Laughing Corpse (original 1994; edition 2002)

Anita Blake is, or wants to be, deeply human. And as such, she is obsessively concerned with the protection of humans from the things that go bump in the night. To protect others, she is willing to put her very life on the line, but not her very soul, not unless that is the only way to protect others. As such, she can be irritating, infuriating, and a just plain pain-in-the-ass to the people (or creatures) who want to protect her.

The question of humanity in the first three books that I have read (I am on a mission to read every single Anita book, they are that good) is fascinating. Mostly in the question "What IS Humanity"? Is it only those persons whose DNA is 'pure' who are "human"? What defines "Humanity"? Humans are, first and foremost, basically animals. Homo Sapiens, a species of bipedal primates, characterized by a brain capacity averaging 1400 cc (85 cubic in.) and by dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools. OK. Werewolves can be defined in the same manner, as can vampires. Yes, vampires came back from the dead, but they were previously humans - and in this world, werewolves can be defined as a standard issue homo sapiens who has been affected by a disease, much as Proteus syndrome, or any other disease which causes genetic differential within the standard issue.

And what IS Anita Blake, herself? Patently something very different than a 'standard' human, as indicated by the obsessive need of Jean Claude to have her by his side, as well as that of the two newest master's in this work to capture and use her for their own ends. She is definitely different - and it will be interesting to see how Hamilton explores and expands that difference in her series.

Jean Claude's character is fascinating as well in the questions he puts forth regarding the definition of "humanity". ARE vampires all that different from humans? CAN vampires really love, or does his obsession for Anita equate merely to his plans for the city, and the abilities of Anita that will give him the power he craves? The thing is, I WANT to believe in Jean Claude, he is that sort of character. I want him to be good at his centre, to really care about Anita, about his people, and about what is right. Even though, at the same time, I see him as a monster, not for the fact that he is a vampire, but because he is calculating enough that he can see using Anita, and apparently uncaringly using the wolves, such as Anita's reporter friend, in such as way as to strike fear into their hearts and minds. What _does_ he get up to when Anita is not watching? It is creepy to think about it . . . (And if Richard is such a great guy, what is he doing, naked in bed, in a room containing both vampires and werewolves? Voyeurism? Group sex anyone? Creepy. And Anita never says a word about it. Kind of a misstep there, Ms. Hamilton? I can't see the somewhat prudish Anita letting that one slip by that easily.)

Yes, Jean Claude is very much a monster - but what Wall Street bully isn't also a monster? Humans can be monsters in ways that the most vicious of four-legged monsters would never be able to fathom. Murder and serial killing for pleasure, child rape, religious war, the list of human atrocities goes on and on. So . . . who ARE the monsters? Really?

It will be interesting to see How Hamilton continues to develop the characters. While some people decry the violence of the books, and would rarely turn the reviews of her books into studies of the human psyche as I have a tendency to, I applaud Ms. Hamilton on her unblinking view of the "reality" of this amazing world she has built, and cannot but draw correlations between this world, and ours. I see very many lost sleep hours as I journey further and further into Anita's world. ( )

*note to self. Copy from A.

Love this volume for the cover.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. Cover of "The Laughing Corpse" by Laurell K. Hamilton. 1994. This is the One True Picture of Anita to me, because it shows the duality of her nature and the steely, implacable determination in her beautiful eyes. Her deepest powers lie at the very heart of her humanity despite the number of supernatural powers she's added to her repertoire over the last ten books or so. I would so hide behind Anita if I accidentally stumbled into her world...

Anita is smack dab in the middle of mayhem and murder with a killer zombie on the loose and the local voodoo priestess envious of her skills. I like the characters and interaction in this series - though I wish the language were toned down a little. ( )

In this second installment of the adventures of Anita Blake, she spends much of her time not wanting to know things. To be fair, there's a child-killing zombie on the loose, she's gotten on the bad side of a powerful voodoo priestess, and the master vampire of the city insists that she be his human servant. So there's a lot on her plate. Luckily, she's always ready with a clever comment or snide remark. The ending introduces some darker themes, leading me to believe perhaps the series takes a turn for the serious after this, but this particular story was still a lot of fun. Brutally violent at times, but still a fun bit of horror-comedy. ( )