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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780515134490
ISBN number: 051513449X
Label: Jove
Manufacturer: Jove
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: September 24, 2002
Publishing house: Jove
Sale Popularity Level: 5646
Studio: Jove
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Published over ten years ago by Ace, Guilty Pleasures marked the debut of a series that was destined to grow from cult favorite to a major New York Times bestseller. Now, for long-time Anita Blake junkies and newfound fans, Guilty Pleasures makes its trade paperback debut. Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead. And how she met Jean Claude, the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover...
Amazon.com:
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.
Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I've heard so much about the Anita Blake books, and now I've satisfied my curiosity by reading the very first of the series. Tersely written, tightly paced, it's fairly entertaining horror action, though nothing spectacular. Might be too graphic for some people, and I can't say I'm interested enough to continue the series, but Anita certainly takes no prisoners in this very first installment. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a romance. That might end up happening later, but this very first book is all about the action.
Rated by buyers -
I'm currently up to book 6 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I know, this is supposed to be a review for only Guilty Pleasures, but it is difficult to review one without the others.
I was recommended the series by a shop assistant while on holidays, and I haven't stopped reading them since. I think the series is excellent because I'm currently 21 and too old for the young adult section and too young for the adult section. The Anita Blake series fits me perfectly.
Main character Anita is strong and witty, and I love her relationship with Jean-Claude. The writing style is easy to follow and get into, and the story lines are very interesting.
I would recommend this series of books to anyone my age with an interest in the paranormal.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first time I read this book, I was fascinated and scandalized and I could feel my literary horizons opening further with every page. It was fresh, it was innovative. It was naughty and nice all at the same time. Almost fifteen years and lots of knock-off and me-too series later, Laurell K. Hamilton is still the queen of the supernatural for me. Nobody writes those scary, erotic beasties like she does. Sexy vampires, powerful werewolves, compelling shapeshifters, and, my favorite character, one intriguing scary SOB assassin.
Ms. Hamilton has an amazing ability to "up the ante" with every book. The very first chapter of every book thrusts us into a grade of peril one step above what we faced in the last book. The powers of her heroine grow with every challenge, and her personality undergoes subtle changes from book to book. Every time her established principles clash with what she knows is the right thing, or simply what she desires, she loses a little more of her humanity.
Guilty Pleasures is the very first book in a series that you'll want to read over and over. I certainly did, and I can say that of only two other series; Anne McCaffrey's dragonrider saga (though it's been a long time since I outgrew that one) and Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books.
Rated by buyers -
Set in modern day St. Louis we are introduced to an earth similar to our own, yet vastly different in the descriptions of its denizens. Alongside humans vampires, werewolves, zombies, and various other mythical phantasmagoria exist, all of which are grudgingly accepted by the American government. In this unique yet hauntingly similar rendition of modern day earth, Anita Blake professed animator (necromancer) and sworn vampire hunter lives. Known to the vampire community as The Executioner, Anita is both feared and revered. When a rash of murders occur, in which each case a master vampire (this being an especially strong and ancient vampire) is brutally slain, the remaining master vampires experience concern over their impending fate. Finding themselves in desperate need for a consummate investigator, the vampires abduct Anita's friend Catherine and threaten her life. If Anita does not discover the murderous culprit, Catherine will die horribly. Forced to investigate, Anita begins sleuthing leading her deep into the murky world of the undead. Will Anita survive or will she be the newest zombie addition to the community?
Consummate zombie raiser, vampire slayer, and witty protagonist Anita instantly catapults the reader into her unique world where the bizarre and disturbing freely stalk the streets. Despite the more absurd elements of her personality, most notably the fact that her daily career is to raise the dead, Anita is portrayed as a very realistic lifelike character therefore allowing her personality to come alive. Her witticisms, even when faced with extreme danger, proved refreshing and instantly caused the reader to form a deep bond with this feisty animator who readily sees the humour in every situation.
The other characters introduced during Guilty Pleasures were immediately entertaining, both the protagonists and antagonists. The charismatic Jean-Claude, master vampire and owner of the seedy vampire club, Guilty Pleasures, proved a unique and captivating character that the reader hopes to see more of in the future. The psychopathic Edward, fellow vampire slayer who feels that killing and maiming should be a touted hobby, was expertly woven into the story creating tension between himself and the main character that never failed to maintain the reader's devoted attention. And, most notably, the main Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis, Nikolaos, was the quintessential villain; terrifying and suave simultaneously, often indulging in mood swings from the childish to the extremely violent, each scene dedicated to Nikolaos was heart stopping and entrancing, keeping the reader glued to the page helplessly experiencing the tension and terror radiated by the thousand year old Master Vampire through Anita's vivid descriptions.
Despite the absurdities of Anita's world, which some may falsely believe to compromise the ingenuity of the tale, Guilty Pleasures was so well presented and vivid as to make the reader believe in Anita's world as though the idea of vampires and zombies truly existing was acceptable and perhaps even normal. This ability to make an incongruous world come to life and achieve a realistic aura in the reader's mind is surly a sign of true excellence that few novels achieve. This particular aspect is one of the most remarkable attributes of Guilty Pleasures.
The combining of several elements namely horror and mystery created a distinctive atmosphere that surrounded this novel. The identity of the murderer who was surreptitiously slaughtering master vampires remained hidden until in a shocking scene Anita suddenly realizes, when faced with a life and death situation, who the killer really is and why they feel the need to horrifically slaughter those who are already deceased. This continuance of a compelling mystery added relevance and enjoyment to the story effectively combining the fundamentals of horror, the supernatural, and mystery.
The effortless writing style was personal and conversational allowing the reader to enter into Anita's mind and experience her world very first hand. This approach lent great value to the tale and enabled the reader to fully sympathize with Anita and vicariously indulge in her emotional dilemmas.
To conclude, the creative world of Anita Blake is a world the reader will want to continue to visit. The compelling characters, effective combination of various literary elements, and the general uniqueness of the tale all weave together to create a great work that is sure to entertain and entrance leading the reader ever deeper into the dark world of Anita and her undead companions. Dare you indulge in Guilty Pleasures?
- Ravenova
Rated by buyers 
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The characters were not believable or relatable. The story is scattered and silly. I will not ridicule anyone for enjoying these books but I won't be buying anymore and I won't allow anyone I know to make the same mistake I did.
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