Incubus Dreams

Reviewer's Bookwatch, Oct, 2004 by Alisa McCune

Incubus Dreams

Laurell K. Hamilton

Berkley Publishing Group

http://www.penguin.com

ISBN: 0425198243 $23.95 658 pp.

Incubus Dreams is author Laurell K. Hamilton's latest installment in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. After 11 books in this series, Hamilton still manages to surprise the reader with new material.

Incubus Dreams opens at a wedding--Tammy and Larry's. This is not a church event as the blushing bride is not only a cop, but a witch as well. Not to mention that the groom raises the dead for a living. It would seem a Halloween theme has been somehow made to fit for a wedding--orange bridesmaid dresses, orange and black decorations, and so on. Thankfully, Anita is on the groom's side and allowed to wear a tux as a 'groomsman.' The Anita we know has been forced into many a bridesmaid dress--but the orange creations for this wedding are horrid in every way.

As with any event in Anita's life, a murder takes place and she is forced to leave the wedding to fulfill her duties as a consultant to the Regional Preternatural Investigation Unit and a Federal Marshal. The murder is almost tame after the murder scenes visited in Narcissus in Chains and Cerulean Sins. Just a dead stripper. Only twist is that this stripper seems to have been drained dry by multiple vampires. While Anita is positive none of her lover and the vampire Master of the City Jean-Claude's vampires would commit this crime, others are not convinced. Anita must face many prejudices and find ways to fit into the cop mentality once again.

To add more spice to the murder storyline, Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard--werewolf and Ulfric, enter into a new power level. This creates many conflicts within Anita's life. Not only must she embrace Richard's beast and her own, but into this comes her 'vampire servant' Damian's loneliness, everyone's rage, Jean-Claude's blood lust and ardeur to round out the mix. Everything in Anita's life hinges on her ability to be flexible and accepting. These are not two characteristics that Anita has been known to posses in the past.

Incubus Dreams delivers to more then just a die hard Hamilton fan. The mystery/murder is interesting and allows us to experience the horror of the monsters. Anita has just enough friction from her fellow investigators to remind us just how sexist and bigoted the old boy's school mentality can be. Her new powers enhance her skills in the investigation, but also hinder her with their baggage. Nothing is every straight forward with Anita and her powers.

While many consider the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series to be nothing more than erotica, they are vastly underrating the series. Incubus Dreams does contain many explicit sexual encounters. Some of these encounters are not pleasant to read--nor do I think they are meant to be. The powerful sexual incubus that Jean-Claude has inadvertently shared with Anita is not amiable. It is a driving force that she must feed or face the consequences. This dilemma gives rise to the sexual acts. The sexuality is not gratuitous in nature and has a purpose in the story arc of the entire series.

Incubus Dreams allows the reader to see that Laurell K. Hamilton is still able to produce amazing characters in mind-blowing situations. The story line of the mystery/murder and Anita's life is continued, but more complete then any of the previous books. Hamilton has allowed herself to write until she has completed the story and it shows in the 658 pages of Incubus Dreams. I look forward to the next installment of Anita Blake.

Laurell K. Hamilton is the St. Louis author of twelve Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series books and three novels in the Meredith Gentry series. She has also published a number of short stories along with another novel recently re-released, Nightseer.