Rating: 
Summary: Oy.
Review: Good grief, how can I put this into words? How about an origin story... My best friend had me read the first few pages of the Anita Blake books about a year ago, and I was hooked. I only got a couple hours of sleep per night for about a week because I was so voraciously reading all the books in the series. I actually had a countdown until _Narcissus in Chains_ was released, for pete's sake! And then the day came. I read a bit of the book... and then it sat on my nightstand... and then I read a little more when I had absolutely nothing better to do... and now I'm *forcing* myself to finish it. It's not right, you know? I don't know what Hamilton was thinking. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it "pornography," but it's definitely not well-written erotica and doesn't even have satisfactory sex scenes (unlike the first books in the series). The whole book seemed like an excuse for sex; sex is fine to read, but it got to the point where it seemed like it was Anita's reason for *being*. I'm giving the book two stars for fairly decent action, but that's about it.
Undoubtedly, if there is to be an eleventh book I'll give it a shot, but if it's like this one, I'm giving up. Ms. Hamilton, PLEASE go back to the way things were! :-(
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: I have read every book in this series at least three times over and this is one of the best. Ms. Hamilton's immagination continues to amaze me. The way she writes makes the characters seem so alive that sometimes I have to remind myself it is just a work of fiction. I can't wait until the new book comes out in April of 2002. It was definatley worth the wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Great action, too much non-sexy sex
Review: After a six month vacation, Anita Blake is called back to rescue one of the members of her pride of were-panthers. Her time away from Jean-Claude and Richard may have been necessary for her mental health, but it had consequences--destructive consequences. Richard's pack is disintegrating around him as he tries to impose his democratic ideals on a pack and status-oriented society. And someone is using the problems in a covert bid to take over not just the wolves, but the entire were-culture. While rescuing her panthers, Anita is badly wounded and develops the symptoms of becoming a were, as well as taking on more of Jean-Claude's vampire traits. When an alpha male were-panther enters the scene, Richard, were-wolf king and Anita's lover, resists, threatening to become her enemy. Author Laurell K. Hamilton has written a sexual thriller. Anita's cold-blooded realism, coupled with her moral belief structure allow her to be seen sympathetically despite the murder and sadistic behavior that she sometimes engages in. I found the action sequences to be powerful but the sexual sequences, which make up much of the middle of NARCISSUS IN CHAINS, fall short of being erotic--sexual without being sexy. Anita Blake is an intriguing character (hence the huge popularity of this series), but NARCISSUS IN CHAINS does not present her in her best light.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing work from an author I once admired
Review: Here's a quick summary of what goes on in this book:
First 50 pages -- thin, weak plot
Following 300 pages -- disturbing erotica
Last 50 pages -- even thinner, weaker plot In other words, this book has all the substance of your sub-average porno. Hamiltion gets negative points for poor pacing, lack of plot, and ridiculous contrivances. The past several books have been all about Anita gaining all kinds of new, absurd, and previously unseen powers. At this point, I'm expecting her to wake up in the next book and say, "Wow, I'm GOD!" and recreate the universe. And then have sex. Lots of sex. Sex with random, well endowed guys who just happen to be super-natural. Super-naturally HORNY, that is. If you like erotica, you'll probably love this book. If you liked the old Anita Blake books where the characterization made sense and the plot wasn't just a way to tenuously tie all the weird sex together, you'll probably dislike this book. I certainly did. I'm not looking foward to the next book in the series at all. If Hamilton's current trend of turning her flagship character into a super-powered demon-slut continues, the books won't even be worth reading in the bookstore, much less owning. For those of you who haven't read the series yet, start at the beginning and quit reading around Killing Dance. After that, things start getting unnecessesarily messy and bizarre -- and not in a good way.
Rating:
Summary: Narcissus in Chains
Review: I have read all the Anita Blake stories available now, gulping them down so fast that I know I shall have to go back to the beginning in order to savour them properly. Narcissus in Chains takes the reader on a mind-blowing roller coaster of emotion and suspense. Just when you think the tension can't get any worse, there it is again bigger, stronger than before. Anita's powers are so explosive that she even astonishes the unflappable Jean-Claude, yet she still remains a good egg, putting others and her responsibilities first. Laurell Hamilton's creation is just stunning: I just wish I could read them more slowly and not get through them so quick. Brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good if you like Anita Blake
Review: I'm not sure if it is the best book of the series, but there are definatly some great lines in this book that stick with you. If you like the Anita Blake series, I would say buy it but there are definatly other books in the series that I liked better.
Rating:
Summary: AWSOME
Review: I can't believe anyone can say anything bad about this book! Sure it is a departure from guilty pleasures but totally in a good way. The last few books have been leading up to this so for those who say that this book hit them too hard than obviously you havent been reading the last few books. For anyone who reads at all, buy this book. I rarely ever give 5 stars on the books I read,I am a very critical judge of books, so that tells you something about this one.
Rating:
Summary: Get a grip
Review: I have enjoyed almost all of the Anita Blake series. I say ALMOST because the Obsidian Butterly and now NIC have been very dissappointed. NIC is a mess. I'm all for character development and "growth" - gets boring without it, but NIC was one of the most inconsistant when it came to character development of the main characters. We now find out that Jean Claude, suave vampire, is a barely controlled sex-addict, Richard is looking to end this whole werewolf thing via suicide (huh?), Asher is just plain bitter and Anita's two closest human friends (Ronnie and Dolph) are having hissy fits. and what the heck was that throw in note during the epilogue that Narcisuss (manager of an S&M club... this was a whole other area of excess) is a hermaphrodite and is pregnant by a the bad guy. The violence is over the top - instead of adding to the story it begins to detract and then there is the sex. Hey, I like books that have some good sex scenes and Laurell can write some great ones (check out Blue Moon and her new series about a Fey Princess), but this was ridiculous. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter and Sex Slave... give me a break. My biggest recommendation to people out there who haven't read the Vampire Hunter series is to read any of the first eight books - violence, sex, but edgy and very cool. Skip NIC - it's a mess. Shame on her editors for not giving some better feed back to the auther.
Rating:
Summary: Coming to Terms
Review: This volume was most appreciated and the strongest one to date - it allowed Anita to come to terms with her humanity and provided a platform for acceptance of JC's world while remaining true to her underlying stength. Anita evolves with balance within her world and an although some of the scenarios are outside of her normal evironment, they provide for her evolution and maturity. I am pleased that she came to peace with Richard and her role in his world - now if she could bridge the gap with Dolph. . . . . I am impatiently awaiting the next release.
Rating:
Summary: Yuck.
Review: Previous reviewers were right. This is pornography. This is the last book in this series I will read.
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