Micah: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel, Book 13

... well, I'm probably exaggerating a bit with the ratings, but in contrast to _Incubus Dreams_, this is ... a masterpiece.The book is 288 pages, the last 30-odd being a preview of Danse Macabre. And rather than the densely spaced tiny text, this is normal-sized text, double-spaced. It's like reading a Parker _Spenser_ novel -- and it reads nearly as fast. Short chapters -- even short sentences -- and, wonder of wonders, a plot that doesn't center on, or even consist primarily of (a) Anita having sex with people, (b) Anita learning she has new and terrible powers.Well, there's a bit of that, but it's a continuation of the previous volume. But most of what we get is a straightforward story, with a limited cast (only some of whom we've met), much of which centers around animating a zombie for the FBI. There's sex, yeah, but that's just sort of a blip in the middle of things. We learn some interesting stuff about the titular character (and some goofy stuff as well, dealing with how he, like the majority of the men in Anita's life, is Extraordinarly Well-Endowed). We get some gunplay. We get some personal conflicts not having to do with vampiric or lycanthropic politics. And we get something that resembles the original novel in the whole series far more than the past several volumes.I don't know if all of this was the result of Hamilton suddenly getting some editorial advice, having a contractual obligation to produce a book and limited time or inclination to do so, or if she just had only a short nubbin of a story idea and decided not to embellish it with ... well, the seemingly obligatory multiple sex scenes.This novel (practically a novella) restores my faith in the series, at least to some degree. Decent (well, recommendable) stuff.

First of all shame on all of you who thought this was going to be a full length Anita Blake story. Have we not learned that Laurell K. is such a big author that she only puts those out in hardback first & when she does their like 700 pages long? Of course a 245 page paperback is going to be Laurell K's version of a short story!To the story itself: For the first time Anita( beloved heroine of about 13 books or so)& her leopard king, Micah, are alone. No vampires, other weres, lovers, or homicidal maniacs around. Well, while Anita may be one of the most secure people in regards with dealing with dangerous situations, when it comes to love- as we've seen in the past books- she is anything but. The trip & Micah being romantic are kind of creeping her out. But she's dealing...up until she's knocked unconsious by a crazed zombie & shot by a mafia lawyer. At that point a doctor gives us a sneak peek into what makes Anita- what's swimming in her blood.But boy oh boy! While I found the short story good it was the sneak peek into Danse Macabre that blew me away!!! I won't ruin the HUGE surprise here but really you gotta read it for yourself cause its MASSIVE!!! You'll be so excited, you'll be howling for more!The Entire series:Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse, Circus of the Damned, The Lunatic Cafe, Bloody Bones, The Killing Dance, Burnt Offerings, Blue Moon, Obsidian Butterfly, Narcissus in Chains, Incubus Dreams, Danse Macabre Short-stories: Bite, Cravings, & Micah. Also, check out her Meredith Gentry Series which is great!

For all you hard core Anita Blake/Laurell Hamilton fans out there, "Micah," the author's latest offering, is a mere tidbit, an appetizer to what I hope will be a gourmet feast with "Danse Macabre," expected release date - June 27. 2006. For those potential fans who, as yet, have never read an Anita Blake novel, "Micah." is not the place for you to begin. "Guilty Pleasures" - book one, is.Now I am one of the most fanatic of Ms. Blake's fans. I have read, in order, every novel she has written - Anita's and Merry Gentry's. So I can write with some authority that "Micah," while not a bad book, is not my idea of a novel - certainly not the kind I have grown accustomed to from this author - those with various complex characters, the fully human, partially human, and not at all human - along with labyrinthine plots (in the best sense), and subplots. It is a stretch to label "Micah" a novel. I would say it is a novella or a long short story based on size and substance. I know Ms. Hamilton must be pressured constantly by fans who want more. l am one of those pests. So, she gave us more. I'll settle for "Micah" until June or July. This is enough to hold me over. Just don't expect greatness within these pages. A visit with Anita and Micah, with whom she has never spent a night alone, is enough for now.OK - short & sweet! Over the course of 12 novels Anita Blake has achieved the level of master (mistress?) necromancer, licensed vampire executioner, animator, enhanced her status as human servant to Jean-Claude and acquired a vampire servant of her very own. She has also become Bolverk of the Thronnos Rokke Clan, Nimir-Ra, with her own Nimira-Raj - Micah - of the Blooddrinkers Pard, and a lycanthrope politician, of sorts. She is also the LAW - Federal Marshall, to be exact.When friend and colleague Larry Kirkland, is unable to keep a business appointment in Philadelphia because his wife has gone into premature labor, Anita pitch-hits for him. Her job is to raise a newly dead corpse, a zombie, for questioning by the FBI. Since our fearless protagonist is human, still, she does have some phobias - flying is a biggie. So her beloved Micah makes roundtrip plane reservations for himself as well, to provide support and lend a hand. In Anita's case, lending a hand is a euphemism.Anita possesses the "ardeur," a ravenous sexual hunger, and a gift from Jean Claude, Vampire Master of St. Louis, which must be fed as soon as it presents. An inconvenience, to say the least, for a professional business woman. So Micah's presence serves yet another purpose. His job title on this case is assistant. His job description is none of the FBI's business.So with "Micah" readers get more background info about the chartreuse-eyed Nimira-Raj and all around nice guy; at least one wowser of a sex scene; and an animation gone terribly wrong. Did you really expect it to go right? If it were just me here, with my love for all things Anita Blake, I would go with 4 stars...because I miss her & Co. However, I have to go with 3 stars because it is just an hors d'oeuvre.JANA

短すぎです。一冊の本にするには短すぎです。行間は空いているし、ページ上下の空白は何なんでしょう。次巻のプレヴューでページを間に合わせた感があります。ハードカバーで出ないのも納得。タイトル通りMicahがたっぷりと描かれています。FBIの証人をゾンビとして甦らせる仕事をLarryの代わりにAnitaが引き受けることになり、Micahを同伴してフィラデルフィアに向かいます。"Obsidian Butterfly"に出てきたあの人が再登場します。Micahの過去が語られるぐらいで、シリーズ全体に影響を与えるような出来事はありません。登場人物も少ないので番外編として読めます。読み応えは全くありませんが、Micahファンにはオススメ。

Also bevor ich mir dieses Buch gekauft habe, habe ich mir die anderen Bewertungen durchgelesen und war mir nicht sicher ob ich es kaufen soll! Fast alle waren/sind eher auf der negativen Seite!Doch ich mochte schon die vorherigen Teile sehr und nicht nur wegen Anita's Job sondern auch wegen ihrer Persönlichkeit.Jetzt ist es so, dass es FAST ausschließlich um ihre Persönlichkeit und ihr Privatleben geht, bis auf ein paar Fälle hier und dort.Da ich nur mein Schul-Englisch zur verfügung hatte bestellte ich mir vorerst nur diesen Band und sagte mir, wenns mir weiter gefällt dann muss ich die anderen Teile eben auch noch haben!Und siehe da, das Buch hatte ich schnell durch, inkl Wörterbuch und Übersetzungs-App, es kommen auch ein paar Redewendungen vor mit denen das Wörterbuch nichts anfangen kann.Also dann gleich mal alle anderen ebenfalls bestellt und gleich alle verschlungen! bin jetzt bei dem vorletzten neuesten Band und der nächste wartet schon!!!!Für alle die Anita als Person mögen und auch ihre Männer, denen würde ich empfehlen, kauft euch dieses Buch, ja es ist eine Art Kurzgeschichte bzw Auszug, und das nächste, wieder ein ganzes! Macht euch bitte wirklich selbst ein Bild, vl gefällt euch die Serie doch noch!Kurz zusammengefasst: Die Serie wird von einem Fantasy-Thriller zu einem Fantasy-Erotic-Thriller! Anitas Persönlichkeit wird ausgebaut! Und mal ehrlich, in den letzten Büchern in deutsch hat man dass doch schon gemerkt oder?

Micha is an interesting departure from the "normal" Anita Blake adventures. None of her other lovers appear, aside from Nathanial briefly at the begining and end, and it isn't the usual blood-fest that her other adventures have been. In a positive character developement it appears that Anita has decided it is okay to be a woman and that she doesn't have to out-guy every man around: it's okay not to be able to do something. After the last book it seemed it would only be a matter of time before she started peeing standing up. I was afraid that this tendency would continue to grow and make her into a caricature of what she started out as, as tough woman who did what was necessary to get the job done. She is also maturing as a person and seems to be more interested in keeping her relationships rather getting rid of them because the men have become too close. At some point she's going to have quit feeling guilty over how far she has strayed from her up-bringing and trust her moral compass, or she's going to go nuts. One interesting point that the story raised was, what consitutes murder; just actively killing someone or also creating a situation that causes the person to die. In general, the book is a good read, but as I said above, it feels like it's shortened.The actual page count is low as well, something the publisher attempts to disguise by inserting blank pages at the start of every chapter and having the chapter number on its own page. The bottom margin is also unusually deep. This has nothing to do with the actual content of the story and can't be held against Ms. Hamilton. It just feels like a cheat when you pay novel prices for a novella.

Micah ist im Vergleich zu den anderen Büchern der Reihe sehr kurz. Ich habe die ganze Zeit darauf gewartet, dass noch irgendwas Spannendes passiert, aber vergeblich.

Ein nicht existierender Plot, wir werden wieder mal ausfuehrlich informiert, wie gut Micah doch "ausgestattet" ist, sofern das jemand bei den etlichen Erwaehnungen in den letzten Buechern entgangen sein sollte und nicht zuletzt mal was ganz Neues: Sex.Hatte mir "Micah" ausgeliehen, da ich seit "Incubus Dreams" keine Buecher mehr von Frau Hamilton kaufe und bin heilfroh.Nach Incubus Dreams dachte ich es geht nicht schlechter, aber es geht. Man rattere einfach sowas wie Micah runter und kann das dann auch noch millionenfach verkaufen.Somit bin ich nun auch kuriert, mir Buecher dieser Autorin auszuleihen. Das war es nun.Schade, dass es nicht 0-Sterne Bewertungen gibt.