Blue Moon

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: 8

ISBN: 0-441-00574-8 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com

This excellent continuation in a dark fantasy series features a tough and sarcastic heroine, preternatural fights, sexual tension and struggles with monsters, both external and internal.

Reviewed by David on October 03, 1998

Genre: Fantasy (Mystery, Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifting, Alternate Reality)

Synopsis: Anita Blake, a necromancer and licensed vampire executioner in an alternate USA where magic exists and the vampires have recently gained legal rights, has been involved with two attractive and dangerous men: Jean-Claude, the vampire Master of Saint Louis, and Richard, an alpha werewolf. When she hears that Richard has been arrested on a false charge in Tennessee, she flies to his rescue despite their recent break-up. When she gets there, she finds the struggle is far from just getting Richard a good defense lawyer: the enemies who framed her former fiancé will stop at nothing to get their way.

Full Review: This book which follows Burnt Offerings is the eighth installment in the remarkably entertaining series in an alternate world begun with Guilty Pleasures. While the novel stands on its own, and the author recapitulates important points of Anita's history, the character development in the previous books would add to the appreciation of Blue Moon.

When Anita with a small entourage arrives in Myerton, Tennessee, she finds that more than a false accusation of rape is holding her former boyfriend, Richard, in this town. Somebody is after the land of the endangered Lesser Mountain Trolls. The police is behaving suspeciously. And, if this were not enough, neither the local werewolf pack, nor the vampire Master are happy to see the executioner in their territory.

The pace in the book is breathtaking. Every short chapter brings new complications, frequently fraught with danger, and framed by violence. Anita is quickly pulled into several interlocked struggles, some caused by her arrival, others arising from conspiracies of greed and evil. Anita's life is complicated by her feelings of love, lust and jealousy which Richard still arouses. Her unique role as a human Lupa, a consort of the werewolf pack leader, add ambiguity to her motivations, while her ability as necromancer bring the power and peril of Munin, the spirit of the pack's dead.

Despite her growing powers, Anita's vulnerability saves her from the superpower syndrome, and grant an importance to her complex relationships with her friends and allies. It is her unshakable loyalty and sense of duty that both create her enemies and friends. These qualities both push her to the brink of evil, and allow her a hope of redemption. This conflict of ends and means is what infuses this series with attraction beyond the breakneck pace or vivid violence.

There are a few flaws in the book as well. There are several grammatical errors not caught by copyeditors. More importantly, a few actions by Anita, as well as her enemies, seem to be designed more for plot convenience than for tactical advantage. The amount of lust saturating the book is becoming distracting and even implausible at times.

Blue Moon is an excellent addition to the series. There is a great deal of lycanthrope politics and magic, which was actually overdue. There is more exploration of Richard's and Jean-Claude's motivations, which helps enrich the continuing unfolding of the triumvirate. For fans of mystery, dark fantasy, tough female heroes, vampires or werewolves, this book is highly recommended. For others, try it anyway: you may well like it, along with the rest of the series.

Incidentally, following the convention of the previous books, the title is derived from a place: the Blue Moon Cabins.

Overall: 7; Plot: 6; Characters: 7; Style: 7; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;

ISBN: 0-441-00574-8 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com