I always get to the phenoms late. Very late sometimes.
Laurel K. Hamilton is an enormous bestseller. She is largely (if not singly) responsible for the kick-ass vampire/werewolf/monster hunter/heroine who terrorizes the paranormal world in a search for justice. Or something resembling it anyway.
I was at the library yesterday and saw a collection of her stories, Strange Candy, and decided to give it a try. I ended up reading most of it at a single sitting. This woman is a world class storyteller.
My favorites are "Here There Be Dragons" which is a near-perfect science fiction story about the use of telepathy in identifying sociopaths. There are at least four startling scenes in it.
"Stealing Souls" will stand as a primer on how to write GOOD high fantasy. Usually I'm not able to get past all the cutesy that's kidnapped the form over the last decade but Hamilton uses none of it. She even does a very funny parody of one of those "paranormal" swords so dear to the lovers of BAD high fantasy.
She gives us a novelette with her most famous creation, Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, "The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death," which has a true noirish feel crossed with some very nasty urban fantasy. A finely wrought dark tale.
If you want something different and are willing try the world of high fantasy, this is a good place to start.
7 comments:
Cool. I just requested it from *my* library.
Too bad it's all gone to her head.
RJR
Hi Ed. Did you receive my emails?
I just sent my husband an email which got there. Have you been getting other emails?
Anyway my email said thanks for the review, both of Bill's book and my flash. I'll post the former on Friday.
I tried using reply and posting the address from scratch and I guess neither worked.
I've been getting other e mails but not yours. Thanks for writing. I don't know what's going on. As usual. :)
Have you read any of her series?
Will it matter if I read it now, even though I haven't finished the series? I'm just finishing Incubus Dream...
Thanks!
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