Anita - Setting

[dan-lian.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking a bit about LKH lately (mostly because I'm looking fora MUX or two to play in, and ran across some Anita Blake ones). I think she had a fantastic setting--it was modern without shooting into the future, it was realistic and intelligently formed, with realistic bias and prejudice. Where did that go? When did it go away?

I think LKH got to the point that she felt people knew enough about her universe, Anita's world, to not need the constant setting material, and then flung us into Anita's sex life. By doing that, I think she forgot a lot of the things she developed and where she went with it, and it's been disappointing.

What are your thoughts on it? Do you like the world, minus Anita's sex life?

Comments

[missamii.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with the people that love the stuff about how the supernatural world meets the human world and the social ramifications there of. I think a lot of the reason I hate the books after The Killing Dance is that Anita's complete absorption into the supernaturals' world makes less and less sense. Sure, I guess as human servant and lover of Jean Claude she'd get pulled into vamp politics, but he is such a wussy master of the city that I can't believe that no one has dethroned him. Anita is still just a human so I find it so unbelievable that she manages to scare the pants off all the vampire big wigs and yet it doesn't provoke them to go all out to kill her and JC. I still don't get why she's got a place in the werewolf pack and they need her as the pack assassin. I get that before Richard was in charge the pack was so dysfuctional that they needed someone who would come in and start busting heads, but why would Richard let her stay when she causes him so much grief? The issue boils down to the fact that Anita is still just a human. If one of those werebeasties really wanted to do her in before she could kill them, I'm sure they could. It's just the monsters always seem to play by some set of gentlemanly rules. There never seems to be a surprise attack, and by this I mean when Anita is completely and totally off guard and unarmed. No one ever attacks her before she gets an inkling from someone that trouble's a-come'n. At least in the early books Anita made sense as a vampire/werewolf hunter. She had to hunt vampires with caution by engaging them during the day. Werewolfs don't have any magical powers so I can buy that you can take them down with a few slugs if you can get the drop on them. I just can't believe that now that Anita is tangling with some increasingly powerful monsters that a gun trumps all their intangible power.

[zombiexbunny.livejournal.com]

Yeah. You would at least think that in the midst of one of those orgies, someone would be able to come in, bust some ass, and then leave before she could even untangle herself from her 5 (hundred) guys and grab a gun.

As much as I love the concept of the books, I have trouble wrapping my head around the stuff you just mentioned. Although, with Jean Claude, I really don't think he was all that powerful as he pretended to be. I honestly believe that is why he keeps Anita around - she feeds his power base. He doesn't love her, he loves the power she brings.

Regarding Richard: he should have dropkicked her ass to the curb a LONG time ago. Like you said, why on earth does he keep her around as Bolverk and Lupa? That just makes no sense whatsoever. I understand they will always have the tie of the triumvirate, but come on...enough already.

And the fact that she insists that all these men be monogamous to her and yet she can screw anything that moves just pisses me off to no end.

[missamii.livejournal.com]

The Anita-in-the-wolf pack makes less sense the more you think about it. Richard is the ulfric and strength in the pack is paramount. You'd think that Richard would have banished her long ago seeing that all Anita does is bust his chops. By taking her crap he looks weak but throwing her out might be a good tactical move on his part because it show everyone he's capable of removing a thorn from his side.