''Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' is a series of urban fantasy

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s, short stories, and comic books by

Laurell K. Hamilton Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy and romance writer. She is best known as the author of two series of stories. Her The New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times''-bestselling ''Anita Blake: Vampire H ...

. The books have sold more than six million copies; many have made ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. The series is narrated in the

first person First person or first-person may refer to: * First person (ethnic), indigenous peoples, usually used in the plural * First person, a grammatical person * First person, a gender-neutral, marital-neutral term for titles such as first lady and first ...

Anita Blake Anita Blake is the title and viewpoint character of the '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series by Laurell K. Hamilton. The series takes place in a parallel world in which supernatural characters like vampires and werewolves exist alongside reg ...

, who works in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, as a professional zombie raiser, vampire executioner and supernatural consultant for the police. The early novels focus predominantly on crime-solving and action; the later ones on Anita's personal and sexual-defender relationships and power.

Series synopsis

The series takes place in a parallel universe where supernatural creatures and powers are real and their presence is public knowledge. Supernatural beings are considered citizens with most of the rights of regular humans. The novels follow legal vampire executioner Anita Blake's ongoing conflicts with the supernatural as she attempts to solve a variety of mysteries, come to terms with her own abilities, and navigate an increasingly complex series of romantic and political relationships. As the series progresses, Anita's perspective on the supernatural changes; initially she sees preternatural beings simply as "monsters" to be fought, and later grows to see them as communities to be protected, as well as possible love interests.

Books in the series

# '' Guilty Pleasures'' (1993) # ''

The Laughing Corpse ''The Laughing Corpse'' is a horror/mystery novel by American writer Laurell K. Hamilton, the second book in her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. It continues the adventures of Anita Blake, as she attempts to solve a particularly grisly set of ...

'' (Sep 1994) # ''

Circus of the Damned ''Circus of the Damned'' is a horror/mystery novel by American writer Laurell K. Hamilton, the third book in her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Within the novel, the "Circus of the Damned" is the name of a supernatural circus that operate ...

'' (1995) # '' The Lunatic Cafe'' (1996) # ''

Bloody Bones Bloody Bones is a bogeyman figure in English and North American folklore whose first written appearance is approximately 1548. As with all bogeymen the figure has been used to frighten children into good behaviour. The character is sometimes call ...

'' (1996) # ''

The Killing Dance ''The Killing Dance'' is a horror/mystery novel by American writer Laurell K. Hamilton, the sixth book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Plot introduction ''The Killing Dance'' continues the adventures of Anita Blake. In the novel, A ...

'' (1997) # '' Burnt Offerings'' (1998) # ''

Blue Moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon a ...

'' (1998) # ''

Obsidian Butterfly Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements such as silicon ...

'' (2000) # ''

Narcissus in Chains ''Narcissus in Chains'' is the tenth book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series of horror/mystery/erotica novels by Laurell K. Hamilton. Plot introduction ''Narcissus in Chains'' continues the adventures of Anita Blake. In this novel, Ani ...

'' (2001) # '' Cerulean Sins'' (2003) # '' Incubus Dreams'' (2004) # ''

Micah Micah (; ) is a given name. Micah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), and means "Who is like God?" The name is sometimes found with Theophoric name, theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in ''Jah, Yah'' and in ''Y ...

'' (2006) # '' Danse Macabre'' (June 2006) # '' The Harlequin'' (June 2007) # '' Blood Noir'' (May 2008) # '' Skin Trade'' (June 2009) # '' Flirt'' (February 2010) # ''

Bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...

'' (June 2010) # ''Hit List'' (June 2011) # '' Kiss the Dead'' (June 2012) # ''

Affliction Affliction or Afflicted may refer to: Books * ''Affliction'' (novel), a 2013 Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton * ''Affliction'', a novel by Russell Banks, basis of the 1998 film Film and TV * ''Affliction'' (1997 film), ...

'' (July 2013) # ''Jason'' (December 2014) # ''Dead Ice'' (June 2015) (The title was created by a fan during a contest Hamilton held) # ''Crimson Death'' (October 2016) # ''Serpentine'' (August 7, 2018) # ''Sucker Punch'' (August 4, 2020) # ''Rafael'' (February 9, 2021) # ''Smolder'' (March 21, 2023)

Novellas and short-story collections

# ''Out of This World'' (2001) (contains chapters from ''Narcissus in Chains'', "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin", and short stories by other authors) # ''Strange Candy'' (2006) (contains original Anita Blake short story "Those Who Seek Forgiveness" (the very first story featuring Blake), "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death", and other short stories by Hamilton) # ''Beauty: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Outtake'' (May 2012) (#20.5) # ''Dancing: An Anita Blake Novella'' (September 2013) (#22.5) # ''Shutdown'' (October 2013)(#22.6) # ''A Girl, a Goat, and a Zombie'' (November 2016), an eShort story available for download through Laurell K. Hamilton's website. # ''Wounded'' (December 2016) (#24.5) # ''Sweet Seduction'' (original short story/novelette; collected in ''Noir Fatale'', May 2019) # ''Zombie Dearest'' (original short story/novelette; collected in ''Fantastic Hope'', April 2020) (#26.5)

Marvel Comics series

Marvel's license started under Dabel Brothers Publishing, and when they acquired that company's rights, they continued until their rights expired (which were contractually obligated through the first three novels). # ''Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death'' 1–2 (7/2007 and 12/2007) # ''Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures'' 1–12 (12/2006 – 8/2008) # ''Guilty Pleasures Handbook'' (2007) ''The Laughing Corpse'' adaptation # ''Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse—Animator'' 1–5 (10/2008 – 2/2009) # ''Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse—Necromancer'' 1–5 (4/2009 – 9/2009) # ''Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse—Executioner'' 1–5 (9/2009 – 3/2010) ''Circus of the Damned'' adaptation # ''Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned—The Charmer'' 1–5 (5/2010 – 10/2010) # ''Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned—The Ingenue'' 1–5 (1/2011 – 5/2011) # ''Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned—The Scoundrel'' 1–5 (9/2011 – 5/2012)

Adaptations

Comic books

In 2006 Marvel Comics and Dabel Brothers Productions began production on a graphic novel adaptation of the first three books in the series, beginning with ''Guilty Pleasures''. Hamilton worked with Stacie M. Ritchie on the comic scripts, with Brett Booth illustrating the series until 2008. The first adaptation was well received, with the first volume of ''The Laughing Corpse'' being a New York Times bestseller in the graphic novel category. Interest in the series declined, but Marvel completed its contract for the first three novel adaptations in 2012. Within the

Marvel Comics multiverse Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of ''Captain Britain'', the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was desig ...

, the Anita Blake reality is designated as Earth-97534.

Television

In March 2009 news sources began reporting that Hamilton had signed a deal with IFC to adapt the series for a full-length movie and potential television series. Shortly after, Hamilton announced that the reports were not rumors and that the series had officially been optioned. Despite initial planning, Hamilton later announced that the plans for the series had been dropped.

Reception

Critical reception to the series has been mixed to positive, with Monsters and Critics praising many of the books in the series. The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' praised ''Kiss the Dead'' while

RT Book Reviews ''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between ...

overall panned the novel. Fan reaction has been mixed, with some readers disliking the series' departure from crime noir thriller to focus more on the sexual dynamics in the series.

References

External links

The Official Laurell K. Hamilton Website
{{Anita Blake Fantasy novel series Human-vampire romance in fiction Urban fantasy novels Dark fantasy novels