I should have known better.  With a title like “Succubus in the City”, and a fluffy description on the back, the female demographic was clearly the target market assigned to this book.

I had just finished the latest Charlaine Harris mystery in the “cold grave” series and was looking for something a little lighter.  It was clear from the start that this was chick-lit.  But still … come on, not all females are morons!

The concept is this.  A succubus named Lily, living in New York City and surrounded by three of her closest gal pals with input from her beloved boss Satan (who of course goes by the more casual name “Martha” to her friends), is really just looking for love and a deeper meaning to her male-female relationships than the one night stands she engages in.  Sure, she loves her work – ridding the world of idiot, loser males who would only cause other women emotional pain and be selfish lovers is a cause she can get behind.  But then she meets Nathan and she starts to question it all.  Could there be more to relationships?  Could this be the guy who triggers her escape clause with Satan and allows her to give it all up, accepting her for who she is?

Throw in a shadowy group of fervent believers who are trying to destroy her and her friends, a sub-plot between one of her close demon friends and a cute demon doorman, and you’ve pretty much got the plot right there.

It’s not badly written.  It’s not entirely inane.  But if you’re looking for a meaty story that makes you think in any way beyond looking for fashion in a city on designer steroids and hot spots, or maybe the pleasures of expensive haute cuisine which can be ingested without added pounds and therefore guilt, this is not the book for you.

The ending was clichéd.  In case you’re actually still interested in reading it, I won’t spoil it for you but whatever you suspect it would be in the most unimaginative of plot lines … well, it’s probably that.  No resolution to the plot, and a transparent attempt to get you to buy the next book in what will likely be a series to find out what happens.  If you really care.

It’s clear that this book was sparked by the success of Candace Bushnell’s Sex in the City.  But instead of covering new ground, instead it rehashes the same old tired concepts – don’t threaten a guy’s ego, always play games, and if you ever think of NOT playing games you’ll probably be sorry.

If you’re really bored, by all means pick up this book from the library or borrow it from a friend.  You’re welcome to my copy of you like.  Just let me know.

Still interested?  It’s available through Amazon.ca and if you really really want it, feel free to order it online here.  Shameless plug: I’m experimenting with the concept of being an Amazon.ca reseller, so I’ll make a few cents to put towards buying new books if you click through from here.

But don’t feel like you have to. ;-)

My Rating: @@

I know ... I keep posting about True Blood lately. Partly it's because I haven't been able to concentrate on reading a book in a while, and partly because the show is both slightly addictive and really annoying. It swings.

This past weekend's episode (#8?) was annoying. The spraying blood and the subsequent slaying of Longshadow was ok. But what's up with this Jason-Joy-Nerdy/Gay Vampire storyline? And the gooey Oh-Jason-I'm-So-In-Love-With-You business? I mean, sure, in the books Jason has a way with the female portion of the population but come ON! And kidnapping a vampire? Having sex in front of him while he moaned in agony? Give me a freakin' break.

Tell me Charlaine Harris isn't cringing as she watches. Her writing does not go down such cliched, groan-worthy paths. It's a lot more subtle with a healthy dose of irony. I really miss her light touch in this series.

Sure, I'm happy that one of my favourite series is being brought to life (or unlife - LOL) every week. And I hope its popularity helps Ms. Harris out financially -- she deserves it IMO.

But I prefer the books. You know -- the place where Sookie isn't a saucy whiner, where Eric's quips make you laugh, and where Jason is a highly-sexed idiot ... but not THIS much of an idiot.

Ok. 'Nuff said, for now.

And now it's time to start watching the US election results come in ...

For those of you completely sucked into True Blood, I'm going to make another suggestion for you: try the earlier books in the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton.

I came across these books in a fairly dark period in my life -- I had just buried two close relatives in two weeks, and I needed some serious escapist fiction. Started out of order with Narcissus In Chains, then went back to the store and got as many other books in the series as I could find. Guilty Pleasures is the first one -- a little uneven, but it's where the story starts. IMO, the books improved from there and continued to be decent reading material until Ms. Hamilton started writing her Merry Gentry series -- a series I absolutely can't stand.

Warning: these books are not for the faint of heart or those who can't stand graphic violence and/or content of an explicitly sexual nature.

For all things Laurell K. Hamilton related, there is a site with regular updates here including a link to the author's blog.

Book #1: Guilty Pleasures

From the Publisher

My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me The Executioner. What I call them isn't repeatable.

Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars...

But now a serial killer is murdering vampires -- and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer...

Guilty Pleasures is available at Amazon.ca.

Book #2: Laughing Corpse

From Amazon.com
Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it. Notice to Hollywood: forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Anita Blake is the real thing. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Laughing Corpse is available from Amazon.ca

Book #3: Circus Of The Damned

From Amazon.com
The third novel of Hamilton's Anita Blake series has the petite necromancer fighting a giant cobra and a rogue vampire, Alejandro, who wants her for his human servant. Anita is still resisting the advances of Jean-Claude, St. Louis's master vampire, but she does need him on her side, if not in her bed. Anita's reluctant involvement in the odd goings-on at the supernatural Circus of the Damned introduces her to Richard, the werewolf of her dreams, and Larry, her powerful but nervous partner in zombie-raising.

Mystery fans will love the tightly plotted, Paretsky-esque action, and horror fans will love just about everything in this unusual series. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Circus Of The Damned is available for purchase at Amazon.ca

Book #4: The Lunatic Cafe

From Amazon.com
The zombie-raising business gets slow in December, so Anita Blake is starting to see some oddball cases. She's got a neatly typed list of eight missing lycanthropes given to her by Marcus, the leader of the local werewolf pack, who wants her to find them. The trouble is, Anita's occasionally furry boyfriend Richard is locked in a power struggle with Marcus. Jean-Claude, master vampire of the city and Anita's other love interest, is getting jealous as well. To top it off, Anita has to solve some horrific murders and keep her bounty-hunting friend Edward from killing Richard and Jean-Claude. Hamilton alternates between funny and fearsome in this larky series about a monster hunter with a few dark secrets. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Lunatic Cafe is available at Amazon.ca

Book #5: Bloody Bones

From Amazon.com
When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. But as soon as she arrives in Branson, Missouri, to do the deed, the job gets more interesting. A psychotic sword-wielding vampire starts committing multiple murders in the area, and Anita must call on Jean-Claude, her powerful fanged suitor, for help. As always, Anita prevails over the undead, keeping Jean-Claude at arm's length, clearing the cemetery land of an ancient enchantment, and nailing the vampiric killer in one fell swoop. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Bloody Bones is available from Amazon.ca

Book #6: The Killing Dance

From Amazon.com
Anita Blake, vampire hunter, is now herself a hunted woman. Who put the $500,000 price on her head--a man or a monster? It's not just her own skin she needs to save; the rivalry between her werewolf boyfriend, Richard, and Marcus, the other alpha werewolf in his pack, has come to full boil. And there's always Jean-Claude, the vampire who's been waiting for just the right moment to slip inside Anita's head and heart. Don't assume anything, though--Hamilton's probably got a few more surprises in store. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Killing Dance is available from Amazon.ca

Book #7: Burnt Offerings

From Amazon.com
Burnt Offerings is the seventh in Laurell K. Hamilton's genre-straddling Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Anita carries a gun and an attitude: "Questions are great, but only if you know the answers. If you ask questions and the answers surprise you, you look silly. Hard to be threatening when you look ill-informed."

As Burnt Offerings unfolds, Anita agrees to help track down a possible psychic firestarter. She's also policing the local werewolf pack, though she's split up with their alpha, Richard. Then Jean-Claude, the vampire Master of the City and her lover, needs her help to confront a visiting delegation of the vampires' ruling council. They wonder how he got the power to destroy a council member and believe him dangerous to the hierarchy.

This fast-paced, urban fantasy includes gore, hardboiled mystery and a romantic triangle. The vampires and werewolves are as three-dimensional as the human characters, allowing us to join Anita in wondering who the real monsters are and to understand how her increased personal involvement with them is alienating her from her human colleagues. --Nona Vero --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Burnt Offerings can be purchased through Amazon.ca

Book #8: Blue Moon

From Amazon.com
Anita Blake makes a living raising the dead. She also executes rogue vampires and villains among the local were-folk. Marks bind her to Jean-Claude, the Master vampire of St. Louis and her lover, and to her ex-fiancé, a powerful werewolf who heads up the local pack. Anita shares some of their magic, and her own power over the dead keeps growing. But so does the body count and the situations that force Anita to bend or break her own rules.

In Blue Moon, Anita's ex Richard is jailed in Tennessee, accused of rape. When Anita arrives with a lawyer and an entourage of vampires and 'weres' supplied by Jean-Claude, it's clear that something is rotten in Myerton. The local cops are corrupt, and the trolls Richard was studying are threatened. But if she sticks around to investigate, the local Master vampire will attack her and her friends. The local werewolf clan isn't rushing to welcome her either, and her self-control is going to the, um, wolves.

Blue Moon is the eighth book in Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series; newcomers should start with earlier books. The protagonists' development and their relationships to each other and to the large cast of continuing secondary characters are what make these books so compelling. Be warned--there's steamy sex and graphic violence here, though Anita does reflect on her moral position. But if dark urban fantasy featuring those who hunt the night appeals, pounce on this series. --Nona Vero --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Blue Moon can be purchased from Amazon.ca

Book #9: Obsidian Butterfly

From Publishers Weekly
An inhabitant of an alternate Earth very much like our own--except that magic coexists there with natural law, and preternatural beings like vampires and werewolves coexist with humans--Anita Blake is full of contradictions that make her a potent lead character for this continuing series. Although Anita is a licensed vampire executioner, one of her lovers is a vampire (the other is a werewolf); she packs more firepower than a small army, but is a dedicated Christian; she's tough-as-nails yet ultrafeminine; she tangles with seriously dangerous supernatural forces, but she's as matter of fact about dealing with magic as she is about bashing bad guys, and she's as quick with a quip as she is with a well-placed kick to the groin. In her ninth adventure (after Blue Moon), Anita is summoned to New Mexico by Edward (aka "Death"), the cold-blooded killer from previous books to whom she owes a favor. In the course of investigating a series of grotesque murders (victims torn to bloody bits, survivors flayed of all flesh), Edward becomes more human and Anita less so. Celibate for six months, Anita's usual steamy sexual encounters with her inhuman but hunky boyfriends are missing from this novel, but there's still a lot of beefcake to appreciate and the considerable sexual tension is both humorous and supportive of the plot. The gory story line--which wraps around an Aztec vampire goddess, a dwarf necromancer, bull-headed bigoted cops, hearts ripped from chests and a witch who conveniently appears in the nick of time--needs that bit of sustenance, but the book is still a monstrously entertaining read. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Obsidian Butterfly is available from Amazon.ca

Book #10: Narcissus In Chains

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Hamilton's Anita Blake, police consultant, executioner, necromancer, private eye and wereleopard protector, returns in her amorous 10th adventure, driven more by conflicting desires for the lovers she neglected in her last outing, Obsidian Butterfly (2000), than by the urge to solve any mystery. Once again, in a world where vampires and werecreatures are protected by law, Blake attempts to resolve her libido's constant crisis. Plunged into the netherworld of a leather D/S (dominant/submissive) bar, Narcissus in Chains, by the abduction of one of her inherited wereleopards, Blake finds herself deep into shapeshifter politics and a were creature power struggle that is all a metaphor for her own inner struggle. Whom should she choose werewolf Richard or vampire Jean-Claude? Or should she take a new lover? Who cares? Blake is eventually infected by the "ardeur" from the vampire clan and tinged with shapeshifting abilities from the were clan. As she becomes more like the fantastic creatures she protects or kills, she, alas, doesn't get any more interesting as a character. Her obsessions with lust serve mainly to overwhelm a rickety plot. Blake needs to put her clothes back on and get back to work. Too much flesh and not enough plot leads to the old but so true saying, "Less is more." (Oct. 9) Forecast: With a 15-city author tour and 100,000 first printing, this should be as successful saleswise as previous books in the series. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Narcissus In Chains can be purchased through Amazon.ca

----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note to readers: Any of the Anita Blake books above this line are brain candy and worth reading if this is the kind of thing you're into. IMO, the books written by Ms. Hamilton past this line are substantially weaker in terms of storyline and mystery. I am listing them out here in case you get really desperate for something to read or you become such a fan that you'll read anything in this series. Fair warning!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Book #11: Cerulean Sins

From Amazon.com
Laurell K. Hamilton's legions of eager fans will be pleased to see Cerulean Sins, the eleventh novel in her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, which is set on an alternate Earth where magic works and vampires and werewolves are real. When a sinister stranger tries to hire the magically potent Anita Blake to raise the dead, she finds herself embroiled in the search for a vicious, supernatural serial killer, and also in the clandestine international politics of the vampires. And as she becomes more deeply enmeshed in cruel plots and counterplots, her tangled personal life only becomes more demanding, more wrenching, and more erotically fraught. With ten previous books in the Anita Blake series, Cerulean Sins is not the place to start. Though author Hamilton artfully reveals the backstory in small doses, the numerous returning characters and the complex history will overwhelm most newcomers (and even the most devoted fans may find that the backfilling slows the pace). Also, the characters frequently stand around talking and psychoanalyzing one another, which makes for static stretches unlikely to hold a new reader's attention. Newcomers should start with the first book, Guilty Pleasures. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Cerulean Sins is available from Amazon.ca ... if you're so inclined.

Book #12: Incubus Dreams

From Amazon.com
As Incubus Dreams opens, Anita Blake may be America's most powerful vampire hunter and necromancer. So it's no surprise that the Regional Preternatural Crime Investigation Team seeks her assistance when a St. Louis stripper is murdered and the evidence points to unusual serial killers: a group of seven vampires. It appears a master vampire has gone rogue--and may prove too powerful for Anita Blake, even if she can gain help from not only her vampire consort, Master of the City Jean-Claude, but from the wereleopard king Micah, her other lover, and the alpha werewolf Richard, her bitter ex-lover.

It would be an exaggeration to say that Laurell K. Hamilton's Incubus Dreams (2004) is just one sex scene after another. This twelth novel in her bestselling Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series presents a wedding, a murder, and a lot of relationship angst before getting down and dirty on page 89; and the sex scenes pause on page 377 to let the mystery plot resume. The series deftly blends elements of alternate history, horror, romance, erotica, and mystery, but anyone reading Incubus Dreams for the murder plot is going to be frustrated. However, Incubus Dreams is a considerably stronger and more interesting book than its talky predecessor, Cerulean Sins, and fans will enjoy the many new developments in Anita's complicated love life. --Cynthia Ward

Incubus Dreams is available through Amazon.ca

Book #13: Micah

From Me:

This is a visit with old friends, and an opportunity to delve deeper into Michah's background. Which is good. On the other hand, it's still not as good as the earlier books in this series AND it's short - much shorter than the average Anita Blake epistle. It's one of the main complaints I've read about this -- that it should have been called a "novella" rather than a "novel". That being said, I didn't mind this Anita Blake release. I bought it, I read it ... but only once (so far). Maybe if I go on another end-to-end Anita Blake binge I'll pick it up again.

If you'd like to both buy and read Micah, it's available from Amazon.ca.

Book #14: Danse Macabre

My review of this book originally appeared on the Chapters-Indigo site, although it no longer seems to be online. The review is here in this blog and is also pasted, below:

*SIGH* Reviewer:Bibi from Toronto Date:13/07/2006 1:12:21 PM

This book was *not* good. I have been a long-time fan of the Anita Blake series -- I even enjoyed Micah for the kind of book it was. But Danse Macabre was ... bad. If you feel compelled to read it for the sake of loyalty and continuity, by all means go for it. But do yourself a favour and borrow it from the library instead of wasting money on the hardcover. Sure, ok, there is at least one hot sex scene in this book. And? If that was all I was looking for from a Laurell K. Hamilton book, I would have bought something from the Merry Gentry series. There is no mystery plotline. The conflict(s) feel contrived. The author frequently tells the reader what a character is thinking or feeling rather than showing us -- one of the fundamental no-no's of good writing. This book was so tedious that I literally skipped paragraphs, even pages. I got within the last 3 pages of the end of the book and couldn't be bothered to finish it for days. Maybe Ms. Hamilton has gotten bored of her characters, or of this series. If so, she needs to either take a break or do something else. Me, I'm getting her next book from the library and looking into other fine authors in this genre again.

If you really want to buy Danse Macabre, please click over to Amazon.ca.

Book #15: The Harlequin

From Me:

This one wasn't bad, although it still doesn't have the fire of the initial 7-10 books in this series. I borrowed it from the library rather than gamble on the cost of a hardcover; since it's now available in paperback, it might be worth picking up if you're of the truly addicted.

Product Description from Amazon.ca:

Readers haven't seen anything yet-new in the "fabulously imagined series" (Publishers Weekly) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you've been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin is to be under sentence of death.

Long-time rivals for Anita's affections, Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, alpha-werewolf, will need to become allies. Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah will have to step up their support. And then there's Edward. In this situation, Anita knows that she needs to call the one man who has always been there for her...

You can purchase The Harlequin from Amazon.ca

Book #16: Blood Noir

I really can't be bothered to hunt it down and read it until it comes out in paperback, at which point I'll probably buy it. In the meantime, I leave you with the review from Amazon.ca in case you're more of a gambler than I am!

From Publishers Weekly
The florid 16th Anita Blake novel (after 2007's The Harlequin) updates Anita's endlessly erotic adventures as a living vampire with many weird lovers. Anita serves her vampire sweetie Jean-Claude, Master of the City of St. Louis, obsessed with feeding him and her own need to leech off of others' sexual pleasure or ardeur while retaining her rep as vampire executioner (despite the seeming conflict of interest), U.S. marshal and necromancer. She's also accompanying her bed-buddy Jason Schuyler to visit his dying estranged father in North Carolina. After arriving, Jason's mistaken for his rich cousin Keith Summerland, who's ditched his bride-to-be to run off with the wife of a vampire Master, giving Anita a case to solve between wild orgies with wereanimals. Hamilton chronicles Anita's escapades with a growing air of ennui, which longtime readers can't help sharing as sex increasingly takes the place of plot and character development. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

If you want to purchase Blood Noir in hardcover, drop by Amazon.ca