ISBN: 0-441-30483-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
Very enjoyable fantasy novel of alternate reality, full of horrid villains, snappy dialogue, tension and a wonderful, tough and funny heroine.
Reviewed by David on June 15, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (Mystery, Voodoo, Vampires)
Synopsis: In an alternate America, the supernatural creatures have always existed, but it is only recently that some of the most dangerous predators—the vampires—have been granted equal right by the Supreme Court. Anita Blake, a young vampire executioner, now needs a court order to kill a vampire.
Despite her ominous profession, the vampires of St. Louis respect her enough to ask for her help in investigating a series of vampire murders. It seems the vampire community does not trust the police to do a good job in finding the killer. Anita's attempt to find the murderer, while trying to survive her ruthless employers turns desperate and deadly.
Full Review: Anita hates the vampires, but the Master of the City, a mysterious and powerful vampire over a thousand years old has methods of persuasion that even Anita cannot resist: find the murderer or Anita's friend dies.
In a desperate race against time, blackmailed by the ruthless and cruel vampires and trying to catch a deadly serial killer, Anita has no choice but to ally herself with some of the "lesser monsters" to survive and save her friends.
Alas, where monsters are concerned, there is no avoiding pain and loss. But if Anita's body is weak and fragile compared to the monsters, her determination and anger has no peers. And there is little she doesn't know about death—it is her enemy, her ally, her profession and her nature: Anita Blake raises the dead for a living, and lays the undead to their final rest.
This novel is an unusually fortunate blend of fantasy, horror and tough detective story. Glen Cook's "tasty metals" series comes to mind, but this is perhaps the best of its kind.
The action is furious, the emotions—fear, compassion, lust, anger and pity—are visceral; the dialogue is by turns funny and desperate, and sometimes both at once. But the best thing is the heroine—an appealing combination of toughness, honor, sarcasm, innocence and passion. Anita is more macho than most men—she is an adrenaline junkie, almost physically compelled to protect the weak and attack the strong. Her struggles with temptation are almost as furious as her struggle with fear—and sometimes less successful.
The book is self-contained, but there are a number of sequels about Anita and her friends, allies and enemies: the next book in the series is The Laughing Corpse.
Overall: 7.5; Plot: 6.5; Characters: 8; Style: 7; World-building: 7; Originality: 7;
Copyright date 1993, Ace, October 1993, Mass-market, 266 pages
ISBN: 0-441-30483-4 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com