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Laurell K. Hamilton

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Laurell Kaye Hamilton
Laurell Kaye Hamilton at a book signing in 2007
Laurell Kaye Hamilton at a book signing in 2007
Pen nameLaurell K. Hamilton
OccupationWriter, Novelist
NationalityAmerican
Period1993 – present
GenreFantasy, Erotica, Romance, Horror, Science Fiction
Notable worksAnita Blake: Vampire Hunter
Merry Gentry Series
Website
http://www.laurellkhamilton.org

Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy and romance writer. She is the author of two series of stories. Hamilton is known for her New York Times-bestselling Anita Blake series, featuring a female necromancer turned magical investigator as the protagonist. The series currently runs to 17 novels, several short story collections, and other tie-in media, such as comic books. More than 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels have been printed.[1] Also notable is her Merry Gentry series, an urban fantasy in which the world of fairy interacts with the "real world".

Life

Laurell Kaye Hamilton was born in Heber Springs, Arkansas but grew up in Sims, Indiana with her grandmother Laura Gentry. Her education includes degrees in English and biology from Marion (now Indiana Wesleyan University), a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination.[2]

Hamilton is involved with a number of animal charities, particularly supporting dog rescue efforts and wolf preservation.[3][4]

Today, Hamilton resides in St. Louis County, Missouri with her current husband Jonathon Green, her daughter Trinity, and two dogs.

Works

Guilty Pleasures, 1993 first edition of first book in Anita Blake series.

Laurell K. Hamilton is the author of two series of stories:

  • Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter is about a female necromancer and her relationships with vampires and wereanimals. The series runs to 16 novels as of May 2008, and a number of short story collections and other tie-in media such as comic books. More than 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels have been printed[1] and it became a New York Times bestseller.
  • Merry Gentry is an urban fantasy in which fairies live in the USA. Hamilton published the first book in 2000.

Both series focus in part on St. Louis, Missouri. The city is the home base for Anita Blake. In the Merry Gentry series, the home base for the fairies' Dark Court is at Cahokia Mounds, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

Critical reception and fan reactions

Anita Blake

In Narcissus in Chains (book 10), the character Anita Blake becomes infected with the ardeur, a supernatural hunger making the victim feed it (via direct or vicarious sexual energy) and added metaphysical powers. The ardeur is essentially cited as being an unconvincing deus ex machina device, and even a metaphysical date rape drug, used to force Anita Blake and her partners into increasingly gratuitous sexual encounters as well as magically solve all problems through sex or lust. Some readers contend that these situations occur without the development of character or plot, and also force sex and dependency on a formerly independent female character. [5] Others have commented upon the exploitation of sexual abuse, incest, and rape through its casual use in later books.[6]

Reviewers have also commented on the amount of sex in later books. A March 26, [2006 review in the Boston Globe of Micah was largely negative: "...we were not impressed. Hamilton no doubt appeals to romance and erotica lovers, but it does not take long for the clichés and the constant droning about sex to become tiresome."[7] Robert Folsom of the Kansas City Star wrote a critical review, stating:" After 13 erotically charged books, boredom has reared its ugly head for the 14th novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, as eroticism becomes mere description..."[8]

Publishers Weekly described the 2008 16th book, Blood Noir, as "florid" but credits Hamilton with giving Anita "a case to solve between wild orgies with wereanimals." The review ends with a comment on the direction the series is taking: "Hamilton chronicles Anita's escapades with a growing air of ennui, which longtime readers can't help sharing as sex increasingly takes the place of plot and character development".[9] Blood Noir debuted at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list;[10][11] by early July, it had fallen to number 25.[12]

In contrast, a Denver Post review of Danse Macabre took a more positive view of the eroticism in Hamilton's work. Although it noted that "[t]hose looking for mystery and mayhem on this Anita adventure are out of luck" it also stated that "the main attraction of the Anita Blake novels in the past five years has been their erotic novelty," and "[f]ew, if any, mainstream novels delve so deeply into pure, unadulterated erotica."[13]

In a December 2006 post in her blog, apparently aimed at an ever-increasing number of participants on the Laurell K. Hamilton forums,[14] Hamilton acknowledged readers who, disappointed in recent Anita Blake novels, have chosen to stop reading her work altogether. She added that "life is too short to read books you don't like," and acknowledged that the books are "not comfortable." She suggested that these readers would prefer to read "books that don't make you think that hard." Hamilton then asserted that, aside from this group, there exist a number of "negative fans" who, claiming to have made this decision, continue to discuss later books in detail; she suggests that these individuals are either "closet readers" or comment based on others' opinions. The appellation "fan" refers to her perception that "only a fan would spend this much time and energy on anything." However, Hamilton suggested that sales figures establish the increasing popularity of the series. She concluded by rewarding "positive people," as she describes those who are continuing to read the Anita Blake series, with information about her upcoming book.[15] Many readers have expressed their dislike. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series has been translated into 16 languages and the sold over 6 million copies worldwide.[1]

Bibliography

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Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter

  1. Guilty Pleasures (1993) ISBN 0-515-13449-X
  2. The Laughing Corpse (1994) ISBN 0-425-19200-8
  3. Circus of the Damned (1995) ISBN 0-515-13448-1
  4. The Lunatic Cafe (1996) ISBN 0-425-20137-6
  5. Bloody Bones (1996) ISBN 0-425-20567-3
  6. The Killing Dance (1997) ISBN 0-425-20906-7
  7. Burnt Offerings (1998) ISBN 0-515-13447-3
  8. Blue Moon (1998) ISBN 0-515-13445-7
  9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000) ISBN 0-515-13450-3
  10. Narcissus in Chains (2001) ISBN 5-558-61270-3
  11. Cerulean Sins (2003) ISBN 0-515-13681-6
  12. Incubus Dreams (2004) ISBN 0-515-13975-0
  13. Micah (2006) ISBN 0-515-14087-2 (novella)
  14. Danse Macabre (2006) ISBN 0-425-20797-8
  15. The Harlequin (2007) ISBN 978-0-425-21724-5
  16. Blood Noir (2008) ISBN 978-0-425-22219-5
  17. Skin Trade (2009) ISBN 978-0-425-22772-5
Science Fiction Book Club omnibus editions
  1. Club Vampyre (Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse, and Circus of the Damned)
  2. Midnight Cafe (The Lunatic Cafe, Bloody Bones, and The Killing Dance)
  3. Black Moon Inn (Burnt Offerings and Blue Moon)
  4. Nightshade Tavern (Obsidian Butterfly and Narcissus in Chains)
  • Out Of This World (1st 100 pages of Narcissus in Chains)

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Merry Gentry series

  1. A Kiss of Shadows (2000)
  2. A Caress of Twilight (2002)
  3. Seduced by Moonlight (2004)
  4. A Stroke of Midnight (2005)
  5. Mistral's Kiss (2006)
  6. A Lick of Frost (2007)
  7. Swallowing Darkness (2008)
  8. Divine Misdemeanors (December 8, 2009)

Marvel Comics series

(in Anita's chronological order)

  1. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death 1/2 (7/2007)
  2. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death 2/2 (12/2007)
  3. Guilty Pleasures Handbook (2007)
  4. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 1 (12/2006)
  5. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 2 (1/2007)
  6. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 3 (2/2007)
  7. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 4 (1/2007)
  8. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 5 (2/2007)
  9. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 6 (3/2007)
  10. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 7 (3/2008)
  11. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 8 (4/2008)
  12. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 9 (5/2008)
  13. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 10 (6/2008)
  14. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 11/12 (7/2008)
  15. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 12/12 (8/2008)
  16. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One 1/5 (12/2008)
  17. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One 2/5 (1/2009)
  18. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One 3/5 (2/2009)
  19. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One 4/5 (3/2009)
  20. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One 5/5 (4/2009)
  21. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Necromancer 1/5 (6/2009)
  22. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Necromancer 2/5 (7/2009)
  23. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Necromancer 3/5 (9/2009)

Others

  • Nightseer (1992)
  • Nightshade (1992) (Star Trek: The Next Generation authorized novel #24)
  • Death of a Darklord (1995) (TSR's Ravenloft series.)
  • "A Clean Sweep" (first story in Superheroes, a 1995 anthology)
  • Cravings (anthology, 2004)
  • Bite (anthology, 2004)
  • Strange Candy (14 published and unpublished short stories, released November 2006)
  • Never After (anthology, 2009)

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References

  1. ^ a b c http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell/LKHBiography.htm
  2. ^ "Locus Online: Laurell K. Hamilton interview (excerpts)". [[Locus (magazine)|]]. 2000. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Interview at Flamesrising.com http://www.flamesrising.com/laurell-k-hamilton-interview-horror-author/
  4. ^ Photographs of chartiy work from Hamiltons official website [1]
  5. ^ "Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Author tells fans to go away..." 2006-12-31.
  6. ^ "Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: I wouldn't mind all the sex, if..." 2006-12-08. et al.
  7. ^ O'Gorman, Rochelle (2006-03-26). "Beware the Ringing Cell". Boston Globe. p. C7. ISSN 07431791 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN..
  8. ^ Folsom, Robert (2006-07-17). "'Danse Macabre' by Laurell K. Hamilton; 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' by Scott Lynch". Kansas City Star. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Publisher's Weekly Fiction Reviews: Week of 4/21/2008 ©2008 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Accessed August 26, 2008
  10. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080615/ai_n26687841
  11. ^ http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2008/06/blood-noir-is-1-on-new-york-times.html
  12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/books/bestseller/0713besthardfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
  13. ^ Shindler, Dorman T (2006-08-20). "7th Anita Blake novel builds on erotic aura". Denver Post. p. F13. ISSN 19302193 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN..
  14. ^ "Laurell K. Hamilton Forums". 2008-08-18.
  15. ^ Laurell K. Hamilton (2006-12-29). "Dear Negative Reader". LKH Blog.
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Interviews

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