Laurell K. Hamilton

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Laurell Kaye Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton in March 2010
Born Laurell Kaye Hamilton
February 19, 1963 (1963-02-19) (age 48)
Heber Springs, Arkansas, US
Pen name Laurell K. Hamilton
Occupation Writer, Novelist
Nationality American
Period 1993–present
Genres Fantasy, Erotica, Romance, Horror, Science Fiction
Notable work(s) Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter
Merry Gentry series
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 professional zombie raiser/supernatural consultant for the police. The series has 20 novels, several short story collections, and other media tie-ins such as comic books. 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels are printed.[1] Also notable is her Merry Gentry series, an urban fantasy in which the world of fairy interacts with the "real world".

Contents

[edit] Personal 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]

Hamilton lives in St. Louis County, Missouri with husband Jonathon Green and daughter Trinity.

[edit] Works

Laurell K. Hamilton is the author of two major series, spin-off comic books, various anthologies and other stand-alone titles:

  • Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter is a female Animator (necromancer), who raises the dead for a living. She is also a Vampire Executioner and U.S. Marshal. Blake is based out of a parallel reality version of St. Louis where not only do vampires and were animals exist, they also have rights as citizens. As of June, 2011, there have been a total of 20 full length novels in this series, and there will be more. More than 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels have been printed[1] and it became a New York Times bestseller.
  • Anita Blake:Comics are the comic book renditions of her Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. So far, the comic book series has included her first three books, Guilty Pleasures, Laughing Corpse and Circus of the Damned. There was also a special prologue type of comic issued named, "The First Death".
  • Merry Gentry is a princess of Faerie and a private investigator. Being a Faerie princess isn't all it is cracked up to be though because she is constantly dodging assassination attempts while juggling life in the "real world" where everyone knows faeries exist. As of September, 2011, there have been a total of 8 full length novels in this series, and there will be more.

[edit] Critical reception and fan reactions

[edit] 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. However it was seen in book 14, The Harlequin, that Anita can solve problems using love. 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 was at 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." Hamilton then asserted that, aside from this group, there exists 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. However, Hamilton suggested that sales figures establish the popularity of the series.[15]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] 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
  18. Flirt (February 2010) ISBN 978-0-425-23567-6 (novella)
  19. Bullet (June 2010) ISBN 978-0-425-23433-4
  20. Hit List (June 2011) ISBN 978-0-425-24113-4
  21. Kiss the Dead (June 2012)
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)

[edit] Merry Gentry series

  1. A Kiss of Shadows (2000) ISBN 978-0-345-42340-5
  2. A Caress of Twilight (2002) ISBN 978-0-345-47816-0
  3. Seduced by Moonlight (2004) ISBN 978-0-345-44359-5
  4. A Stroke of Midnight (2005) ISBN 978-0-345-44360-1
  5. Mistral's Kiss (2006) ISBN 978-0-345-44361-8
  6. A Lick of Frost (2007) ISBN 978-0-345-49591-4
  7. Swallowing Darkness (2008) ISBN 978-0-345-49593-8
  8. Divine Misdemeanors (December 8, 2009) ISBN 978-0-345-49596-9

[edit] Marvel Comics series

(in Anita's chronological order)

  1. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death 1-2 (7 & 12/2007)
  2. Guilty Pleasures Handbook (2007)
  3. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures 1-12 (12/2006-8/2008)
  4. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse – Animator 1-5 (10/2008-2/2009)
  5. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse – Necromancer 1-5 (4/2009-9/2009)
  6. Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse – Executioner 1-5 (9/2009-3/2010)
  7. Anita Blake: Circus of The Damned – The Charmer 1-5 (5/2010-10/2010)
  8. Anita Blake: Circus of The Damned – The Ingenue 1-5 (1/2011-Ongoing)

[edit] 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)
  • Ardeur: 14 Writers on the Anita Blake,Vampire Hunter Series Pub. Date: April 2010

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Works by Laurell K Hamilton". http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/works.html. Retrieved 6 October 2010. 
  2. ^ "Locus Online: Laurell K. Hamilton interview (excerpts)". [[Locus (magazine)|]]. September 2000. http://www.locusmag.com/2000/Issues/09/Hamilton.html. 
  3. ^ Interview at Flamesrising.com http://www.flamesrising.com/laurell-k-hamilton-interview-horror-author/
  4. ^ Photographs of chartiy work from Hamiltons official website
  5. ^ "Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Author tells fans to go away...". 2006-12-31. http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/?cdForum=Fx1OFHYU31CK06W&asin=0425217248&cdThread=Tx5LMD4TM9QNTM. 
  6. ^ "Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: I wouldn't mind all the sex, if...". 2006-12-08. http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/?cdForum=Fx1OFHYU31CK06W&cdItems=25&asin=0425217248&cdThread=Tx1G69CXA9IT5FO&cdSortDir=Ascending#Mx35MQAB9YDI8JG.  et al.
  7. ^ O'Gorman, Rochelle (2006-03-26). "Beware the Ringing Cell". Boston Globe: p. C7. ISSN 07431791. 
  8. ^ Folsom, Robert (2006-07-17). "'Danse Macabre' by Laurell K. Hamilton; 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' by Scott Lynch". Kansas City Star. 
  9. ^ Publisher's Weekly Fiction Reviews: Week of 2008-04-21 ©2008 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Accessed August 26, 2008
  10. ^ "New York Times Best Seller List". Deseret News. 2008-06-15. 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. ^ "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 2008-07-13. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/books/bestseller/0713besthardfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2010-04-04. 
  13. ^ Shindler, Dorman T (2006-08-20). "7th Anita Blake novel builds on erotic aura". Denver Post: p. F13. ISSN 19302193. 
  14. ^ "Laurell K. Hamilton Forums". 2008-08-18. http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/. 
  15. ^ Laurell K. Hamilton (2006-12-29). "Dear Negative Reader". LKH Blog. http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2006/12/dear-negative-reader.html. 
  • Gordon, Joan, & Hollinger, Veronica, eds, Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary Culture (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997; ISBN 0-8122-1628-8).
  • Lennard, John, 'Of Sex and Faerie: Meredith Gentry's Improbable Code of Orgasm and Other Paranormal Romance', in John Lennard, Of Sex and Faerie: Further essays on Genre Fiction (Tirril: Humanities-Ebooks, 2010; ISBN 978-1-84760-171-1), pp. 112–164.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Laurell K. Hamilton
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Laurell K. Hamilton

[edit] Interviews

·

The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Novels

Guilty Pleasures (1993) · The Laughing Corpse (1994) · Circus of the Damned (1995) · The Lunatic Cafe (1996) · Bloody Bones (1996)  · The Killing Dance (1997) · Burnt Offerings (1998) · Blue Moon (1998) · Obsidian Butterfly (2000) · Narcissus in Chains (2001) · Cerulean Sins (2003) · Incubus Dreams (2004) · Micah (2006) · Danse Macabre (2006) · The Harlequin (2007) · Blood Noir (2008) · Skin Trade (2009) · Flirt (2010) · Bullet (2010) · Hit List (2011)
Characters
Mythology


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