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Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Thriller. In the thralls of supernatural passion, Anita Blake faces a most human dilemma.Tags
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Jean Claude has invited a famous vampire ballet troupe to town and in order to make the event as grand as possible a number of Master Vampires are visiting as well. There will be a smaller reunion with some of Jean Claude's closer friends and then after the ballet, a grand event with everyone in attendance.
Of course, Anita, Jean Claude, and Richard will need to put on a show of united power so that the visiting vamps don't try to make a play for their territory or their people. And naturally, things won't go so smoothly as they plan. Anita is still struggling to adjust to her new succubus powers and triumvirate, which means that Richard and Jean Claude are trying to manage their own new increase in power.
Add to that the unexpected show more complication of a pregnancy scare and matters will just end up being really stressful for Anita as she tries to manage the feelings and expectations of her various boyfriends.
There's lots of sex in this one, and it's really beginning to lose any of its appeal. All the sex scenes are just so awkward. They all occur in crowded rooms with strangers looking on. Typically, Anita is forced to fuck someone new or someone she doesn't even like which is frankly not sexy at all. At one point, she grabs someone who is actively addicted to the ardeur and has a lot of trauma associated with it. This was extremely disturbing to me.
This book doesn't have a plot so much as it has a number of excruciatingly long conversations in large rooms full of dozens of people. The most common phrase in Ms. Blake's dialogue is, "What does that mean?" something that is uttered almost constantly by all characters even when the meaning is blatantly clear. It's really annoying once you notice it and acts as an artificial conversation extender.
Richard's really annoying in this one too but so is Anita. I'm really sick of LKH having these intense, never-ending conversations that she uses as character development not only because they are boring to read but because they never stick. There have been at least three previous books where Richard has an extremely childish conversation at the end of which he promises that he's going to try harder to not be a controlling asshole and then immediately goes back on it.
Anita does the same thing in this book except this 180 takes place mere moments after she's finished one such conversation and swears to work harder to solidify their power so that everyone can be safe. After which, she tries to kill herself? It's all so annoying. I don't think these long, drawn out conversations are ideal for character development, but if that's how you've decided to do it, the least you should do is respect the conclusion of these convos. I'm so sick of Anita being like, "But I don't want to have sex with strangers anymore!!! But if I don't, I and everyone I love will die. So I guess I have to." And then seconds later being like, "BUT I DON'T WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH STRANGERS."
I get it. I also would not want to have sex with strangers. However, as a reader, I really need to see character development in different ways than the characters just blurting out their wants, desires, and motivations. This is not how people communicate. And it's boring.
Also, the book concludes in the most anticlimactic way possible. Anita is trying to squeeze in one last feed before joining Jean Claude at the party where all the other Master Vamps are hanging out. This is the party that the whole book has been leading up to. Literally, she fucks Asher and then passes out and wakes up a couple days later. I guess Jean Claude didn't need her to be there that badly? We don't even find out what happens at the party. What a bummer.
I know the books just get worse from here. I know that. And yet, I expect I'm still going to keep going. show less
Of course, Anita, Jean Claude, and Richard will need to put on a show of united power so that the visiting vamps don't try to make a play for their territory or their people. And naturally, things won't go so smoothly as they plan. Anita is still struggling to adjust to her new succubus powers and triumvirate, which means that Richard and Jean Claude are trying to manage their own new increase in power.
Add to that the unexpected show more complication of a pregnancy scare and matters will just end up being really stressful for Anita as she tries to manage the feelings and expectations of her various boyfriends.
There's lots of sex in this one, and it's really beginning to lose any of its appeal. All the sex scenes are just so awkward. They all occur in crowded rooms with strangers looking on. Typically, Anita is forced to fuck someone new or someone she doesn't even like which is frankly not sexy at all. At one point, she grabs someone who is actively addicted to the ardeur and has a lot of trauma associated with it. This was extremely disturbing to me.
This book doesn't have a plot so much as it has a number of excruciatingly long conversations in large rooms full of dozens of people. The most common phrase in Ms. Blake's dialogue is, "What does that mean?" something that is uttered almost constantly by all characters even when the meaning is blatantly clear. It's really annoying once you notice it and acts as an artificial conversation extender.
Richard's really annoying in this one too but so is Anita. I'm really sick of LKH having these intense, never-ending conversations that she uses as character development not only because they are boring to read but because they never stick. There have been at least three previous books where Richard has an extremely childish conversation at the end of which he promises that he's going to try harder to not be a controlling asshole and then immediately goes back on it.
Anita does the same thing in this book except this 180 takes place mere moments after she's finished one such conversation and swears to work harder to solidify their power so that everyone can be safe. After which, she tries to kill herself? It's all so annoying. I don't think these long, drawn out conversations are ideal for character development, but if that's how you've decided to do it, the least you should do is respect the conclusion of these convos. I'm so sick of Anita being like, "But I don't want to have sex with strangers anymore!!! But if I don't, I and everyone I love will die. So I guess I have to." And then seconds later being like, "BUT I DON'T WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH STRANGERS."
I get it. I also would not want to have sex with strangers. However, as a reader, I really need to see character development in different ways than the characters just blurting out their wants, desires, and motivations. This is not how people communicate. And it's boring.
Also, the book concludes in the most anticlimactic way possible. Anita is trying to squeeze in one last feed before joining Jean Claude at the party where all the other Master Vamps are hanging out. This is the party that the whole book has been leading up to. Literally, she fucks Asher and then passes out and wakes up a couple days later. I guess Jean Claude didn't need her to be there that badly? We don't even find out what happens at the party. What a bummer.
I know the books just get worse from here. I know that. And yet, I expect I'm still going to keep going. show less
As much as the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series has transformed over the years, I've been there enjoying it since the very beginning. This one book won't change that, and I look forward to the next...but this is my least favorite in the installment so far.
I think it took me so long to read this one because, even from the blurb describing the plot, this one feels different. The blurb itself makes it sound as if this particular book is more family drama (well, family drama of the sort Anita Blake deals with) versus the sort of story that normally involves some sort of dangerous or suspenseful plot turn. And...that's what it is. This is a 517-page paperback, and for the first 350-400 pages, it felt a bit more like court intrigue and show more family drama than anything else. To the extent that suspense or danger was involved, we were in the metaphysical realm talking about powers vs a foe or any sort of mystery (discounting, again, the metaphysical). All of this material usually runs in the background, and occasionally takes centerstage, in the series, but I don't remember it ever being so much the focus for so many pages on end, to where it just became a bit repetitive, and not what I come to the series for.
The last hundred pages of the book were more what I expect, and I sped through them, taking them as a reminder of why I love this series so much. But, short of enjoying Hamilton's writing and the characters I've come to know and love, the book just wasn't as enjoyable as the others because the first 400 pages were so bogged down in more familial drama and politicking than anything else.
Longtime readers of the series will want to read this one for the writing, character development, and what I suspect is a sort of interlude preparing the way forward in terms of the various characters' powers changing, but it's certainly not the highlight of the series, and more of a very long bridge book if my suspicions are right. show less
I think it took me so long to read this one because, even from the blurb describing the plot, this one feels different. The blurb itself makes it sound as if this particular book is more family drama (well, family drama of the sort Anita Blake deals with) versus the sort of story that normally involves some sort of dangerous or suspenseful plot turn. And...that's what it is. This is a 517-page paperback, and for the first 350-400 pages, it felt a bit more like court intrigue and show more family drama than anything else. To the extent that suspense or danger was involved, we were in the metaphysical realm talking about powers vs a foe or any sort of mystery (discounting, again, the metaphysical). All of this material usually runs in the background, and occasionally takes centerstage, in the series, but I don't remember it ever being so much the focus for so many pages on end, to where it just became a bit repetitive, and not what I come to the series for.
The last hundred pages of the book were more what I expect, and I sped through them, taking them as a reminder of why I love this series so much. But, short of enjoying Hamilton's writing and the characters I've come to know and love, the book just wasn't as enjoyable as the others because the first 400 pages were so bogged down in more familial drama and politicking than anything else.
Longtime readers of the series will want to read this one for the writing, character development, and what I suspect is a sort of interlude preparing the way forward in terms of the various characters' powers changing, but it's certainly not the highlight of the series, and more of a very long bridge book if my suspicions are right. show less
I have given up on the idea that the Anita Blake books will get any better or any different. How many times will Hamilton continue to write the same story over-and-over? How many times will she copy and paste entire paragraphs multiple times within one book?
Her creativity on the first few books of the series has not carried over. Instead, she's become so predictable that you know within a few minutes who Anita will be killing at the end and who she will be having sex with throughout the novel. If a character is male, she will do him. It doesn't matter if he's into girls or not. For some strange reason, everyone just has to have sex with Anita. These stories are basically adult Mary Sue stories.
And the sex scenes within the books, which show more are more common than any other kind of scenes, are even predictable. It is so predictable and repetitive that it is boring beyond belief. I had to stop and start this book so many times because it was just not good. I wish that Ms. Hamilton would at least start trying to write a decent novel. Half the time I'm reading these books, I'm hoping that the big bad monsters will just kill the main characters because that would make them more interesting. show less
Her creativity on the first few books of the series has not carried over. Instead, she's become so predictable that you know within a few minutes who Anita will be killing at the end and who she will be having sex with throughout the novel. If a character is male, she will do him. It doesn't matter if he's into girls or not. For some strange reason, everyone just has to have sex with Anita. These stories are basically adult Mary Sue stories.
And the sex scenes within the books, which show more are more common than any other kind of scenes, are even predictable. It is so predictable and repetitive that it is boring beyond belief. I had to stop and start this book so many times because it was just not good. I wish that Ms. Hamilton would at least start trying to write a decent novel. Half the time I'm reading these books, I'm hoping that the big bad monsters will just kill the main characters because that would make them more interesting. show less
Bad. I couldn't believe it.
Most of the story takes place in Jean-Claude's bedroom or living room which should warn you that there isn't a plot. People come and go… and she has sex with them... I have no problem with rampant sex I even think its fun but you have to have a plot to have a story. Real jeopardy, real danger. This was… 50% Tired arguments with boyfriends (This is what really killed it for me. Imagine fighting with your boyfriend about your relationship over the weekend and then x5, fun?) or with herself that she has had before, 30% Cool Sex, 10% pregnancy freak out, and 10% external threat… you don’t even get to meet the ballet troop until like page 400.
I suppose what moved this from two stars to one was the very show more touching fact that Asher isn't getting what he needs and rather than actually deal with that the author comes up with a stupid way out. I don't see how you can be the only love interest for so many people and still give them what they need emotionally and rather than say... you should find other people to be with as well... I don't expect monogomy because my dance card is so full but I won't cast you aside she puts it off or won't think about it. So... I ended up disliking her because she is selfish. I have also come to the conclusion that the Annita Blake universe one where the birthrate is 80% male and half the women who are born are either crazy or victims. show less
Most of the story takes place in Jean-Claude's bedroom or living room which should warn you that there isn't a plot. People come and go… and she has sex with them... I have no problem with rampant sex I even think its fun but you have to have a plot to have a story. Real jeopardy, real danger. This was… 50% Tired arguments with boyfriends (This is what really killed it for me. Imagine fighting with your boyfriend about your relationship over the weekend and then x5, fun?) or with herself that she has had before, 30% Cool Sex, 10% pregnancy freak out, and 10% external threat… you don’t even get to meet the ballet troop until like page 400.
I suppose what moved this from two stars to one was the very show more touching fact that Asher isn't getting what he needs and rather than actually deal with that the author comes up with a stupid way out. I don't see how you can be the only love interest for so many people and still give them what they need emotionally and rather than say... you should find other people to be with as well... I don't expect monogomy because my dance card is so full but I won't cast you aside she puts it off or won't think about it. So... I ended up disliking her because she is selfish. I have also come to the conclusion that the Annita Blake universe one where the birthrate is 80% male and half the women who are born are either crazy or victims. show less
Laurell K. Hamilton has famously called those readers who don't like her direction post-Narcissus in Chains "prudes." You know what, nudity can be beautiful, and arresting in isolation. But I think there's nothing less sexy than a nude beach. Often with depiction of sex, less is more. And there's nothing more unintentionally hilarious yet embarrassing than badly-written pointless sex. Of which this is an exemplar. Perhaps not quite as egregious as Incubus Dreams at 752-pages with its novella-worth of plot, but up there. I find her chapters of ardeur-fueled sex as appetizing as watching a Coney Island hot dog-eating contest.
Hamilton has pointed out that her sales only went up after turning this series into soft porn. My theory is that show more these later books are for the kind of woman who doesn't want to be caught with a title and cover that advertises she's reading a porn book. Or doesn't want to admit what she's reading is a porn book. And certainly hasn't read enough decent erotica to know she's getting a raw deal. Believe me, the appeal here isn't intricate world-building or or suspenseful plots or complex and developing characters. And the hell of it is that it used to be. I wish Hamilton had taken her ambitions for erotica into a different series and let Anita stay a kick-ass heroine instead of a porn star. show less
Hamilton has pointed out that her sales only went up after turning this series into soft porn. My theory is that show more these later books are for the kind of woman who doesn't want to be caught with a title and cover that advertises she's reading a porn book. Or doesn't want to admit what she's reading is a porn book. And certainly hasn't read enough decent erotica to know she's getting a raw deal. Believe me, the appeal here isn't intricate world-building or or suspenseful plots or complex and developing characters. And the hell of it is that it used to be. I wish Hamilton had taken her ambitions for erotica into a different series and let Anita stay a kick-ass heroine instead of a porn star. show less
Danse Macabre is another fantastic Anita Blake story that gets a little stuck under mountains and mountains of sex. Anita may be pregnant, multiple Masters of the City are in town and Anita's ardeur seems to be choosing men for her. All of these plot lines made for a very compelling read. Unfortunately, all of Anita's sex appears to be on-screen, so to speak, and after a while it will seem tedious and repetitive as opposed to titillating.
Anita's pregnancy scare reveals more about her internal makeup, which I always find interesting. It also serves to show the current temperaments of the men she is sleeping with. The men prove to react true to form while Anita seems to exhibit lots of fear that is slightly uncharacteristic of her and show more makes it all the more authentic feeling given the situation.
As I've said in previous reviews, I love when the council visits St. Louis. The additional characters and the power plays on Anita's home turf always makes for excitement. This time, no council, but a plethora of vampires and weres from other cities visiting for a celebration of ballet Jean-Claude is holding. I love the way Anita's (and those she is metaphysically ties to) powers grow and change when around these visitors.
Every time Anita starts to get a handle on the ardeur, something changes to make it all the more difficult to satisfy fully. In Danse Macabre, the ardeur seems to have taken to calling out to particular men, taking away much of Anita'a ability to pick and choose who she feeds upon. While this brings up a lot of potential for showcasing new men, it also brings up Anita's inability to just accept how things are. She continues to claim she's accepted who she's become, then fights against every step forward. The internal struggle makes sense, but eventually it gets a little stale.
And speaking of stale, the sex in Danse Macabre eventually becomes just that. There is one M/M/F scene that treads into uncharted territory. This of course, bristles Anita's clear homophobia. She has issues with it while at the same time chastising Richard (who wasn't even involved in the sex) for his homophobia. Scenes like this work well in the book, but others (such as back to back to back sex scenes used to only satisfy the arduer while not progressing the plot at all) are hard not to skim through. There is only so many times I can read about Anita licking yet another man's nipple in one book before I get bored.
Danse Macabre contains a very awesome story if the reader can make it through the many, many sex scenes in the book. I usually love the sensuality of the later Anita Blake books, but I wish more time had been spent focusing on Anita's growing abilities and less on the men's growing anatomy. show less
Anita's pregnancy scare reveals more about her internal makeup, which I always find interesting. It also serves to show the current temperaments of the men she is sleeping with. The men prove to react true to form while Anita seems to exhibit lots of fear that is slightly uncharacteristic of her and show more makes it all the more authentic feeling given the situation.
As I've said in previous reviews, I love when the council visits St. Louis. The additional characters and the power plays on Anita's home turf always makes for excitement. This time, no council, but a plethora of vampires and weres from other cities visiting for a celebration of ballet Jean-Claude is holding. I love the way Anita's (and those she is metaphysically ties to) powers grow and change when around these visitors.
Every time Anita starts to get a handle on the ardeur, something changes to make it all the more difficult to satisfy fully. In Danse Macabre, the ardeur seems to have taken to calling out to particular men, taking away much of Anita'a ability to pick and choose who she feeds upon. While this brings up a lot of potential for showcasing new men, it also brings up Anita's inability to just accept how things are. She continues to claim she's accepted who she's become, then fights against every step forward. The internal struggle makes sense, but eventually it gets a little stale.
And speaking of stale, the sex in Danse Macabre eventually becomes just that. There is one M/M/F scene that treads into uncharted territory. This of course, bristles Anita's clear homophobia. She has issues with it while at the same time chastising Richard (who wasn't even involved in the sex) for his homophobia. Scenes like this work well in the book, but others (such as back to back to back sex scenes used to only satisfy the arduer while not progressing the plot at all) are hard not to skim through. There is only so many times I can read about Anita licking yet another man's nipple in one book before I get bored.
Danse Macabre contains a very awesome story if the reader can make it through the many, many sex scenes in the book. I usually love the sensuality of the later Anita Blake books, but I wish more time had been spent focusing on Anita's growing abilities and less on the men's growing anatomy. show less
I just can't bear to give up on this series or Laurell. But this book literally had no plot...chapters were made up of sex. Heck, I like sex as much as the next person, even graphic and unconventional sex. There is just too much of it in this series now. The sex takes up chapter after chapter. I want to like Nathaniel, Micah, Asher, Jason, but I can't ever seem to because I have no respect for them. Paranormal and fantasy stories are my favorites, but I need some bits of reality to make them hit home with me. And the male characters are just jokes, they in now way feel real to me. They all want Anita, at the risk of excluding other women from even being a possibility. They all (8 or 10, however many there are now)are willing to share show more with each other. Jason and Nathaniel, in one scene, joke about how close they are that they are willing to share Anita's body. But it doesn't ring true, I mean they were willing to share her with other men they can't even stand. I agree with the poster who said they just sit around an over-analyze everything. Not just that, but its the same topics again and again. Danse Macabre just feels tired, stale. I did give this two stars though because Laurell's writing (to me) is very beautiful. Asher's feelings of being excluded from the mix, and no ones 'true' love was beautiful. But when it turned into more sex to make him feel better, it was ruined. Anita only wanting to be with him for ten minutes, made all his hurts go away. Again, just rings untrue. Let's get rid of the arduer and find some new plot lines. I would love to get Anita out raising zombies again, even if its not the main plot, but just to remind us readers that she is still Anita Blake,vampire hunter. She needs to stop boofing the vampires long enough to go slay some. show less
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Author Information
202+ Works 153,027 Members
Laurell K. Hamilton was born in Heber Springs, Arkansas on February 19, 1963. She received degrees in English and biology from Marion College, which is now Indiana Wesleyan University. She writes the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series and the Meredith Gentry series. (Bowker Author Biography)
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Bastei Lübbe Taschenbuch (15466)
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- Canonical title
- Danse Macabre
- Original title
- Danse Macabre
- Original publication date
- 2006-06-27
- People/Characters
- Anita Blake; Richard Zeeman; Jean-Claude; Jason Schuyler; Micah Callahan; Nathaniel Graison (show all 65); Asher; Damian; Veronica "Ronnie" Sims; Requiem; Marmée Noir "The Mother of All Darkness"; Belle Morte; Zerbrowski; Haven; Augustine "Auggie"; Meng-Die; Clay; Graham; Octavius; Samuel; Lisandro; Claudia; Pierce; Meng Die; Fredo; Bunny; Benny; Sampson; Leucothea "Thea"; Thomas; Cristos; Julianna; Elinore; Joseph; Chimera; Remus; Socrates; Brontes; Bobby Lee; Mickey; Ixion; Narcissus; Valentina; Bartolome; Ligeia; Wellsley; Wicked; Truth; London "The Dark Knight"; Willie McCoy; The Traveler; Cisco; Marianne; Nazareth; Nikolaos; Pepito; Noel; Travis; Dr. North; Adonis; Merlin; Obsidian Butterfly / Itzpapalotl; Elisabetta; Byron (vampire); Perdita "Perdy"
- Important places
- Missouri, USA; St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Dedication
- To Jonathon, who comforts me while I weep; who holds me close while I scream; who understands why I rage. Because he knows how to weep, understands that pleasure can come from a scream, and has his own rage to battle. They sa... (show all)y opposites attract, but not for me.
- First words
- It was the middle of November.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)White never really was my color.
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- ISBN 1841494755 is actually for The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton.
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