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Avg. Rating: 3
Not the Anita *I* remember.
This book is when the series started getting, quite frankly, ridiculously tacky. Not only did Hamilton throw the series from an intriguing fantasy/horror story, to a supernatural Harlequin romance novel, but she has made Anita acquire entirely too many powers for one person.
I knew Anita was going to get pretty powerful, since she always had potential to become so. However, power over vampires, werewolves, AND wereleopards? She's [supposedly] still a human being. Part of what I liked about her is that she HAD limitations when going up against the monsters, but would manage to survive despite that, usually with the aid of her weapons and her wits. She struggled, she fought, she kicked butt to the best of her ability.
Now, she's this uber-powerful superwoman, with powers that even the other characters are surprised she can have. Not only that, but she's become a complete nymphomaniac. Some sex here and there does add a little something different, but when it becomes more prominent than the actual STORY, it becomes a genuine problem. I got into this series because it was a cool fantasy story. If I wanted porn, I'd have looked in the "Romance" section to begin with.
If Hamilton had written this series with the initial intention of making it erotic, I'd say these books are okay. But, it didn't start out this way. There was a real plot, and Anita was a character that some of us could relate to, with her inner struggles and her very human limitations.
Now that she doesn't really have those limitations, and has stopped fighting her dark side almost entirely... I'm finding very little of the Anita I liked so much at the beginning. Couple that with the in-your-face tacky sex scenes that seem to occur almost every other chapter, and I'm not seeing a whole lot of the series I had once enjoyed so much. Even the plots for the books seem to be getting thinner with each installment, as if Hamilton is either running out of stories for Anita, or has just plain gotten lazy in recent years.
Long story short, this isn't the Anita Blake I remember. But, if you don't mind supernatural erotica with only a hint of plot, you might enjoy these books. Hell, I recommend that you try reading the newer installments anyway. As bad as I (and a few other reviewers) make it sound, you might actually enjoy it more than we did. Give it a try, see if you still like it. Personally, I didn't, but I highly doubt I'm of the popular opinion here. ;)
Narcissus in Chains
I have been a huge Anita Blake fan, but I felt this book was lukewarm in relation to the others in the series. Where did the Anita we all know and love go? I feel she is disappearing on us and truly have trouble distinguishing her from the other "monsters".
Im not sure how I feel about our new character, Micah. Im getting grumpy with Richard, who I loved, and who could do no wrong in my eyes up until this point. Im getting softer on Jean Claude who I loathed up until this point. Everything has been turned upside down. Sigh....I hope the next in the series pulls me back in.
Ms. Hamilton Pushes The Envelope&Comes Up With A Winner!
In spite of some critics' views, I think "Narcissus In Chains" is one of the best books in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I want to emphasize that the degree of enjoyment one gets from this novel depends on more than a basic familiarity with Anita Blake and cohorts. Author Laurell Hamilton has developed her characters in ten books, (up until this one), over a period of eleven years. Action-packed and plot driven though the books may be, knowledge of the characters and their growth is essential before beginning this one. The series now reaches a pivotal point, in which tension, built over a long period, must be relieved and crucial decisions made. "Narcissus In Chains" is definitely not a stand-on-its-own novel. Nor is it just one in a long series of action thrillers.
Anita achieves the level of master (mistress?) necromancer here, enhances her status as human servant to Jean-Claude and acquires a vampire servant of her very own. She also becomes Bolverk of the Thronnos Rokke Clan, Nimir-Ra, (with her own Nimira-Raj), of the Blooddrinkers Pard, and a lycanthrope politician, of sorts. Now, there are those who complain that their heroine has been besmirched by a now voracious sexual appetite. Granted, there is much more sex here, of a graphic nature, than in the previous books. And I understand that this may be offensive to some. However, the series evolves and Anita is a big girl, but no longer a totally human one - if she ever has been. She has long struggled over her fear of intimacy, emotional and sexual. She took relatively small steps from a somewhat tentative sexual relationship with Richard, to another less tentative one with Jean-Claude. All the while her supernatural strengths and skills were increasing. Now the three powers merge - the master necromancer, Anita, Jean-Claude, Vampire Master and Werewolf Ulfric, Richard, marry their forces and become a triumvirate, powerfully tied to one another. Anita merges her blood and her being with two extremely vital creatures, for whom blood lust and sex are major motivators. The two preternaturals take on a touch of Anita's humanity in this exchange, and she, in turn, becomes more otherworldly - her sexuality included - especially the part inherited from Jean-Claude. She now possesses an inner-beast, as does Richard. Her ability to deal with an overabundance of additional superhuman features is just another stage in her development. Laurell Hamilton has made a courageous decision to take her protagonist over the dangerous terrain she now travels. She is definitely pushing the envelope. This will be a crossroads for Blake fans, as well as for Ms. Blake. Ultimately Anita had to deal with making a decision about Jean-Claude and Richard, and either accept her growing preternaturalism, the merger and its consequences, or look for another career.
As far as storyline and action go, the plot does not suffer, nor does the pace slow, because of the new developments. Critical moments feature: the rescue of wereleopards Gregory and Nathaniel, who are being held prisoner by Narcissus, owner of the bondage club "Narcissus In Chains;" a major battle with the nasty snake-people (beings?); the "marriage of marks;" the dramatic showdown at OK Corral between lycanthrope's at the lupinar; the raising of two coffin-bound vampires; introduction of several new characters and species; and a phenomenal conclusion with some eye-opening surprises.
For all the above reasons I rate this a 5-Star read and highly recommend it for those who have at least a BA in Blakehood - and who do not mind the strong sexual content and graphic violence. As for me, Laurell Hamilton's is a master storyteller. And her erotica is top-notch!
JANA
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