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A review of The Laughing Corpse

by Laurell K. Hamilton

The second novel in the terrifying adventures of Anita Blake, vampire hunter.

Reviewed by: April Dawn Duncan
About April Dawn Duncan

The Laughing Corpse It takes a lot to disturb the Executioner. But even Anita Blake, heap big vampire slayer that she is, has her soft spots. A blood-soaked, gory teddy bear and all its implications is one of them. Now she'll go to any lengths, even sacrificing herself, to try and stop whoever or whatever is responsible. She's the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team's retainer and expert advisor on supernatural crimes. She's not supposed to get involved. Ri-ight.

As if having to fend off the Master of the City and refusing to work for a powerful client who won't take no for an answer isn't enough. The crime trail is leading into places she'd rather not go and pointing at people she'd rather not anger. It takes a hell of a lot to scare the Executioner. But one of the primary suspects scares her witless. And the Master of the City is proposing something that chills her to the bone. Anita doesn't like being scared. She tends to react by facing and conquering the things that scare her. Only this time, the monsters aren't just scary. They've broken through her defenses and have a hold on her, a really tight one right around her neck. "The Laughing Corpse", by Laurell K. Hamilton, is the second novel in the "Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter" series. And unlike many sequels, this one is just as incredible as the first. Hamilton's tell-it-like-it-is narrative doesn't miss a beat; and no matter what befalls the heroine, her humor is always intact.

Though this series inevitably involves a complex plot with cunning adversaries, the real focus is the evolving of character under adverse circumstances. To me, that is one of the most important elements to any story. I always love to have a character I admire and can root for, and Anita is all of that and more. Already, I can see the slow, but deep character development of the heroine as she deals with the horrors that the world slings at her. Hamilton allows us to see Anita Blake at her toughest, at her most vulnerable, and everything in-between. Anita may be able to fool most everyone else, but she can't fool us. We're inside her head. She can't help but carry us with her wherever she goes. After having been through everything with her in the first novel of the series, we know that she's somewhat of a paradox. She has two halves inside of her fighting for control. One half is a survivor, and survivors do whatever it takes to survive. The other half is a good-hearted person with ironclad morals, and good-hearted people do not let the innocent get hurt. But which half will win out in the end? Where is the line that separates her from the monsters? How can she adapt to survive and still hold onto her cherished morals? Only time will tell, and I eagerly look forward to finding the answers along with her.

Put on all your sparring gear because this book doesn't pull any punches. Hamilton plunges us right into the depths of supernatural horror with only Anita's convictions to hold onto.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Laughing Corpse

Copyright © by April Dawn Duncan, 2003

Reviewed by April Dawn Duncan:
--Threshold: A Novel of Deep Time - by Caitlin R. Kiernan
--Yarrow: An Autumn Tale - by Charles de Lint
--The Morgaine Saga - by C. J. Cherryh
--Tigana - by Guy Gavriel Kay
--Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
--Foreigner: A Novel of First Contact - by C.J. Cherryh
--Guilty Pleasures - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Laughing Corpse - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Circus of the Damned - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Lunatic Cafe - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Bloody Bones - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--The Killing Dance - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Burnt Offerings - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Blue Moon - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Obsidian Butterfly - by Laurell K. Hamilton
--Narcissus in Chains - by Laurell K. Hamilton









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