorite character is because he is one of the few men in the series who is not enthralled by Anita and, in fact, would kill her if she crossed him. Maybe that is how the series should end. I would consider it a mercy killing.

I will take Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher any day over LKH. You never know what is going to happen in their series and characters change, come in and out and sometimes even die. They have both created very imaginative, exciting worlds and characters with a sense of humor. I wouldn’t mind seeing more love scenes in their series but the ones that are there are placed appropriately and well written.

Left by Jane on March 14th, 2008

I found this forum by accident and found some interesting points.

First of all, LKH did NOT invent urban fantasy. Charles de Lint was writing in this genre and doing a much better job of it before the AB series.

I recently read the first chapter of Blood Noir posted on her website. It was appalling both in format and content. Had this been the first chapter she had ever put in front of an editor, I firmly believe she would never have been published. The dialogue is horrendous – actually the problems are far too many to go into.

One theory is that LKH’s first husband was the brains behind the first books in the series. Any thoughts on that?

Left by princess of all or nothing on March 15th, 2008

My husband got me the box set of the first four novels for Christmas and I am now caught up on the series and anxious for the next one. I read them voraciously. Anita is my hero! And Laurell writes some of the best erotica around. What a nice change to read such great erotica in the context of a real story!

Keep up the good work Laurell!

I think some of you take yourselves WAY to seriously!

Left by Les on April 2nd, 2008

LKH smoketh much crack if she can’t understand why people are not reading her books anymore.

I loved the first few books but when Anita became She Of The Golden Vajayjay,I gave up. I love to see erotica but WELL WRITTEN erotica. Anita is a blatant Mary Sue for her creator and anybody with sense can see it.Those who continue to buy her books in the hope that she will return to form are masochists. Her fans who felt the need to come here and defend her,well,I fear for you if you ever read Jim Butcher or Kim Harrison.Seeing authors with real writing skills might be too much for ya’ll to take. Those who hate her books and the turn they have taken have the intellectual capabilty of a turnip according to Ms.Hamilton. She is a perfect example of ego run amuck. I thought Anne Rice was mad,LKH is giving her a run for her money. I have read many books that changed my way of thinking. I know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Beloved By Toni Morrison come to mind. Badly written porn disguised as urban fantasy doesn’t cut it.It is time for fans to speak to Ms.Hamilton with what counts:Take your hard money elsewhere to authors who deserve it.

Left by Nicole on April 19th, 2008

I love the series, the characters evolve and change from book to book. I think many people hate that Anita changed so dramatically. Well, we all change, honestly, if all the books had the same callous, angry, uptight Anita, I’d never have continued. I do believe LKH has a really crappy editor.

I’ve read some of those hostile boards, and all I can think is that many of those individuals who hate a person they don’t know….as well as a FICTIONAL character are in serious need of either counseling, or a real life. Why are they reading…and obsessing about something they purport to hate? Quit buying the flipping books and stop looking at her blogs!

Maybe since I came into the series late and read it from end to end, I was able to see the character and story development. For example…people hate how Richard developed. Well, he was a problem right from the start, and the more wild and weird he gets, the more I love him! Love how Nathanial grew from a sexual cipher to a self-actualizing individual. Edward as a family man? Scary! Olaf? eeep. He redefines who the monsters are.

I think she’s pretty much finished with the ardeur, (thank goodness) and ready to move on to other arcs.

If you don’t like the author or series, what’s the point in maligning them? Just move on.

Left by Linda on May 25th, 2008

I do think that Laurel K Hamilton’s “Negative Reader” rant was a bit unprofessional.
As an up-and-coming (but still struggling) writer myself, I don’t understand how she could lash out at criticism the way she has. I’m personally pleased when someone can tell me what is wrong with my writing because I feel that criticism can help us grow as writers. Having said that, if I disagree with what someone says about my work and/or they don’t know what they’re talking about, I reserve the right to tell them to piss off and mind their own business. Normally, though, other people’s advice bears some consideration.

I don’t get why people who don’t even read the series continue to whine about it. I know it must have felt like a betrayal to see the series move in a different direction but things change. People change. I wonder if the people who went from devoted fans to book bashers would ditch a beloved friend because they made a decision you didn’t agree with. Would you learn to live without them and move on? Or would you turn into a creepy stalker and egg their house? Hmm, what’s the normal response here?

Does anyone remember why the series started?
Laurel K Hamilton wanted a series where a strong female character wouldn’t be trapped by archaic stereotypes. She wanted a female character who didn’t have to wait around to be rescued. A character who could swear, get angry, kill people and not have an emotional breakdown afterwards. She also wanted a character who wasn’t bound by the patriarchal viewpoint of what a woman “should” be but who was content to be who she was. With this in mind, isn’t the sexual role reversal of a woman who can sleep around without guilt still in tune with her original creative purpose? As far as I’m concerned this is just another stage in her emotional development. Once the ardeur is under control, Hamilton might return to the more criminal mystery elements of her earlier work. She might not, it’s her choice. I’m happy to go along for the ride and see how things work out.

Left by Tiffany on June 7th, 2008

Danse Macabre was the first Hamilton/ Anita Blake book I read and I really enjoyed it especially the sex. I have also read Incubus Dreams and Micah and really enjoyed them. I love Nathaniel, Micah and Jean-claude. I am now reading the series from the beginning, and up to book 5. Although I’m loving all the kick-ass action I do find the Anita in these books very prissy and moralistic, and I can’t wait for her to get down and do the deed with both her werewolf and Vampire, and I’m really looking forward to reading the books where she gets together with Micah and meets Nathaniel.

So I am writing in defence of Hamilton’s later books because I have really enjoyed them, and find the sex a real turn on and surely the world of vampirism and were-creatures is all about blood, lust and animal behaviour, and as the series has progressed with Anita becoming more involved in these worlds she has had to change. I hope the series goes on a lot longer.

Left by Helen on July 23rd, 2008

I am a Laurell K Hamilton fan, therefore, I read Anita Blake and Merry gentry books, discuss the Anitaverse and the Merryverse, and check out websites devoted to what’s coming up next in the books and for/from the author.

I would not do any of these things for a book or series I didn’t like. At the most I might post a review on a review site or Amazon.

I personally think LKH was very clear in what she posted on her blog. Which, btw, I wouldn’t have bothered reading if I wasn’t interested in reading her work.

She DID NOT say if you don’t like her work you suck, she very clearly said that if you don’t like her work you probably shouldn’t read it. Why torture yourself. When I read something I hate, it typically makes me mad or sad or queasy. Not feelings I enjoy having, I therefore don’t read things I know are going to cause these feelings.

Those out there who have nothing better to do than curse LKH and call her names are idiots. But I’m not just to tell you that. I’m here to tell you that you’re ruining the sites that were created for me, the LKH fan, with your hate and your bile. I would never go to a We Hate Anita Blake website or blog. Why are you guys coming to LKH FAN sites? Is it too much to ask that you show some consideration to other human beings?

Left by JT on August 10th, 2008

I stopped reading after the third or fourth book. It’s sad to see an author go bad, but it happens. Eventually she’ll fall off the shelf or get back to her core writing skills that sold her books originally.

Left by Just_Me on September 5th, 2008

I used to be part of a fan website for Anita Blake, and I know exactly what happened, since her editors used to post on the site. Obsidian Butterfly was the last book she wrote before she fired her editors. And you can see the results in her books since then. I tried to read the series after Butterfly, but they were just awful.

Left by Dawn on September 18th, 2008

I used to go the Anita Blake forums until I got sick of being abused by the “die hard” fans every time I had an opinion that was less than favorable about one of her books. I have read them all and I continue to buy them hoping that they will regain some of the magic from earlier in the Anita Blake series. I guess I am a gluten for punishment! I think this is a case of a writer who loved to write who has now gotten herself involved in “churning out” books to meet deadlines. I recently re-read the Anita Blake series and it truly seems like some of the later books are written by someone else. It makes me wonder how much of an active role her husband and assistant have in the writing????

Left by Brooke on September 21st, 2008

I have read two Anita Blake and all the Meredith Gentry but am very disappointed in the fact that LKH cross used character descriptions, repeated word for word lines and descriptions and even some names. I think LKH has a highly creative and intelligent mind, but I also think it is pure laziness not to go the extra mile and make every book unique and individual. Every book I have read is almost the exact same thing, with the same thoughts. I’ve gotten so sick of it that I have begun to stop reading and stew on the fact that an author can charge so much money for books that read like they have been cut and pasted. Some of the secondary plots never go anywhere, she contradicts her self. Like in the first Meredith Gentry, A Kiss of Shadows, it says on pg 375, third paragraph “I didn’t see Nicca’s dark purple hair.” Only to change the color of Nicca’s hair in the second book, A Caress of Twilight, on pg3 second paragraph, “Most of Nicca was shades of brown. His skin was the color of pale milk chocolate, and the hair that fell in a straight fall to his knees was a rich, dark true brown.”
How can one possibly miss such an obvious mistake. More of such carelessness can be found through out other of her novels.
Useless characters that end up just being sex toys when they are described in multiple books also make me rethink my love of this author. Characters like Keelin in A kiss of Shadows, that begin a second plot and an interesting plot are never mentioned again, nor is the conflict or the unanswered questions surrounding them pursued. I think someone was just trying to eat up some pages with out using all 110% of her creativity. In my over all opinion I think LKH should read some of her own books and mentally image it all before she goes and publishes them.

Left by delmar on November 5th, 2009

I was an avid Anita fan, but after Butterfly I was quite put out.
You said it right, I was disappointed about the direction the books were going in.
I don’t want to give up, but it seems like she gave up herself.

Left by Pam on November 8th, 2009

I have noticed that in the Anita Blake novels, Anita is always described a petite or not weighing much. In my mind that makes her thin. Now this could just be me, but I think that by portraying a powerful, successful, sexy, and man-collecting main character, some of the younger female readers may gain the wrong message. What I mean by this is that young readers may make a connection of power, and the ability to attract men to the slimness of one’s figure.

This also sends the message to some young readers that the only way they can be attractive to men is to be angry and pout all the time, or be slim, short and perfectly, abnormally, beautiful.

In the Meredith Gentry novels however LKH does try to make Merry a bit more realistic in today’s society, but she is still thin and not to mention has large, and still perky breast. Merry in the novels complains of not being anorexic thin or uber tall, which leads me to think this once again can send negative messages to young readers.

Sure being slim may add to the “sexiness” of the book, but would it really hurt to have a female protagonist with a some extra cushioning around the middle? I think it would add to the intimacy factor. That the man could love her for who she is not what she looks like. My thought is that by being so slim of characters, Anita, and Merry make it difficult to relate to when they have such “model perfect” bodies.

My next point is that the men of the novels, always described as well built, thin, and handsome, set unrealistic standards for men and for women to look for. Young female readers will think that all men should look like that, while men will try to strive for non-realistic goals.

While this is completely based off my own views toward the body types of the characters, it could have negative impacts on young readers. What these types of novels do is re-enforce what the media already shoves down our throats through magazines and commercials.

Earlier in my last post I had mentioned the flaws of writing and now I do want to bring up one thing that bothers me in the Merry Gentry novels. I hope someone can explain this to me but the sidhe are almighty, beat someone to death with cars, strong, right? So when Merry who cannot take much damage has sex with the men and they, “thrust as hard and fast as he could” -from Swallowing Darkness pg 440, why doesn’t Merry’s pelvis or bones break under the force?

Now moving on. I want to address the fact that in some of the novels the main character will get seriously injured with death is close at hand then with out any magical “sex” healing they are just fine and dandy. I will once again use the Swallow Darkness novel to get my point across. Merry is attacked by the night hag to a point that she needs to get to a hospital or die. After meeting Doyle however she is just fine and dandy enough to go up stairs, kill a night hag, take a shower, go home and change before the oh, so deadly wounds are even mentioned again. Then Doyle has to lick the wound closed. A power he doesn’t use in all the other novels.

Now then I think I have rambled on plenty. ah, feels nice to let it all out. I hope someone can answer my question and my apologies for bringing up so much Meredith Gentry on an Anita Blake blog. Though many of the factors apply to both series.

Left by delmar on November 15th, 2009

LKH’s book sales speak for themselves. Despite the huge ammount of negativity readers feel, so many still buy the books. I am among that guilty camp. I wince at some of her writing, dislike the amount of sex in the books, and hate some of her characterizations… but I am still an addict.

You have to admire that LKH has created something so unique and compelling, that despite the books glaring flaws, people can stop reading them! I think the heart of the books is Anita herself. LKH is at least in part responsible for the glut of “kick ass” heroines we see today. Although beautiful, sexy, strong kick-ass, evil-fighting heroines are now a bit of a cliche, I still think Anita stands out from the crowd because of the realism LKH writes with. Anita uses real guns, had to go through the process of getting licences to carry, and trains regularly. And we also see the personal/psychological sacrifices she has to make to become so tough.

Left by AE on November 20th, 2009

Awww…I wanted to check out the “message to her fans”, but it’s not there anymore.

Left by Jam on March 3rd, 2010

I personally like LKH’s early books. Of course all of the books kept me on the edge, but there was just to much weird sex scenes for my taste. Yes I like sex as well but some of the stuff that she wrote was off the wall! Plus wheres the plot?!

Left by amber on July 3rd, 2010

Why do readers get so pissed off I wonder? Maybe it’s because the book blurbs promise more than they deliver.

Anyway, as you say, that sort of vitriol from a writer is totally self defeating, not just in the image it presents but also in thinking we’re perfect and our readers are therefore flawed. A writer should listen to her critics and consider what they say wisely – especially the buying public. We can’t afford to lose them.

Left by Tahlia Newland on August 11th, 2010

She has lost her touch with Anita Blake series. Before they weren’t predictable, now they are. I was very excited for her new release “Bullet” but it failed to impress me. I hope her other series Meredith Gentry, she keeps her touch but I doubt it. Which in terms seems rather sad, because I liked her style. Maybe the fame and fortune got to her?

Left by Laura on August 31st, 2010

It doesn’t bother me that she started writing Sci-Fi Erotica so much that she had to do it with a series I once loved. She should have started a new series and kept Anita Blake on track or just ended it with a little dignity.

Left by Chris on December 10th, 2010

It is not wise to write merely a novel you can live with. Write the book you have always wanted to read yourself, and you will be happier for it.

Laurell K Hamilton writes what she wants to read.

… and I love her for it.

Left by Jewel Ciappio on December 30th, 2010

I love the Meredith gentry series. I cant do anything but hope for another =]

Left by Lauren on January 4th, 2011

I definitly agree with a couple of reviewers ahead of me. I looked at LKH’s timeline and she’s just been relentlessly churning out books. This is her job but she definitly needs to maybe take a year’s sabbatical. I casually cruised through her blog a bit ago when I was reading the Negative Reader thing and it sounds like she’s having a REALLY hard time with this new one. I think it’s called Hit List. Not the point. Anyway I think that she definitly needs to take some time off. I’ve read all of them up to Skin Trade and after that I didn’t have the heart to read more. I’m all for sex. I even enjoy the kinkier sex scenes and more sex but not at expense of plot. It seems like the plot’s getting weaker and I can’t help but to think she’s tired. Her blog seems to correspond with my theory. Overall I feel a bit sorry for her.

Left by Raine on February 1st, 2011

Wow…
Just reading her blog makes me glad I’m not a fan anymore. In every single post she writes, she’s the hero, she’s the protagonist, she’s always right, blah blah blah… Even her books have begun showing these exact same characteristics, which anymore just make me sick. One minute, Anita will praise herself for not doing something that she’s deemed immature, then she’ll turn right around and do the very thing she just said she wouldn’t do anymore. (Example: Hit List–yelling at one cop while telling herself, “I’m glad I don’t do that anymore.”)
Sadly, I admit I have read all of her books up to Hit List, but I stopped buying them long ago. I only read HL because it was a copy someone else had discarded. Perhaps that should’ve been a sign?
The last thing I have to say is, Hamilton has no class or etiquette. To purposely tell her fans that they can’t ask her about certain topics in her books, and to also blatantly blast other authors who she perceives as competition just goes to show what a bottom-feeder she really is.
My copy of HL and other books are going up for sale. Anyone who wants to read this smut can have it.

Left by Kayla on September 18th, 2011

Hi I am one of those people that do not read her books anymore.I agree I liked her books in the beginning. They had a real plot, a heroic female lead, and were gory. After the first few books they have become repetitive and there is too much sex in them. Seriously, all those sex scenes could have been filled with good plot scenes. After the first couple of books I beleive she was just trying to find stuff to shock us with after. I like the drawing style of the comics made for this series. The comics is how I first came to know the anita blake series. After I read the comics I had to read the books, but after a while that main character that drew me too the books disappointed me. She is controlled by the arduer (however you spell it) and it has made her less of a likeable character. The author tries to remedy that problem by having her gain powers every timef main character that she has sex. The worst part is the character has to do it or she dies. The sex is ruling the plot and even when there is a real plot going she thows in a sex scene. Its the same problem with the merry gentry series .The problem is the same except the main characters goal is to get pregnant, but still the sex scenes in those got annoying too. She kept throwing too much sex at the readers and less and less interesting plot. If she got ride of the arduer the books would be better.

Left by antionette on February 22nd, 2013

What I wanna know is when did anita gain the ever-elastic cooch power? Every night/day this female has sex. Half the time with well endowed men. Hello, Micah???!! The plot, lots of sex and character change can be concievable in the land of fiction. But where in the plot did this female get blessed with a cooch that is forever tight? Sorry, after Micah’s repeatedly mentioned freakish size, most of her other partners best bet would be to sneak in the back door.

Left by lost fan on May 7th, 2013