Anita Blake Vampire Hunter

Arbiter of Wyrms · Aug 15, 2006

Before I start on it, has someone else already done the work of statting out Hamilton's vampires for D&D?

Rodrigo Istalindir · Aug 15, 2006

I don't think so, but then again, I don't think any of us play F.A.T.A.L.

Bobitron · Aug 15, 2006

Are those books and/or comics good? I'm not talking good because of subject matter, 'cause it's a recipe for fun. I'm asking if they are GOOD as in well-thought out plot wise and written at a high level of competence.

WayneLigon · Aug 15, 2006

Arbiter of Wyrms said:
Before I start on it, has someone else already done the work of statting out Hamilton's vampires for D&D?

Not that I know of. I'd just use the normal vampire template and add class levels as needed; the Council people are obviously astoundingly powerful, having numerous Sorcerer levels and more. I forget what benefits being Master of the City confers but it seems to be an actual state of being. Maybe that should be a template as well, giving the vampire the inability to be Dominated within it's precinct, or granting additional saves.

TheAuldGrump · Aug 15, 2006

Bobitron said:
Are those books and/or comics good? I'm not talking good because of subject matter, 'cause it's a recipe for fun. I'm asking if they are GOOD as in well-thought out plot wise and written at a high level of competence.

The first few were worth reading, then somewhere along the line it became light pornography, and really bad stories at the same time.

(I could live with the soft porn, but when it became more important than the plot it was time to ditch the series.)

The Auld Grump

Rodrigo Istalindir · Aug 15, 2006

Bobitron said:
Are those books and/or comics good? I'm not talking good because of subject matter, 'cause it's a recipe for fun. I'm asking if they are GOOD as in well-thought out plot wise and written at a high level of competence.

The first few aren't bad. The latter books are way too into the main characters sexual relationships at the expense of more interesting plots or character development. The writing is pretty good, though.

WayneLigon · Aug 15, 2006

Bobitron said:
Are those books and/or comics good? I'm not talking good because of subject matter, 'cause it's a recipe for fun. I'm asking if they are GOOD as in well-thought out plot wise and written at a high level of competence.

Read the first two or three, maybe the fourth one.

The books are very good with a great backstory, interesting sense of humor, fantastic worldbuilding and such ... up to about number four or so. Right about then, either Hamilton's agent or publisher seems to have said 'Honey, your books sell well but the only way you're getting into hardback is to pump up the sex'. After that, her worldbuilding and the budding mysteries and the human supporting cast all take a back seat to an exploration of the kinky side of straight-gay BDSM Shifter sex and such. Sex of any shape, quality or gender doesn't bother me at all, but page after page of it with threadbare plot advancement and virtually no character development just bores me. It doesn't help that Hamilton can't write a sex scene very well, either.

From what I've been told, the Merry Gentry books are even worse on this point; she just dives straight in with the sex and doesn't let up at all. I tried the first one and couldn't get past about the first third of it. Mixing faeries and sex seems a natural thing to do; they are usually portrayed as powerfully sexual creatures, but again page after page with no development equals boredom.

Rackhir · Aug 15, 2006

I stumbled across a conversation at one point on a web board where they were concerned that they couldn't even discuss some of the later books with a member who was underaged, since they could concievably fall afoul of one or another of the "Child Protection" acts.

IcyCool · Aug 15, 2006

The first 3 or 4 were pretty good, and then they became erotica. Not really what I wanted to read, you know? I read one of the later ones at a friends suggestion and it was pretty good, but that's mainly because Anita was out of town and helping her friend, Edward. Obsidian Butterfly was the book. But anyway, read the first few (they are excellent), and pretend the rest of them don't exist.

Jubilee · Aug 15, 2006

Definately read the first 4 or so books, and Obisdian Butterfly. Obsidian Butterfly was quite good.

When statting out vampires from the novels, one of the things worth emphasizing is the differnet bloodlines. There are Vampires who feed off emotions (which somehow equals sex) rather than blood, and some others that can start rotting like a corpse at will (I'm not sure why this is considered a super-power..). If I were writing it, I'd probably make a vampire bloodline based on each of the seven deadly sins or something. Anyway, there were probably more in the book, but I've forgotten them.

/ali