Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton
Paperback, 752 Pages
2005, Jove
ISBN: 0515139750
Series: Book 12 of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
Synopsis
Anita is pushed to her limits-both professionally and passionately-when she is called in on what appears to be a case involving a vampire serial killer preying on strippers.
Review
Incubus Dreams is the longest Anita Blake novel so far, finishing up at over 750 pages. It didn't really need to be this long. The mystery wasn't hugely complicated. The ongoing mystical/metaphysical repercussions of Anita's relationships with the "monsters" was absolutely perfect, but not extreme enough to necessitate hundreds upon hundreds of pages. As seems to be the case with some of the later Anita Blake novels, Incubus Dreams was heavy on the sex. While both a good and a bad thing as it relates to the story line, I actually lost count as to how many sex scenes there were in this book. But there were a lot. So many that they kind of started bleeding together. And that sort of indicates a touch of overkill.
Incubus Dreams has a mystery eerily similar to that of Circus of the Damned. A band of vampire serial killers, lead by a rouge master vampire, is on a killing spree. The difference: the killers are targeting strippers. Being that Anita is personally involved in some way with a number of male strippers, I was surprised that she never feared for them. The victims were female, but there still should have been a connection on some level.
The mystery concluded in a thrilling but less than satisfying fashion. On the bright side, the mystery brought about a good hard look at Malcolm and the Church of Eternal Life. Both the church and its leader are not quite what they seem, which could lead to a fascinating story in the future.
Anita's abilities, along with those metaphysically tied to her, continue to grow exponentially. I absolutely love experiencing the new powers and seeing where they lead. Of course, with any new ability Anita acquires, it comes with a price. And the price is always sex. The sex is hot and sweaty and continues to push the envelope. In many places, I found myself thinking that these scenes could actually be very educational for those open to the kinkier side of the bedroom. But even lusty goodness gets to be a bit repetitive eventually and Incubus Dreams definitely enters that territory.
Incubus Dreams is a very good book that brings about much power and possibility for its characters. Had it been edited better, it could have been amazing. The massive amount of sex in this book is completely at the forefront, leaving the mystery and the series progression in the background for most of the book. This felt too much like using the threads of the story to get back to the sex, instead of using the sex as a way to further the the action in the book. Incubus Dreams is definitely worth reading, but will likely be the last straw for many series fans sick of the increasing bedroom action.
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