9781933771472 - pp. 224
~title of novel~ is a ~novel genre(s)~ by ~author of novel~.
The main and viewpoint character, Anita Blake, lives in St. Loius, in a world where vampires, wereanimals and practitioners of the occult have legal rights and, like normal humans, work, marry and in some cases have children. Many types of supernatural beings are organized into councils.[1][2]
Blake is an animator, an expert in temporarily raising the dead to answer questions about matters such as crimes, disputed wills and disputed insurance claims.[3][2] She is also has a license to execute vampires.[3] Blake is hard-boiled, combative, and rather opinionated.[2]
The leader of the local vampires, titled the "Master of the City", is Nikolaos, a female. Nikolaos wants retribution for a serial killer who is preying on the local vampires. Blake's best friend, Catherine, is in danger after flirting with vampires. To save Catherine's life, Blake makes a deal with Nikolaos. One result of this is that Blake meets Jean-Claude, with whom she forms a strong relation in later books.[3]
At about the same time, Blake must decide whether to help Edward Forrester, a top-notch assassin, to kill Nikolaos.[3]
~thematic description, using the work of literary critics (i.e. scholars)~
~description of the work's initial reception and legacy based on the work of literary critics and commentators over the years, give citations; if no literary significant should just be called reception~
Hamilton's "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series has been a bestseller among fans of the horror genre, and her blend of noir detective thrillers, eroticism and ribald humor has appealed to a wider audience.[2]
Nathan Brazil called Guilty Pleasures "a slickly realised occult themed action thriller". Laurell K. Hamilton "knowingly sets aside the depth and finesse usually employed by authors writing about vampires, in favour of an all out, adrenalin fuelled rampage of supernatural slaughter, cleverly interspersed with a frisson of forbidden desire."[3]
Nathan Brazil wrote that the book shows a convincing alternate world, in which readers can easily learn the rules, and where the supporting characters have their own lives and pasts.[3]
~lists awards the work received, and significant nominations, if applicable; include in reception if brief~
Hamilton's first published novel, released in 1992, was Nightseer, set in an alternative universe of witches and sorcerors.[1] Her second, Nightshade, also in 1992, was a novelization of part of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[2] She first wrote Guilty Secrets as a set of short stories, and in 1993 these were released as a novel.[1]
~*year, country, publisher ISBN 1234567890 Parameter error in ((ISBN)): checksum, Pub date DD Month Year, binding~
"Guilty Pleasures" is a nightclub run by Jean-Claude, an urbane, charming vampire raised in Europe.[3]
Marvel Characters, Inc. published Guilty Pleasures as a series of comics and then in October 2009 published the set as a hardback book.[4]
Guilty Pleasures introduces the character of Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and her world, an alternate history where magic, vampires, werewolves and other supernatural elements exist. Blake, a zombie animator and licensed vampire executioner, investigates a series of vampire murders, and in the process comes into contact with many of the supernatural characters of her home city of Saint Louis. The novel blends elements of supernatural and hardboiled detective fiction.
"Guilty Pleasures" is the name of a vampire strip club operated by vampire Jean-Claude, one of the main characters. Hamilton has continued the pattern of titling the novels after a location for most of the books in the series.
Anita Blake lives in St. Louis, Missouri, in a world where magic, vampires, werewolves, and the like are, and have always been, "out of the closet" and, in some cases, even legal. Anita is an "animator," with the ability to raise or inter zombies. She uses this ability in employ at "Animators, Incorporated," where she raises the dead for various purposes including murder investigations, will explanations, and other legal services. Anita also works as a "vampire executioner," killing vampires (by court order) and advising the police on supernatural crimes. This first book takes place in July when Anita is 24.
In Guilty Pleasures, Anita is blackmailed by Nikolaos, the vampire master of the city, into investigating a series of vampire murders. During the course of this investigation, Anita begins her relationship with Jean-Claude, another master vampire, and receives two of the four marks necessary to make her Jean-Claude's "human servant." Ultimately, Anita identifies the murderer, but by that point has sufficiently antagonized Nikolaos and her underlings that she is forced to confront them. Ultimately, with help from Jean-Claude and Edward, a human associate who specializes in assassinating supernatural targets, Anita kills Nikolaos and many of her followers, making Jean-Claude master of the city.
Guilty Pleasures introduces the following characters.
Nikolaos's human servant, Burchard was 603 years old. He was bald, skilled with weapons, and carried himself like a soldier. Anita killed Burchard in Guilty Pleasures by stabbing him in the back and slitting his throat.
A former pomme de sang (literally: "blood apple"; a person who regularly donates blood to a specific master vampire) to Jean-Claude. Phillip was a "vampire junkie" and a stripper at Guilty Pleasures, and was the first in a long line of beautiful but wounded strippers who have looked to Anita for healing and protection. He was killed by Valentine and Aubrey, raised as a zombie, and then re-interred by Anita, all in Guilty Pleasures.
Built like a circus strongman, Winter was a human employee of Nikolaos. He nearly killed Anita, but Anita killed him in Guilty Pleasures.
The Anita Blake series is being adapted into a monthly comic book by Dabel Brothers Productions and Marvel Comics. The first issue, adapting Guilty Pleasures, was released on October 20, 2006.