The scene is modern day St. Louis. There are certain things that are no different from our Missouri to the one depicted in Laurell K. Hamilton’s novel. There is still the sweltering summer heat, the same “big city” atmosphere, the infamous Gateway Arch, vampires, werewolves, zombies…
Oh, wait…
“Guilty Pleasures” is the first of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter chronicles, following the perspective of the so-named heroine as she goes through her normal routine working at Animators, Inc., a small service centered around the reanimation of the dead. These are busy times for a working girl. In Anita’s world, vampirism has become legal, lycanthropy is recognized as an epidemic to be taken just as seriously as AIDS, and it just isn’t too out of the question to find zombies wandering around graveyards at times.
However, Anita is not simply a voodoo specialist in the art of raising the dead. She is also fearfully known as “The Executioner” as she works in the legal system to hunt down and kill vampires deemed unsafe by the state. When the city begins to find a string of vampire murders, who better to hire than the one femme fatale who willingly walks into the lion’s den nightly? But Anita will have to be careful. Her employers may be ones who will suck a bit more out of her than just her services.
Hamilton’s novel is an interesting blend of dark humor and gothic delight for anyone looking for less than cheerful Christmas reading. It works well combining several themes found in classic horror as well as modern trends found in series such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. However, St. Louis is obviously not only home to Dracula fans but also scores of other horrific creatures of the night. The series is definitely a treat for any horror fan.
The characters found within the book are wholly dynamic, holding their own through the pace of the novel. Anita is a fully human individual with cheeky humor, weaknesses and personality quirks that keep her consistently more interesting than a perfect, static protagonist ever would be. She is given a number of interesting sidekicks and allies, from the debonair Jean-Claude, a charming vampire who runs a strip club in the waterfront District where vampirism is more a tool of tourism than anything else, to Edward, a fellow vampire hunter who takes a disturbing delight in what he does. The antagonists of the book, particularly the centuries-old Nikolaos, a viciously manipulative vampire in a child’s body, are victorious in their portrayals as they give Anita a run for her money time and time again.
Indeed, “Guilty Pleasures” is not for the weak-hearted, nor for the easily flustered. Hamilton keeps the action and character development well weighted with her racy and heated confrontations between her characters. However, Hamilton does a good job in not letting this take over her novel; most of the more erotic scenes are toned down and more sensual than pornographic. Anita finds herself in many situations that force her to keep a cool head, and that isn’t just when fighting the undead.
Overall, “Guilty Pleasures” is a fantastic read for anyone looking for a bit of horror, humor and heat in their holiday.