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

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s, short stories, and comic books by

Laurell K. Hamilton Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy and romance writer, who is best known as the author of two series of stories. Her ''New York Times''-bestselling '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series centers on Anita Bla ...

. 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 by

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 ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, as a professional zombie raiser, vampire executioner and supernatural consultant for the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. 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 and 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 ...

'' (Sep 1994) # '' Circus of the Damned'' (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 proper deportment. The character is sometimes c ...

'' (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 A gruesome scene unfolds in St. Louis, the body of a young woman found drained of blood, w ...

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

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

'' (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. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter elements such as silico ...

'' (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 ''Narcissus in Chains'' takes place shortly after the events of ''Obsidian Butterfly'', and appro ...

'' (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 "He who is like God”. The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in '' Yah'' and in ''Yahweh'' result ...

'' (2006) # ''

Danse Macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory from the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of death, summoning represen ...

'' (June 2006) # '' The Harlequin'' (June 2007) # '' Blood Noir'' (May 2008) # '' Skin Trade'' (June 2009) # ''

Flirt Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can change ...

'' (February 2010) # ''

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

'' (June 2010) # ''Hit List'' (June 2011) # '' Kiss the Dead'' (June 2012) # '' Affliction'' (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) # ''Slay'' (November 7, 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 Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

and

Dabel Brothers Productions Dabel Brothers Productions (also known as DB Pro, DBPro, Dabel Brothers Publishing and sometimes Dabel Brothers Production) is a U.S. publishing company of comic books and graphic novels. It was founded in 2001 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. I ...

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 Brett Booth is an American comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Backlash, a character he co-created with Jim Lee at the Wildstorm Studios. Biography Following his Wildstorm work, Booth has also illustrated the exploits of some ...

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, 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 or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typicall ...

overall panned the novel. Fan reaction has been mixed, with some readers disliking the series' departure from

crime noir Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...

thriller to focus more on the sexual dynamics in the series.

References

External links

The Official Laurell K. Hamilton Website
{{Anita Blake Speculative crime and thriller fiction Fantasy novel series Fiction about human–vampire romance Occult detective fiction Urban fantasy novels Dark fantasy novels