Book Review: Narcissus in Chains

[mishalak]

I found myself annoyed at this Laurell K. Hamilton book. I've not been terribly enthused for a while though the last one I read, Obsidian Butterfly set my heart to fluttering because it was set in Albuquerque. I love books set in "my" territory. I know the land within about 500 miles of Denver very well and I love this dry dusty country.

With the exception of that I've been progressively less enthusiastic every time Anita Blake is in a new book because she faces a new earth shattering terror even bigger than the last one every bloody time. This after already having faced a million year old vampire in the third book. My suspension of disbelief has finally been burnt out by too much bad ass villainy being routed through the circuit over the last few years. Also there was an excessive amount of on screen sex that I pretty much was feeling bored by. I took to skimming these parts thinking in all but one, "Gah more kinky straight sex. Bored Now." Plus as I've mentioned I love world building and while I love the premise of the Anita Blake books the world seems to be getting kinda fuzzy all over. In my opinion.

At this point I can't really see myself reading another book of hers unless I hear she tones down the machine like sex (about as exciting as watching a piston work, interesting for about three minutes then boring) and stops with the bigger baddy of the month thing. If a friend asks I'll tell them to read the first three and then stop with maybe a side detour to Obsidian Butterfly if they can stand to jump in having skipped several stories. It's just not my cuppa, not terribly bad, but it didn't go anywhere interesting to me.

Comments

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

I'm in TOTAL agreement with you about the Blake books. Do you remember that this series began with Anita refusing to have sex with either the vampire or the werewolf? Things became progressively duller after she jumped their respective bones.

And I'm very, very tired of the phrase "a warm pile of puppies." So very tired....

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

For some reason you phrase, "So very tired..." gave me a fit of the giggles.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I was reading Anita Blake books for the violence, not the sex. So I got bored. I even have a couple I haven't read.

I recommend Modesty Blaise if you liked the earlier Blake books. I like them for some of the same reasons I liked the Blake -- Modesty kicks ass.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Have you read Obsidian Butterfly? It actually has all violence and no sex. Plus we learn about Edward in the book, very nifty. I might try Modesty, I did like the earlier books. I don't mind bisexual vampires on bit, but I think it has gone too far in Anita Blake.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I haven't read that one; I got bored before it came out. I might own it, I'm not sure.

Modesty Blaise (comic, which I've never seen, and books by Peter O'Donnell) is way cool. She walked barefoot through the middle east! She's a sharpshooting martial arts expert millionaire criminal mastermind turned British secret agent. It's so much fun. It doesn' thave the "even worse baddie of the week" syndrome so much as the "even more fun baddie of the week," i.e. doesn't take itself quite so seriously.

I don't mind bisexual vampires, either, but I don't find vampirism intrisically erotic. It's actually intrisically pretty boring.

Lure Fish

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I'm likely to reread it now that I've been back to Albuquerque. I don't find vampires intrinsically sexy either (as a matter of fact I saw a great book title this weekend, Fat White Vampire), but I do find how they are portrayed frequently to be sexy.; thin, young, and with an overtone of (or outright) homoeroticism. And actually when a vampire is like that and evil it makes the effect all the more chilling for me. An exterior package that I could very well be fooled by and thus become a victim. I suppose that's how straight males feel about the ultra fem vampires.