Review of Harlequin & New Moon . . . Posted June 24, 2007

Harlequin (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter #14) by Laurell K Hamilton Orbit (Hachette Australia), 422 pp Reviewed by Tehani Wessely Book reviews index

It's not often that books keep me up til 1 am reading these days but I've just hit two of them. The first was the "YA" novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (sequel to Twilight, which I haven't read - yet - and released from Hachette soon). The second is installment 14 (on the book, depends on if you include Micah in your count though I guess) of Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Harlequin (also Hachette - Orbit - simultaneous UK, US, Oz release in June).

Two different books in their audience but both set in realities that look like the present day but have things like vampires and werewolves inhabiting the world at large. Hamilton's vampires are out in the open, citizens of the USA, part of society but still supernatural beings; Meyer has hers still in the shadows, but known to a select few, in this case, the 18 year old heroine, Bella.

Harlequin
I've been an Anita Blake fan for a long time. I've read many of the complaints by readers as the series - and indeed - the main character, changed significantly over the course of the books. I'm not sure I agree with all those complaints, but I have had my concerns about the growth of the character, which has been exponential to the length of the series. The concern has been about the sustainability of this growth. Every time she comes up against a more powerful creature, Anita seems to gain some new power in order to defeat the enemy. How long can this go on? Anita is a supernatural being herself, but she doesn't fit any of the "rules" that other supernatural creatures adhere to. She has also lost many of her inhibitions and now "dates" at least six men, and has sex with more, sometimes MANY more, in the course of the novels. Some of the past few books have been more about the sex than the story, and readership has supposedly dropped off because of it.

Interestingly, in this story, Anita is trying to come to grips with a more emotional block, as opposed to the sexual ones that we've been bombarded with in the past. The plethora of sex that has been a concern to many fans, is wound back a bit in this novel (although there is a bit of girl on girl for what I think might be the first time), and the character development takes a step forward. And Edward is back - yay! He's one of my favourite characters, and I love how his relationship with Anita has changed - I read him like a big brother figure to her, although I'm not entirely sure I should.

But now I have another concern. There are so MANY central characters in the story now that some of them are becoming a little superficial. This was most noticable in the Micah character in Harlequin, and Asher was almost totally sidelined. At different times, characters become very two dimensional, and while this book was probably the best one in a while in terms of plot and character, this issue detracted from my enjoyment. We've gotten to know these characters well over the past few years, and when there's simply not enough room in the book to feel their "realness", it's a great loss.

I'm not sure there is any way to counter this, and I'm not sure Hamilton should. Anita is still a great character, totally flawed, hugely powerful in the supernatural, and yet still so human. What is interesting is that not only is Anita human, but all the non-human characters are too. That might not make much sense unless you've read some of the books, but it's true nonetheless. I recommend this book to people who've read the series, especially those of you who have almost given up on the story. It's back, and I really enjoyed it.

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New Moon (sequel to Twilight) by Stephenie Meyer
Atom (Hachette Australia), 563pp


New Moon
Bella's story is much more concise. There are far fewer characters, although to be fair, it's only the second book of the series, compared to Anita's 14th (or so, and not counting the extra novelettes and shorts in Anita's world), but Meyer doesn't seem to be working on such a grand scale.

Bella is a girl who has just turned 18 and is deeply, totally, utterly and completely in love with a vampire (turned at 17). In Meyer's world, most vampires are "evil", but some are trying to redeem themselves, although it goes against their nature to resist the call of human blood. At the same time, some of the vampires we are introduced to are very political beings, and are in fact the shadow rulers of cities and have been for hundreds of years (that sounds more far out than it is actually written in the book, trust me!). Bella's vampire is one of the "good" ones, and lives in a "family" of "good" vampires, and she has decided she wants to be one of them. This decision is not one she has come to lightly, but her beloved, Edward, does not want to turn her. He believes it takes her soul, and he loves her too much to do that to her. When Bella is almost hurt by a member of his own "family", Edward dumps her and the family leave town, which throws Bella into the darkest of despairs.

What follows is the story of a young woman trying to come to terms with her broken heart, her journey to the lowest point, and learning to care for others, as family, friends, and perhaps more, with as a supernatural plot turn to keep the action coming. I won't say much more about the story, because it would ruin it, but the writing in New Moon is simply gorgeous. I *ached* for Bella and her broken heart. I half fell in love with Jacob and his devastating sweetness (although I did pick the plot twist from a fair distance), and I felt for Bella as she struggled with the decision to survive.

The story focusses so strongly on the characters that the action is secondary, but this is not derogatory by any means. What happens is as important and well written as who it happens to, but it feels totally real, not just like the characters were thrown into the situation to advance the story. I loved it, really loved it, and that's why I stayed up til 1 am to finish it. Now I'm going out to find the first one, and get to know Bella better. New Moon is apparently marketed as a Young Adult novel. I wouldn't recommend it for the average under 15 year old, but there is no sex and the violence is relatively understated. Bella's state of mind is concerning, but realistic. I've read three vampire novels in the past week. The first one was an Angel novel, and while I enjoyed it, it's still a TV show to me, and I bring all the background of the show to the book (characterisation, past history, all that), so it's a different reading experience. What *is* interesting though is the variations in the treatment of vampires and other supernatural beings in the different "worlds". In Anita Blake, most supernatural beings aren't inherently bad or good, they're just like regular people in that they could be either, depending on who they are - some are corrupted by power, or by circumstance, but sometimes the humans are just as dangerous or evil as vampires are often portrayed. Meyer treats vampires as inherently evil, but able to control themselves and try to not be evil if they choose. Most people know the Angel story, where only vampires with a soul can be "good" - all other vamps are definitively "evil".

I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition, to read three vampire books in the one week and enjoy them all, for very different reasons, and to see the very different perceptions of vampires portrayed in them. Yes, I'm a vampire fan, and I thoroughly enjoy reading these sorts of books, but I'm also very fussy about them. If an author takes a piece of common vampire "lore" and turns it on its head, they'd better do it in a way I'm going to believe, and accept as part of the story. Both Stephenie Meyer and Laurell K Hamilton have created fully realised worlds where I *believe* in their vampires. They could be real. The world could be real. They are both good books.

Reviewed by Tehani Wessely

Tehani Wessely is a judge in the 2007 Aurealis Awards Fantasy: Novel category. This review is the personal opinion of the writer, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the panel or the Aurealis Awards Committee.