Rating: 
Summary: At least "in Chains" implies some sort of restraint.
Review: In the acknowledgments Ms. Hamilton mentions that this book was the one her writing group "didn't get to see" before it went to the publisher. Perhaps if they had "Narcissus in Chains" would not be so messy. From the twisted story line that makes Anita's character into a quasi-nymphomaniac to the revelation that Richard is so hung up on being a werewolf that he's actually suicidal. (This latter detail is only one of the many inconsistencies of character development in "Narcissus" - what happened to the Richard who was looking forward to leading his pack at the end of "Blue Moon?") Also, everyone seems to have some sort of temper tantrum in this book: best friend, Ronnie, the stoic Dolph, Richard, Asher, even the unflappable Jean Claude!The most recent Vampire Hunter Novels are careening from extreme to extreme. The "Obsidian Butterfly" took us from bloodbath to bloodbath. Now we have sex - and not very interesting sex. The scenes can be somewhat extreme but there is no depth to them. Not to say that we don't have the usual violence, but now those scenes are so excessive that they detract from the story instead of adding detail. As for the "bad guy" we only know to be completely surprised by his or her identity because Anita tells us to be surprised. Even the epilogue does not spare us from all the untidiness and ambiguity: Two lines inform us that Narcissus (the owner of a "dominance/submission" nightclub) is a hermaphrodite and is pregnant by the psychotic bad guy. Huh? If you are new to the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series, "Narcissus in Chains" - or "Obsidian Butterfly" for that matter - are not good examples of this original and fast paced series. Please read any of the first eight books to truly appreciate Anita's world.
Rating: 
Summary: hot, sexy and wild
Review: I think this book was great. I think Laurell did a wonderful job of giving Anita a kick in the butt. I was sad that Richard and Anita are no longer together but I think it is for the best because they just couldn't get over their stubberness. But I do like Anita new love interest. Because he takes her for what she is and doesn't try to make her something she not. Anita is a strong willed, sexy, and knows that she is the only one that can make decision for herself. I hope the next Anita Blake novel will have the same effect this one did. I did not want to stop reading and I even got my husband into reading her series. I can't wait for the next adventure of Anita,Jean-claud, Richard and many more characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Anita Blake: Sexual High Priestess of Greater St. Louis?
Review: I had a friend who actually read "Narcissus in Chains" first, even though I explained repeatedly it was the 10th and latest Anita Blake novel. She said, "I know why you like this so much. It's porn." Of course, if you start from the beginning of the series like a normal human being then Anita Blake's descent into erotica is a bit more subtle. The good news is that there is apparently, possibly, maybe a resolution to the Anita-Jean Claude-Richard love triangle. The bad news is that Hamilton is covering the same ground: Anita has new powers, they come in handy at the right moment, power struggles abound, love life is in tatters, etc. Then again, I have to admit that Anita becoming comfortable with her sexuality would be "new." But to tell the truth I read these books for the horror and violence, at which Hamilton is a master. I just hope this series does not become like John Norman's Gore series when the sex overwhelmed the characters and plot. Unfortunately, I am afraid, I am very afraid...
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed Australian
Review: Hi - I have been (like most of the other reviewers) an Anita Blake fan for years but I too found her latest effort dismal and disappointing - it's almost like someone else wrote it - this isn't some sort of VC Andrews thing is it(After Virginia Andrews died the whole family took over and started writing her novels)? This book spends far too much talking about clothes and explaining everything in exhausting detail, and YES there is too much sex and Anita has way too many roles & super powers (what's this ardeur thing?). Also what's happened to Jean Claude - is he to become a wimpy character with almost no coverage in Ms Hamilton's novels? There also seems to a very homoerotic aspect in this novel which I find unnecessary, will Jean Claude be wearing a dress in the next book? Anyway I'm not happy and will think twice about buying the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Anita's social life is getting even more complicated!
Review: Anita has been dating a were-wolf and a vampire, and she's been leader of a pard of were-leapords, and consort to the king of a pack of were-wolves. Now she seems to be forging alliances and romances with every other kind of were in St. Louis. This book shows how the rest of the were's inter-relate. It also show Anita's innate Necromancer abilities in a rather interesting finale.
Rating:
Summary: The reasons why I like 'Narcissus in Chains'.
Review: 'Narcissus in Chains' is a very interesting book. I loved it (just like all of the rest of Mrs.Hamilton's novels). The story involved the characters of Anita, Jean-Claude, Richard, and Asher. I am the kind of reader who is very picky when it concerns the novels I read and it is very hard to find a series that can hold my interest. This is why I must applaud Laurell K. Hamilton, she has a unique writing style that has spiked interest in not only me, but all of her faithful readers. For anyone interested in what these books have to offer; I enthuse you to buy her Anita Blake series. You will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Such a BIG disappointment!
Review: I have loved the Anita series so much that when NIC came out I was so excited to read it! However, halfway through the book, I was wondering what the heck happened to Anita to make her become the sex craved lunatic that I was reading about. I clearly thought her and Richard would be together as well as maybe her and Jean-Claude, but Laurell really went down hill with this book. I am all for a good steamy sex novel, but I felt like I was reading porn. I think Laurell needs to rethink where she sends Anita next!
Rating:
Summary: Anita Blake: evolving, but still true to herself
Review: (Note: many other folks give a more proper review of the book--this "review" is more a comment on some points the other reviewers have been making.) I'm going to go out on a limb here, and attempt to explain what I see happening with our heroine, Anita. Many folks have said "this isn't the old Anita." And you're right. If old Anita saw new Anita, she'd probably freak out. However....if you asked old Anita what she would do to protect those she cared about, she'd say, "anything." And that's what's been happening throughout the series--Anita has changed in some ways, but the very core of her has remained the same: Anita does what she has to do for the people she loves, or protects. Every crisis that's come up, Anita has had a choice: do what needs to be done, or cower back and protect herself. And every single time, she's done what she's had to do, and saved those she loved, or protected--even when she had to do things she thought were "bad." If she hadn't, sure, she wouldn't be the sexual creature she is now--but she wouldn't be the "old" Anita either. Because she would have compromised her most important values, and put her own well-being above that of others. Yes, she has a lot of sex now. An extreme lifestyle requires extreme release--otherwise, you become Edward. Yes, she's more comfortable with the monsters than with her human friends--the "monsters" understand Anita far better than her human friends, because they're used to working on instinct more than human sensibilities. In short: it was inevitable that "old" Anita would become "new" Anita, because neither Anita compromises when it comes to protecting others. If she did, she'd be a coward, and we wouldn't want to read her story anyway. ;>
Rating:
Summary: Hot, sexy, I didn't realize how much I missed Anita Blake
Review: I just finished reading Narrcissus, the 10 th book in this series, and it had me from page one. I love these books. I am ready for the next one. When I discovered Laurell K. Hamilton ( on a methadone list from another author)there were already 7 books in the series. I read them one after the other, and passed them on to friends and family...everyone loved them. This book takes Anita back to St. Louis, back to her men Jean Claude and Richard, and also introduces her to a new lover (a Nimir-raj were leopard) Micah. I must say that the story line was wonderful as usual...but this was the first of Ms. Hamiltons books that actually had me having....well...very...dreams after reading it! Anita is growing up, and accepting who and what she is in life. She raises the dead for a living (allthough shes on vacation in this one) boyfriend a. a Master Vampire boyfreind b. an Alpha Werewolf And new boyfriend c. a Nimir-rag Were leopard . Theres so much to tell, I don't want to give it away. I'll just say this woman has a very busy life just trying to deal with the powers that her(triminutive) bind with a. and b. have brought her, let alone being Nimir-rag and taking care of her pard of were leopards, being master to a lone vampire, being lupa to the were wolves, and taking in and or helping any were animals that need her. If you want a great...can't put it down series, read this one, they just keep getting better... Hope to here from Anita and her gang again...VERY SOON
Rating: 
Summary: Ick! I need a bath...
Review: As a long-time Anita Blake fan I've hung in while this series has headed down-hill and with Narcissus in Chains I think Hamilton has finally hit rock bottom (if she has, then the only place to go is up, right?) We can only hope. I've felt the quality of the entire series has degenerated, not because I didn't like Jean Claude, or didn't like Richard, but because the foundations of the series have eroded. Like plot. This entry has zero plot. Admittedly the previous books tended to rely on the formula of Anita and/or her friends, allies, lovers, etc. being threatend and Anita saving the day, but it was something. I also am tired of the endless and boring descriptions of clothing and personal appearance which more and more take the place of solid character development. I remember previous characters more by their penchant for short-shorts then whether they've contributed anything meaningful to the story. I was also bothered by the endless and pointless sex. The Anita Blake series has always been highly sexual but when barely three pages go by and Anita is naked or having sex with a complete stranger it just gets old. I'm fine with it if it advances the plot or adds to the character's development or relantionship but this seemed like overkill. Filler in place of any real action or plot development. I was also bothered by the use of repetitive descriptions and phrases such as "our beasts rolled through each other" and frankly I thought there were several scenes borrowed from her Meredith Gentry series. The healing hand of flesh - or tongue if you will, makes a cross-over appearance. It all smacks of lazy writing on her part and I think her fans deserve a better effort. In closing I won't say there wasn't anything good about the book. Anita seems to have grown up a little bit, knows herself and has come to terms with a lot of things that had been bothering her. I enjoyed her character more since she seems to have left the whiney, self-pitying Anita behind. I was also glad to see the whole Richard issue finally resolved and there were some tender moments with Anita showing her softer side that worked well. I wished that Dolph's wife had called Anita, I want to read about that conversation. I wished Edward had shown up since any book without Edward in it is a little less interesting. I wished it had been a book worth reading. Hopefully now that some lingering issues have been cleared up and the weakest book written the series is ready to get going again, full speeed ahead, with non-stop action, a wise-cracking Anita and more bad guys around the corner to slay.
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