I've just read the first book, Guilty Pleasures. Then I couldn't help myself I read the summaries of the rest of the books... and man does anyone else who's read the books think Anita turns into such a slutbomb! Sounds like she ends up screwing 4 or 5 guys at the same time at times. Man or woman that'd make anyone a big old slut. Speaking about Anita Blake anyone suggest any good fanfic? Or crossovers?
Anita Blake...anyone read it?
- Thread starter Andy2kk
- Start date
All the fanfiction about it that I've found it crap. The series is crap and after...I think it's Bloody bones can't go more than 100 pages without a sex scene.
Anita IS a slut even without the Deus Ex Machina thing that happens to her, and eventually fucks Nathaniel and Micah, two Were-leopards and part of her Pard, at the same time and Micah changes into his Wereleopard form while they're doing it. Her list of lovers also include an Ulfiric (Richard) the Master of the City (Jean-Claude), his best friend/lover (Uh...forgot his name), one of his servants (a Vampire she *binds* to herself by having sex with him in front of like...four other people), two visiting dignitaries/vampires from the vampire Council, and, well, let's just say that by the last book it's not surprise that she's pregnant.
Anita IS a slut even without the Deus Ex Machina thing that happens to her, and eventually fucks Nathaniel and Micah, two Were-leopards and part of her Pard, at the same time and Micah changes into his Wereleopard form while they're doing it. Her list of lovers also include an Ulfiric (Richard) the Master of the City (Jean-Claude), his best friend/lover (Uh...forgot his name), one of his servants (a Vampire she *binds* to herself by having sex with him in front of like...four other people), two visiting dignitaries/vampires from the vampire Council, and, well, let's just say that by the last book it's not surprise that she's pregnant.
Yeah, I read it. I've read them all, multiple times. And I like them.
And Anita is not pregnant, it's the whole 'vampirism and lycanthropy at the same time' thing messing with her body chemistry.
As for the sluttiness thing... eh. For a forum that prides itself on pervertedness, I'm surprised that people still label Anita according to society's norms. I expect that elsewhere, just not here.
As for fanfics, Hamilton is one of those anti-fanfic authors, so Anita Blake fanfics don't exist for long.
And Anita is not pregnant, it's the whole 'vampirism and lycanthropy at the same time' thing messing with her body chemistry.
As for the sluttiness thing... eh. For a forum that prides itself on pervertedness, I'm surprised that people still label Anita according to society's norms. I expect that elsewhere, just not here.
As for fanfics, Hamilton is one of those anti-fanfic authors, so Anita Blake fanfics don't exist for long.
They are both written by Laurell K. Hamilton and they are both Mary Sues.
Anyone else notice that in her writing that while there might be a couple of females that are lesbian, that part of the characters is generally glossed over, but that there is plenty of m/m action( especially later in the AB series.)?
Kheram
Anyone else notice that in her writing that while there might be a couple of females that are lesbian, that part of the characters is generally glossed over, but that there is plenty of m/m action( especially later in the AB series.)?
Kheram
I used to like the Anita Blake books but when they completely changed focus to being entirely about her ridiculous love-life I lost interest. Plot just disappeared in favour of tedious, badly-written sex scenes. I can get that for free from the Internet. And the Internet stories would probably have better characterisation.
Inevitable, which can be found on Twisting The Hellmouth, by Mhalacai is an excellent Anita Blake fanfiction story. It's a Harry Potter cross but the author does a remarkably good job of fusing things together.
Inevitable, which can be found on Twisting The Hellmouth, by Mhalacai is an excellent Anita Blake fanfiction story. It's a Harry Potter cross but the author does a remarkably good job of fusing things together.
I don't know about the other people here but it's not Anita's harem that really bothers me about the latest books.I have no problem with the harem in the Mery Gentry books.It's the fact that the series changed from a supernatural detective/mystery series to Supernatural Porn with a little plot included.
Agreed; I've read the Meredith Gentry series a few times, and generally like it (and it's various sex scenes) quite well.
But I expect that - we have sex, innuendo and sensuality from just about the first page. To a certain extent, it's a solid part of the plot, in terms of the "race for the throne" (the first to have a child wins), in terms of the personalities involved (Meredith likes the cock; we know this), and in terms of the "resurrection of faerie through the sacred marriage" elements that are woven through the later part of the series.
But the same doesn't fits the concept of the Anita Blake series nearly as well, and it distracts from the supernatural detective theme that's key to the series. It goes against expectations. Moreover, while both female characters accumulate little powers and tricks as they develop, Anita Blake suffers from the same thing as I saw in the "Samuel Haight" thread on rpg.net:
"Who is Samuel Haight"
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=342772
The summary is he's an (old World of Darkness) werewolf kinsman who got werewolf powers (without the silver vulnerability), became a vampire's ghoul (with the perks), learned hedge magic, used a plot McGuffin to stead the Avatar of a mage (so could use magic), has another artifact that protects him from Paradox, has yet another that ensures that if he dies he reformed in another plane...
That's the kind of thing that Anita Blake suffers from in addition to the disconnect, so we see her and think "Mary Sue". So, therefore, her harem is just seen as another irritating sign of such a character.
But I expect that - we have sex, innuendo and sensuality from just about the first page. To a certain extent, it's a solid part of the plot, in terms of the "race for the throne" (the first to have a child wins), in terms of the personalities involved (Meredith likes the cock; we know this), and in terms of the "resurrection of faerie through the sacred marriage" elements that are woven through the later part of the series.
But the same doesn't fits the concept of the Anita Blake series nearly as well, and it distracts from the supernatural detective theme that's key to the series. It goes against expectations. Moreover, while both female characters accumulate little powers and tricks as they develop, Anita Blake suffers from the same thing as I saw in the "Samuel Haight" thread on rpg.net:
"Who is Samuel Haight"
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=342772
The summary is he's an (old World of Darkness) werewolf kinsman who got werewolf powers (without the silver vulnerability), became a vampire's ghoul (with the perks), learned hedge magic, used a plot McGuffin to stead the Avatar of a mage (so could use magic), has another artifact that protects him from Paradox, has yet another that ensures that if he dies he reformed in another plane...
That's the kind of thing that Anita Blake suffers from in addition to the disconnect, so we see her and think "Mary Sue". So, therefore, her harem is just seen as another irritating sign of such a character.
Anita Blake is a self-insert. Author even says as much in interviews.
Powers gained throughout the books
* Necromancer: Anita is one of the most powerful animators operating commercially. She can raise zombies, sense the dead, sense vampires and lycanthropes, estimate their power level, and can resist (at least partially) mental influence from vampires. Particulars that set her apart from other animators:
o Anita's zombies look lifelike and can fool the untrained eye, including "healing" any sign of decay or injury.
o She can raise zombies that are centuries dead, and in later books can do so without human sacrifice.
o She is one of the few animators who can act as a "focus" to combine the powers of multiple animators.
o In Bloody Bones and The Killing Dance she raises vampires (during daylight) as if they were zombies. According to Jean-Claude, this is a rare ability. After raising a vampire, she can heal any wounds as if it were a zombie.
o In book 14 she is able to heal a vampire without raising it first.
o Her necromancer abilities refer to the ability to control all types of undead. In Bloody Bones, she controls the vampire she raised during the day; in Blue Moon, she realizes she has some measure of control over Damian.
o Anita is also able to call and control the spirits of dead werewolves (munin). She has particular affinity for the spirit of Raina and can channel Raina's healing abilities (Burnt Offerings and later).
* Combat training: Anita has a black belt in Judo as of the first book. In Obsidian Butterfly she is also studying Kenpo Karate. She works out regularly with her best friend Ronnie "to be able to out run the bad guys" when she needs to. She credits Edward for much of her training in weapons, primarily handguns and knives.
* Detective training: Though she rarely uses these skills in later novels, Anita has been involved with many investigations with RPIT and, in the later books, with the FBI. Her police contact, Rudolph Storr, routinely requires her to engage in independent crime scene reconstruction in order to obtain an analysis -- Anita's reconstructions are almost always correct and frequently include insights that the police have missed. Anita thinks like both a cop and a monster, according to some, which is what makes her so insightful.
o As of Cerulean Sins, she has Federal Marshal status which allows her to now enter any preternatural crime scene she so desires, or follow a vampire or other non-human crime suspect across state lines.
* Supernatural experience: Anita holds a bachelor's degree in preternatural biology and is a trained vampire executioner. She also has a two-semester background in comparative religion. These courses often told her useful tidbits about other cultures/mythologies, and throughout the series she learns vastly more about vampires, lycanthropes, and other preternatural creatures. RPIT relies on her for information about a wide variety of supernatural entities.
* Human servant: In books 1-3 and 6+, Jean-Claude has marked Anita with three of the four marks necessary to make her his human servant. This grants Anita unusual strength, rapid healing, increased resistance to vampire's abilities, and an almost complete resistance to Jean-Claude's mental influence, as well as a psychic connection to Jean-Claude himself. In books 10+, Anita has given Damian, her vampire servant, the fourth mark. This does not interfere with Jean Claude's marks. It is uncertain if this unconventional fourth mark grants Anita immortality.
* Triumvirate member: Anita is a member of a "triumvirate" with Jean-Claude and Richard Zeeman (The Killing Dance). At first the only effect was their powers boosting when they are together, and more so when touching. (The usefulness of the triumvirate varies with the interpersonal conflicts between Richard, Jean-Claude, and Anita.) Some results that developed in Narcissus in Chains and later novels:
o Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard are all telepathically and metaphysically linked. They can speak mind-to-mind, share dreams, and draw on each other's energy and abilities.
o Each is becoming more like the other.
o Anita has developed several powers similar to those of vampires and lycanthropes.
* In Incubus Dreams Anita, Damien and Nathaniel create another triumvirate with Anita as the center.
* Vampire powers: The combination of her necromancy and her membership in the triumvirate has caused Anita to develop a series of powers formerly seen only in vampires, including the following.
o Anita has the ability to copy vampire powers that are used against her - sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently (Narcissus in Chains).
o Ardeur (Narcissus in Chains) (spelling varies, depending on the book). Anita developed this power after Jean-Claude fed his ardeur through her. The ardeur has proven in later books to manipulate the personalities of Anita and those around her, as well as to be addictive to some characters (such as London).
o Power draining: Anita has copied, apparently permanently, Itzpapalotl's ability to drain the life energy from her victims and, if she chooses, to use that energy to heal another (Obsidian Butterfly).
o Harm from a distance - the ability to turn a person's aura against them, usually resulting in cuts (Narcissus in Chains). Jean-Claude had studied how this worked but did not have the ability. Anita has the ability, and Jean-Claude used their metaphysical connection to "show" her how to use it. (We also saw this ability used against Anita in The Killing Dance).
o Animal to call - leopards (Narcissus in Chains) and lions (Danse Macabre), and possibly others.
o Power to bind vampire and animal servants: Anita has the power to bind a vampire servant and an animal servant. She inadvertently used this power to attract a vampire servant, Damian (Blue Moon), and formed a second triumvirate between them and Nathaniel in (Cerulean Sins), which presumably has increased her power further.
Biology
During a period of hospitalization at the end of the novella Micah, AnitaÆs blood test revealed that whilst she is not a lycanthrope, she is a carrier of at least four types of the lycanthropy virus: wolf, leopard, lion, and one so far unidentified. This is considered unusual because one type of lycanthropy usually provides immunity to the other forms. This method of thinking, as of The Harlequin, has resulted in the injection of a rare feline lycanthorpy to combat a recent infection due to attack. Because the viruses counteract one aother this would result in an infection-free blood test. One exception to the viral immunity/nullification was Chimera, who had multiple forms of lycanthropy and first used the phrase panwere to describe himself (Narcissus in Chains). One Theory about ChimeraÆs condition is that because he was infected by multiple forms of lycanthropes before his first change, he thus developed the transformative abilities of each virus; this directly contrasts the medical procedure of deliberate infection used in The Harlequin . Another theory, which may better explain AnitaÆs 4th and unknown stain of the virus, is that Chimera had somehow contracted a mutation (or caused the mutation) of the virus allowing all others to coexist without nullifying one another.
Author's Reasoning on Anita's relationships
Anita Blake is celibate during the first 5 novels. She has her first "in-book" date in book 3 (Circus of the Damned). Book 6 (The Killing Dance) has her first sexual encounter since the beginning of the series. In-book sex returns in book 8.
Beginning in book 10 (Narcissus in Chains), the sexual content increased significantly. Sadomasochism, dominance and submission, multiple concurrent relationships, and lycanthropic sexual fantasies are all explored. Previous sex scenes were explicit but rare. Due to the increased sexual and relationship content, the later books are sometimes shelved in romance.
In a January, 2002 interview, Hamilton responded to questions about why she added sex with:
Anita is my eyes on her world, my camera. The camera had stayed steady on the violence for books and books. What did it say about me as a writer that I wanted to take the camera away for sex scenes but not violence? If the camera stays on track for one, it must stay on track for the other. [1]
In a relatively long blog post, dated December 29, 2006, Hamilton invites readers disappointed in recent Anita Blake novels to stop reading her work altogether.
Life is too short to read books you don't like, so if you're not having a good time, stop doing it. [...] But let me say, one thing puzzles me. When I decide not to read an author, or series again. I don't go on their message board and keep talking about the books I don't want to read.
She wonders if "negative fans" read her novels anyway or if they are criticizing her work without actually reading it. She also confesses that she knows there are people who hate how the Anita Blake books have changed.
Let this post also put to rest the idea that I don't know that a small minority, albeit a loud minority, hates my series. I've known that for awhile. [...H]aving someone say to your face, that they hate your books and at least twice, that they hate you stand out in our minds. Since I wouldn't stand in line for hours to tell someone I loved their work, the fact that people stand in line for hours to tell me they hate my work, just puzzles the hell out of me.
Hamilton states that she does not understand how someone could hate her and her work and still read it and still seek out her message board to debate it. She noted that her sales figures for the later books seem to indicate that the "negative fans" are in the minority, and concludes by encouraging "positive fans" that simply enjoy the books.
Hamilton's blog post enraged many current and former fans of the series when she implied that those who no longer enjoy the series are either too prudish or unintelligent to understand
There are books that don't make you think that hard. Books that don't push you past that comfortable envelope of the mundane. If you want to be comforted, don't read my books. They aren't comfortable books. They are books that push my character and me to the edge and beyond of our comfort zones.
Powers gained throughout the books
* Necromancer: Anita is one of the most powerful animators operating commercially. She can raise zombies, sense the dead, sense vampires and lycanthropes, estimate their power level, and can resist (at least partially) mental influence from vampires. Particulars that set her apart from other animators:
o Anita's zombies look lifelike and can fool the untrained eye, including "healing" any sign of decay or injury.
o She can raise zombies that are centuries dead, and in later books can do so without human sacrifice.
o She is one of the few animators who can act as a "focus" to combine the powers of multiple animators.
o In Bloody Bones and The Killing Dance she raises vampires (during daylight) as if they were zombies. According to Jean-Claude, this is a rare ability. After raising a vampire, she can heal any wounds as if it were a zombie.
o In book 14 she is able to heal a vampire without raising it first.
o Her necromancer abilities refer to the ability to control all types of undead. In Bloody Bones, she controls the vampire she raised during the day; in Blue Moon, she realizes she has some measure of control over Damian.
o Anita is also able to call and control the spirits of dead werewolves (munin). She has particular affinity for the spirit of Raina and can channel Raina's healing abilities (Burnt Offerings and later).
* Combat training: Anita has a black belt in Judo as of the first book. In Obsidian Butterfly she is also studying Kenpo Karate. She works out regularly with her best friend Ronnie "to be able to out run the bad guys" when she needs to. She credits Edward for much of her training in weapons, primarily handguns and knives.
* Detective training: Though she rarely uses these skills in later novels, Anita has been involved with many investigations with RPIT and, in the later books, with the FBI. Her police contact, Rudolph Storr, routinely requires her to engage in independent crime scene reconstruction in order to obtain an analysis -- Anita's reconstructions are almost always correct and frequently include insights that the police have missed. Anita thinks like both a cop and a monster, according to some, which is what makes her so insightful.
o As of Cerulean Sins, she has Federal Marshal status which allows her to now enter any preternatural crime scene she so desires, or follow a vampire or other non-human crime suspect across state lines.
* Supernatural experience: Anita holds a bachelor's degree in preternatural biology and is a trained vampire executioner. She also has a two-semester background in comparative religion. These courses often told her useful tidbits about other cultures/mythologies, and throughout the series she learns vastly more about vampires, lycanthropes, and other preternatural creatures. RPIT relies on her for information about a wide variety of supernatural entities.
* Human servant: In books 1-3 and 6+, Jean-Claude has marked Anita with three of the four marks necessary to make her his human servant. This grants Anita unusual strength, rapid healing, increased resistance to vampire's abilities, and an almost complete resistance to Jean-Claude's mental influence, as well as a psychic connection to Jean-Claude himself. In books 10+, Anita has given Damian, her vampire servant, the fourth mark. This does not interfere with Jean Claude's marks. It is uncertain if this unconventional fourth mark grants Anita immortality.
* Triumvirate member: Anita is a member of a "triumvirate" with Jean-Claude and Richard Zeeman (The Killing Dance). At first the only effect was their powers boosting when they are together, and more so when touching. (The usefulness of the triumvirate varies with the interpersonal conflicts between Richard, Jean-Claude, and Anita.) Some results that developed in Narcissus in Chains and later novels:
o Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard are all telepathically and metaphysically linked. They can speak mind-to-mind, share dreams, and draw on each other's energy and abilities.
o Each is becoming more like the other.
o Anita has developed several powers similar to those of vampires and lycanthropes.
* In Incubus Dreams Anita, Damien and Nathaniel create another triumvirate with Anita as the center.
* Vampire powers: The combination of her necromancy and her membership in the triumvirate has caused Anita to develop a series of powers formerly seen only in vampires, including the following.
o Anita has the ability to copy vampire powers that are used against her - sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently (Narcissus in Chains).
o Ardeur (Narcissus in Chains) (spelling varies, depending on the book). Anita developed this power after Jean-Claude fed his ardeur through her. The ardeur has proven in later books to manipulate the personalities of Anita and those around her, as well as to be addictive to some characters (such as London).
o Power draining: Anita has copied, apparently permanently, Itzpapalotl's ability to drain the life energy from her victims and, if she chooses, to use that energy to heal another (Obsidian Butterfly).
o Harm from a distance - the ability to turn a person's aura against them, usually resulting in cuts (Narcissus in Chains). Jean-Claude had studied how this worked but did not have the ability. Anita has the ability, and Jean-Claude used their metaphysical connection to "show" her how to use it. (We also saw this ability used against Anita in The Killing Dance).
o Animal to call - leopards (Narcissus in Chains) and lions (Danse Macabre), and possibly others.
o Power to bind vampire and animal servants: Anita has the power to bind a vampire servant and an animal servant. She inadvertently used this power to attract a vampire servant, Damian (Blue Moon), and formed a second triumvirate between them and Nathaniel in (Cerulean Sins), which presumably has increased her power further.
Biology
During a period of hospitalization at the end of the novella Micah, AnitaÆs blood test revealed that whilst she is not a lycanthrope, she is a carrier of at least four types of the lycanthropy virus: wolf, leopard, lion, and one so far unidentified. This is considered unusual because one type of lycanthropy usually provides immunity to the other forms. This method of thinking, as of The Harlequin, has resulted in the injection of a rare feline lycanthorpy to combat a recent infection due to attack. Because the viruses counteract one aother this would result in an infection-free blood test. One exception to the viral immunity/nullification was Chimera, who had multiple forms of lycanthropy and first used the phrase panwere to describe himself (Narcissus in Chains). One Theory about ChimeraÆs condition is that because he was infected by multiple forms of lycanthropes before his first change, he thus developed the transformative abilities of each virus; this directly contrasts the medical procedure of deliberate infection used in The Harlequin . Another theory, which may better explain AnitaÆs 4th and unknown stain of the virus, is that Chimera had somehow contracted a mutation (or caused the mutation) of the virus allowing all others to coexist without nullifying one another.
Author's Reasoning on Anita's relationships
Anita Blake is celibate during the first 5 novels. She has her first "in-book" date in book 3 (Circus of the Damned). Book 6 (The Killing Dance) has her first sexual encounter since the beginning of the series. In-book sex returns in book 8.
Beginning in book 10 (Narcissus in Chains), the sexual content increased significantly. Sadomasochism, dominance and submission, multiple concurrent relationships, and lycanthropic sexual fantasies are all explored. Previous sex scenes were explicit but rare. Due to the increased sexual and relationship content, the later books are sometimes shelved in romance.
In a January, 2002 interview, Hamilton responded to questions about why she added sex with:
Anita is my eyes on her world, my camera. The camera had stayed steady on the violence for books and books. What did it say about me as a writer that I wanted to take the camera away for sex scenes but not violence? If the camera stays on track for one, it must stay on track for the other. [1]
In a relatively long blog post, dated December 29, 2006, Hamilton invites readers disappointed in recent Anita Blake novels to stop reading her work altogether.
Life is too short to read books you don't like, so if you're not having a good time, stop doing it. [...] But let me say, one thing puzzles me. When I decide not to read an author, or series again. I don't go on their message board and keep talking about the books I don't want to read.
She wonders if "negative fans" read her novels anyway or if they are criticizing her work without actually reading it. She also confesses that she knows there are people who hate how the Anita Blake books have changed.
Let this post also put to rest the idea that I don't know that a small minority, albeit a loud minority, hates my series. I've known that for awhile. [...H]aving someone say to your face, that they hate your books and at least twice, that they hate you stand out in our minds. Since I wouldn't stand in line for hours to tell someone I loved their work, the fact that people stand in line for hours to tell me they hate my work, just puzzles the hell out of me.
Hamilton states that she does not understand how someone could hate her and her work and still read it and still seek out her message board to debate it. She noted that her sales figures for the later books seem to indicate that the "negative fans" are in the minority, and concludes by encouraging "positive fans" that simply enjoy the books.
Hamilton's blog post enraged many current and former fans of the series when she implied that those who no longer enjoy the series are either too prudish or unintelligent to understand
There are books that don't make you think that hard. Books that don't push you past that comfortable envelope of the mundane. If you want to be comforted, don't read my books. They aren't comfortable books. They are books that push my character and me to the edge and beyond of our comfort zones.
Ah, I see.
There are a few things wrong with it(a number of her powers do have major drawbacks that aren't listed), but it's a fairly accurate portrayal.
I must disagree with the 'Mary Sue' label(not from Pridefall's post) being put on Anita. It's inapplicable due to a /large/ number of people in her world that dislike her, some to the point of trying to kill her.
She is an SI, I admit that, but she's not a Mary Sue.
There are a few things wrong with it(a number of her powers do have major drawbacks that aren't listed), but it's a fairly accurate portrayal.
I must disagree with the 'Mary Sue' label(not from Pridefall's post) being put on Anita. It's inapplicable due to a /large/ number of people in her world that dislike her, some to the point of trying to kill her.
She is an SI, I admit that, but she's not a Mary Sue.
An answer for every occasion? Half the time she has no clue how her own powers will react to this or that. If you mean she can find things the cops miss, that's cause she, unlike the cops, has psychic ability and can feel psychic residues.
Mary Sues also don't end up in the hospital as often as Anita does.
And her stubbornness has nearly gotten her(and others) killed on more than one occasion. Once again, not something Mary Sue-ish.
Mary Sues also don't end up in the hospital as often as Anita does.
And her stubbornness has nearly gotten her(and others) killed on more than one occasion. Once again, not something Mary Sue-ish.