The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 2)

Laurell K. Hamilton

"The Laughing Corpse" is the second in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K....more

"The Laughing Corpse" is the second in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although the focus is much more on her job as an Animator than as the person the vampires call The Executioner. Once again the title is taken the name of a St. Louis hangout for those who like to visit the dark side, in this case a comedy club (helpful hint: zombies do not like to be the butt of jokes). This time around Anita is in way over her head with a whole bunch of serious problems. A lord of the underworld wants to pay her big time bucks to raise someone who has been dead for a couple of hundred years and does not like it that Anita has refused because the only way to do so required a human sacrifice. Her friend Catharine is getting married and wants Anita to be a bridesmaid, which involves wearing a pink gown that has to be altered to cover all of her scars. The voodoo priestess for the entire Midwest has learned how to put a person's soul back in their dead body, which stops the zombies from decaying, and Anita refuses to help her raise more zombies for profit. Meanwhile, Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire of St. Louis who has already put two of his marks upon our heroine, demands Anita start acting like his human servant. But the case Anita is trying to focus regards a savage zombie that is going around murdering families in their home, making her problems with three powerful people who refuse to take "No" for an answer rather inconsequential. Like it says on the coffee mug her boss would not let her have at the office, "It's a dirty job and I get to do it." I was surprised to decide at the end of "The Laughing Corpse" that it was not only an improvement over the first book in the series, but one of the best horror stories I have ever read (and I read a lot of horror novels). There is a lot going on her, but Hamilton weaves the various cases, most of which would have sustained an entire novel, into a coherent narrative. I really was surprised when everything came together in the end. Hamilton has a much surer sense of her character this time around and I have every reason to believe that future novels in the series will be at least as good as this way. These books deserve their reputation and popularity if the rest are any where near as good as "The Laughing Corpse." Big Time Warning: this is a gruesome book. Younger readers of "The Laughing Corpse" are going to be upset by several of the scenes, especially when Anita investigates the bloody crime scenes and the climatic encounter. I read these sections in the light of day and they were still disturbing. Those who come to this series because of their love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer need to be told that this is a much darker world where the violence is brutally horrific and not beautifully choreographed. These books are much more intense. If they made this into a film it would give "The Exorcist" a run for its money. Remember, you were given fair warning.    hide

The series starts to pick up a bit better after the good though heavily flawed Guilty Pleasures....more

The series starts to pick up a bit better after the good though heavily flawed Guilty Pleasures. Character development stats to take place, and the scope of the novel was overall wider. A few interesting side plots were created and left unresolved, helping create a good sense of series and desire to read the next. The ending, however, felt a bit rushed (though enjoyable) -- it could really have used another 50 pages or so to transition into the end. Overall much more solid than the first book of the series and has me interested to see how things will develop.   hide

I was walking through a Borders one day looking for a book to read on a long plane ride. I came...more

I was walking through a Borders one day looking for a book to read on a long plane ride. I came across this book having never heard of Laurell K. Hamilton or her Anita Blake Series. I picked it up on the off chance that it would hold my attention and was pleasantly suprised. I didn't realize that this was the second book in the series when I read it. It was so amazing and got me so into it that I went on to read the first book and am currently on book 11. Great book and great series. It comes highly recommended!   hide

This book was a great follow up to Guilty Pleasures which, while an awesome book, I felt it was a ...more

This book was a great follow up to Guilty Pleasures which, while an awesome book, I felt it was a tad dry of personal development. I didn't feel like I really knew Anita and Jean-Claude but this book helped to flesh them out. Plus nothing makes for a good book like a creepy villain everyone loves to hate. Dominga gives me chills.   hide

quite simply one of the most stylish and entertaining paranormal - urban evil - minor trace of...more

quite simply one of the most stylish and entertaining paranormal - urban evil - minor trace of romance - stories I've personally ever read. Hamilton's first few books in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series were ground-breaking. Mesmerizing, funny, engaging, with unbelievable characters you just had to believe in and plot lines that would make Tom Clancy proud.   hide