ISBN: 0-425-18168-5 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
Fast, enjoyable and at times intense, this novel full of fighting and sex does not stand to any close scrutiny.
Reviewed by David on November 10, 2001
Genre: Fantasy (Mystery, Vampires, Werewolves, Shapeshifting, Alternate Reality)
Synopsis: In an alternate America where magic works and the legendary creatures exist, the Supreme Court has made it illegal to kill vampires without a court order. One of a handful of licensed vampire executioners, Anita Blake is a powerful animator and an occasional police expert on supernatural crimes.
In her unasked-for position as the guardian of a small and leaderless group of wereleopards, Anita steps into a fight when two of them are kidnapped. To gain aid, Anita opens the vampire marks binding her to the Master of the City and occasional lover Jean-Claude, which gives her more power in exchange for less control over her life. Her subsequent struggle with shapeshifter politics, and with constantly increasing influence of magic on her life, take place amid signs of an enemy bent on doing harm to Anita and her friends.
Full Review: This is a sequel to Obsidian Butterfly, and continues the exciting series featuring Anita Blake, animator, preternatural crime investigator, and vampire executioner. While not very rigorously throught out, this alternate reality is very accessible. Much of the charm of this and the earlier books came from the main character, Anita, the fiercely independent and occasionally abrasive young woman, who frequently resorted to sarcasm and black humor when faced with overwhelming enemies.
The novel has a number of inconsistencies, and many of the less plausbile plot turns seem designed to force Anita into sex or combat. The continuing theme of lust, violence, and the combination of the two becomes tiresome, as do continuing wish-fulfillment elements.
However, the author retains her story-telling skills that made this series so entertaining. Anita is still an engaging, if overly abrasive heroine. Her stressful life rarely leaves any room for boredom, and the colorful characters surrounding her help create the environment of tension occasionally sprinkled with laughter or rare contentment. Anita's one-liners can be hilarious, and the ocassional black humor works well with the suspense of the narrative, as does Anita's mixture of cynicism and idealism.
In the end, significant plot developments take place, ones which position Anita for future adventures. This flawed but entertaining novel is likely to be very enjoyable to fans of the series, which starts with the excellent Guilty Pleasures.
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 6; Style: 6.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 2001, Berkley Publishing Group (Berkley), October 2001, Cloth, 424 pages
ISBN: 0-425-18168-5 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com