More Fun Than a Barrel of Zombies
Written: Jun 17 '03 (Updated Jun 17 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun read, interesting characters, intriguing plot.
Cons: Overly gory at times.
The Bottom Line: A worthy sequel.
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| Bruguru's Full Review: Laurell K. Hamilton - The Laughing Corpse |
Anita Blake is back, and as usual, she’s knee deep in trouble. Not content merely to hunt vampires, the Executioner (as she is known in the bloodsucker community) has gotten herself on the wrong side of a master voodoo priestess and a wealthy industrialist trying to raise a long-deceased relative from the dead. It just doesn’t seem like poor old Anita ever has a good day, and as the reader follows the action of The Laughing Corpse, this generally proves to be the case.
This, the second book in Laurell K. Hamilton’s long-running vampire hunter series follows the action in Guilty Pleasures, suggested reading before you plow into The Laughing Corpse. As one might expect, the writing style is similar in both books, and once again Hamilton manages to spin an entertaining, spooky, and fascinating yarn that will, as before, keep you on the edge of your seat.
As our story opens, Anita is called by the police to the scene of a brutal murder. The victims have been literally ripped apart and partially eaten in their home, leading Anita to believe that someone has set a killer super-zombie on the loose. Few people have the ability to call forth such a creature, and Anita provides the police with a short list of suspects. Meanwhile, she sets out on her own to investigate the murders, and as more occur, Anita must race against the clock to prevent even more deaths.
That’s not her only trouble, however. Harold Gaynor, a wealthy industrialist with ties to organized crime wants Anita to resurrect a centuries dead ancestor and offers her a cool million dollars to perform the ceremony. There's only one problem: to bring back a zombie from such a long dead corpse requires a human sacrifice, something Anita refuses to do. Not one to take no for an answer, Gaynor sets his thugs on Anita’s track in an attempt to persuade her to consent.
On top of all this, Jean Claude, master vampire of the city and a real pain in the neck (ouch), just won’t give up in his quest to complete the process of making Anita his human servant. And you thought you were having a bad day. Will the zombie be caught? Will Gaynor receive his just rewards? Will Jean Claude finally put the bite on Anita? The answers to these and other questions will be revealed in the pages of The Laughing Corpse.
As a sequel, The Laughing Corpse comes close to the standard set by Guilty Pleasures, although it seems to fall just a peg short of the original. To be sure, there’s more than enough action here along with a good dose of suspense and scares. Hamilton has created another horror mystery book that’s a really fun read with a good dash of humor that will at times have you laughing aloud.
At times, though, the book seems slightly drawn out, and the reader wonders if the author was trying overly to eke out the plot. I found some of the scenes too gory; this is definitely not a book for young readers or the squeamish. Unlike Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse focuses on zombies, and though the author is nonetheless able to tell a good story here, we get the sense that Anita is at her best when pitted against vampires. Some of the best scenes here involve the latter, which are too few and far between.
All in all, I enjoyed The Laughing Corpse and will certainly move on to the next book in the series. If you enjoyed Guilty Pleasures, likely you will be pleased with this one too.
Those interested in reading about Guilty Pleasures can read my review by clicking below:
http://www.epinions.com/content_102478745220
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Bruguru
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