Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Our Price: $69.72
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.95 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Laurell K. HamiltonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-01
ISBN: 042518756X
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Book Reviews of Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
Book Review: Indulge Yourself With "Guilty Pleasures"
Summary: 5 Stars
Set in modern day St. Louis we are introduced to an earth similar to our own, yet vastly different in the descriptions of its denizens. Alongside humans vampires, werewolves, zombies, and various other mythical phantasmagoria exist, all of which are grudgingly accepted by the American government. In this unique yet hauntingly similar rendition of modern day earth, Anita Blake professed animator (necromancer) and sworn vampire hunter lives. Known to the vampire community as The Executioner, Anita is both feared and revered. When a rash of murders occur, in which each case a master vampire (this being an especially strong and ancient vampire) is brutally slain, the remaining master vampires experience concern over their impending fate. Finding themselves in desperate need for a consummate investigator, the vampires abduct Anita's friend Catherine and threaten her life. If Anita does not discover the murderous culprit, Catherine will die horribly. Forced to investigate, Anita begins sleuthing leading her deep into the murky world of the undead. Will Anita survive or will she be the newest zombie addition to the community?
Consummate zombie raiser, vampire slayer, and witty protagonist Anita instantly catapults the reader into her unique world where the bizarre and disturbing freely stalk the streets. Despite the more absurd elements of her personality, most notably the fact that her daily career is to raise the dead, Anita is portrayed as a very realistic lifelike character therefore allowing her personality to come alive. Her witticisms, even when faced with extreme danger, proved refreshing and instantly caused the reader to form a deep bond with this feisty animator who readily sees the humor in every situation.
The other characters introduced during Guilty Pleasures were immediately entertaining, both the protagonists and antagonists. The charismatic Jean-Claude, master vampire and owner of the seedy vampire club, Guilty Pleasures, proved a unique and captivating character that the reader hopes to see more of in the future. The psychopathic Edward, fellow vampire slayer who feels that killing and maiming should be a touted hobby, was expertly woven into the story creating tension between himself and the main character that never failed to maintain the reader's devoted attention. And, most notably, the main Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis, Nikolaos, was the quintessential villain; terrifying and suave simultaneously, often indulging in mood swings from the childish to the extremely violent, each scene dedicated to Nikolaos was heart stopping and entrancing, keeping the reader glued to the page helplessly experiencing the tension and terror radiated by the thousand year old Master Vampire through Anita's vivid descriptions.
Despite the absurdities of Anita's world, which some may falsely believe to compromise the ingenuity of the tale, Guilty Pleasures was so well presented and vivid as to make the reader believe in Anita's world as though the idea of vampires and zombies truly existing was acceptable and perhaps even normal. This ability to make an incongruous world come to life and achieve a realistic aura in the reader's mind is surly a sign of true excellence that few novels achieve. This particular aspect is one of the most remarkable attributes of Guilty Pleasures.
The combining of several elements namely horror and mystery created a distinctive atmosphere that surrounded this novel. The identity of the murderer who was surreptitiously slaughtering master vampires remained hidden until in a shocking scene Anita suddenly realizes, when faced with a life and death situation, who the killer really is and why they feel the need to horrifically slaughter those who are already deceased. This continuance of a compelling mystery added relevance and enjoyment to the story effectively combining the fundamentals of horror, the supernatural, and mystery.
The effortless writing style was personal and conversational allowing the reader to enter into Anita's mind and experience her world first hand. This approach lent great value to the tale and enabled the reader to fully sympathize with Anita and vicariously indulge in her emotional dilemmas.
To conclude, the creative world of Anita Blake is a world the reader will want to continue to visit. The compelling characters, effective combination of various literary elements, and the general uniqueness of the tale all weave together to create a great work that is sure to entertain and entrance leading the reader ever deeper into the dark world of Anita and her undead companions. Dare you indulge in Guilty Pleasures?
- Ravenova
Summary of Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
Published almost ten years ago, Guilty Pleasures marked the debut of a writer who was destined to grow from cult favorite to a major bestselling author. Now, for long-time Anita Blake aficionados and newfound fans, Guilty Pleasures makes its hardcover debut. Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead.And how she met Jean Claude, the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover.
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.
Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive.
Horror Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Horror Books
Let the Right One In: A Novelby John Ajvide Lindqvist
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Textby Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1982-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Oxford Bookworms S, Stage 4)by Robert Louis Stevenson
Oxford Univ Pr (Sd); Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (Oxford Books of Prose)Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2001-11-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 2003-08-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $149.99
![Thinner [UNABRIDGED] Image](/images/Thinner-UNABRIDGED-0140862668-X.jpg){kind=small}
Thinner [UNABRIDGED]by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 1996-09-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
The Crow: Temple of Nightby S P. Somtow
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1999-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Brains: A Zombie Memoirby Robin Becker
Eos; Published: 2010-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
The Strain LP: Book One of The Strain Trilogyby Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
HarperLuxe; Published: 2009-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops:
Prince of Darknessby Barbara Michaels
HarperTorch; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.58
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Micah (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, 13)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Jove; Published: 2006-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.90
The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2005-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $99.28
Danse Macabreby Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Books; Published: 2006-06-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.39
Price in other shops:
Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2004-09-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.84
Price in other shops:
Obsidian Butterfly (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 9)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Ace Hardcover; Published: 2000-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $24.65
Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 11)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2003-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.89
Price in other shops:
Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2008-12-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $24.47
Price in other shops:
Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 10)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2001-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2007-12-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.68
Price in other shops:
The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)by Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley Hardcover; Published: 2003-12-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $100.00