Guys, has this happened to you? You’re browsing the book shelf, probably in the “horror” or “sci-fi/fantasy” section of your local bookstore, and your eye catches on a cover that is graced by a beautiful, semi-naked woman. Intrigued, you pick the book up, but as soon as you see the words “beautiful vampire” or “lust and desire” you put the book down quickly, hoping no one has witnessed your transgression. Well, I’m here to tell you, pick the book back up.
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 to catch a six hour flight and had nothing to read, I probably never would have picked one up myself. Whether Hamilton intended it or not, her series have been increasingly categorized as “Erotic Horror” which tend to be written with a female audience in mind, and can often be described as “bodice rippers with fangs.” However, my fear of sitting on an airplane without anything to read was far greater than my fear of being judged for reading a book that was less than manly, so with a slight hesitation, I picked up “Obsidian Butterfly.”
Now, admittedly, “Obsidian Butterfly” is the most guy friendly book of the series, since it involves one of Hamilton’s more popular characters, Edward, a very normal looking monster killer. But we’ll get to Edward later. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series with “Guilty Pleasures” since it will help any reader become immersed in the world of Anita Blake.
The premise of the series is not ground-breakingly original; it is a modern day world that is similar to ours except for the existence of the supernatural. However, what is unique is the concept that the supernatural not only exists, it exists openly. Vampires have recently been made citizens, though they can’t yet vote, and lycanthropy is considered a disease. The good ol’ USA is the only country where vampirism is considered legal, which means America has been dealing with a large influx of vampires in the past few years. All of which makes Anita Blake’s job that much harder, as she is the licensed vampire executioner for St. Louis. When a vampire forgets his manners, the court issues a warrant, and Anita takes care of the problem.
While the possible complications and complexities of a world where the supernatural have legal rights provides a fascinating back-drop, the stories are not really about that. They are all about Anita Blake, a woman who is attempting to come to terms with her own multiple connections to the supernatural. Because Anita is not only an executioner, she is also a necromancer and an animator, someone who can raise zombies from the grave, a skill that is in constant demand thanks mostly to the legal industry.
As you might imagine, being an executioner of any sort is not your average job, and the main character of the series, Anita Blake, is definitely not your average person. Anita Blake is, in fact, an absolute bad ass, and appeals to male readers just as much as she appeals to women. She is a stone cold killer, and definitely believes in the concept of when pushed, push back harder. And since Anita is a diminutive woman in a very scary monster’s world, she gets plenty of opportunities to push.
Guilty Pleasures,” establishes the formula that the next five books follow pretty closely: Anita gets a call from the supernatural squad of the local police and investigates a horribly gruesome crime. Sometimes it’s tied into her personal life, sometimes it’s not, but one way or another she ends up killing a lot of monsters, human and otherwise. However, while the basic plots are similar, the character arc of Anita that spans the series definitely progresses as Anita comes to terms with her own morality and decides who her friends are on both sides of the undead line. None of the books feel repetitive or redundant, and reading about Anita’s slide into an increasingly gray world is very addicting.
To provide a counterpoint to Anita’s constantly changing moral viewpoints, Hamilton populates the books with complicated characters. The previously mentioned Edward is always a delight when he pops up, providing a character who is even more dangerous than Anita herself. Jean Claude, another major character, begins the series as a two dimensional bad guy, but evolves into someone almost as complex as Anita herself. And Richard, a werewolf, constantly fights a battle between his lupine instincts and his upright moral code.
Each book is packed with enough action and blood to fill a “Rambo” movie, and any reader who enjoys a shot of adrenaline in their reading will not be disappointed. But that is not to say that the books are entirely gender neutral. Especially in the later books, when Anita’s relationship with one of the other main characters finally blossoms, the books do start to veer a little deeper into the erotic category. However, Hamilton creates a plausible scenario to excuse the sudden increase of sex, and while the body counts of the latter books do drop off, there is still enough action and payback to keep readers happy.
Of course, Hamilton does not betray her female audience either. Nearly all the male characters are gorgeous, and she does spend a bit more time describing outfits more than a male reader might feel necessary. Also, quite a few of the male characters are, shall we say…extra manly, but since women have had to watch the results of male visual fantasies in Hollywood for decades, I can’t really begrudge that.
So for any guy out there who thought Ann Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” sounded interesting, but could not get past the decidedly feminine tone of the narration, I recommend the Anita Blake series. Because in this case, you definitely should not judge these books by their covers.
