Danse Macabre

Fans have been waiting to sink their fangs into an all-new Anita Blake hardcover in the New York Times bestselling series. These days, Anita Blake is less interested in vampire politics than in an ancient, ordinary dread she shares with women down the ages: she may be pregnant. And, if she is, whether the father is a vampire, a werewolf, or someone else entirely, he knows perfectly well that being a Federal Marshal known for raising the dead and being a vampire executioner, is no way to bring up a baby.

From Publishers Weekly

The uniquely complicated life of Anita Blake, the St. Louis–based necromancer, gets even more complicated when Anita discovers she may be pregnant in the 14th novel in bestseller Hamilton's vampire hunter series (Micah, etc.). Her sexual magic powers require multiple lovers, so there are six potential fathers. One possible dad, werewolf Richard, has trouble understanding that, baby or not, Anita's still a federal marshal who raises the dead and executes vampires. In addition, terrifying, life-threatening obstetrical challenges are involved, since the maybe-mommy has to deal with vampirism and several strains of lycanthropy coursing through her veins. That Anita has no detecting to do may disappoint some fans, but playing hostess to a gathering of North American vampire Masters of the City, ostensibly in town for a performance by a vampiric ballet troupe, keeps her plenty busy. When the vampire ballet takes the stage toward the end, several new plot elements emerge. The very lack of a finale suggests that there's no end in sight for this fabulously imagined series. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Last seen in Incubus Dreams (2004) and the novella Micah (2006), Anita Blake is back and more embroiled in supernatural politics than ever. She is in the market for a new pomme de sang to feed the otherworldly passion known as the ardeur that she and her lovers are subject to, but she has a more pressing problem on her hands when she discovers she might be pregnant. Anita can't imagine how a baby would fit in with her vampiric lifestyle, nor does she know which of her lovers is the father, though she suspects either possessive werewolf Richard or sensual wereleopard Nathaniel. To make matters worse, vampire masters are converging on the city for a massive meeting, and Anita is wary of her role in the gathering. This time Hamilton relies a little too heavily on complex vampire politics, though sex and intrigue abound, and Anita's pregnancy dilemma makes particularly compelling reading. Longtime series fans will enjoy the yarn while probably hoping there will be more action for Anita next time. Kristine HuntleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

It was the middle of November. I was supposed to be out jogging, but instead I was sitting at my breakfast table talking about men, sex, werewolves, vampires, and that thing that most unmarried but sexually active women fear most... Anita Blake needs to be concentrating on a dangerous situation: the ardeur, the sexual power that flows between Anita and Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, the volatile werewolf who loves her passionately, is reaching new levels, perhaps evolving into something altogether new. The ardeur seems to be choosing new lovers for Anita, acting with a will of its own. As Jean-Claude says, the ardeur is hunting powerful prey. The unexpected effect of this is that Jean-Claude's own power as a master vampire has grown to new levels -- and Richard, never predictable, is changing too. But as the days pass, Anita's less interested in vampire politics than in an ancient, ordinary dread she shares with women down the ages: she may be pregnant. And, if she is, whether the father is a vampire, a werewolf, or someone else entirely, she knows perfectly well that being a Federal Marshall, known for raising the dead and being a vampire executioner, is no way to bring up a baby...

About the Author

Laurell K. Hamilton is a full-time writer.

Reviews

News