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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anita's Powers Increase & Her Love Life Expands!, 22 Feb 2005
"She is the 'Executioner' and has more vampire kills than any other human. She is a necromancer of such power that clients travel halfway around the world to consult her. She is my human servant, without a mark to hold her to me. She dates me without vampire glamour." So speaks Jean Claude, Master Vampire of St. Louis, as he describes the love of his very long life, Anita Blake, to a perspective client - one of the undead. And Anita is back, in Book 6 of Laurell Hamilton's "Anita Blake Vampire Hunter" novels, as feisty, savvy, and talented as ever! Anita's preternatural powers are increasing, and in "The Killing Dance" the lines begin to blur between her humanity and the supernatural. Always an uncompromising and tough lady, she's is developing a hardness, a detachment, that makes her fearful. An assassin has been hired to murder Anita. There's a $500,000 price on her head...and she's only a human! No one knows who, or what, is responsible for contracting the killer. Anita's friend, of dubious nature, bounty hunter Edward, alias Ted Forrester, has volunteered his services as detective and bodyguard. Her two love interests, Alpha werewolf and wannabe "leader of the pack," Richard Zeeman, and the aforementioned Jean Claude, are the ones most capable of protecting her. They attempt to put rivalry and jealousy on hold until the emergency is over. Meanwhile, the brutal werewolf king Marcus and his sadistic lupa Rania, are determined to fight Richard and Anita to the death. An extremely powerful, unpredictable new vampire enters the picture. Centuries-old Sabin is dying of an illness lethal to vampires and needs Anita's skill to help cure him. Dominic Dumare, Sabine's human servant and necromancer extraordinaire, accompanies his master to St. Louis. The pair have a malevolent air about them. Could their intentions be equally so? There are major pluses in "The Killing Dance, and a few minuses also. The best of the best: Anita is inducted as a lukoi, (pack member) and Richard's mate; she also sees Richard "change, an event which alters their relationship significantly; a triumvirate of power is formed with unlikely members; a gala opening of "Dance Macabre," Jean Claude's newest enterprise, is held and the costumes are even wilder than the guests. On the downside, after five episodes of struggling through relationship crises with Ms. Blake, I think the resolution here is a bit facile. And there is a major and surprising denouement in "The Killing Dance" which may disappoint readers. Ms. Blake is an excellent writer who mixes fantasy with mystery, romance and dark humor. Her take on this derivative genre is a most unusual one. The humor, as always, adds much to the novel....and there are plenty of laughs to counteract the violence. Ms. Hamilton's descriptive prose is outstanding, whether depicting room decor, landscapes, unlikely beings and characters, or the results of Jean Claude's outrageous penchant for designing clothes. These novels are addictive and will rivet the reader. I suggest reading them in order for maximum reading pleasure.
JANA
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by Laurell K. Hamilton
by Laurell K. Hamilton
by Laurell K. Hamilton
by Laurell K. Hamilton
by Laurell K. Hamilton
