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Summary: More Edward!! More Edward!!
Review: Cool book but I would like to have a book written from Edward's point of view. That would be awesome. With names like Death and the Undertaker he is where the real story should have been.
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Summary: Anita Blake "Queen of the Dead"
Review: I just finished Obsidian Butterfly and I loved it. Ms. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is one of the best I've ever read. This novel did not include much about my leading men, Jean-Claude or Richard Zeeman but of the life surrounding Ted Forrester (Edward) who is a mystery unto himself. And I found the details of Edward's life fasinating. This novel was well written and had a lot of action, with a touch of humor and I recommend it highly. Although I hate waiting until 2001 for the next installment, I'm sure it will be worth the wait. Laurell Hamilton definitely has it going on and she has a fan in me for life.
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Summary: When the Going Gets Tough, Leave Town...
Review: I expect like most new readers to this series, I devoured the first eight books last sping -- then to wait for six months for the follow-on. After Blue Moon, I asked myself where could Anita go from here. She is in an impossible situation, unable to choose between the two "boys" in her life, yet unable to let go. Sending Anita to New Mexico gives her time to examine her life while in paying back her favor to Edward. The mystery keeps you guessing, but it is not the main theme of this book. The main theme is relationships and Anita's perception of her own moral decay. Unlike a lot of other reviews written here, I am glad that the "boys" were not in the book. Although this made the book not as sexy as previous outings, the self examination could not have happened if Jean-Claude and Richard were in contact. The examination lets us know that Anita is not happy with her life, her loves, and does not expect to live past the age of 30. It also asks the question if she truly loves either or is open for someone else. I have, in this series, in turn cheered for both Jean-Claude and Richard. After this book, I am back to cheering for Anita alone and am hoping that she will find someone to make her happy (something neither of the boys can do). Although Anita is unlikely to regain her innocence, I do hope that she is able to regain her hope for her future. In some ways, I believe Ms Hamilton has written herself into a corner and this book with a setting elsewhere was to give her time to figure out where to go next. I am glad that is also caused us to remember the hero in this book is Anita -- not Richard or Jean-Claude. This book is about Anita, and that in itself makes it worth reading.
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Summary: obsidian butterfly
Review: i am reading this book now & i am a big fan & reader of laurel k hamilton ihave read or reading all anita blake like them very much. but in obsidian butterfly it has anita had been to bed with richard ? did i miss one of the books or did i miss something?the book is very good i also hope you cotinue with anita books . i am going to get the new one of new series & see if i like it. but please keep up the anita blake.
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Summary: interesting and exciting as always... for strong stomachs
Review: The Anita Blake series continues some trends here and breaks with some others. This is the thickest, perhaps the most interesting, and surely the most disturbing Anita Blake book to date. It also is the first one that cannot possibly stand on its own--if you haven't read anything else in the series yet, best start with _Guilty Pleasures_ and work up.There are plenty of good points here for Anita fans. We learn more about Edward here than we had learned in the previous eight or so books, so if you're interested in Edward, odds are good you'll like it for that reason alone. One thing Hamilton does really well is to delve into the magical and spiritual traditions of an historical culture and extrapolate them into an interesting modern-day situation; she seems to do her folklore/archaeology homework quite well. As always, she provides us with an exciting storyline with an ending difficult to predict, and she proves for us that she can do a whole story with hardly an appearance from any of the usual characters except the aforementioned Edward, with her usual high standard of character development. (I begin to get the impression Hamilton's a little sick of St. Louis, Dolph, and that whole local scene, and needs to vary matters a little in order to hold her own interest. Quite understandable after nine or so thick books.) The only potential negative I can think of is that this is definitely the grossest and most disturbing Anita book to date. To put matters in perspective, I'm quite sensitive to shocking scenes in movies but almost immune to them in books. At one point in _Obsidian Butterfly_, I found myself cringing and dreading what might come next. (If you thought sex with rotting vampires was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.) I can't mark Hamilton down for this (it's her genre, not fair to her), but it's just as well the reader knows about it, so s/he can factor this in. It may be that Hamilton feels compelled to up the horrification ante with each new book--if so, I offer the comment that she's too talented to need to do that. At least Hamilton has finally learned the difference between a machinegun and a submachinegun. That's a relief. In fact, I'd say that she's done some new research into firearms based on this book--it displays a higher level of education on the topic. Recommended if you're an Anita fan, particularly if you like Edward, but if you're easily sicked out or disturbed, this book may find and push a button you'd rather had remained inactive.
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Summary: Anita's made it to hardback!
Review: The only problem I have with this book is that it came out in hardcover - I *cannot* wait for paperback, so now getting my Anita fixes will be more expensive... but other than that, I lived with this book for a few days, reading a few pages before work, on breaks, whenever I could sneak in a few pages before bed... Ms. Hamilton does it again, thoroughly absorbing!
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Summary: A Great Read for Anitaverse Addicts
Review: I loved this book. It is more introspective than other Blake books, but I think this was necessary, especially considering all the issues that came to a head in Blue Moon(no pun intended). This isn't my favorite book in the series and readers who are new to the series should definately read some of the other books. A lot of other reviewers mentioned the violence, especially the newborns in the hospital. I would like to point out that unlike many authors Hamilton shows the aftermath of this terrible violence. The main characters are deeply scarred by the things they.ve seen, especially Anita. One of the things that makes the series so incredible is it's realism, and there's no age limit to death or violence. Deal with it or stop reading. It was just one scene in the book, and it wasnt' nearly as long as the scene in the Laughing Corpse, which dealt with the violent death of an entire family. Hamilton explains her method for describing violence and the actions of Anita in every book. It's a great series. Luckily I discovered it right around the time Anne Rice became a cartoon character and stopped writing quality fiction
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Summary: Great for Edward fans
Review: If you are a fan of this series, then this book is a must-read. Hamilton wrote it to give all those Edward fans a serious look into his personality, his past, his motivations, etc. However, if you are new to this series: skip this book and go back to the beginning! This one would just be too confusing for anyone unfamiliar with the history of these characters.
In OBSIDIAN, Anita flies to New Mexico when Edward calls in a long-standing favor she owes him. What ensues is a good-vs-evil tale involving ancient aztec rituals, revenge and good old fashioned monsters. Edward also reveals a personal life which is downright startling considering his "career". Anita is her usual sarcastic, tough broad self; I have always loved the old detective novel feel in the dialogue and action of this series. But one thing this novel is very heavy on: Anita constantly questions her relationship with Jean Claude and Richard and is in major personal turmoil throughout the story.
I love this series. It's fun, it's fast-paced, and the characters are fascinating. Anita has quite an edge, but we've watched her mature with the progression of the series. In OBSIDIAN I enjoyed "meeting" the new characters, especially psychopathic Olaf who seems to waiting in the wings for future installments. Was this the best in the series? I don't think so. But it has its own merits and has to be read to keep up with the characters and storyline. I enjoyed it; I applaud Hamilton for being able to maintain consistency with the history of this alternate reality. As for those who question if Anita has lost her edge---Anita herself keeps questioning this, and I think this is going to lead to some interesting sequences in future episodes. This is not the constantly kicking-butt Anita that is ever present in the other novels (although there is a fair amount of serious butt kicking). Anita is more introspective and is coming to terms with some life issues in OBSIDIAN. For me, Anita Blake is always worth a read, and I am a diehard fan of this series. I recommend OBSIDIAN to any Anita Blake fan or to anyone interested in alternate reality/vampire fiction.
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Summary: Spectacularly gritty read!
Review: The most unusual book of the Anita Blake series is a definite hard read...the violence is less fantasy and more reality. We have cold-blooded killers like Olaf walking the streets already. It was not easy to stomach some of the graphic violence, but it was very believable. As for an earlier reviewer, Jay and Lara Russell who commented "I really enjoyed the earlier books in this series. But a depiction of the slaughter of newborns is not entertaining to me." Obviously you didn't pay very much attention because in several books there have been infants killed. In fact, the time Anita won the bet for dinner at Tony's (in reality a very expensive St. Louis restaurant) by being the last to lose her lunch in a gross-out contest with other Spook Squad members was at a home where an infant had been slaughtered. I found OB to be a fascinating journey into Edward/Ted's world. To discover a touch of humanity in Edward is amazing enough, to realize he loves Anita is simply mind blowing. I hope to hear more of the Ted & Donna saga in upcoming novels. I feel certain that we will see Olaf again at some opportune time in Anita's life. Olaf's apparent bonding with Anita as his soulmate will show up again someday when he either bails her out at a most needed moment or, regretfully, Anita kills him. Would I reccomend this book to someone who hasn't read at least one of the other Anita Blake books? Probably not. The other books in the series help to flesh out Edward's character. But for Anita fans, this is a must-read.
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Summary: Not her best work
Review: First off I want to say that I enjoyed the book. But I was disappointed that there was so little mention of Jean Claude and Richard. The tension between these two men and Anita is what makes the story lines interesting. I didn't realize that this book would be devoted solely to the character Edward. Once I read the book,(in 3 days), I felt a bit let down. Edward is a psycho with a soft spot for Anita. This book gave him more humanity than I wanted him to have. It seemed a bit unrealistic that he would be able to hide himself so well from the girlfriend, and why would he want to get involved with her in the first place? I want to know more about Jean Claude and Richard, but as it evolves through their interactions with Anita. I think that focusing on any one character is a mistake. She is exploring the opportunities her powers give her, yet trying to retain some sense of humanity. That conflict is interesting. I do think that returning to St. Louis would be best for the next book. There will be another book?
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