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    Affliction: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
    Unavailable
    Affliction: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
    Unavailable
    Affliction: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
    Audiobook19 hours

    Affliction: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel

    Written by Laurell K. Hamilton

    Narrated by Kimberly Alexis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Micah's estranged father lies dying, rotting away inside from some strange ailment that has his doctors whispering about "zombie disease."

    Anita Blake makes her living off of zombies-but these aren't the kind she knows so well. These creatures hunt in daylight, and are as fast and strong as vampires. If they bite you, you become just like them. And round and round it goes…Where will it stop? Even Anita Blake doesn't know.


    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 2, 2013
    ISBN9781101619896
    Unavailable
    Affliction: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
    Author

    Laurell K. Hamilton

    Laurell K. Hamilton is the author of the New York Times bestselling Anita Blake series and Merry Gentry series. She lives with her family in St. Louis, Missouri.

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    Reviews for Affliction

    3.5/5

    246 ratings28 reviews

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    • 3/5
      this book would have been 300 less pages if she skipped the in depth muscle mass descriptions of every person in the book
    • 4/5
      Loved Edward. Loved a lot of what happened. Loved look into Micah's life and family especially his parents' menage a trois. Loved Necromancer!Anita. Really hated the ending. I mean, come on, really? It just sorta fizzled out. The ending was seriously disappointing.
    • 4/5
      It's almost impossible for a book from either of LKH's series to get anything less that 5 stars from me. I've followed them both from the beginning and I just enjoy reading them. I have my issues with both of the lead characters, but then they wouldn't be much fun to read about if they weren't slightly malfunctional. This installment, though, had the usual recurrent character flaws that make me twitch, and one huge glaring issue that cost it a star.Since this is an Anita Blake book, going into it I knew it was going to have Anita butting heads with various males, mostly law enforcement because a. she's a woman and b. she's sleeping with more than one person (She needs to get over it. She is what she is) and, since it's later in the series, a lot of fairly mushy emotional stuff that's fairly pointless since she's going to end up in bed with whoever it's going on with anyway (They need to get over it. She is what she is). So I can't say much about that, since if it was going to ruin the story for me, I never would have bothered. What I wasn't thrilled with was the annoying 'zombie apocalypse' trope. Zombies, okay. I started reading this series back when Anita was just an animator and executioner, so those aren't all that unexpected. But did we really have to move into the "rotting, flesh-eating, contagious, shoot-em-to-pieces-which-keep-crawling, zombies in hordes" arena? If it hadn't been an Anita Blake book, I would have put it back on the shelf when I read the back, just because of that. Just, ugh. But...Anita Blake book, so I had to read it, thus ruining my multi-year streak of no 'zombie horde' books.It helped that Edward was in it, and lots of Nicky (yeah, the sociopaths amuse me). Edward was particularly entertaining this time, I thought, since he seems about the most unlikely source of relationship advice and yet on several occasions he made really good suggestions in that area. The fact that Anita didn't know everything there was to know about the present danger, and was required to admit it, was refreshing too. Micah's family was considerably more entertaining that I expected too. I usually don't care for the 'kid running home because estranged family member is dying' theme, but the reason for the estrangement was better than most and the family just amused me.All in all, it wasn't a bad installment, except the nasty zombies. I can't say I'm sorry it ended like it did, just because I didn't really want to deal with the zombies anymore. There was some interesting character development in it and I'll be interested to see how the whole wedding thing goes. Plus hopefully now we've gotten past the "zombie apocolypse" thing and can move on. (Let's just hope it's not sparkly vampires next...)Being part of the Anita Blake series gets it 3 stars automatically, because I just enjoy reading them in general, and one more for the interesting character development, Micah's family and the prominent presence of Edward and Nicky. The physical presence of Jean Claude and the Nicky/Nathaniel scene would have earned it the fifth one, but, although I'd love to ignore them, the zombies were there and I really hate that kind of zombie, so it's stuck with 4.
    • 4/5
      My favorite in a long time.
    • 5/5
      For those of you who loved the Anita books with a plot that included Anita as a U.S.Marshall and the revisiting of Edward will love this book!

      it's time to meet Micah's family. Unfortunately, the circumstances are horrible. Micah's father lays dying, infected by a new type of flesh eating zombie. Now he is rotting from the inside and no one knows how to help him.

      The specialists (Anita and Edward) have never seen this before and if they do not have the answers, who will? Who is behind this? What are these new creatures? Will the newly integrated Harlequin guards be a help or a hindrance?

      Be aware that ALL of the Anita Blake books have a huge amount of sex and it is very, very graphic. This book had much less, actually not until well into half of the 576 pages. It had lots of action and various senerios that come together beautifully to create a first rate storyline. This is the 22nd book in this series. It can be read as a stand alone but readers might want to read a couple of the previous ones to understand the relationship of all the many characters.
    • 5/5
      Laurel K Hamilton does it again! I love the Anita Blake series and I liked that this book seemed to be a soul searching of sorts for Anita. It seems like Laurell is in a way bringing the series back to its roots while at the same time allowing the characters to grow as people and move forward in their lives. That is no easy task yet Laurell is able to do it perfectly. I loved that everyone I wanted to be in this book was, it was if I just thought about them turned the page and they were there. I love the chemistry between Anita and Jean-Claude so much that I wish there was a book that was just the two of them. I mean come on Micah got his own book and he's not nearly as compelling.
    • 3/5
      Definitely a great story. I just felt that there was maybe some aggressive editing that left areas where the story jumped or missed closure or resolution. Nominally a book that includes Micah but he's mostly a side note. Definitely seems like some back story building up that may lead to interesting times with Micah and Jean Claude. Also some hints of something bad to happen with regards to Damian...
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed the last two installments of the Anita Blake series but AFFLICTION fell short to me. This is a big book so when you see it know that only 1/2 of it is actually comes close to being enjoyable. I did like the main storyline. Zombies are always fun but they take on a new life in AFFLICTION. The constant spread out and over explained dialogue was annoying. I seriously skipped through 1/2 of each chapter in the book. Something important is going on yet people have to sit and have chapter long conversations about their relationship or other miniscule things. Hello! Crisis going on! It was fun to witness Micah's family. The whole meet and greet was nothing like I (or the characters) thought it would be. It was a neat surprise. As usual the local law enforcement looks down at Anita and her men. They as usual treat Anita like a whore and we have to listen to her and them banter about it for a while until she does something crazy and they finally see she is not like her reputation makes her out to be. Same story different town. I loved that Edward was once again in the book. He is a great character, I always enjoy his dialogue. Am I the only one that felt he is being set up to sleep with Anita? I was getting that vibe but it could just be me seeing things that are not there so I would love to know if anyone else felt that way. Sigh. I'm not sure what else to say. I miss the early Anita books and thought we were getting back to those but I'm not sure after AFFLICTION.
    • 3/5
      I've been in love with this series from the beginning. I know the sex gets out of hand in some books. The descriptions get a little carried away as well. But I love where the overall plots go. I love that Anita kicks ass and continues not to be overwhelmed with the amount of power that she has. She doesn't want to abuse that power. I love her interactions with Edward. I think I think it is the best partnership in the entire series. Jason running a close second. I do like a lot of the men that Anita is with, but her interactions with Edward and Jason (who sadly isn't in this book at all) are the best.

      There is some sex scenes in this book that I think go a little too far and I don't believe for a minute that Anita would go a long with it. I believe that she will play with BDSM, but not to the point that it is taken to in this book.

      I do have to say that after reading this book, I feel like the series should be winding down to a finale. There aren't really anymore bad vamps left for her to fight. Jean-Claude is the king of all vampires, with Anita as his queen. What more can she do? I think it is just getting to a point where we have to let Anita and friends live on happily.
    • 4/5
      AFFLICTION is the 22nd book in the Anita Blake series. As with many long-running series, certain things can be expected of any new book. Anita will have issues juggling all the men she is sleeping with and handling her powers. both of these are true in this story. All the men - It is lucky that Hamilton has the writing quirk of physically describing each man each time he is part of a scene. Otherwise, they seem to be pretty interchangeable. Most of the men she is juggling in this episode are weres since she is away from St. Louis at Micah's home town and had to bring a number of guards with her.Micah's father has been bitten by some sort of a zombie and has an infection that is going to kill him. The doctors have found a way to slow it down but not stop it. Coming home raises all sorts of issues for Micah. He had alienated his family to protect them from the being that controlled him. His return means he as to deal with the anger issues that created. It also doesn't help that some of his family are religious fanatics who believe that weres are abominations. He also has some anger issues himself about his parents' divorce and his mother's remarriage. He is also unsure how to tell his family that he, Anita, and Nathaniel are romantic partners. Anita quickly gets involved in the problem of the flesh-eating zombies and the infections. This story had an overabundance of zombies! Add rotting vampires into the mix and you have a really creepy plot. Anita and crew, including Edward, have to track down the vampire making the new vampires and zombies before he manages to overwhelm Boulder, Colorado. It seems that he is necromancer like Anita and, like Anita, got some extra powers when the Mother of All Darkness was defeated. The story was exciting, especially for fans of zombies. The sex scenes were frequent and graphic. One in particular really made me uncomfortable. Anita seems to have better control of the Ardeur now but still needs to feed it frequently. I did start to find the sex scenes a little boring and skimmed to get back to the zombie part of the plot. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one but I don't think this would be a good entry point for newcomers.
    • 3/5
      Micah's father has been bitten by a flesh-eating zombie and is now dying. Anita, Micah and Nathaniel, along with some guards, head to Boulder, CO to see the family Micah had to separate himself from 10 years ago. And the problem the area is facing is right up Anita's alley even though what she's seeing is outside anything she's come across before.The dynamics in Micah's family is pretty interesting and unexpected, even to him. The story has a great deal of police work and action scenes. And even though this is an out-of-town story, most of the regulars are on hand, including Edward.It's nice to see the police of many flavors are swinging in Anita's favor, especially after proving what she can do. But there are still those that will always have a problem with her or `the monsters', and that adds some spice to the story. Thankfully, Anita appears to have gotten past her latest angst of fearing she's a monster and can't work with the police anymore. This is probably the book with the least amount of angst in it since Anita started having sex with Jean-Claude.And with the letting go of that angst, we also see her holding hands and kissing her various boyfriends and guards in front of the police on a number of occasions. This appears to be the second book in a row where she doesn't have sex with someone new.There are 3 sex scenes. One felt more romantic and I'd consider it making love more than sex, one is feeding the ardeur and taking care of friends, and the last was an uncomfortable (at least for me) BDSM scene involving being gagged, restrained and choked.I'm happy to say there are a lot less continuity errors in this book than there were in Kiss the Dead. As usual, things seem over-described; at least 78 characters are described in detail. This was great when the series was new and their weren't so many characters, but I don't really care how curly someone's hair is, especially if we'll never see them again. Many of the discussions go on a lot longer than necessary--possibly to explain things to those new to the series--but you can't just skip over them because often there is something important buried in there. Why can she have to-the-point conversations with the police but not with anyone she's close to? On the whole I thought this was a better book than the last few. Anita seems more accepting of herself, her personal relationships and her reputation with other cops, both the good and the bad opinions. We're also provided more threads for future story arcs.
    • 3/5
      Sometimes I wonder why I read Hamilton's Anita Blake vampire series - I can never remember the plots 20 minutes after I've read them, yet I still get sucked into the story line which is always the same - Anita and her multitude of preternatural lovers encounter some bad ass that wants to destroy them. Something happens to one of her lovers or their families putting them all in danger and in need of rescue. I think one of the main reasons I keep reading these is that they are readable and the character of Edward / Ted is so much fun. This time an unknown entity is raising hordes of flesh-eating zombies for an unknown purpose. Micah's dad has been bitten and is slowly rotting away and Anita is racing against the clock to determine what bad ass is behind these flesh-eaters and what its purpose is.
    • 4/5
      She's back! Good mix of action, sex, and relationship drama, unlike some of the previous books which were rather heavy-handed one way or another.
    • 4/5
      Micah's been estranged from his family for all the time Anita's known him, but when his mom calls with the news that Micah's dad's been bitten by a flesh-eating zombie, what's a girl to do but get the family back together. And of course it's not long before Anita's taken the lead in the latest extreme monster hunt. Lots of death, gore, talk of shoes, hair and "size", but not quite as much sex in this one. The banter is entertaining, and the plot doesn't quite get subsumed in the relationship issues. It's good to see Hamilton's actually back to writing and not just phoning it in, but still now quite up to par with the earliest books in the series.
    • 5/5
      This is the best LKH book I've read in some time. I picked this book up and had trouble putting it down. The action and suspense were driving and excellent; it gave some real insight into characters (of which there were a workable number); there was character growth; and the some of the sex scenes were actually interesting and worth reading. Mostly I tend to skim the sex scenes because they're boring but in this book the number was reasonably limited and a couple were worth actually reading to better understand the characters. It's a shame that Asher is coming back in the next book -- at least that what this book indicated. He started out as an interesting character and now he is a predicable pain in the butt,
    • 4/5
      I want to start off with this review is my opinion and I'm allowed to have it. With that being said, I'll proceed with my review.This is the book #22 in the Anita Blake series and, for me, one of the better ones to come along in the last dozen she has put out in this series. Like many hardcore fans I was despairing and hoping all at once that LKH would bring Anita back to being the Anita at the beginning of the series that I fell in love with as a character. Sassy, strong, intelligent and able to hold her own in a male-dominated field.Then, somewhere along the way (for me it was after Narcissus in Chains) that the plot and the heroine began to fall apart. Like many other reviewers have pointed out the books devolved into well...smut. It felt like every other page was Anita getting her freak on and the man count kept rising to the point where I got confused.I'm all for angst and exploration as a writer but, to me, some things were overkill, repetitive and unnecessary. With, Affliction, I felt that LKH regained a small spark of what attracted me to the series in the first place: plot and action.I think I've become immune to the two-dimensional behaviors of many of her characters. I've also become immune to Anita's inner whiny brat who bewails the complexity of the relationships (bed partners) she's managed to accumulate over the last ten novels.Though I am so not a fan of zombies, having them running around behaving like zombies was a nice breath of fresh air. Having Anita be ruthless Anita was also refreshing.I disagree a little with other reviews about her becoming "too girly" (Is there such a thing?). As a tomboy myself, I've had to learn that it's okay to get dressed up and be "soft". I do agree, however, that her clothing choice and personal choices while getting into and during a fight are on the unrealistic side. If you're going to fight bad guys, I don't think you go out in a mini skirt to do it.There were so many other little things that I choose to overlook while reading the book but the biggest thing that stood out for me was the toning down (and I mean way down) of the sex. I think I counted 5 or 6 scenes total (sorry if I'm wrong on the count) that I happily bypassed so that I could keep reading the story with its *gasp* plot.The ending was a bit of a letdown but I did enjoy Edward's crowing over who was the baddest. That part did get a chuckle out of me.Would I recommend it to others? I would, but with a disclaimer. If you don't like erotic/BDSM elements, alternative lifestyles or you're squeamish about gore and violence, this entire series might not be for you.
    • 4/5
      This was one of the better recent Anita Blake books I've read. The story actually had a plot, and that plot was actually followed through upon. Of course, there was still far too much description of what all the men look like, but since this seems to be the way Anita views and deals with the people in her world, I found it less annoying than usual. The danger, its follow-through, and particularly the resolution, were much better done than many of Hamilton's recent novels.
    • 4/5
      I want to say 5 stars as LKH returned to the old style preternatural crime/mystery which always keeps me hooked and means that I'll finish the book in under 48 hours. However, there was so much build up and I was running out of pages that I honestly expected a massive cliff hanger. Instead the end just felt too rushed to be worthy of 5 stars.
    • 3/5
      The one thing that really pissed me off in this book, was the description of Anita having triple E cups. Really? When has she ever had boobs that big? There's no way it's "genetics", you cannot be a US marshal, be short, work out all the time, and have natural triple E cups. WHY the hell does she need porn star boobs? How the hell is she going to draw a normal handgun effectively, let alone anything tactical? RIDICULOUS.

      As with the rest of the Anita Blake books these days, I read them, basically skim or read quickly through the sex scenes, and keep going for the rest of the story. They've gotten better, but they're just not what they used to be.

    • 5/5
      Spectacular! A perfect blend of fast paced action and ol fashioned loving. Zombies are annoying, these zombies are off the charts annoyances. Our evil vampire is made even more evil by circumstance. Anita comes to terms with the loves of her life and gains better acceptance of herself. Micah gains a family he thought he had lost long ago. Jean Claude, Micah, and Nathaniel get a surprise yes! Edward gets his zombie apocalypse and the use of a flame thrower and illegal grenades. So many events happen in this book that I feel as if the whirlwind of this book has finally let my sails take a rest.i feel emotionally sated and yet I am hungry for the next book! Ah, this was a great read, another succulent novel from a fabulous writer!
    • 4/5
      Strong entry, they don't know all there is to know about strange things. Love/family life developments. Should be an interesting wedding.......
    • 3/5
      If you love Anita Blake and have been keeping up with the novels, you'll want to read this one. Hamilton has returned to some of the elements that made the early novels great and were missing from the recent ones. There is more action, less conspiracy, more hunting the bad guy, less posturing and politics (though it still makes an appearance), and Edward - I always enjoy it when he shows up. Affliction is certainly better than the last three books, but it is not a fantastic return to the style of books 1-6 as some reviewers would have you believe (let's face it, that ship has sailed). Sadly, Anita has lost her ability to be one of the guys. She used to communicate with looks, handshakes, and grunts. Now, we have to deal with long conversations during which readers who aren't keeping up with the series get brought up to speed. The rest of us have to wonder why two (or more) characters are discussing events for which both of them were present and why the discussion is taking so long or why we are getting the soup to nuts description of a character that has been with us through 15 books. This has been a weak point in the last several novels, and the theme continues here.
    • 3/5
      We finally get to have zombies again in the books even if Anita isn't raising them herself. Granted it comes with another family emergency with Micah but there is no identical cousins story to go with it this time. The usual story tropes of people afraid she will take over a case just by being there. Sexist law enforcement people hating on her about the only thing that the book didn't have was the other Master of the City getting pissy with her being in his territory. Only a few sex scenes but now I swear even though she isn't feeding her ardeur in each one she still has to try and top the previous books with something outrageous.
    • 5/5
      Synopsis: Micah’s dad, Russ, is dying; guilt and worry plague Micah as he rushes to the hospital. There he must confront his mother, her second husband and his devoutly prejudiced aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Anita Blake is faced with a paranormal phenomenon that does not fit into what she knows about vampires, were-animals, ghouls, ghosts, and zombies. This lack of knowledge puts her loved ones, as well as ‘civilians’ in danger. Review: This is a wonderful book! The plot is well developed and nicely twisted. Pathos, sex, friendship and violence are well mixed to keep the reader’s interest throughout. Character backgrounds are further explored, increasing attention to subplots and relationships. My only complaint, as a charter member of the grammar police, is the improper use of adverbs that is not associated with dialog.
    • 4/5
      I came a little late to the Anita Blake series, and had great fun in the beginning reading the books one right after another. The early books in the series had a good balance of violence, moral quandaries, and romance. As the series has gone on I feel like it’s lost a lot of its charm, however. I thought this book was good, but not great like some of the earlier titles. I’m frankly tired of hearing Anita complain over and over about the double standard between men who sleep around (studs) and women who do the same (sluts). It’s true, but it’s the life she chose so get over it! There were also a lot of details about the weaponry. I skimmed a few pages when Anita was arming herself up because it was way too much information on that for me. Finally, I found the conclusion wrapped things up pretty fast compared to the build up to it.With all of that said, there was plenty that I liked about the book. I like anything that has a big Micah and Nathaniel focus, and this one also had lots of Nicky in it. I particularly enjoyed learning more about his character. I also found the introduction of Micah’s family a lot of fun. As usual there is a big baddie on the loose and good news – Edward comes in to help! He’s also a favorite of mine. So, if you like the Anita Blake universe I do recommend reading this book. It’s entertaining and gives insight into some characters that hadn’t yet come to the surface. For that alone I think it was worth the read.
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasyallthingsuf.comAFFLICTION has been my favorite Anita Blake book in a long, long time. Interesting action, actual relationship development between several characters, and some intriguing issues for future books. I enjoyed how some of Anita’s lovers are starting to distinguish themselves from the pack, and the action side of things (minus the repetitive ego-stroking and head-butting with law enforcement), was interesting. For the first time in a long time, Anita suffered a loss that touched my emotions.Around these compelling elements, however, there was still a lot of this story that was dead weight. At this point in the series, I view the inevitable diatribes between Anita and various small-minded, petty, strangers much like junk DNA. As long as it is skippable without causing me to lose the flow of the story, I’m fine. There were a few instances where I had to flip back to the beginning of a conversation to figure out who is talking to Anita. Ernest Hemmingway style, Hamilton doesn’t break up her dialog with a lot of “Anita said/Nicky said” tags, but this doesn’t work when discussions don’t offer any context clues as to who is speaking (Meaning, Anita always sounds like Anita, but most bodyguards/lovers/police officers are interchangeable cyphers and hard to keep track of).Viewing AFFLICTION in the context of recently re-reading the Merry Gentry series, I’d say the Anita Blake books have become all about mechanics. Whether it be the nuts and bolts of police/SWAT procedure or the Do’s and Don’ts of group sex and polyamorous relationships, Blake has become very cut and dry. While much of those mechanical relationships I can miss, I still enjoy Hamilton’s fantastical elements. The way power shifts in her world, the way politics collides with practice, the way Anita continues to develop new powers and abilities… all of these details are what keep me coming back for more.Sexual Content: Graphic sex scenes.
    • 2/5
      Oh DearMore of a rant than a review I'm afraid.Am I the only one who notices that this series is turning into the Merry Gentry series? Perhaps Laurell should have continued with that series if she wanted to write badly written, non-erotic, erotica? Am I the only one that notices that Anita is also turning into a looks obsessed girly girl? What happened to the black jeans and Nikes? Why do we have to know that she is wearing a thigh holster under her short little skirt and pretty colored jacket? Because, let's admit it - It is just so darn easy to kick zombie, shape-shifter and vampire butt when wearing a mini skirt, jacket and high heels now don't we? Why do we put up with these sorts of details? Was it more important to be thinking about hair length than to think about how to tell Micah horrible news about his family? When the heck did Anita get triple-E cup breasts? And, how did she never once fall over from the weight of them on her tiny little slim figure?This book started off with a bang - with a new disease that started out on the East Coast making its way westward and lodging itself firmly in Anita's world.I've read all of the books (both series) and the last few have left such a little impression on me. I used to re-read these books religiously, but for about the last 4 or 5 I just haven't felt the urge. In addition, with that lack of gripping story lines and fascinating character interactions, comes the fact that I just do not care to revisit them as I used to.The story itself finally gets a little interesting once we get to Colorado to Micah's family, although we had to beat the horse dead while explaining (over and over and OVER) the ménage that Anita brought with her. Of course, we find some of the characters to be religious zealots so we shall beat yet another dead horse.Politics seem to dominate the first half of this book - whether it is furry and fangy politics or the politics of Anita taking over an investigation (again what is new?)I think that is my main issue with the last books, is there is truly no new territory to explore. Ms Hamilton simply tells the same story in as many ways as we will put up with. However, my last straw is the blending of Merry and Anita. I loved it when they were two separate and very distinct series. I do NOT like this ambiguous heroine that blends the best (or worst) of two different heroines.The constant harping on Anita's love life, with pages and pages of explanations is getting old too. Ms Hamilton, if she knew what she was writing was good and was what the readers wanted to hear, wouldn't need to keep justifying it. This sort of over-explanation of an out of the norm relationship, would be something I would expect in chick lit or romance - not in a book of this genre. This series has finally turned the final corner into a romance series with mystery, action and horror being in a distant second and third place. Very distantI do not like the new-ish (I know it has really been going on for many books now) Mary Sue character of Anita, one who gets new powers, as she needs them, as if the author cannot come up with anything better. It is as if Ms Hamilton says "Oh I wrote myself into a corner, so let's give Anita new powers with no true explanation or reason other than to get me out of this corner without me using my writing and plotting skills"About the only thing left for Anita to do that I don't think she has been done yet is to `double berth' like Merry did. However, I am afraid that that day is nearer than we think.There are some things that make this a worthy read for the fans of the later books - but for fans from the start, the people who have read and re-read the books from when Anita still wore the Nikes with the "swoosh" I'm afraid you will be disenchanted and disheartened. It really saddens me that Anita's love life makes more of us cringe (and not in a good way) than the blood and guts, the fighting and action and the mystery and suspense used to.And by the way, am I the only one not in a ménage?
    • 2/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A bit more of a story in Affliction but with all the arguments, power plays and repetitive descriptions I struggled to finish the story.Opening Sentence: My gun was digging into my back, so I shifted forward in my office chair.The Review:Affliction is the 22nd story in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. This novel was over two hundred pages longer than the last novel, Kiss the Dead. The really awesome thing about Affliction it was more story than not but I struggled to finish this novel. It took me a month to read, it really shouldn’t have taken me this long but I didn’t want to pick it back up. In fact, I wouldn’t let myself pick up any books until I finished this one as an incentive to finish it. (Obviously that was not a smart idea.) It has been several days since I finished the book and looking back I had no problem with the overall story. I’m just tired of the overblown dramatics and characters picking the same fights over and over again. Plus, how many times does Anita need to go into dramatic detail on hair and eye color? (The answer: Just about every single person she encounters.)No one knows the supernatural quite like Anita Blake so when she gets word that Micah’s father is dying from being bitten by a zombie, she knows she must send Micah to visit a family he hasn’t seen in a long time. Anita fully intends to NOT investigate when she goes, she is only going to Colorado to comfort Micah, but when it turns out a zombie bite is killing those who are bit she is too intrigued to not jump into the investigation. Anita quickly winds up in a situation that is over her head, when one of her bodyguards die, she discovers that she is dealing with a force more powerful than anything she’s dealt with before. But that can’t be because Anita has killed all the big baddies.After Anita fights with most of the police force for being… you know, herself. She ends up leading a task force against flesh eating zombies with a deadly bite and an unknown force that can control Anita’s own people. She ends up neglecting Micah and his needs. This job is a tough one and takes up most of her time but she does still find the time to feed the ardour, in a crazy sex scene where I’m still not exactly sure she did feed the ardour, because in the past Nicky has always had to remind her that she didn’t feed. I always assumed just the act would do it and since it wasn’t written that she fed (usually after the first round), I don’t think that she did. I’m just glad I didn’t have to read another filler scene in order for her to feed.Things I liked:Story – I didn’t feel like I completely wasted my time. Anita actually worked on something besides sexual vampire politics.Edward – I really enjoy this character but after some stupid stuff was revealed he may resort to my didn’t like list.Creepy Zombies – These things were uber-creepy. They also learned quickly and adapted to their environments. These things were smart. They also walked in daylight and were super-fast.Things I didn’t like:Pissing contests – Does everyone have to have a beef with Anita? Yeah, she still had like 1 in a group of 30 on her side but geez…. Can I get through 1 book without someone wanting to whip out their metaphorical dick on her? I’m just tired of it.Repetition – I already know what Micah looks like… do you have to keep telling me every so many pages why his eyes change color? Yeah I know Hazel can be green or brown depending on mood or clothes.Dialogue – So much of it was the pissing contests or adding conflict for no reason. (See Notable Scene below.)Length of Novel – This novel could have been 300 pages shorter if it didn’t have all that terrible dialogue and repetition. Can Anita just get on with the job?I’m sorry for my repetitive review of another Anita Blake novel. I have one more slated for review and then I think I’m done. I can’t take it anymore. I don’t need Anita/Laurell making excuses for her sex life through the book anymore. I also need the pissing contests to STOP. If someone can tell me that Anita makes it through a book without having to make excuses for why she does things the way she does, then maybe I’ll come back to this world.Notable Scene:“What did I do wrong?” he said.“How did you know that?”“Flirting for distraction is the same no matter if it’s women or men, Anita.”“You’re saying you’ve done the same thing.”“I’ve been the young, cute distraction on a few jobs back when I was with my first lion pride, so yeah.” His face was neutral as he said it, empty of emotion. It was the way he hid when he was feeling something, because Nicky wasn’t a born sociopath; his feelings had gotten tortured and abused out of him. It meant he still had feelings, but they were… hidden and a little twisted.“You do more than just flirt on the job?” I asked.“Don’t do this,” Edward said.I glared at him. “Do what?”“Pick at the people you love, because you’ve finally got a minute that isn’t an emergency and all the feelings you’ve been showing down inside are trying to find a way out, and if you won’t give them a nice clean exit wound, they’ll tear their way out of your life and everyone near you.”FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Affliction. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.