I Still Read Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake Series—Got a Problem with That?

YES YES YES YES YES!
Thank you for speaking for the rest of us.
Yes, we get that YOU don't want to read the series anymore after book 8 or 10. But don't jump all over us (seriously, on Twitter, Goodreads, I've had the cashier in the bookstore even) because we still have a vested interest and curiosity over the series! And PLEASE KNOW that the reasons you give us for quitting the series we 1) don't care about (I mean, really, not to be rude, but why would we? WE KNOW Anita turned in to a slutbag but we still love our slutbag obviously!) and 2) we've heard the reasons a billion times every year for the past 5+ years and can repeat them back to you verbatim before you even get them out.
We compleeeeeeeeeeeetely get why you don't read it anymore, we do! But we're not all over YOU. Why do you have to get all up on us? I for one am so tired of being alienated for reading Anita. Suck it, haters!
Be kind to us and just accept that there are some of us who are still with her and want to see what happens next. :)

Obviously there are still plenty of us who read her. She routinely touches the best seller list. I am also very tired of the hate.

There was a point when I might have agreed with you about the sex scenes being "the most over-the-top in fiction", but then I read the first two books in the Mona Lisa series by Sunny. (Mona Lisa Awakening & Mona Lisa Blossoming) Hamilton is staid and restrained in her sex scene prose by comparison.

"Suck it, haters!"
Favorite line of the day! LOL

All I can say is I thank you for taking one for the team. I don't look down on you at all - I mostly quit because I can't afford them (well, and not necessarily because of the slutbag thing but because Anita had turned into so damn many animals and had so many power thingies that couldn't keep track anymore without a spreadsheet).

If not for your investment, I'd never know if anything good happened - like if Jean-Claude or Asher did get staked or if Richard found his balls or if that short little guy she's with that she shares t-shirts with (Micah?) ever quit having to stand on a box to kiss her. Important stuff, I swear! Because I already know she's going to kick some butt, do some magical things, become the head of some new animal group and have an orgy a few times. When something amazing happens, I need an inside source and you guys are it.

No need for me to suck it because I'm being nice, I promise!

I don't actually fall in either category -- of neither the "stick with it" or "hate it now" camp.

You know why? Because so many people told me it wasn't worth continuing after Obsidian Butterfly. That's where I've made it in the series. My TBR is towering with new shiny books calling my name, and with so many people suggesting the plot falls to the wayside after book 9, I figured I'd just get back to it sometime. I never have.

Nat, I always love your honesty. And, because you finally said what I needed to hear, I'll probably go ahead and make a point to start the next book soon.

Maybe I'll get hooked again, maybe not. But either way, I'll prepare myself for a bunch of people bitching at me about why I'd read it. And I'll expect you to hold my hand. ;)

@spazp - Suck it haters unite!
@Long Strider - Wow, I will not be reading Sunny then! lol
@Aliza - Spazp has all sorts of great one liners ;)
@Barbara - LOL I promise to do a breaking news post is one of them gets staked or finds their balls. Alas after reading Hit List, that doesn't happen!
@VBC - I promise to hold you hand!

I am one of the many who bailed on this series a while back - but until then, I couldn't consume the books fast enough. Part of the vitriol from the former readers section is the extreme disappointment of not being able to experience greats characters and their crazy, scary, compelling lives and world b/c the god of that creation has gone totally off the rails and taken her creation with her. I ask those-who-still-read what the plots are about b/c I'm still hungry for information on these characters I once knew so well, like asking a mutal friend how a former friend is doing - but am so totally unwilling to succumb to the crazy myself.

That said, if it still floats your boat - have at it! Somebody has to read it if only to tell me how it all ends...

I agree 100%. Like you, I just can't let go of the characters I grew to care about way back when. I have read every book in the series and I'm on the wait list at the library for Hit List. This despite the number of cringe-worthy moments following the advent of the ardeur. (Anyone else remember Auggie?)

And even though I think I'll live forever with the image of Anita, JC, Asher and Richard in a leather mask... seared in my brain... I'll probably follow it all to it's conclusion.

P.S. If you think you get hate now... tell people you still read the books AND you're a Richard fan. You'll be a complete social outcast. (Like me.)

@ Kiersten - Hit List was actually pretty good on plot/hardly any sex!
@ Jen - You'll love Hit List! I miss old Richard, new Richard irks me.

@ Chelsea - we'll hold your hand, promise!! :)
@ Jen - OUCH you have a DOUBLE hitter with admitting you like Richard!! LOL I admit, I hate on Richard sometimes but it's like WLP just said... I miss the old one, still trying to get used to this new one ;)

WLP & Spaz: I hate the corner he has been written into. I wish he hated himself less. But I can't fault him for loving a woman and not wanting to share her with 10 other dudes.

So glad I'm not the only one still hanging in there!!! Honestly the only book so far that I really, really didn't care for was Bullet. My copy of Hit List has been preordered(as always) and I'm glad to hear you liked it. Can't wait to read your review :)

Thank you WLP and spazp! I am so sick of seeing people trash these books and trash LKH that is makes me mad. So you don't like them...move along people! I don't like YA books, but you don't see me trashing the authors of countless ya books that I bought and couldn't force myself to finish. I've got better things to do(and stacks of books to read) than to stalk an author online and tell them how bad they suck.

I would never judge someone because they read a series I dislike. That's sooooo stupid/lame/immature. I personally love the diversity in readers. How boring would life be if we all agreed on the same shit? My reasons for disliking AB are my own, and I don't preach to the choir about them. To each her own.

Your honesty rocks, and I hope more people pick up the series because of this post. :)

I still faithfully read every book! Smut readers unite!!! Seriously though, I loved Jean-Claude in said bathtub scene (ahem, book 6, ahem). Since then he's kinda rubbed me the wrong way. No pun intended, of course. Now I kind of just want Anita to run off with Jason or Bernardo Spotted Horse! I know I'm weird, but at least they are semi-normal!

Add me to the "Love AB" column. I buy all the books in hb and read them as fast as I can. I admit my favorite is "Obsidian Butterfly", but can't think of one that I hated. I'll continue reading till the end of the series.

As for the 'haters', I keep thinking of a Spanish saying that 'hate is the other side of the coin of love.' The more they shout out their hate, the more I know they loved these characters, so I cut them some slack and get back to my book.

@ Jen - AMEN!
@Ashley - When you finish Hit List, let me know!
@Shannon - I don't think ANYONE should trash what anyone else is reading, at least they ARE reading right?
@Smash - Exactly, to each their own ;) Unless they cc the author. Heh
@Laura - I love Bernardo!!
@Bungluna - Those are the ones reading undercover ;)

I still love Anita Blake....I wish she'd run off with Nathaniel. I enjoy the smut! I didn't start reading the series until it was on book 14 or so, the first time I read them, it was out of order. When I went back and read the first few I was quite disappointed at the lack of smut...I guess I'm just a naughty girl! But indeed to each their own, and if someone wants to miss out these beloved characters, that's their loss!

Thank you for your post! I agree that if you don't like Anita or read it anymore, don't judge me.
I can't stop reading them either and I'll keep reading it until Anita or I will die.
This series has been my "chicken soup for the soul" so even though I'm past it, I'm a loyal person cause it helped me and gave me the courage to try new things.
I can't wait for Hit List, and I'm not ashemed to be an Anita fan or that I still read it.
Thank you for sharing!!!

"suck it haters" LMAO Brillant. I love you no matter how many trashy books you read or sketchy men you like.

Im getting this new release though. I hear it's pretty dang good. ;)

I can't quit her either, Natasha!

For me, it mostly comes down to the investment I have in the characters. Over the course of the 19 books I've read (I'm on the library wait list for the Hit List audiobook) I've come to care about Anita, Nathaniel, Jason, and even the douchey Richard (sorry, Jen!), hoping he'll grow a pair and stop whining.

I think at this point we're in it for the long haul, and no amount of persuasion or peer pressure will get us to break up with her.

I won't lie the sex scenes always make me feel dirty inside and extremely awkward, but some of the characters are hilarious. Mostly, I read the series for Edward. Who doesn't love a psychopath with a flamethrower? It beats sparkles.

You're my idol. You took one for the team! I too still love our indomitable pan-were necromancer hootchie. I know Richard is a candy ass & I think he should be killed off. No they don't live on my keeper shelf any longer. I still keep coming back! I don't rush out or pre-order, now I get them from the library. I have to read them, like you I'm locked in. I'm going all the way to the end baby! I need to know what's going on with Edward. Is Olaf ever coming back to "date" Anita? Will Micah ever be more than window dressing? So when you order your "I STILL

Hello, My name is Shell and I am a Laurell K Hamilton adict. I read faithfully and stand beside Wicked Pixie with her support of Anita Blake and her menagerie of men. Although I too have no love for Asher, I still have hope for Jean Claude and wear my Jean Claudes Tub Toy shirt faithfully.... but if LKH wants to get rid of Richard and Micah please, go right ahead LOL

I never started reading the series. I always saw the books and looked at them and thought to myself, "Nah," and bought something else. I don't think I was missing much.

I finally had to admit defeat with Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and Christine Feehan's Dark series. Not that there was anything wrong with the series, but when they go on as long as these did (and still are, in fact) I just get so freaking bored reading the same crap over and over again!

-takes a breath-

Ahem. Anyway. I made it through 19 books in the Dark series and 21 in the DH series.

Yes, I'll admit it, I am a LKH addict. Anita & Merry are interesting women to say the least, and the men they surround themselves with.... well, maybe from the first five or six books. Now you need a scorecard. But, that being said, some of those characters, I still really want to know what's going to happen to them. I do not want to hear how these books are just a trashy read (especially from people who have never read the series to begin with). These were my introduction to paranormal and I just don't have the heart to give them up just yet.

Maybe people that don't like the books mention what would be relivant to you, since you write a romance blog? There are lots of other reasons why people don't like the books anymore. I'm reading these positive posts wondering if you are reading different books than the ones that have had plot and characterzation removed. the thing about sex in the series, a huge amount of it, like all of it, is forced. The books are full of discriptions of the same fights, same characters, same hit men coming to get Anita and the gang for three books now. I read this blog curious as to why an intelligent woman (or man) would write about loving this series. I know "haters" are not very nice to those who say "prude you hate all the sex" and run but perhaps if other points where made about the series becides sex all the time, that point of view wouldn't automatically be invalidated.

@Tink - LOL out of order backwards would def' be confusing.
@Scorp - Most welcome!
@Tori - heh heh Pam for the win!
@Renee - Long haul, that be us!
@Andraste - I feel the same with the sex scenes *shudder*

@Eboni - heh heh awwww! Thank you!
@Shell - I had no idea you were a fan ;) I kid.
@DyslexicSquirrel - I totally understand that, sometimes long isn't the way to go.
@Sandlog - I have an excel sheet for it ;)

Oh yeah, and for the record, Narcissus in Chains is my favorite of the series so far. That would be the book that came out right after Obsidian Butterfly.

@queenmeow: Of course there are different viewpoints (we will have another LKH take tomorrow), but to say,

I know "haters" are not very nice to those who say "prude you hate all
the sex" and run but perhaps if other points where made about the series
becides sex all the time, that point of view wouldn't automatically be
invalidated.

misses the point--Natasha is saying that she likes the series still in spite of the sex. She makes a valid case for why she continues to like it, and others have valid cases for why they do not. Unless I am misunderstanding your comment?

@queenmeow I'm a lurker more than a poster, but insulting someone's intelligence in a comment littered with spelling errors is humorous to me.

I personally quit the AB series a while ago, but I don't judge people who still read it. It's their right, and I'm glad they still enjoy the books. It doesn't matter how I feel about them, and I'll sometimes ask to see if things have become plot-rich again. Because that might tempt me to go back.

Not everyone is going to like every book or every series, but that doesn't give those of us who don't like it the right to go off on those who do. I mean, I totally don't get the Twilight thing either, but if sparkly vampires are your thing...go you.

@Nat: I applaud you for coming out and saying you still read and enjoys the series knowing full well someone was going to spout nonsense about why you shouldn't.

I happily admit I am an Anita Blake fan. I love the characters and the action. Narcissus in Chains is my favorite in the series. I do find now that I skim the sex scenes, but the last few books have backed away from so much sex. I will stick with Anita until the end, and not listen to the negative people.

What Kiersten said! ;-) I used to love the books, and then I stopped. I don't usually ask about the latest, but the problem is exactly as Kiersten says. We really loved the books, and then something went wrong. It wasn't just the sex for me, because I think I slowed down before that really hit. But I also remember taking two of her books with me on a plane trip, read on the plane (rare for me, I'm too easily distracted, didn't even mind sitting in the plane after landing waiting for a gate), and couldn't get into anything else after I finished the second book. (I also found the first three at once so I read them at a gulp.)

There's so much disappointment, that's why some former readers of the series are so vocal. (Other series may go on too long, or a little off track, but this series jumped to the side in a way that shook off more readers at once.)

I can't really criticize, because I'm sure some of the series I read would probably get the same kind of comments. ;-) And I also don't read books that many agree are really good. But, please realize that a lot of the reactions from former readers are because of the very strong feelings some of us had about the earlier books.

I don't understand why these books are still so popular when some of the subject matter is so awful, how can it be glossed over? The blog doesn't say what the blogger really likes about the series, just that she still likes it and tells people so. Whenever it's talked about why people don't like the books, the sex is always given as the reason, not the many other criticisms.

@queenmeow: Ah, thanks for the clarification. I think Natasha does say she still wants to know what happens with Anita, and likes the interaction between the characters. But, as always, taste is subjective, and with so many people excited about the series, it's difficult to think all those people are glossing over the other criticisms--perhaps they just don't see them the same way you do.

Personally I love the books!! All of them!!! The sex parts are just a part of the story and they are part of how the character has evolved. For those who don't like it don't read it!

@WikedLilPixie: Exactly. Some things just need to know when to fade gracefully in to the night. Bad pun not intended.

Feehan's over use of the word "implaceable" got on my nevres after a while. I could have turned it into a drinking game (should have, probably, I may have enjoyed it more). I wanted to say, "You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

I've read this series since I was 16, I am not about to stop now, I don't care how many stop reading her books, I NEVER will. I love the Anita Blake series!!!!

I'm a die hard Anita fan (and I dig Merry Gentry too!) and the day of release u can count on me in the bookstore like a kid getting just what they want for Christmas. Sorry, I love the sex scenes and don't get why Anita has to be a "slut" about the sex. By this time I think we realize she's not really human, and this particular preternatural creature gains power and magic thru sex. Think that's freakin fabulous!! I will read this series to the last page!!

I am a huge fan of the AB series and I DO read it for the sex, and I am not afraid to admit it! LOL I read to escape the mundane world we live in. I don't care if Anita no longer has "substance", and I think JeanClaude is WAY better than Richard. That guy never ceases to piss me off. You just want to smack him upside his head. I will read this series (and Merry's too) for as long as Laurell writes them. :)

I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!
I still crave the next one and reread all the old ones!!
I am proud to STILL be an Anita Blake faithful fallower!!

I, too, am a diehard fan. This series was one of the first to get me into reading the genre. In fact, what really caught my eye was the name and the cover of Obsidian Butterfly. I was sitting on the subway one day and saw someone reading it and tried my damndest to see what it was and who it was by. I went straight home and looked it up, and I've been a fan of AB and MG since.
I'll never understand why people can't let others have their own opinions! What happened to "one man's treasure is another man's trash?" Oh, well. I will keep reading and enjoying the sex scenes until LKH finally retires AB.

I am with you Love the books dont care what people say and cant wait to get hit list.... I get it in 2 weeks so I am rereading... I will always read them... I love the whole thing all of it sex, love, anger, pain, shoot outs, cops, new powers the whole thing I LOVE AB

Alright, maybe its just me and my lack of looking up fans online, but wow! This will be the second time I ever post on the series, first is above, so I will elaborate as I actually read the comments now. I've read this book series for 8 years. I love each book that comes out and HAVE to get them as fast as possible, the longer the book the better and I generally read all the way through in one sitting. I read her Merry series and have all of them, I even have Nightseer (I wish there was a second book there, it was set up for it!!!), and some of her collaborated works with other authors if not all of them. AB is one of the first series that I started reading and it got me to be the avid reader I am today, I borrowed the first book from a friend in high school and each day following she had to bring me the next one cause I was just dying to read it. People can hate all they want, but I will keep reading the series, I am a die hard fan, I don't shy away from how the characters have evolved, and I love reading about when she finally gave in and got laid the first time. I've probably read each book over 100 times over the years as I go through my faves and just reread the whole series. I am also a fan of the DH series and am working on collecting all of them, stackhouse series- I got all her books from every series, kim harrison's series about Rachel, I don't like the whiney lil brat that she is alot in the twilight series but its a new twist on vamp books, so I can dig it, but my all time fave is still LKH AB series!!! That most likely will never change and I for one will hate when the series dies. I would love to see Olaf return and try and date Anita, lol Dude is Phycho, but he is an awesome character and I love how she tries to deal with him and still be professional about it. As for Jean-Claude, dude is like melt in your mouth caramel gold, I hope he doesn't go anywhere. Richard is a moody little bastard, but you gotta have one guy in the mix to spice it up with his pissiness on having to share, most of the others are all cool with it. Plus he loves her and like it or not he is stuck with her and Jean Claude because of the Triumvirate and I don't think thats going anywhere, to much of a power house and ties throughout the community because of the power there. The sex scene with Wicked and Truth, hehehe... I don't shy away from sex scenes (I admit it :P ) and she has the most gorgeous men fighting for her. She plays the innocent, OMG I am turning into a whore thing alot, but the girl was celibate for years from a heart break with a jackass of an exfiance before Jean Claude and always figured if anything she'd marry and be with one man forever. Now she has to deal with all these different men and they fit into her life like puzzle pieces and make her more complete. Lets not forget the ardour helps give her what she wants. She wants her and all her people to be safe and she wants all them happy. Well, in order to keep them safe, it keeps bringing different lovers into the mix that bring in power for her and her people. Otherwise they will be taken out. She keeps getting animal flavors and that helps bring in more power also, she is a panware, but she gets powers used on her and from the mother of darkness she got the tigers, all their flavors. Yeah the mother dark was using her to regain a body, but she still has the tigers now, and she is their gold tiger, their overall queen, this brings in a huge power base that they can call from and a possibility of a huge amount of characters that can be added to the plot line, also the lions. The vampire community wants to try and build ties to Jean Claude and Anita to help keep their territories safe, and want to try and gain more powers for themselves, and honestly, can you blame them. Now I have never had to write out a spreadsheet for Anita's lovers or those trying to get close to those in the triumvirate or anything like that, I follow along with the plot line and reread to make sure I get everything correct, this truly is an awesome series and I am definitely going to have to reread it again now. Honestly I am kind of bored of reading the first 5 books of the series, but thats just cause I've read them so much over the years I practically have them memorized. I am a huge fan and I will continue to be so, Anita gets power through sex, but she is also getting over her own squeamishness about nudity and sex. Her character is evolving and she is finally growing up. At least that is my opinion on it. Sex should be fun, lol So let her get to enjoy it, each man in her life brings something different to the story but it also helps complete Anita's character and what she needs in her life. She needed someone to help take care of her and she got Nathanial, we can all admit she took really bad care of herself forgetting to eat and lack of sleep and constantly just working 24/7 for years. Even her hobbies were all for work or tied to it, her zombie rights work coming to mind here as people shouldn't be raised for fun, etc, and her jogging all the time with Ronnie way back before she started being jealous cause Anita was the yummy one and they had no interest with her. She needed to make sure due to injuries that she could still keep movement properly in her arm and her bad leg. You also have Jason, he is an uncomplicated fuck and feed, something she needs, he doesn't ask for much just that she appreciates him and what he has to offer. Then you have Micah, someone uncomplicated, but helps support her and help make her life run smoother so she isn't stressed out all the time or beating her head in cause she is doubting herself all the time. Can you guys get what I am saying her, each of the people that she keeps being tied to help Anita and help her character keep evolving as the story line progresses. You guys can hate on this post or disagree with something I wrote, but you will never be able to change my mind about reading this series. I got some of my friends hooked on her books also, they wont stop reading them cause some haters can't deal with how the storyline is progressing. lol Diehard Anita fans rock!!!! We got your back girl!

Oooooooo sorry for the long post! lol Just looked up and up and up and it huge.... whoops! lol Go Anita!!! hahaha

KittySweets, I agree with you. If Antia had stayed the same celibate, scared of intimacy, woman she was I'd have lost interest. As it is a long running series Antia needed to evolve and grow, and she is doing that. Ok admitably I do enjoy the sex scenes, but who wouldn't with all those yummy men.

Any good story needs several layers and forms of conflict. From Antia versus the world, to Antia versus her needs. You need it to make the story more realistic, and yes I know the supernatural as portrayed in the novels aren't real, I'm talking about the characters of the people, not the supernatural stuff.

Olaf scared me, but I'd love to see him come back just so Anita can kill him, I know bloodthirsty and all, but it would definately be an interesting fight.

I also read the Merry series and i'm dying for the next books in both series. As I'm in Australia take a bit to get them here.

I don't care what other people think of AB I'll keep reading to the end.

@kittysweets I would love to see the sequel to Nightseer. I was so angry when I got to the end of that one and there was nothing more and you were left with a cliffhanger kind of feeling.

I love Anita Blake and Merry Gentry. I read each book as soon as they come out. I read most of the other paranormal writers too.

One that I haven't heard mentioned in any of the comments, and so I am going to throw out there because her Fever series is Awseome is Karen Marie Moning. Look it up, she's a great read.

I love LKH. Her books take me back to high school. I just wish she would end the series. Its getting to the point where I have purchased the last three copies and have them sitting on my bookshelf. Im scared to read them, because I loved them oh-so-much and they are changing for the worse. I miss Sigmund. My heart breaks when I think of her circa Guilty Pleasures. Please people tell me these book are digestible. I need my AB fix.

I love Antia Blake (and merry gently), i have all her books and as soon as i know there is a new one i can not wait i have it.I think she is awesome and to be honest who would'nt want all those hot men (maybe not olaf) in their lives ,the sex dont bother me. I hated it after Richard broke her heart so know she has all these men who adore her,my fave has always been Jean Claude and i have a soft spot for Micah and Nathanial.
I total agree with Kittysweets that the frist five was a bit a bit of bore but so glad i stuck with them because they rock.
So all the haters can not change my mind and i hope LKH carries one with AB xxx

I love Antia Blake (and merry gently), i have all her books and as soon as i know there is a new one i can not wait i have it.I think she is awesome and to be honest who would'nt want all those hot men (maybe not olaf) in their lives ,the sex dont bother me. I hated it after Richard broke her heart so know she has all these men who adore her,my fave has always been Jean Claude and i have a soft spot for Micah and Nathanial.
I total agree with Kittysweets that the frist five was a bit a bit of bore but so glad i stuck with them because they rock.
So all the haters can not change my mind and i hope LKH carries one with AB xxx

I will continue to read LKH's Anita series. I agree that things have changed, and things need to change or actually end. Others should leave us alone! What I want to know is HOW you got to read it already!

I thought I was the only one who felt that way about Jean Claude and Asher. I hate Asher. Jean Claude is almost a by-the -way character, unless he's being a jerk. So glad someone agrees with me.
Kris Love KMM's Fever Series! I just recently found her. Waited a few months for Shadowfever and I thought i was going to go crazy.Can't wait for Dani, Ryo, and Christian's story next.

I fall into a weird spot on these books-I loved the first eight, and I still read them (well, I read up to Danse Macabre then got distracted by the gazillions of other books I had to read) in hopes of finding the character that I loved-the fascinating woman who had the ruthlessness of Huntress, the snarkyness of Buffy, and a heartfelt and relatable series of issues with men. Though I can't really relate to the character as she is now, I understand how others could. I love the Merry Gentry books, except for Mistral's Kiss-that one annoyed me for the same reason I struggle with a lot of the later Anita Blake books-because the forwarding of the good, strong plots and interesting characters seemed to fall to the wayside in favor of sex scenes that were there for sex's sake. That said, I can hardly judge someone for continuing to like a series that doesn't grab me personally anymore-I am the fandom heretic in nearly every one I participate it, liking season 6 and 7 of Buffy just as much as the rest, preferring the latter three Star Trek series to the first two, enjoying the Star Wars prequels as much as the original trilogy, etc. I know all too well the pain (well, severe annoyance) of having other people constantly haranguing you because you *dare* to have the sheer audacity to like something that they, the authoratative arbiters of good taste and TRUE FANS (TM) decided was bad. So if you still love them, good on you! I used to apologize for liking the things no one else did, then I realized I didn't have to-because what the hell business of theirs is it if I like something that The Sacred And All Knowing Fandom has deemed Bad (for whatever random value of bad applies...)? I honestly have the same issues with rabid anti-fans as I do with rabid fans-in fact, moreso, because the fans mainly want to spread enjoyment, whereas anti-fans seem determined that if they can't enjoy something, NO ONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD can either. Which, seriously? No. Newsflash-someone else liking something you dislike does not, in fact, have any effect on your life!
Or, TL;DR-I'm glad you (and apparently a lot of others), can still enjoy the Anita Blake books. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't love what you love!

Holy comments batman! YAY! I'm glad you all still fight the good fight & keep on reading. I can't wait until people read Hit List so I can talk about it!!

My husband and I both love the Anita Blake series! And the Merry Gentry series! Laurell K is hands down my favorite author. I love all the her plots. The emotional drama and sex scenes included. I feel no shame in reading anything Laurell K writes. Her books are pure fantastic escapism.

I totally agree with the already posted comments. I love the Anita Blake series along with the Meredith Gentry series. I enjoy the plots, the sex, the drama and the violence when fighting for your life, your loves or the innocents. To me it is all a part of the characters and stories.

LOVE her !!

Good on all of you:) I gave up on putely because I got bored with the sameness off them around book 13. I'm quite cross with myself as I invested time (and money) inthem but couldn't find enough to keep me hooked. Why should anyone have to apologise for what they read or don't read?? Who's business is it what a person chooses to read anyway? I'm 36 and really enjoyed the Sophie Mackenzie books. (My 12 year old asked me to read one to make sure they weren't scary!!! He's a chicken. I read the 1st one and wanted to read the rest!!) Do I care?? Nah, I will read what I like and if I enjoy it great, if not then I've lost an evening or 2, no big deal. My choice:)

@ Fizz Love it!

Way to go people!! Do not let anyone tell you what to read! I too skip some of the sex scenes. I read all of the vampire/supernatural. sci-fi/fantasy genre.. bad books (and there are many that I didn't enjoy) serve only to emphasize the good ones. Thanks for the info on others I haven't tried yet! Keep posting!

Speaking as someone who's now only in it for snarking at the overt MarySue-ism, I've never thought anyone should be ashamed or otherwise feel bad about enjoying the series. There shouldn't be any issue with that. I do get a kick out of poking the trolls who try to shout down any criticism of the series and try to make it into some kind of literary achievement on the scale of LotR or something, then start screaming about how we're all prudes who hate sex when that falls apart. Like anything else in life you can love it or hate it, but you should just say why. If that embarrasses you, well...

I agree with you Natasha. I'm a few books in the rears, but I know I will read them all in good time. This was one of the first series I read, I too want to know what antics Anita is getting into and what finally happens with it all...albeit soon:-)

I think people have the right to read anything they want. That being said, however, I've stopped purchasing them. I get the new books from the library. My decision was purely a financial one though.

Mrs. Hamilton's sales have been in sharp/steady decline for the past 6 years, but she's stated that she still intends to write the Anita Blake series for the next thirty years. http://www.writersdigest.com/article/laurell-k-hamilton/

Those two facts don't support each other. At the rate her sales are declining, the '30 year plan' won't happen. I WANT to read an ending to the series. Discover the fate of all the characters. I DO love the characters, but I couldn't see myself continuing to spend money on a series whose ending quite possibly may never be printed.

I won't judge you for your love. I read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles right up until the bitter end, even after they got way over the top. I can understand it when you're so invested in a group of characters that you can't let go. It's such a deeply personal thing, what you become emotionally invested in. So, I don't judge you, the invested reader, even though I can't stay invested in this particular series myself.

I love those books and am always waiting for the next one. So go on Laurell, please do not stop, there are still people out there that love your books....

Hi. I am Sooooo with you, except I am not as brave. I am a librarian, and I always feel like I have to explain why I read the series. I like the mystery part of it, and I think the last one that was really good was probably the one before "Blue Moon", maybe... So, I like the first 3 or 4 books and have stuck with it because I keep on waiting for it to go back to how it was... so, I'm trusting you here.. I was telling myself I was going to stop and not read this one, but now, I think you're right.. I've already invested so much time and money on the series (and the Merry Fairy series is almost as bad but I can't stop that one either...;) I'll try this one... Thanks for the review!

HELLO..i am going to interview LAURELL K HAMILTON on tuesday..it will air on my website,, email me for more info..does anyone want to help? i could use some background info on the books..email me,.david

Is there a petition somewhere or can we start one to get more jean claude in the newer books because honestly, I NEED more. I miss them together. Micah is great, Richard can go to hell after I just read Harlequin, and everyone else is great background. All I want is more scenes of JC and Anita back together.

I still find myself recomending AB to random people in the stores. I LOVED AB, then I HATED her... and now with Hit List I love her again. Of course a good author will make you really feel - good or bad feelings, as long as they get a reaction out of you.
I find that I am more upset with her writing than anything else lately.... it's like she is losing touch with AB or just doesn't have enough time to finish the book she puts out.
However, in Hit List Anita starts to get back to her roots... we got crime sceans... we got Edward (yay!), we got some action besides sex... and it didn't make me feel dirty this time. Maybe I wont be having nightmares for a week about AB this time.

SPOILER ALERT

Now, in Hit List Edward asks Anita to go on a "hunting" trip with him and Peter in a year. Olaf has just turned wearlion. Can we hope and pray? Maybe Olaf will even kill off a few of her sweeties in the prosses! Like Nicky for one.... I dislike JC and Richard more, but with the likely-hood that it may kill everyone at once slims the chances down. But Nicky is just a Bride... and already a target for Olaf... and something about him just just creepy for some reason.

I am so glad to see that I'm not the only Anita fan!! I live in South Africa and I doubt that there are these many fans localy, but its awsum to finaly find fans. I'm totaly adicted to this series and read the first 4 books in one week. Haha. Anita Blake Rocks!! and so do all her fans. haha.

Wow, you are all still commenting on this post! Amazing! Thanks everyone and sorry for the delay in responses!

Pixie, thanks for coming back.

I've never seen why a forum should impose an unnatural termination on an interesting conversation. I'm glad we don't do it.

Hi Natasha,
I am not sure about people who have read this series since the beginning as and when they came out but i recently discovered this series and read all 21 books in a space of 2 months and let me say this i loved it and am sooo sad that i finished it already and dont have another book to read ... some of the stuff in the book is too out there or lame sometimes. However, that's what makes it soo fun to read. I hope there is more one on one with jean claude and anita as I love Jean-Claude

I just would like to say that you are not the only person reading about Anita Blake. I read all the of book, but yes, there are sections that are a little over the top, but I like the smut just as much as the police stuff. Her last book was back to being more kick-ass Anita, which I truly enjoyed. Her next book is pre-ordered and I am looking forward to reading more Anita Blake and her men, but I actually miss Richard though.