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I don’t get too much into vampire novels these days. Ever since the abomination to all vampire lore reared its ugly head and cause the entire genre to take a giant leap backwards by literary standards, the Twilight series has cast a horrible shadow that other would be writers have tried to either mimic, rip off or basic set the basis on what to expect in vampire stories. The stories are either on a supernatural love triangle or written to be more approachable for young adult readers. They seem to try to remake vampires than try to stick to the traditional sense of what vampires were or use to be. Some try to explain this as their “evolving” nature as if they are actual living creatures or because of the evolving form of storytelling when it comes to vampires. Other writers tend to remake vampires into their own idea of what they expect them to be now to fit their narrow narrative of story they tell. I’d love to name authors but I fear if I do that this blog will become less about the series I wish to write about today and more like a mindless, poorly written manifesto on how horrible the genre has now become to the point where I want to gouge out my short term memory and make a bonfire from all of these books stacked in a heap like the “money scene” from the movie “The Dark Knight” and just watch the whole world burn….

It’s moments like these that I miss Anne Rice so much.

But I still remember a time before all of this madness when vampires were vampires and supernatural creatures were hunted instead of misunderstood pretty boys (or girls) that just needs someone from the opposite sex to fix them both mental, physically and spiritually. No longer was it their place to put them in check, thus ensuring they didn’t overtake the realm of the living mortals. But I will admit that despite my traditionalistic ways when it comes to supernatural stories, I’m open for other interpretations about the creatures that go bump in the night. I’m only willing to go so far mind you! I may be willing to toe the line but that line can be very vague for some in seeing what I am willing to accept. Take the modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes right now. I enjoy watching the BBC’s Sherlock but you won’t see me checking out the latest episode of CBS’s Elementary. I found Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Sherlock Holmes to be entertaining but I won’t go near the Sherlock Holmes from The Asylum Studios

It’s a fine line I’m willing to dance and I have been able to do that for a time with the subject of this Octoberween edition of Guilty (Reading) Pleasures. Much like the years prior, I usually find myself reading some form of vampire novel during certain times of the month of Octoberween. This year seems to be no different than last. Despite the change of scenery I still find myself being drawn back to these novels, despite the fact that I’ve re-read them over a dozen times. I find that last statement ironic for I’ve literally read one particular omnibus book in this series so much that I’ve had to buy TWO replacements. The series I speak of is none other than the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.

Now I know what you might be thinking. THAT Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel series? The series that was made fun of in the Penny Arcade Web comics for its “suggestive” content? The one series that some consider is only a New York Time’s Best seller list is because it focuses less on story and plot and more on the sex lives of the individuals involved, both mortal and supernatural? Yes, I do indeed mean THAT particular series. But that is not the reason why I consider it a Guilty Pleasure read. On the contrary those are the reason why I don’t really consider myself a fan of the series anymore. Not even a “closet fan” as the author Laurel K Hamilton has considered some, readers that don’t care much for the sex scenes but still read because the stories are still compelling. But I digress. Allow me to elaborate more into the positive aspects that I had come to enjoy of the series in the past.

The world of Anita Blake isn’t exactly all that much different from our own. Though it doesn’t get into specifics when it comes to important figures, world events or even names of popular people, you get the feeling that the world Anita lives in is much like the world we live in ourselves. In a way that kind of makes things a bit creepy when you consider that the only difference between our world and Anita’s world in that supernatural/paranormal creatures are not considered to be spook stories or urban legends. In the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel series, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, demons, dragons, zombies and the rest are not just creatures from the stories of old but exist and are considered a fact of life. Though not apparent when you read the first chapter, or even the first story for that matter, you’re put into a world where these supernatural creatures are now enjoying a new status in the US thanks to laws being passed that gave the undead and those suffering from lycanthropy equal rights under the law. When in the past they either hid themselves from the general public or were hunted down like the old folk stories of long ago, they could be open and honest with who they were and simply “be human”. The series itself doesn’t exactly tell you all of this when you first start out but instead you learn of this from the exposition of the person telling these stories: Anita Blake. Little by little your told small details on how society in the US tries to come to terms in having someone undead being your next door neighbor, your doctor, your grocery clerk as well as all the social issues that come about with this change. Whereas in Europe or most parts of the world where supernatural creatures could be hunted down, the US welcomes them and not just gives them a safe haven but a chance at “being human” again. Unfortunately it’s not as simple as thinking vampires are just “people with fangs” or lycanthropes as going “furry every once in a while” as you learn what the social ramifications are.

In hearing about how the US tries to come to grips with the supernatural living among us, it makes the world of Anita Blake all the more real. It’s refreshing to see a world that doesn’t try to convince itself that there are no such thing as vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, ghouls. But instead its common knowledge and people knew what to do when someone would happen to run into such creatures of the night. Which makes it all the more compelling to learn in how the citizens of the US try to come to terms in how to treat all facets of this new reality. Social discrimination still plays a part as well as some in society not willing to accept the change in the status quo with more violent methods. Nothing short of revolution mind you but enough to make you ask question in how you’d approach the new problems from this lawful merging of two worlds. How do you convince a judge or jury that you shouldn’t be charged with murder when the person you killed was already dead? When is blood feeding considered consensual? How can you charge someone with “mind rape” when it’s hard enough as it is to prove physical rape “beyond a reasonable doubt” in some cases? Can minors become vampires/werewolves? Can a spouse remarry when their loved one become a vampire? When is a zombie a mindless creature or a person of “sound mind”? It’s these questions and more that this world is asked and it’s up to the likes of Anita Blake and a select few in how they decide these questions in their own everyday lives. But don’t assume for a moment that Anita Blake is anything but a normal human. Like the rest of the supernatural creatures in the US, she too has to come to terms in what she is and how she fits into this new world. That’s another reason why I came to enjoy this series is because of the character of Anita Blake herself. You could even say that Anita Blake “accidentally” became a vampire hunter.

Born with supernatural powers, Anita had a certain affinity with the dead. At a young age she accidentally “raised” her dead dog and later ended up performing what she called “the undead march of the pied piper.” Her powers got so bad that her father took her to see their grandmother where she begged Anita to become a Christian and taught her how to keep her powers “in check”. Originally Anita planned on becoming a preternatural biologist (sort of like a Jane Goodall of supernatural creatures in her words) but was instead recruited out of collage by Bert Vaughn of Animators, Inc, a company that found a way in raising the dead as profitable living. There she became a professional zombie raiser called an “animator” where her powers with the dead helped her make a name for herself in being able to raise almost lifelike corpses. It was in this company she befriend a fellow animator who helped her in becoming a licensed vampire executioner. As the law was trying to catch up with the new realities of policing the supernatural, one of the stop gap measures taken to ensure public safety was by licensing those that use to hunt the supernatural. Though Anita didn’t exactly fit into the rule of a seasoned vampire hunter, she ended up becoming licensed given how few there were to meet the need of becoming the vampire equivalent of a death sentence as well as her innate knowledge of supernatural creatures. It also helped that those with supernatural powers tended to have an edge when it came to executing those that put up a fight. It’s also why despite her size, she ended up with the most “officially sanctioned” kills as a vampire hunter and has the scars to prove it. The most prominent ones being the scar tissue of a vampire trying to bit thru her shoulder and a cross scar on her arm. The supernatural community did try their best to keep their own in-check but in the end human intervention was needed if only to help calm the public, keep the peace and show that justice could still be served under these new conditions.

Another great thing that I like about the series is the main character herself, Anita Blake. She doesn’t fit the mold of what you’d expect out of a vampire hunter. Whereas you’d expect her to have some kind of religious or moral conviction to rid the world of the ungodly beings that dare rear their ugly heads into the light, she does her best to toe the line between living a life of a normal human while using her knowledge and skills to help the local authorities hunt down bad creatures that threaten the unsuspecting populace. It’s because of this that the local St. Louis Police Department (the setting for most of her stories) ask her to consult with the Regional Preternatural Investigative Team, a special organization within the SLPD that specializes in supernatural cases. Think less like the First Encounter Assault Recon Teams from the F.E.A.R. game series and more like the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit TV series. It was originally formed to appease liberal and political groups and not considered to be an actual working unit but it eventually gains notoriety in the series as an effective task force that even the FBI inquires on their techniques. Though her full time job is an Animator, she’s on retainer with RPIT when they need her to check out crime scenes, look over evidence and occasionally be there when it comes time to apprehend the suspect either as “the executioner” or to confirm her findings of the suspect. Think like the TV series “Castle” but with Anita being more hands on. Originally she was asked to help with PRIT given her knowledge on the supernatural but she eventually fits in well with the local police to the point where some in the police force think her less of a civilian and more like a police detective.

Its things like these in how Anita is able to juggle her life that is fascinating to read. She’s not like some hard as nails cop or stupid civilian when it comes to dealing with the supernatural. She knows her game and she treats it just as seriously as we would with any job we have. And you’re along for the ride as you follow the life and story that is Anita Blake. You learn the most about her as you read the novels. She speaks in first person so everything is from her perspective, all the attitude and all the observations she makes you get to see in her eyes. It’s a bit unnerving and a bit neck breaking as the books cover one portion of her life to the next. Sometimes there are chapters that are only two to three pages long. But eventually you learn more about her character and how she handles things as the series progresses. You learn about how she feels toward her family and the current situation of the world at large. Your right there when she’s investigating the latest mystery or face off against a threatening supernatural being. Seeing her handle others that think less of her either because she’s a woman, an animator, or an unofficial police officer is a real treat to read about. She says and does things that only she can get away with given that she’s a woman. Yet despite that she doesn’t border on direct unprofessionalism but she lets people know that despite her looking like a small woman who can “clean up pretty”, there is a reason why she has the highest kill ration among vampire hunters.

What I love best about the Anita Blake vampire hunter series is how Anita handles people and the friend/enemies she has in the series. Every one of them are unique and unforgettable that you’ll have a hard time keeping track of them all both friend and foe alike. Unlike some novels that just make out people to be either page filler for the main character or be the monster of the week, they end up having their own personality and character that they feel much more vivid and alive like Anita herself.  She may not mean to but she collects as many friends and enemies like a regular person might on their Facebook or twitter accounts. But unlike some people who just collect friends for collecting sake, Anita generally cares and trusts them to an extent. From her best human friend Veronica Simms, animator and executioner in training Lawrence Kirkland to small time hood turned vampire Willie McCoy, she considers them friends that she’s come to care for and is willing to kill to protect them. There are even times during certain stories, like when the Vampire council (No NOT THAT vampire council) comes to town when you think that not everyone will survive their encounter.

So if I think this series is so great then why do I consider this a guilty reading pleasure? Well mostly if you read between the pages there may be some content issues that may turn off some readers along with some story plots that could be considered embarrassing to admit.

For one before the Twilight series did the whole “Human-vampire-werewolf” love triangle, author Laurell K. Hamilton did it right by offering this in her stories in the beginning with more gravitas and believability than anything Bella, Edward and Jacob could muster. The vampire in question Jean-Claude does everything he can to woo and seduce the immovable object that is Anita Blake. Even when she has to visit his Strip Club (yes you read right) on police investigations he doesn’t let up. Your lead to believe he does such because it’s his nature given that his vampiric bloodline involves sex but your led to believe, along with Anita, that Jean Claude sees her as a woman that needs to be conquered or even as far as wanting her because of the bridge she creates as a unique being attuned to the undead yet still being human. Then you have the werewolf Richard that reminds Anita of what life could’ve been if she had stayed away from the supernatural and just tried to live her life as a regular girl. With actual dates to nature hikes to costume parties, from watching cheesy horror movies late at night to just socializing with regular humans, Richard was the only man that made her think twice about continuing her path of being an animator, being on retainer with RPIT and hunting down the creatures that deserved to be executed. It was a life she thought she had to walk away from given all that she’d seen and been through over the years as THAT Anita Blake.

To hell with Team Edward vs Team Jacob. Give me Jean Claude vs Richard.

Being a guy it might seem shameful that I really enjoyed reading how the whole love triangle worked its way in the series. Unlike the teenage drama found in Twilight, I think The Anita Blake novels handled the romance more maturely and naturally as we are along for the ride as Anita comes to terms in who her heart belongs to. I won’t tell you who I was rooting for but I will say I was very disappointed in how it all turned out. But even when that happened I wasn’t turned off by the series as a whole in how it came to pass. As you dive deep into Anita’s mind you start to understand why she makes the decisions she makes in her love life. You may not end up agreeing with what she does but at least it makes things more understandable than just “I love you because I do.” nonsense that twilight offers……

Another reason why this series is a guilty pleasure for me is because there is killing in this book. Lots and lots of killing. And how the killing is done is described in the most visceral way possible. This was the first book series that almost made me sick to my stomach during one crime scene investigation that involved what was left of a new born baby. I almost lost it too when someone in the book mentioned “spaghetti”. I don’t run into much media that has the ability to almost turn my stomach. And when it gets down to killing off the bad guys they end up getting what they deserve. The series follows along the more modern lines of supernatural combat where humans use silver shot to either kill were creatures of wound vampires till your able to take out their head and heart. Though there are some old-skool vampire hunters that still use the stake and mallet, Anita herself uses an arsenal that would fit right in with Blade or Hellsing Ultimate, especially when her “friend” Edward comes into the story.

And then theirs Edward. OH EDWARD…..

One of the few characters in the series that created so much buzz that author Laurell K. Hamilton   ended up writing a whole book that involved him, Edward was a sociopath much like what Anita later becomes in the series. A sociopath that so happens to be a former hitman. He used to kill normal humans but decided to take on supernatural hits because killing humans “wasn’t fun anymore.” Anita in the books would say that if vampires called her the executioner, he was death to them. He was the only man that she knew that killed a vampire with a flamethrowner and probably had more supernatural kills than her. The series doesn’t exactly introduce him or tell his backstory. He just shows up in any particular story and usually ends up helping Anita in whatever problem she is in that can’t involve the police. Edward and Anita aren’t exactly friends but they watch each other’s backs when their lives are in danger. And usually when Edward is involved the body count is sure to rise. Indeed my favorite book in the series is Obsidian Butterfly. So much killing…….

But the main reason why this series is such a guilty pleasure is the very reason why some readers are turned off by it. It can be very, very sex filled. The first books didn’t quite get that deep or graphic when it came to the sexual encounters in the stories. But as the series progressed it got to the point where most now consider it nothing more than soft core porn. I don’t know why the books had to take this kind of turn. I don’t know if it’s because the author was going thru a “dry spell” of her own or that she fell under the “sex sells” curse when it comes to storytelling but around the time the 11^th book, Cerulean Sins came out, it had solidified itself in having graphic sex scenes. The books did their best in trying to “justify” why the sex scenes were needed but for me that was when I stopped reading the series. You can only go so far as to justify “threesomes and lycanthropic sex” in my opinion. In truth the sex scenes actually started around book six, The Killing Dance, but I stuck around with it along enough to enjoy the non-sex filled book Obsidian Butterfly. Even still when you read from the beginning you have the occasional sexual innuendos and circumstances that make you wonder how Anita Blake was able to hold out for so long. It should be expected after all, one of the locations Anita has to visit is a vampire strip club.

Despite all of the negatives I still find myself reading the first half of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series when I want a more modern take on the supernatural. I usually hover around Obsidian Butterfly the most given how it focuses less on Anita’s love life decision and more about police procedure, Edward and killing. The nursery room chapter and the faceoff with the Riker and his men were my favorite moments in that book. I was right there with Anita wanting to stop that "thing" and seeing Riker and his men get what's coming to them. Indeed they were all indeed done fore after what they did to Peter and Becca. They just didn’t know it yet….

If you want a different take on the whole supernatural love triangle theme or perhaps are interested in seeing a woman taking the lead in a monster eat man world, you can’t do much worse than Anita Blake. Just be prepared for some graphic, up close killing, a lot of character development and some sex scenes that might make you want to staple the pages together.

Ta-ta

“N”

BONUS VIDEO

In this episode of Camera Obscura, Claire goes it alone to catch a killer. Will she survive? Enjoy!

Sleep well tonight....