Книга: Laurell K. Hamilton «Guilty Pleasures»

Laurell K. Hamilton

Infobox Writer
name = Laurell K. Hamilton


imagesize = 200px
caption = Hamilton at a book signing in 2007
birthdate = Birth date and age|1963|2|19|mf=y
birthplace = Heber Springs, Arkansas
deathdate =
occupation = Novelist
nationality = flag|United States|American
period = 1993 – present
genre = Fantasy, Erotica
notableworks = ""
influences = Robert E. Howard's short story collection "Pigeons From Hell"Fact|date=August 2008 and Anthony Masters' "The Natural History of the Vampire"
influenced =
website = http://www.laurellkhamilton.org

Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy / Romance writer, author of the series "" about a female paranormal investigator and her relationships with vampires and werewolves. The series runs to 16 novels as of May 2008, and a number of short story collections and other tie-in media such as comic books. More than 6 million copies of Anita Blake novels have been printed http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell/LKHBiography.htm ] and it has became a "New York Times" bestseller. In 2000 Hamilton started another series "Merry Gentry", an urban fantasy in which fairies live in the USA.

Life

Laurell K. Hamilton was born in Heber Springs, Arkansas but grew up in Sims, Indiana with her grandmother Laura Gentry. Her education includes degrees in English and biology from Marion (now Indiana Wesleyan University), a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination. [ cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/2000/Issues/09/Hamilton.html |title= Locus Online: Laurell K. Hamilton interview (excerpts)|accessdate= |author= |year=2000 |month=September |work= ]

Hamilton is involved with a number of animal charities, particularly supporting dog rescue efforts and wolf preservation.Interview at Flamesrising.com http://www.flamesrising.com/laurell-k-hamilton-interview-horror-author/] Photographs of chartiy work from Hamiltons official website [http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Photos/Charity/Top/default.htm] ]

Today, Hamilton resides in St. Louis County, Missouri with her current husband Jonathon Green, her daughter, and two dogs.

Works

Hamilton is most well known for her "New York Times"-bestselling "Anita Blake" series, featuring a female paranormal investigator as the protagonist. The series currently runs to 16 novels, and a number of short story collections and other tie-in media, such as comic books. More than 6 million copies of Anita blake novels have been printed.http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/Laurell/LKHBiography.htm ] Also notable is her Merry Gentry series, an urban fantasy in which the world of fairy interacts with the "real world".

Critical reception and fan reactions

Many readers expressed dissatisfaction with Hamilton's increasing focus on her character Anita Blake's infection with the "ardeur" (a supernatural hunger necessitating the person to feed it via direct or vicarious sexual energy) and added metaphysical powers. The "ardeur" is essentially cited as being an unconvincing deus ex machina device, and even a metaphysical date rape drug, used to force Anita Blake and her partners into increasingly gratuitous sexual encounters as well as magically solve all problems through sex or lust. Some readers contend that these situations occur without the development of character or plot, and also force sex and dependency on a formerly independent female character. [cite web |url= http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/?cdForum=Fx1OFHYU31CK06W&asin=0425217248&cdThread=Tx5LMD4TM9QNTM |title=Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Author tells fans to go away...|date=2006-12-31 ] Others have commented upon the exploitation of sexual abuse, incest, and rape through its casual use in later books. [cite web |url= http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/?cdForum=Fx1OFHYU31CK06W&cdItems=25&asin=0425217248&cdThread=Tx1G69CXA9IT5FO&cdSortDir=Ascending#Mx35MQAB9YDI8JG |title=Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: I wouldn't mind all the sex, if... |date=2006-12-08 et al]

Reviewers have also commented on the amount of sex in later books. A March 26, 2006 review in the "Boston Globe" of "Micah" was largely negative: "...we were not impressed. Hamilton no doubt appeals to romance and erotica lovers, but it does not take long for the clichés and the constant droning about sex to become tiresome."cite news
first = Rochelle
last = O'Gorman
title = Beware the Ringing Cell
work = Boston Globe
id = ISSN|07431791
page = C7
date = 2006-03-26] Robert Folsom of the "Kansas City Star" wrote a critical review, stating:" After 13 erotically charged books, boredom has reared its ugly head for the 14th novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, as eroticism becomes mere description..."cite news | first=Robert | last=Folsom | title='Danse Macabre' by Laurell K. Hamilton; 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' by Scott Lynch | publisher=Kansas City Star | date=2006-07-17]

"Publishers Weekly" described the 2008 18th book, "Blood Noir", as "florid" but credits Hamilton with giving Anita "a case to solve between wild orgies with wereanimals." The review ends with a comment on the direction the series is taking: "Hamilton chronicles Anita's escapades with a growing air of ennui, which longtime readers can't help sharing as sex increasingly takes the place of plot and character development". [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6552500.html Publisher's Weekly Fiction Reviews: Week of 4/21/2008] ©2008 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Accessed August 26, 2008]

In contrast, a "Denver Post" review of "Danse Macabre" took a more positive view of the eroticism in Hamilton's work. Although it noted that " [t] hose looking for mystery and mayhem on this Anita adventure are out of luck" it also stated that "the main attraction of the Anita Blake novels in the past five years has been their erotic novelty," and " [f] ew, if any, mainstream novels delve so deeply into pure, unadulterated erotica."cite news
first = Dorman T
last = Shindler
title = 7th Anita Blake novel builds on erotic aura
work = Denver Post
id = ISSN|19302193
page = F13
date = 2006-08-20]

In a December 2006 post in her blog, apparently aimed at an ever-increasing number of participants on the Laurell K. Hamilton forums [cite web | url= http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/ | title=Laurell K. Hamilton Forums | date=2008-18-08 ] , Hamilton acknowledged readers who, disappointed in recent Anita Blake novels, have chosen to stop reading her work altogether. She added that "life is too short to read books you don't like," and acknowledged that the books are "not comfortable." She suggested that these readers would prefer to read "books that don't make you think that hard." Hamilton then asserted that, aside from this group, there exist a number of "negative fans" who, claiming to have made this decision, continue to discuss later books in detail; she suggests that these individuals are either "closet readers" or comment based on others' opinions. The appellation "fan" refers to her perception that "only a fan would spend this much time and energy on anything." However, Hamilton suggested that sales figures establish the increasing popularity of the series. She concluded by rewarding "positive people," as she describes those who are continuing to read the Anita Blake series, with information about her upcoming book. [cite web |url= http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2006/12/dear-negative-reader.html |title=Dear Negative Reader |date=2007-01-25 |author=Laurell K. Hamilton |date=2006-12-29|work=LKH Blog]

While some readers have expressed their dislike, there are a number of fans who consistently express their approval of the series. [cite web |url=http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/forumdisplay.php?f=48 |title=Happy Zone |date=2008-08-18] In addition, there are fans who liked the beginning of the series, are not so thrilled about where the series is going, but still read the series because they like the characters. [cite web|url= http://www.amazon.com/you-dont-like-read-response/forum/Fx1OFHYU31CK06W/Tx2J9P49J4BB9W6/1/ |title=If you don't like it, don't read it -response |date=2008-08-18] Regardless of criticism, the "" series has been translated into 16 languages and the sold over 6 million copies worldwide. The 2008 book, "Blood Noir" debuted at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list; [ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080615/ai_n26687841] [ http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2008/06/blood-noir-is-1-on-new-york-times.html] by early July, it had fallen to number 25. [ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/books/bestseller/0713besthardfiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin]

Bibliography

""

# "Guilty Pleasures" (1993)
# "The Laughing Corpse" (1994) ISBN 0-425-19200-8
# "Circus of the Damned" (1995) ISBN 0-515-13448-1
# "The Lunatic Cafe" (1996) ISBN 0-425-20137-6
# "Bloody Bones" (1996) ISBN 0-425-20567-3
# "The Killing Dance" (1997) ISBN 0-425-20906-7
# "Burnt Offerings" (1998) ISBN 0-515-13447-3
# "Blue Moon" (1998) ISBN 0-515-13445-7
# "Obsidian Butterfly" (2000) ISBN 0-515-13450-3
# "Narcissus in Chains" (2001) ISBN 5-558-61270-3
# "Cerulean Sins" (2003) ISBN 0-515-13681-6
# "Incubus Dreams" (2004) ISBN 0-515-13975-0
# "Micah" (February 28 2006) ISBN 0-515-14087-2 (novella)
# "Danse Macabre" (June 27 2006) ISBN 0-425-20797-8
# "The Harlequin" ((June 5 2007) ISBN 978-0-425-21724-5
# "Blood Noir" (May 27 2008) ISBN 978-0-425-22219-5
# "Skin Trade [http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/2008/09/we-have-title.html] " (2009)

Science Fiction Book Club omnibus editions:

# "Club Vampyre" (the first 3 novels: "Guilty Pleasures", "The Laughing Corpse", and "Circus of the Damned")
# "Midnight Cafe" (novels 4–6: "The Lunatic Cafe", "Bloody Bones", and "The Killing Dance")
# "Black Moon Inn" (novels 7 and 8: "Burnt Offerings" and "Blue Moon")
# "Nightshade Tavern" (novels 9 and 10: "Obsidian Butterfly" and "Narcissus in Chains")

* "Out Of This World" (1st 100 pages of "Narcissus in Chains")

"Merry Gentry" series

# "A Kiss of Shadows" (2000)
# "A Caress of Twilight" (2002)
# "Seduced by Moonlight" (2004)
# "A Stroke of Midnight" (2005)
# "Mistral's Kiss" (2006)
# "A Lick of Frost" (2007)
# "Swallowing Darkness" (forthcoming Nov 4th, 2008)

Marvel Comics series

# "LAURELL K. HAMILTON'S ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: THE FIRST DEATH" (Feb 2008)

Others

* "Nightseer"
* "Nightshade" (1992) ("" authorized novel #24)
* "Death of a Darklord" (1995) (TSR's "Ravenloft" series.)
* "A Clean Sweep" (first story in "Superheroes", a 1995 anthology)
* "Cravings" (anthology, 2004)
* "Bite" (anthology, 2004)
* "Strange Candy" (14 published and unpublished short stories, released November 2006)

References

External links

* http://www.laurellkhamilton.org – official website
* [http://www.myspace.com/laurellkhamilton Laurell K. Hamilton's] MySpace page
*

Interviews

* [http://www.locusmag.com/2000/Issues/09/Hamilton.html Locus Online Interview] (Sept 2000)
* [http://www.sffworld.com/interview/31p0.html Interview] at [http://www.sffworld.com SFFWorld.com] (Nov 2000)
* [http://www.sfsite.com/11a/lh187.htm The SF Site: A Conversation with Laurell K. Hamilton] (Sept 2004)
* [http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/investing/20041115a1.asp Interview with Bankrate.com] (Nov 2004)
* [http://www.flamesrising.com/laurell-k-hamilton-interview-horror-author Interview on Flames Rising] (June 2006)
* [http://www.wotmania.com/fantasymessageboardshowmessage.asp?MessageID=163714 Interview on wotmania.com] (June 2006)

Источник: Laurell K. Hamilton