Dec
05
2006
Okay, not the character, but the series. According to a transcript provided by author, E.E. Knight, Laurell K Hamilton said at Archcon:
LKH: “Gave myself enough toys” * (guns mythology folklore) and let “series go in a direction I didn't forsee” * Meredith Gentry series is looking to be 15 books too.
The loud moans and wails? That’s me. I had given up on Anita but I still liked Merry Gentry. I accepted from the beginning that this was an erotic fantasy series with Merry Gentry as the reincarnated (or at least vessel for) the goddess. But this was planned as an 8 book series with Merry getting pregnant, choosing a consort and coming to a conclusion. With this announcement, I think I am done for.
God, I had the same reaction when I read that. I didn’t like the idea of the Merry Gentry series (because I was hooked on Anita at that time) but it’s much better than AB now. I was looking forward to Merry Gentry having a definite end. *Sigh* I guess I’ll just have to moan and wail along with you. And give up on LKH entirely- too bad because I wanted to know how that series would end.
*pats shoulder* I walked away from AB around Obsidian Butterfly. It was the last book I could stomach. I have held out hope for Merry but knew we would face problems with the decreasing length of each book and the fact that everything happens over 12 hours to 1 day. But, I can giver her until book 10 too. We have barely scratched the surface at this point though many have plumbed the depths so to speak. :)
I never bothered to start this series because I hated what she did with Anita Blake. I’m glad I didn’t start.
Gaaaahh! I was hanging in there with Merry G when I thought it would conclude within a fairly reasonable time frame, but if this turns into 15 books…um, no. Just No.
i love the characters and would of been sad to see them come to an end but i was kinda hoping for a new series, i think LKH need something new to snap her out of her rut
rut being the operative word LOL
I gave up on LK when there were more pages devoted to sex than plot.
i am in love with the characters in her merry series and not willing to let them go so quickly. 15 books? okay maybe too much, but who knows. i’ve eaten my way through the first six so i say bring it on! and in reply to anna, somtimes you need a lengthy sex scene to add weight and understanding to the plot, especially in books like these, but to each their own right? :)
I love her books, they are a good, quick read. 15 books in the MG series….GOOD!!! I love that series and think it is the better of the two anyway. Come on LKH keep writing!!! I am waiting on both series to pump out another book. The sex scenes are great and I agree that “somtimes you need a lengthy sex scene to add weight and understanding to the plot, especially in books like these.”
i love love love the merry books, i just finished a lick of frost and come on give me more. its too good to just end like this more sex scenes and more rhys. i love rhys :)
i have to say a prob be hated that i love both series .i just finished lick of frost and have been waiting already for the next book.i dont see anything wrong with books which keep going they can always evolve you grow up with them this way and you dont get to the final thinking hey i wish their was more to happen more to know .i say lkh keep going love just can i add me own character cause i wanna be in them .te he
As long as the story stays as good as it is who cares how many books it is? How many times have you read about a character you really liked for 3 books, or maybe even only one, and wished “Damnit, I want to know more.”
Well I’m one of those people who is never satisfied with the least and always wants more. So bring it and I’ll keep buying.
Just finished ‘A Lick of Frost’ and have to say that this one does finally do some fabulous story telling as well as the sex scenes – the sex seems to be back to embellishing the plot rather than being the basis of the book – HOORAY!! If they keep on like this, I’ll be hanging on in until the end…
I finished “A Lick of Frost” and I just can’t wait for the next book. I’m looking forward to know what happens to Frost and I wan’t to know if she will have her own sithe. So who cares if their are 15 books I say keep writing LKH. I aslo think that for this series their has to be “a lengthy sex scene to add weight and understanding to the plot, especially in books like these.” cause you have to remeber where meredith decends from a goddess of fertility.
.
I think she should keep going.
It shouldn’t matter how many books there are, it’s a damn good series.
I personally can’t wait for the next one…and the next one.
I love the series and will continue to buy them until the end.
LKH weaves a wonderful tale in BOTH series. I’m a huge AB fan, and can’t wait til “Blood Noir” is released. I started the MG series out of curiousity, and am halfway through the 2nd book. It’s great, too. But I find them too similar. One pretty lady with multiple “beautiful” men. Sure, the sex scenes are great, and I love her writing, but I was really hoping for something different with MG. But, I like LKH’s writing, so as long as she writes, guess I’ll read!
I wanted to know how many books there were knowing the AB series, which i kinda gave up on when i hit the 7th book (8th is sitting next to my bed) with jean- claude appearing less and less *sobs*, anyway I loved JC but i am obssessed with Merry’s men, i love frost and when i found out that there would be 15 bboks i was thrilled i am nearly finished the 4th one and you can see the character growth so much more than in AB, though i do agree with some, on the sex scence i love a good sex scene but the descriptions are all starting to sound the same and repeative, so needs new ideas with that part of the plot, but the growth of the charcters is great, i didnt like rhys in the first book bu now i love him he cracks me up i love the bit about the badges being a new term for balls, and the scene where doyle breaks down and starts to cry cause he believe the ring choose Mistral it was a show of raw emotion i was cried so MUCH. THAT my friend is character growth and is what AB lacked if the MG series continues the way it is going I will stick to it till the end, I wanna know who becomes King, and what the other men will do when he is choosen.
I just pray it doesnt turn out to be another Anita Blake dud. *sobs again* (though i will try to pick it up again.)
much love to Frost, Doyle, Rhys and Mistral. MY FAVOURITES. in order too of course. May one of them be King of the Unseelie Court. LOL ^_^
Well, I have read all AB books so far and agree that they’ve definitely become boring in the last few years. But I just read the last three MGs (had some catching up to do on vacation) and am totally in MG mode right now. I am so hooked and so sad that I have to wait until Christmas for Swallowing Darkness.
I TOTALLY sobbed at the end of Lick of Frost. While I’m thrilled with the significant plot progress, I’m devastated by the plot decision she made at the end (and if you’ve read it you’ll know what I’m referring to – no spoilers). There better be 15 books so she has time to rectify this horrible decision she made (which someone in the story said could be resolved in 3 or 103 years – it better be 3). So bring on more Merry and her gorgeous men!
I am totally astonished by some of the responses I’ve red! Let me tell you something: if you don’t like it don’t buy it, step in something else and stop criticizing what she’s doing, you may don’t like it but others do! I will also add that it’s easy to criticise, but try to do better, everybody can’t create a whole world like she did, give life and personality to every single character and give a “cohérence” to the plot and some of you may respect only this if not the story! As far as I’m concerned, I love it both as way of entertaiment and as work of art. I’m european, so I maybe I have an other way of seeing things, but think that you can’t despise somebody’s work if you can’t do any better! To be a writter can be difficult, but don’t be disapointed Laurell because you have some real fans!
I would just like to say that a friend introduced me to the Merry Gentry series and i absolutely loved them read all seven books in about a fortnight! Never came across any literature like it! Doyle all the way!
Ohhh. I hope it turns into 15 books.
I loveee this series I just started reading it about a week and a hald ago.. Im on book number six. =D
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVEE it.
Dont much care for the Anita Blake series.
But this one has mee hooked.
I atleast hope it goes to 10. =]
I love rys and sage the most btw.
And thenn Darkness. =]
I will have to say that with Merry, I have been re-reading the series lately and I have to say: The books are better than AB. AB I stopped reading at Obsidan Butterfly, and refuse to buy any others. MG I have continued to read, do not buy (personal reasons). I have noticed that the books are getting shorter and some taking an entire day. Lick of Frost brought back some of the intrigue of the books, and I will be interested to see what happens next. I have a feeling if the books continue in the same vain and shortness I may end up turned off to them. One thing is sure I will not be buying anymore of LKHs books and will be probably be selling off all my AB books including the signed ones. (I don’t see a reason to keep them). This author intrigued me at first, but the continual sex grates on everyone after awhile. BTW what was the count on the many men she slept with while in the sithen last? I lost count. More story per novel, the ones she is putting out is novella length not novel length.
/Just another Post at the bottom that will be missed, but I finally get to spurt my opinion to other AB/MG readers!
I feel LKH pumps these books out like the Pulp of old, and yes, I devour them quickly. But they’re so good that I have no problem finding myself rereading them, when I can’t stand to reread anything. The sex scenes are, for lack of a better word Perfect for Me, and I’m enthralled by the characters in both series. True, the more and more people in MG’s bed is, wow, but I can’t stop reading them. It’s almost an addiction. I’m reading the things in my cubicle, on my Treo, so I can tuck it away quickly!
Probably shouldn’t be reading the racy parts at work /blush/ but I can’t stop!
If they become pulp after pulp with no new challenges, I can see a problem. But like a good old horror show, as long as the nightmares grow, I’ll keep reading!
/Just starting Mistral’s Kiss/
I finished up Killing Frost a while ago an I absolutely loved it and all the others. I won’t mind if the seriousends up being 15 books as long as it still keeps me hooked.
As for Anita Blake, I’m not even touching that subject.
I totally agree with Nikki B ~ don’t like it don’t read them..With Swallowing Darkness coming out in November I wanted to go back and read them over again which I did and fell back in love with Doyle, Frost and Rhys all over again. I feel she can keep on going 10 to 15 or more as long as it finishes the story without leaving you going ARGGGG!!!!
As an avid reader I say carry on…I mean the sex and the plot intertwine she has to get pregnant to be on the throne for crying out loud how else will she hear the pitter patter of little feet without the occasional roll in the sheets, dirt, snow, hallway…(u get my point ;) )
anyways if ppl are so feed up with LKH why are u writing on a site dedicated to her? On with the show I say I need something to keep me awake at work.
I just finished reading Swallowing Darkness. It’s full of action, magic, death and more magic. The other books are more about the slow build up in Merry’s relationships with her men and the Goddess. This one is a non-stop action fest. The plot gets going in a heavy way. LKH usually ties up ends and writes a neat little epilogue chapter, but this epilogue chapter was a bit too neat, I was confused. Good to hear there’s supposed to be 8 more books. I was so intent on finishing the book, I think I only noticed 2 brief maybe-love scenes. 2 major deaths. Amazing book.
Just finished Swallowing Darkness and it was all about action and intrigue. I also had to go looking to see that there are expected to be more books in the series as alot of loose ends were tied up. Scared me for a second. I think fans will love this latest addition.
One was enough for me in this series. I find it odd that people can get so outraged that there are people discussing a book without using pom poms. It is hardly unusual for this blog.
Laurell K Hamilton had (allegedly, since I read this in an Amazon forum) told Writer’s Digest that Anita Blake would go up to 70 books. Apparently because Rex Stout had 70 books in the Neo Wolfe series. 15 for this series, therefore, is a surprisingly conservative number from her.
Urk.
I’ve been trying to trundle through Incubus Dreams, but it’s been one big sex scene after another. Anita was great when she was kicking butt, not licking it. :(
Merry’s not that bad. At least there’s no pretenses about what she really wants, rather than Anita who’s like “Ooh, I don’t want to have sex with half the men in the goddamned book”, and promptly ends up doing so regardless of her so-called morals.
As for 70 books? Jesus Christ on a piece of toast.
A while ago I wondered if the Anita books really had gotten as awful as I remembered, or if they’d improved after time, so I bought a copy of Danse Macabre. Jesus. I have never read anything more boring in my life. I had to force myself to keep reading (and actually did not finish it, although I did go back and skim the end out of boredom.)
It was a huge waste of time and money, and it cleared up any remaining feeling of “Maybe the books aren’t THAT bad,” I still had floating around. No. They really are that bad; that book had no plot, no story, nothing but dull, unerotic sex. (Although at least, if memory serves, we didn’t have to deal so much with Micah in that one.)
Rex Stout would be so proud. Especially because most of his books were less than 150 pages in the original form and usually involved three stories all neatly ended.
Did you know though that he got his start writing romances and adventure fiction?
I’m too over it to wail. Maybe a faint whine of nostalgia.
Like you, Jane, I was fine with the initial setup of the Merry books: over-the-top erotic fantasy with dark touches. They’ve already gone off the rails, though, losing consistency, not advancing the story, and losing the original focus on a few interesting characters. I used to be impressed that she could keep developing so many characters, but that’s got lost in the something-for-everyone, all-you-can-snog buffet. This news just confirms it’ll only get worse.
I’ve read that the early Anita books were thoroughly outlined–individually and as a series–and without that discipline they literally lost the plot. No idea whether the outlining story’s accurate; it could be a surmise based on what’s happened with each series. Either way, it makes me think about other series that have jumped the shark, or simply petered out; in some cases I suspect the author senses it happening, though that doesn’t necessarily make it easy to fix.
E.g. it looks to me like Kim Harrison is essentially re-starting her Rachel Morgan series after getting rid of Kisten. He was a nice but inconsistent character (Book 1, scary vampire/Book 2, puppy-dog boyfriend) who, IMO, didn’t add much to the plot or relationship dynamics–but he was popular so I’m sure that’s rocked her fandom a bit. OTOH there’s the JD Robb series–there’s no lack of discipline in the plotting, but I’ve lost interest as the relationship tension’s dwindled and the mystery has to carry the book. So there’s no guarantee tough choices or discipline will keep the magic going, but they can prevent strung-out craptastification a la Anita. Though I’m not sure whether I prefer a little dull or a lot WTF…. The WTF is certainly memorable.
@RfP – When I first started getting ARCs, LKH’s series was one that was a real treat for me. Tellingly, I failed to ask for any of her most recent books from publishers and even though Swallowing Darkness has now been out and I’ve been offered the book for review, I turned it down because I just lack any interest in reading it right now. Haven’t read Anita for years, since book 10 I think.
As for Harrison, I’ve not read her past book 3. I was kind of interested in the Ivy-Rachel dynamic but she really refused to go there as far as I know. Kisten never was interesting for me. Like you, I thought he was fairly bland.
I think the idea of 80 Anita books is fairly frightening. Exciting for Penguin and I suppose devoted fans.
@W:
Yeah, I was a little worried, that epilogue chapter in Swallowing Darkness is too neat, and sounds like the end of a series.
I also felt that at least one of the ‘rutting’ scenes in there was there because LKH suddenly realised that there hadn’t been enough ‘rutting’ in the book (the one closer to the end).
It would be a place to leave the series though, and it would allow us all to use our own imaginations about what happens, but imo the ending was way too tame and easy, and in fact, a LOT anti-climatic.
Ah well.
I love the books. I HATE Anita though. Love the boys in both sets. I just hate it when she PILES on the psycho mumbo jumbo into to few pages. I got very confused at the end of blood noir. and Merry getting pregnant by 6 was so unfair. I hate how she gets to have everyone. I was the heartache of choosing only ONE. GAH.
I shall establish this now – I am a fan of both of the series. There is a big BUT in this though. I have religiously followed both Anita and Merry through all their books except Swallowing Darkness. For an avid fan I would normally have had the book on pre-order or ran down to a local bookshop on the day of release. I didn’t though. I actually found myself worried instead. Worried that this was going to go the same way as the other later books. The reviews I had read certainly weren’t favourable. Now don’t get me wrong, both of them started with a bang and it was a good hook. I read erotica sometimes so I’m not fussed about the amount of sex in the books but the plot has gradually gotten lost and the pages are whittling down. It would be so nice to maybe loose a little sex in exchange for a little more progress. To be honest, reading the books is a little like watching an episode of 24 – everything does seem to happen in a 24 hour period.
I know I shall probably give in and purchase Swallowing Darkness eventually but PLEASE Laurell K Hamilton, go back to your roots and give us the action that you hooked most of us on in the first place.
I am utterly disappointed in LKH. What the hell?! I was a huge fan and love the way the she writes but it seems that she always bites off more then she can chew. SHe quits alomst all of her series and Swallowing Darkness was a to short and choppy mistake. It was a quick fix ending and hated it….im heartbroken…
AH! you guys sort of drive me nuts. See the thing i originally liked about AB was her realism (i know thats an oxymoron) and how she wasn’t making anita a slut. now anita IS a slut. and making excuses for it. i will still love and read both stories, but the gentry serious was ONLY sex sex sex from the start. the fact that you would stop reading blake before blake became sex sex sex and bitch because blake was too nasty pisses me off no end. Sorry for my spelling mistakes. studying for a final and rushed
i DO love hamilton though. i think her plots are wonderful. I agree with suzy mostly. I want more plot and less sex. i am not eighteen and don’t have such a hormonal rush that i can be sustained on erotica alone. erotica without feeling can be hot, but it can also get boring. same with erotica with too much feeling. the thing i mostly loved about hamilton before was how her books never turned into a romance. the romance was never the main part of the story. now though with anita it HAS become the main part, and the plot has taken a back seat. this worries me. a character can have a sex and love life after hte series ends. thats normal and okay. i wish laurell would realize that and stop trying to give antia the perfect womans dream. she may think anita has it hard and she does but hamilton is trying to make it perfect. if her love life is not horrible, but she just went through kicking evil murderous zombies controlled by a vampire ass then i will be happy. very happy in fact. i tend to LIKE gorey books. my favorite manga is ISLAND for christ sake.
I was an early adopter of LKH, came on when Guilty Pleasures was the new book. I loved Anita and JC, hated Richard and was the happiest in the Killing Dance era. It started going downhill for me, quickly, as the sex took over any sort of plot. I love erotica, but I loved Anita for her kickass-ness and her inhumane resistance to desire. I can’t stomach anything now as Anita gains multiple (and random!) metaphysical-sexual powers in every book and doesn’t seem to actually do any detecting/executions. The insane Mary Sue creeped me out, but I tried to trudge through them. As per LKH’s OWN instructions, since I didn’t like her books anymore, I stopped buying them but kept going by borrowing them at the library. My last was Blood Noir, but I actually chucked the book at Chapter 3 and DNF. I NEVER DNF books! I officially gave up on Anita (and JC *sob*).
I have been reading the Merry Gentry series, and I thought it started off great, with a logical explanation for all the sex, but the race to the throne kept things moving. I almost gave up from books 3-6 as LKH did her patented slow down of time and deep six-ing of plot. However, the author did manage to recapture my interest in Lick of Frost, as she actually advanced the plot in shocking ways and THINGS HAPPENED. Wow. So, Merry has new life… for now.
Must confess that I resisted reading Merry Gentry series for fear of suffering from yet another painful addiction to a new group of impossibly emo and beautiful, unattainable men. Yes, agree that AB series lost credibility with excessive sex scenes that were interesting the first dozen times, but now I find that identical language is utilized to depict same sex acts in MG as in AB. How about a little creativity, LKH? Perhaps learn a few new phrases to replace “T and W”, please.
Meantime, the MG addiction is fresh and briefly sates the withdrawal symptoms for j-c, asher, etc. while I am counting down the months until June, 2009.
It is pleasant to learn that other fiction-readers suffer as I do. Have always appreciated fantasy and eroticism and LKH delivers, creating a mostly-consistent universe, multi-faceted characters and generally engaging dialogue. Yep, plots are a little thin, if action-packed. Both Lick of Frost and Swallowing Darkness should satisfy fans of this series, although Lick of Frost advances the series and Swallowing Darkness seems more focused on resolving some loose ends. At times it certainly felt like the ‘end of the series’. Perhaps LKH was in the middle of contract nego with more than one publisher.
@W: I just got done reading it also, and have to say I loved it !!! More action in this one which was great, not that I mine a few love scenes but it was great to really be pushed to read with all the fights. It will be interesting to see what LKH and build from here. Now I need to something else to read to keep me busy.
i love merry gentry and anita i agree with someone saying that anita is getting a little irritating by complaining and trying no to have sex with everyone (you already have love move on with yourself let go of that oppression and deal with it ) prob why i lve merry so much she wants someone she doesnt feel guilty about it . now heres my real gripe its with everyone on here that moans about the sex its part and parcel of everyday life its part of being alive and really i do feel a lot of people are a little bit prudish . i think some one else said that maybe their views were diff because they were european and maybe the same goes here i just dont see whats wrong with it . i loved swallowing darkness and altough i liked the ending i wanted to know more so was over the moon to find out more books would be on there way .(ok not part of this forum but i also really love the rachel morgan books jenks is fab and i want him as my own backup)
i also tink someone else had the right of it if your just going to bitch and moan constantly dont bother but to contradict myself again obsidian butterfly …..didnt care for it so much have loved the ones after though and im interested what will happen when the mamme noir wakes up (sorry for spelling its late and im an insomniac) xx
If you loved the Rachel Morgan series you will love
ilona andrews
Patricia Briggs
If you dont mind lost of sex and great plot then try
Keri Arthur
cheers me dears will look them up xx
I came upon this entry because I peeked at the end of the latest Merry book (I haven’t bought the last couple) and thought it might be the series ending! Apparently not. I guess Laurell can’t resist beating a series into the ground. I remember when a book used to cover more than a few hours…
What can I say? I loved the AB series and I love the MG series!!! Keep writing and I will continue to check them out. Can’t wait for the next book. I would be happy with many more!!! Thanks LH
OMG!!! You are all so annoying! If you dont like Laurells books stop reading them it speaks volumes about the amount of free time you have that you can come on here and whine about books you dont like. Its very annoying, its not like you complaining about her writing will make it stop. To all you people who that hate anita and merry Hamilton has something to say to you on this blog http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2006/12/dear-negative-reader.html Anyway I say keep writing Hamilton! To all those that love Merry let me say that book 8 is AMAZING and enjoy.
LKH is the writer, leave her alone- I have never really gotten into fiction, but this series- reccomended by a great girl at Books -a Million as a good fantasy
I have had more than my fair share of challenges in my life as of late: The IRS trying to get money out of me that I don’t owe them, fighting for custody of my son to get him out of the hands of a ‘real life monster’ (the big P) and the screwed up family that I have done so much for over the years- turning on me so they can get the inheritance locked in place from a mother that is still alive- And to top it all of I am a real estate agent AGGHHHH! Am I taking drugs to calm my nerves- no ,drinking every night- no, working out way to much (should be) but no
I should have fallen apart but I found the magic in this world that is sooo lacking in reading this Merry Gentry series ,It is my private piece of sanity in my day- LKH takes me into a place full of magic and un-ending possibilites. she makes me smile- I am well past 18 and I love the erotic parts of the story too. LKH keep writing this series anyway you see fit and ignore the writer-want-to-be’s. We all need a little magic in this world and you bring it!
Thanks
Thankful in Florida…
Its wonderful that books can do this for you, I have had a few deaths in the family, one was my dad to cancer. Each time I grieve I turn to books.
If you like series of books that can help you to escape let me also suggest
J D Robb – Her death series, first book Naked in Death
Janet Evanovich – Stephanie Plum Series – first book is One for the Money
Sherrilyn Kenyon – Dark Hunter books – First book is Night Pleasures (prequel is fantasy lover)
Good Luck with everything :)
Thanks Jess B,
I am so sorry, especially for the loss of your Dad. I also lost my Dad to Cancer. Dads are irreplacable, and I had a great one too!
Thanks for your suggestion of books. I really liked this series because of the way it portrayed Merry; a woman one found through all of her feminineness,(she would break down and cry etc), she could find her strength and be a loving, strong and grow into a powerful leader without having to lose her womaness (I don’t know if thats an actual word)
Anyway, thank you for the kind words,
Annette
Thankful in Florida,
If you like strong females that have a more vunerable side then I will suggest these 3 authors, they are all urban fantasy so their heroines tend to be very tough but each of the three heroines also have a great support cast of characters and their own unique vunerablities
Ilona Andrews has 3 books out and the first book is titled Magic Burns, These 3 books are flawless. I dont think I have ever said that about any author, there is usally something that I would like changed or didnt like, shes definately one of my new fave authors.
Patricia Briggs has 4 or 5 books out now and the first is titled Moon Called, the books are totally entralling and so well plotted, I simply ADORE Patricia’s style of writing and cant recommend her enough.
Kim Harrison has 6 or 7 books out and the first is titled Dead Witch Walking the first book took about 100 page for me to get into and then I was hooked faithfully for the rest of the series, the plots are totally original and the characters are put in truely interesting positions, I adore Jenks, if her books were movies he would win Best Supporting Actor Oscars every year.
A warning…none of these book have explicit sex in them Ilona and Patrica have none but they do have a wonderful romantic suspense thing happening which in a way keeps me even more interested. I spent so many years reading paranormal romances and other romances that I didnt give Urban Fantasy much of a go, boy am I glad I changed my mind.
I hope you are able to get a hold of these books at your library or a bookshop, they are simply amazing series.
I can pretty much guarentee all three would keep you absorbed for hours make that days lol :)
Goodluck with everything :)
I love her merry books, never read anita. All I have to say is Laurell is a great writter I want to see more.
Helllloooo,
I have to say I love the Merry series. The sex is a little much sometimes, but then sometimes its just perfect :) But I love the story line and will read all 15 books as long as this story continues.
I tried reading Anita, but I’m a scaredy cat and chose my good dreams over bad. ;)
And as for the negative opinions, everyone is allowed their own opinion, thats why we live in a free country, but that doesn’t excuse your manners. Remember the golden rule people, would you want someone talking about you and your work like that?
[...] Hamilton is the International Best-selling author of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series and the Merry Gentry series. She took a break from her insane writing schedule to chat with me for the Big Scary [...]
I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
How can you guys start complaining when LKH havnt even finished publishing her 9th book?
I am a big fan of the MG series. Towards the end of the MG books it always has me wanting to start the next book as soon as possible. I hope that she would finish writing her books quicker. =)
I see a lot of people complaining about the complaints. I have to say take your own advice and don’t read them. If someone doesn’t like something, they have every right to give it a bad review or discuss why they don’t like it. How else would we evaluate things? I guess we should just all keep our mouths shut and let everyone buy books that suck? No! They have options! They can read the good and the bad that everyone has to say about them and make their own decision based on that, or they can just go buy the book and decide for themselves. It’s up to them. Personally, I think it’s more of a waste of time to complain about complaining than to complain about a book that you don’t like, but I just did it too.
Now all of that being said, I love the MG series and I will continue reading it as long as it holds my interest. I do get frustrated sometimes with how slow the plot moves in some of the books. The last one I read was Stroke of Midnight and it was a little bit like that until the end, when things started to pick up a bit. I still really liked it and want to read the next book. I loved all of the sex, but I love erotica and I am also well over 18.
For the most part, I really hate series books…period. But the fact is that I always seemed to get hooked on them. I think what I really hate is having to wait so long between books…or trying to find them…or when I accidentally buy the wrong book because I’m not sure which ones I’ve already read (I read a lot of books, so it can be hard for me to keep up with stuff like this. Sometimes they all run together). This is especially true for the MG books because the titles and covers are all so similar. That’s not a complaint toward the author. I understand the logic behind it, but for someone as absent minded as I am, it kind of sucks :D. I think they should put which book in the series it is on the cover! If there are going to be 15 books, don’t you think they should make some effort to let us know where we are?
I love Laurell K Hamiltons’ books. The Merry Gentry series is my absolute favorite. I really hope it does go to 15 books or more. I also like the Anita Blake series. I will admit thought that the first time I read the series I had to take a break from it. I thought that at first it was going to be kind of repetitive but it’s not suprisingly. I like where she’s going with the story. It’s just taking her longer than with Merry Gentry.
I strongly plead to all of you who stopped in midway of the series to pick it up again.
After Narcissus in Chains, it shoots off to this great…interesting…make you wanna read the next book story. I promise it’s really good. Just as good as the Merry Gentry series. Please try…I would hate for anyone to miss out on it.
I am happy to hear their will be 15 books, my wife got me reading and im only on book 4 but im a dumb army grunt i dont read..well until i picked up this series now ive gone from reading the first book in a month to reading a book a week and im running out…so hurry up…or better yet make a comic book or tv series or something out of it please! If they tell you its a bad idea come get me LKH and ill make sure they realize its a great idea!
My first thought was “What!? Only 15 books! NO NO that cant be! I love Merry and all her men! I also like Anita, although im not crazy about the way some of that story line has been going. But Merry is awesome!
Your doing a great job LKH keep the books coming and if you could write just a bit faster I would be a happy reader!
Sifting through the comments here I will probably wind up in the minority in the regard that I’m male. I loved the Anita Blake series all the way up to Obsidian Butterfly, and truth be told I only loved it because of Edward. After that, there was less and less plot, and more and more sex. As I guy, I enjoy sex.. Like Lots.. but you know there is way too much of it when a MAN says enough already! There are lots of porn sites you can go to for free and not have to shell out the money to buy another uninspired rut-race.
I miss the character driven plot.. I miss the adventure, that edge of your seat page flying momentum that made you hit the back cover the same night you opened the book… but most of all I miss the credibility of the characters. I miss Anita’s moral highground.. I miss the tough as nails take no crap Executioner they swapped out and replaced with a sperm bank for anything Supernatural. :/
If you’re going to continue the series, bring it back to the level of creative craftmanship that made us love the world of Anita in the first place.. If the lackluster Skin-emax knock off persists, maybe it is better to give up the ghost.. You’ve already given up Anita’s dignity..
I don’t know if I am happy or not that the books are continuing. I remember when I first started reading LKH books I was so thrilled at the way she wrote that I wished the day would never come where I wouldn’t have a new MG or AB book to read. I dreaded the end of the series. Now I am not so sure. I still read them (albeit more slowly) and I still like her writing style, but it HAS taken a dramatic twist in the AB series. That was my favorite and it still crushes me that Anita did a total 360 on me. Not that I don’t mind reading good sex scenes but it used to be about more. To me a good plot is necessary and I like a nice balance of sex/action/supernatural mumbo jumbo. I really do miss the way she used to write the series, but I am certainly not going to bash her because I know it is a lot of work. I applaud her ability to keep readers interested. However I think I am about ready for Merry and Anita to come to conclusion and perhaps see another interesting series unfold from the mind of LKH. *shrug* Just my humble opinion (heh)