By Laurell K. Hamilton
Published in 1994

Blessed Beltane, Happy May, etc etc… or as Guinevere would say in the musical Camelot – “It’s time, it’s here that shocking time of year, when tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear. It’s May! It’s May! The month of great dismay. When all the world is brimming with fun, wholesome of un.”

What can I say, I’m a sucker for musicals, that song gets stuck in my head the majority of the month. Hell, at least I’ll remember it’s May.

Yesterday I spent in great reflection, thinking about the people who survive these tragedies. Came to the conclusion that the survivors of these things are more victims than the ones who were killed. But, that’s a personal opinion and not really something that needs elaborated on here.

I am going to be very happy when I am not sick and can put a coherent thought down without pausing to check and ensure I’m making sense. Or rambling…Like I am now.

Okay, on with the show. Today, it’s The Laughing Corpse, book two of the Anita Blake novels. Later, if I’m feeling a bit better, I’ll toss up a movie or some music I think.

I gave you a basic overview of Anita in Sunday’s post regarding Guilty Pleasures. Nothing’s changed here; she’s still a kick ass pseudo-cop ass deep in alligators.

The older the zombie the stronger the death needed to raise it. Offered enough money almost anyone would be willing to slay a hornless goat and raise the dead. Anyone but Anita that is. Morals and ethics inline she turns down the job but the man with the money doesn’t like to be told no. Finding someone with less ethics is easy when you wave around the cash and Anita is left to clean up the mess.

The writing is stronger here, the characters more developed (take a look at chapter one if you don’t believe me), but I have to admit what keeps me turning the pages (I’m on book nine now, will probably start ten by nightfall) isn’t the kick ass female lead or the monsters. It’s the underlying humor that Laurell continues to draw forth in these books. In the worst of situations, Blake or one of her compatriots have some of the best lines I’ve seen written. I’m particularly enamored of the whole idea of being ass deep in alligators.

The strong female modern day lead is a nice change, don’t get me wrong, and Laurell certainly fills the pages with enough description to provide decent eye-candy for male or female reader. The combination of worst nightmares – vampires, wereanimals, magic and more – and modern day society is believable.

One thing is for certain, fans of the Blake series are true fans. The books are not always easy to find in your local bookstore or book-reseller. They’re on the bookshelf of the fan waiting for the time a few months from now when the series is begun all over again.

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