Book 33 of 2023
Summary
Anita Blake is one of the best at what she does in a world that doesn’t yet exist for us. It is a world where the vampires walk amongst us, zombies are the dead brought to life for purpose, and there are more than just werewolves. Anita Blake is an animator. Her expertise are called upon to resurrect the dead for a host of reasons one of which is to discover secrets the dead took with them to the grave. She comes with a hefty price tag with an attitude to match. When the vampires call on her to investigate a string of murders Anita must be persuaded to take the case. Anita has to discover who has committed these crimes to prevent unspeakable violence from being unleashed on the people she loves and all the innocent people of the city. But who can she trust? Who ultimately has her back and who has more up their sleeve?
Thoughts and Review
It is really a different experience to revisit a book that you read long ago in your youth. There is a whole new pair of eyes to take in the story with. There are bits and pieces that I do remember but for the most part I am taking the story in with entirely new eyes. At about a twenty year vision my perception of life and experiences are completely different. There were parts as I was reading that I had mental flashes of the first time I had read the book and the setting I was immersed in back then.
Although there is approximately twenty years difference between reading it then and now the concept is still relevant and has aged well. Our fascination with the macabre is still here. Our desire to be heroes in our right is still present as well. The politics of business, under currents of greed, and the mine fields of adult friendships are captured beautifully. Back then I remember telling a librarian that the world in which Anita lives is such a realistic representation of what our world would look like if the supernatural were accepted into our society. At this point I would make the same revelation?????? Of course there would be a development of a business around sex and vampires. Of course there would be places where people would pay to be terrorized. Of course there would be good undead folks just trying to make a living. And of course there would be an ugly side revealed as people would discover a new addiction while seizing the new commodity.
It is funny, a librarian suggested the series for me twenty years ago due to my fascination with the supernatural and darker sway of mind. I only ended up reading a few books of the series before moving onto other things and also taking a break from reading almost entirely. Flash forward to the present and again a librarian has suggested to the series to me and again I picked up the first book. This time it was suggested as a learning experience to revisit another point of life and reenter the world with new eyes.
The book is just as fantastic as I thought it was back then but for different reasons. The characters all resonated with me differently than the first time. My perception of their behaviours and actions are different in the sense that with more life behind me I think I understand the underlying motivations better than when I was a teenager. Just like with the first time I am curious to see where Jean Claude’s imagination lies for the future of the club and the city. Will there be more than fun and games in mind? Will society continue to turn, adapt, and evolve? It is a question that I think will peak curiosity to continue reading the series. So far, the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series is off to a beautifully brutal start.
Recommendation
I would recommend this series to anyone who loves the vampire folklore and genre in the adaptability to the modern world. It is one thing to love all the classic stories but if vampires are immortal what would they do in our world today? I do think this first book of the series promises a series of the answer to that question. I am curious to see where it goes from here. However, I would like to point out that this book would not be appropriate for anyone more into or of the age of young adult fiction. There is a graphic and sexual nature within the pages that it would be discovered to be highly inappropriate. Plainly said it is an adult book. (Also according to the librarian it gets more graphic and intense as the series progresses.) Happy Reading!