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Title: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 0-515-13447-3 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: September, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (124 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Non-Stop, Thrilling Adventure!
Comment: "Burnt Offerings" is the seventh book in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, and it is just too much fun to miss! Hamilton takes her readers on a non-stop, action-packed thrill ride that will captivate readers from the very first page. This book is immensely entertaining - filled with heart-pounding action and suspense and highly erotic romance. Not for the faint of heart, readers will find this book to be a truly satisfying read.
The book begins as Anita, tough-as-nails necromancer and animator, agrees to help the police find a psychic firestarter. She is also policing the local werewolf pack, acting as their lupa, despite her split with Richard, the pack's alpha. In addition to this, Anita suddenly finds herself as the protector/leader of the local wereleopard pack (Anita killed their alpha, Gabriel, in an earlier novel).
Then Anita's boyfriend Jean-Claude, the city of St. Louis' super-sexy Master Vampire, has his home invaded by the immensely powerful and frightening Vampire Council, the ruling body for all vampires. Anita and Jean-Claude confront them together, and must defend themselves against wild accusations claiming that Jean-Claude is a threat to the hierarchy, planning to set-up his own rival council. They also must explain how they were powerful enough to destroy a Council member some months ago.
The Council members present, the Traveler, who inhabits the bodies of those around him, and Padma, Master of Beasts, and their many violent and twisted associates have been torturing and raping Jean-Claude's people. Tensions run high as Jean-Claude and Anita barter for the safe return of all their people and from that point on, the action and violence escalates.
Anita and Jean-Claude aren't exactly sure what the Council wants from them, but they aren't too sure they'll get out of this alive. Richard arrives to assist them, though he is hurt and angry with Anita and the world in general. But these three must find a way to get along, because the only way that they are going to keep from getting killed is if they work together!
Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is highly passionate and actually very touching. Jean-Claude accepts all of Anita, the light side of her nature as well as the dark, and his devotion to her is really lovely. Anita and Jean-Claude's scenes together are full of passion and sensual delights for the readers.
Hamilton does an amazing job of portraying all of the characters, monster or human, as rich and real individuals. Half the time, the monsters show more compassion than the humans, and Anita begins to wonder who the REAL monsters are. The character development is a strength in this book, as we learn more about not just Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard, but also the new and interesting secondary characters.
Reading these Anita Blake books is pure pleasure for me! For a few hours I get to join a wild and wonderful world of shape-shifters and vampires, and pretend for a little while that I am a part of it. Hamilton so skilfully portrays her deep and vivid characters, that it is easy to forget that they aren't actually real people. So buy this book today, I guarantee you won't regret it!
Rating: 4
Summary: Sexy!
Comment: This is a great book for people who enjoy reading about strong heroines and undead people with raging sex drives. Frankly I wasn't particularly impressed with the first book in this series (Guilty Pleasures) but the books are getting better and better. It should be noted that Ms. Hamilton is not particularly adept at developing an original plot - her books generally follow a predictable course. 1) Anita Blake is called in to help with a case involving gruesome murders and mutilations. 2) Anita Blake meets unbelievably powerful supernatural beings (with or without master vampire sidekick). [Note - the order of these events may be reversed] 3) Anita Blake impresses the hell out of everyone she meets and/ or pisses them off. 4) Anita Blake kills time by searching for clues and/ or schmoozing with master vampire/ alpha werewolf. 5) Anita Blake confronts/ is attacked by Evil People. 6) Anita Blake and (at least) one sidekick get hurt. 7) Anita Blake gets Angry. 8) Anita Blake kills all Evil People. [Note: Bouts of angst appear at strategic moments in novel.]
Was that a bit harsh? Sorry! I don't pull my punches. Now let's get to the good bit. The main reason I liked this novel was that the relationships between Ms. Blake and her friends/ lovers are explored well. I really enjoyed the playful dialogue between Jean-Claude and Anita and the way her relationship with the shapeshifters is developing. I liked the humour and the new characters who were introduced. I really liked the sexual tension in many of the scenes. I'm not sure I like the way Anita is becoming all-powerful but that is just a small annoyance. What is interesting is that it becomes clear in this novel that Jean-Claude (unlike most male characters in this genre) is weaker than Anita and that his current elevated standing is due more to his foresight in picking Anita and Richard as his partners than to raw power. Lastly, Ms. Hamilton is leaving open the possibility that Anita will eventually be involved in a cozy threesome with Richard and Jean-Claude, which I would really like to see happen. That outcome is more than hinted at in this novel with the appearance of Asher (who shows that Jean-Claude has had prior experience with a three-way relationship), Jean-Claude's own statement that it is in his best interest to keep Richard happy and a suggestive bit of dialogue between Padma and Richard near the end of the novel. All in all, a very good installment of the series. I urge you all to read it and am eagerly waiting for more.
Rating: 3
Summary: It Could Have Been Better
Comment: The story centers around the Vampire Council and the legalities of vampires as citizens, and uses a lot more of vamp and lycantrope politics. As much as I like seeing more of lycantropes *other* than werewolves, the fact that Anita is the shining hero for them too just annoyed me to no end. 5 stars of 5 for all characters except Anita, 3 stars of 5 for having to put up with the Superwoman Lead Character.
As much as I like the series, Anita Blake is the most annoying, superwoman, I can outdo everyone around me, hypocritical, hyper-feminist character I've ever had the displeasure to read. I was starting to root for the bad guys to take her out. However, I kept reading because I really like Jean-Claude, Edward, Larry, Dolph, Jason, Stephen, and other supporting characters, and wonder about what happens to them, even if they don't have enough sense to tip Anita in the nearest tar pit and move on with their lives. If the series gets any more Anita-Worshipping, I may have to periodically gag in between chapters. The friend who got me started warns me that it does, and that after the next two novels, I should give up rather than continue to read the author's worship of Anita.
As you can tell, there are NO strong female characters allowed in these books, other than Anita herself. Any female who seems to be a dominant character soon meets an unfortunate demise or fate worse than death, usually at Anita's hands because of course, she's the Ultimate Evil of the novel. The only recurring female supporting character is Ronni, Anita's best friend. Despite initial promise in the early books, Ronnie is little more than a puppet for her so-called best friend to dangle about when she needs to have girl-talks. And the men all seem to be joining Anita's harem, which is annoying, since she's a rather hypocritical wench when it comes to the bedroom.
*bah* If my friend hadn't promised me that the book after the next is an Edward centered novel, I'd give up on this series while I was ahead. Edward, for those who haven't read it, is a sociopathic assassin. Scary that he's more truly heroic as a character than Anita Blake, isn't it? ;-)
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Title: Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 0515133876 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 051513452X Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Cerulean Sins: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 0425188361 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 0515134481 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Laurell K. Hamilton Set - Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse, Circus of the Damned and The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton ISBN: 0515136174 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.96 |
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