Vampire Hunter Novel, Micah: An Anita Blake

I bought this in the airport when my flight was delayed. I wish I hadn't. Aside from paying full price for a book that is double-spaced, large type, and has wide margins, the story wasn't there. Too much sex, not enough zombie. Anita is barely likeable anymore. The others have gone into the details very well so I won't bother.

I wish I could trade this book in as a coupon for a full-length, good quality Anita Blake story.

Seriously, who the heck was the author of this book? There is no possible way this was written by LKH. I absolutely loved this series, and lately they've been going downhill but this book was so horribly written and so completely different from all the other books that it could not have been written by LKH

I am a true-blue Anita Blake fan. I love all her books this one like other readers have stated is short, the plot is great and we learn so much about Micah. Much like Laurell K. Hamilton's other series about the Fae Princess Merry. In that series there are three specific about her lovers.

I loved that LH focused on just one character. Yes, it's short, but I just got it from the library. I have loved the series & feel like it's getting better & better. I'm on to Danse Macabre & hope that it continues to have all the sexiness of the last few books.

I love LKH. I've adored the last few books -- and I know I'm one of the few. But it's difficult to describe how little I care about Micah and his huge...er... endowment. Certainly not 200 pages worth. And especially not for full novel price.

Seriously. This book was a rip-off. But then, that's getting more and more common with publishers these days.

As a favor to a friend, Vampire Executioner and Federal Marshal Anita Blake takes time out from her St. Louis Pard (pack) and her lovers (two ordinary vampires, two were-leopards, one were-wolf, and one master vampire), to fly to Philadelphia. Her were-leopard lover Micah accompanies her. The FBI wants to raise the Zombie Emmett Leroy Rose who died before he could provide testimony in Federal Court. It is considered strong evidence, the testimony of a zombie, because they cannot lie.

The night before their appointment at the cemetery, Micah and Anita enjoy a sex filled night exchanging confidences. When they arrive at the cemetery, Anita realizes this old place contains forces that send magical vibes from the graves to her. Anita completes the protective circle, but struggles with controlling all that is engulfing her from the other side including the arisen Emmett amplified by living humans wanting her stopped.

In previous tales, Micah has been a murkier background character, but this time he plays a major role enabling the audience to learn how he became a shapeshifter and how much the trauma affects him. The audience also sees his true feelings for Anita. The mystery involves the zombie testimony, the tactics of a sleazy defense attorney, and the unknown human in the graveyard. Laurell K. Hamilton writes an exciting erotic and evocative paranormal romantic suspense thriller that will thrill her fans and send new readers scrambling for her backlist.

Harriet Klausner

I have read every book that Laurell Hamilton has written and this is definitely not her best work. I have grown more and more unhappy with the way her Anita Blake series is going. Its all sex and no plot. The Merry Gentry series did the same thing. I know she is married and happy so what is with all the sex and nothing but sex. No back story or plot or even character building. I am not sure after this if I will buy any more of her books. Truly disappointed with the way her writing has turned out.

I was a fan of Anita Blake through the first 4 books and then...these started out as romantic novels with interesting value twists, lots of action and great sex - now we have a character who whose whole purpose in life is to sleep with anything (and I do mean plant, animal or mineral) that comes along. What happened to hunting down the bad guys. The only bad guys in the last few novels are those Anita doesn't want to sleep with or who won't sleep with her. Even that might be OK, but the writing is boring and getting worse. Great series gone bad and getting even worse - shame on your Laurel.

I think that this book must have been a few chapters of her next book Danse Macabre that she decided not to use. There really isn't much of a plot. There really isn't much of anything. The book looks short, but the lettering is large and there are blank pages in between chapters to make the book look longer than it truly is. I'm just glad this book came out in paperback and not in hardback.

I was really looking forward to a book about Micah. I haven't learned enough about him yet to really like him as a character, and I wanted that to change.

I guess I'll have to wait for Danse Macabre, though I'll probably be just as disappointed in that one as I was in Incubus Dreams.

What a waste of time & money! This will definitely be the last book of this series for me - maybe even from Laurell Hamilton in general. I have not been happy with the last few but kept reading thinking perhaps it would get better & there would actually be a plot (or at least a different one)that would capture my interest again. Even the sex is predictable & somewhat boring - I found myself skipping over it just to see if there was anything else going on in the book. No such luck! I have never submitted a review before but felt compelled after yet another disappointment.

A quick glance at the printed book will reveal the principal flaw: it is somewhat short on content. The text is double (or more) spaced with REALLY generous margins. So, when the typesetting is done efficiently, MICAH is about 60 pages or so of normal text.

Hamillton also makes use of a "while you were in a coma" construct to resolve a major conflict.

For shame, Laurell!

A few quick facts about the book...*SPOILERS*

*Its shorter then Guilty Pleasures, which surprised me I thought it was going to be massive

*Not much is revealed about Micah, at least not enough to name the book after him, and its only one scene over dinner that he spills his guts

*A LOT of drama in Anita's head about romance and love and her usual phobias but we all know this soooo.....

*One case; a zombie raising, and she hasn't done one in a very long time it was very Early Anita in that right (and I valued that, that's why I'm not going to trash this book)

*No Jean-Claude =( a few mentions but no him. I'm sorry too.

*There is mystical development, her powers grow a little bit near the end, in a way they've never functioned before; HER powers. Not of the Triumvirate, but maybe because of it.

Um I wouldn't buy it if you don't love Anita Blake and LKH, don't waste your money cause its not worthy like the first few are; but its not completely bad either, I went in expecting to be worse then Incubus Dreams, but its not. Its worth a read if you LOVE the series if not, you can skip it and it wont hurt you.

This book pushed me to my breaking point. There's only so much of Anita's tight wet [...] I can take in one of Laurell's novels... having to read about it REPEATEDLY over the course of about nine paragraphs was just too much. Someone should teach Laurell that adding 'so' and 'very' in front of the same words does not help the story at all, as much as it makes it completely redundant. [...]

I, actually, was very happy this story was so short. If it were any longer, I might have died in a fit of laughter. Several paragraphs had me tearing up. I'm not quite sure a "serious" novel is supposed to do that.

I give up on this series, I really do. I know I've been saying that since the end of Narcicuss, but this time, I'm done. Really Done.

Here's a hint Ms. Hamilton, one should not WINCE repeatedly when reading a sex scene, it means that the scene IS NOT SEXY.

Ms. Hamilton shows no signs of actually having a plot, a beginning, a middle, or an end in her last few books. She has stated on her website that her sales of this series went through the roof when she started including the sex, so she's just going to add more...and more...and more......

So, spare yourself this rubbish and go and try J.R. Wards Dark Lover and Lover Eternal, she, at least, can write a good book.

I wonder why I have to be constantly reminded that this is Laurell Hamilton's series and she can write it how she wants. Yes, it IS her series, these ARE her books, and she is completely free to destroy them if she wants to. 'Micah' goes down the same road as the last three books. And since Hamilton herself said that the current direction of the series is because she's 'contrary' and tired of the 'vocal minority' complaining about the sex and character assassination, the argument that she's just following the characters' lead doesn't hold water. Especially since the translated dedication of the book is "Don't let the b-----ds grind you down." In mispelled Latin.

All that said, no, my expectations weren't high for this book and Hamilton still managed to live down to them. I'm not sure whether to blame the publisher, Hamilton, or both for unusually wide margins and a larger-than-normal font for an already short book. 40 of the 285 pages were an excerpt from the upcoming Danse Macabre, so I think full paperback price was a bit of a rip-off, especially since this story, minus pages of complaining, could have been packed into seventy pages max.

And as usual, the 'zombie raising' described on the cover was thrown in at the very end as an apparent afterthought. There was mercifully only one (lengthy) sex scene, but since Anita has been having sex with Micah for some time now without being hurt, why she would be damaged you-know-where to the point of bleeding by his enormous you-know-what doesn't make much sense. And three books after his introduction is a little late to be informing the reader's of Micah's absolutely monstrous enormousness. Not that it's an incredibly important detail for someone NOT interested in every bump, grind, scratch, and moan of Anita's numerous sexcapades, but it just doesn't follow as something worth discussion. Of course, this level of irrelevant and vaguely disgusting information is par for the course, now.

If you managed to like Incubus Dreams, you'll probably like this book. If, however, you were hoping for something with a plot that doesn't revolve around Anita's nonstop complaining (and I'm still not clear on how complaining constitutes a plot) then borrow this book, but don't bother buying it.

i'm one of the faithful Anita Blake fan but this book make me so angry that I had to paid the full price for such a short and dissapointing story.

Unlike other reviewers, I love the character of Micah just wish L.K.H. stop wasting the precious pages on the description of Micah's body. I want to find out more about his past than just the fact that his ex- did not like how big his "private" is.

Don't waste your hard earned money on this book, save it for Danse Macabre... uhh maybe!

I liked learning about the character Micah and his origins but overall thought this book was weak. There was a lot of potential that wasn't fully realized. The sex really took over everything and I think from this book on in the series is where story starts to suffer versus the sex. I understand that the powers of Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard grow through sex and blood but I enjoy more story than this book provided. There's nothing wrong with a little spice but this book went too far with it.

I was very surprised to find that the book was really a novella made to look like a novel. The publisher used obvious "fill tactics" such as 1) the entire 1st chapter was in the previous book, 2) blank pages to add volume, 3) large print and double spaced lines. The plot was thin and was resolved most unsatisfactorily. Just when you wonder how the main character could possibly make it out of the situation alive - she passes out, wakes up in a hospital in good health with a new power.

Up until this book, I was a big fan. This is the 13th book in the series. There is an expectation for a certain level of quality and consistency. Now, I feel like I was completley taken advantage of. Both the publisher and the author should be ashamed at this blatant attempt to make a quick buck at the expense of the fan. I will think twice before buying another book from this publisher and possibly this author.

Thankfully I borrowed this one from a friend. I vowed 4 books ago that I would never buy any of her stuff new - only used or borrowed. Not that I don't respect her as an author (I keep reading don't I?) it's just that I've had too many disappointments.

This book is short. I read it in a couple hours and was like 'wait, that's it?' It seemed as though I had read a chapter from one of her other books. Like other reviewers mentioned - only 1 half axxed zombie raising and 1 sex scene (gosh I miss Jean-Claude). That's it. Some moaning and groaning about her insecurities, but that was all folks. Since you can pick up just about any of her books and not feel lost in the series, I recommend skipping this one. Unless someone loans it to you to read while waiting for the dentist or in traffic.

Micah is my least favorite man in the Anita Blake series. He's boring. I bought this book hoping it would have some more growing experiences for Anita but it didn't. I think this could have been condensed into one chapter in the next book of the series. I suggest getting it at the library or used instead of paying full price for it.

I really enjoyed this book. We get to learn alittle more about Micah, and Anita learns that she really does love him. Micah gets to see Anita do her raising the dead job. I think this book was well written, just disappointed that it was a short book. But worth the read.

Judging from the title, one would think that the book is dedicated to Micah. But no !!! It's about Anita having to take over a job as a favor to her friend Larry. She flies to Philadelphia to raise a zombie. We only get a little personal information about Micah, and nothing more than that.

But anyways, after reading "Incubus Dreams" any book after that will seem glorious.

So I don't know if that's the reason or not, but this book was not so bad.I was expecting worse!!!

I am sorry to say that I was quite disappointed by this novel. The summary on the back of the book made it sound like we would finally get to see Anita and Micah's relationship go to the next level. It seemed like a novel where we would get more insight into Micah's character (similar to Obsidian Butterfly's develop of Edwards character). But unfortunatly, I didn't feel it worked. I still love the series though and look forward to reading the newest installment....

I feel that the the story itself might actually rate 3 stars, but I felt used and betrayed by the $8 cover price for a long-ish SHORT STORY!!!

Laurell, your writing is getting repetitive. The sensual is being swamped out by the XXX porn movie approach. I do like reading the sex, but I'd really enjoy more story. You are on the verge of dropping off my "must purchase" list and onto my "I'll get it from the library and then maybe..." list.

I agree with the previous reviews that thought "Micah" was a waste of trees. Hamilton is a fantastic, creative writer- I even like the straight sex and her attitude toward queer folk is thoughtful, if parochial, and in character for Anita.

In Micah, like some of Hamilton's short stories, the plot is an excuse to dive into sex and character-relationship development. The strength of her earlier work is the integration where the sexuality of her characters works with the plot. As noted in another review, the last Merry Gentry volume also fell down this weak path.

Micah reads much more like a bodice-ripper, romance novel (of the trivial kind) and even the typesetting and layout has gone that route. I don't blame Hamilton for marketing what will become her retirement account- this is publishing after all.

But borrow it from your public library if you must; it's not worth the cover price.

If person does not know where he or she is going; any road will get them there. Micah is a short story that does not know where it is going and does not get there. Only Piers Anthony and L Ron Hubbard has left me this disappointed with a book.

Hack writing is never acceptable. I feel like returning this wee book to the publisher for a refund.

Having been introduced to Micah in NIC, I immediately developed a profound dislike for him. Perhaps it was the way he was introduced to us, in a shower during a sex scene. Or maybe it was because so much emphasis was placed on him in the subsequent books that it felt like LKH was forcing me to like and accept him. Well, she failed. This story did nothing for me. I now know Micah had a large dingaling...so what? He is still a wimp with no personality. In fact, I know nothing new about him. Oh, if you count a brief glimpse into his background as character development, take a writing class. And just why did LKH insist on giving us a whole book dedicated to Micah, when it would have made more sense to develop the older characters more, such as Richard or JC?

Also, is there an explaination for the larger font size, larger margins, blank pages between chapters and the 40 page introduction to Danse Macabre? Because, if this was a novel-lite...I sure as hell got ripped off. Thanks for the added fluff...LKH.

Something smells fishy about this whole thing...oh, wait that must be Anita.

i.e. "fool's gold," because I feel like a fool for paying $7.95 for this yawner. What the hell? I mean, seriously, the thing is roughly two chapters long, like a short novella or something, then it's been puffed up via large type and spacing, as if we wouldn't notice. Hey Laurell, I went to high school too, you know; I recognize this technique. If this had been posted on the LKH web site as a free download "teaser" or something, I would've felt graciously rewarded for being a loyal fan. Instead, I feel like LKH or, more likely, her publishers, think I'm just another rube to be fleeced every six months to a year. Nice going, way to build a relationship with your readers... NOT.

Nothing at all of note happens in this book, probably because it's only about one fourth of a full novel. Spare yourself the frustration and wait for the next book in June. I'll probably just put it on hold at the library, to recoup some of my loss for shelling out on this one.

I love LKH books I own everything in print... but this one just well... was bad. I think LKH needs to go back and reread her first books in the Anita Blake series. If this one comes out with a few other short stories than maybe it would be worth the money but by itself its not worth it...

Micah was a pale contender to previous Anita books- There was very little action...outside of the bedroom anyway..

I like a little heat..but the plots from the first few books are what I became obsessed with. I couldn't put the books down...the Micah installment, I felt, was rushed..with little to no plot, or action. No evil to overcome. Just disappointing.

I was weary of even reading the books after some of the reviews I have read. And although I have started liking Micah, and accepted that Anita and Richard won't work out..this book was a letdown.

Ostensibly about writing a tight short story about a small sampling of the massive cast of this series, Micah takes Anita out of town to raise the dead to solve a case, out of town alone with Micah, king leopard to her queen. Reality is that Hamilton has finally gotten round to trying to give her least developed character a personality and a history of his own. Micah, introduced for no reason other than to replace Richard in Narcissus and Chains has been largely an uninteresting yes man, with no real depth or meaning for the last three Anita Blake books. Micah gives Hamilton a chance to correct a glaring oversight that should have been dealt with before Micah was ever introduced. And as with most of her latest books, she doesn't manage to do it very effectively. A generic sob story, mixed with a conversation about massive manhood that could have been lifted from the last Anita Blake book leaves one with no more interest in Micah than we had before.

One would have hoped that working with a limited number of pages would have encouraged Hamilton to cut back on most of her worst excesses of the last few books; and to a degree she does. But only at the expense of decent plot, decent characterization, and decent writing. While we aren't forced to endure as much empty, unerotic, pointless sex as the last few books; we are forced to endure a much greater amount of the none stop emotional baggage Anita Blake has become known for. Add to this a collection of clichéd caricature cops, the obligatory comparisons of who's the bigger man, Anita or everyone else around her, and reduce the actual action of the story to a dozen or so pages and you'll get Micah.

The book was produced by the publisher to regain some of the royalty money already wasted on the increasingly lackluster Hamilton. Chances are good this book will join the two week selling spree as die hard fans incapable of accepting any criticism of their "favorite" author buy the book, only to drop rapidly off the sales chart as word of mouth spreads about just how vacant of any real worth Hamilton's writing has become.

For all intents and purposes, Micah is a story that at best should have been a few chapters at the beginning of a full book, and not worth developing into a novel "lite" as Hamilton refers to it.

Severely disappointing. The plot would work for a 3 page short story. I love the dynamics, ingenuity, and strong-arm approach of Anita Blake in the earlier stories, but this is an embarrassment for which the author should refund the money and apologize to her avid and faithful readers. Next time I will surely read the reviews before I purchase anything by this author. Laurell K. Hamilton, you have annihilated your reputation in exchange for the dollar.

I agree with most here it seems.

Hamilton is losing here way in her writing.

The 1st 9 or so books where heaps cool. Even as the sex scenes started to become more frequent I didnt mind too much. It made sense with in the story and it was easily visable that the author was evolving her style of writing.

But these last few books just seem to be nothing striking about them. I can easily recall good scenes from the other books but this one only holds up under the zombie raising scene alone, just.

Yes it was nice to finally get some more back story on Micah, but please it took me like 4 hours to read this one.

not enough happening.

When was the last time we had a good Edward story, he tends to make Anita take stock of herself and be the anita we came to like over the first 5 books.

In all honesty, as a Hamilton fan and a fan of the anita blake series, I still have to say that "Mica" is quite a disappointment for all of us who was hoping for some alone time with our favourite leopard. Not much time to speak of at all, the book feels more like s hort story and ends before it even had time to begin. Though on th positive side it does have more of an actual story to it that the recent books in the "blake-series" as Hamilton has a tendency to get too wrapped up on moments to be able to focus on the book as a whole. I can however add that the folloing book "the harlequin" is a big step in the right direction so I will say there is still hope for us Anite Blake fans.

I was really disappointed in this book, which I do think is just a filler until the release of her next work in June. This book is short with a lot of spacing. I read it in one sitting. I kept waiting for something to happen. There is usually a lot more action and plot to the Anita Blake books. This story could probably have been included in the next release, Danse Macabre, as 2-4 chapters with tie-ins to the plot. The best part of the book was probably the teaser at the end previewing Danse Macabre.

Ok, as previously mentioned in some other reviews I am upset that I paid $7.99 for what basically amounts to something smaller than a Sweet Valley High novel. The type is hugh and after every chapter there is a blank page with the number of the new chapter and that page is empty on the back, so you can subtract between 20 and 30 pages from the length for all that empty space. So if this had been written in regular type with no chapters, it is small enough to have been included in an anthology book. As for the story, I am neither here nor there with it. It was nice to get a back story on Micah even though it kind of felt like a repeat of the talk Anita had with Richard in the previous book. The plot was not totally fleshed out, but what was there is ok. It was nice to have some zombie raising, I have been missing that from the last few books. With only one sex scene, one boyfriend, and no triumverate it felt a little like a return to early Anita (a little bit...). All in all, a small bang for too big a buck.

I was very pleased to see the series actually include some zombie-raising for a change. I'm baffled, though, why Hamilton's publisher considered a story about Anita and Micah having A Serious Talk and Some Serious Sex was worth its own cover -- it seems much more suited for an anthology. I'm only giving it three stars because some effort was made to add plot -- even if it was a plot device to get Micah and Anita alone.

I'd suggest just skimming this one in the book store and saving your $6.99 for the next 'real' book in the series.

While waiting for the continuation of the main story line, Hamilton offers us a vignette featuring Anita and Micah (and a little insight in Agent Franklin). There is very little here that adds to the main story line of juggling relationships among supernaturals. This is simply an aside to the main mythos created in Anita Blake series. As such, it is satisfactory, like a salad, but it leaves the familiar reader wanting the more substantial main course.

I have read every Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book. I LOVED the first ones, but had started to get a little disappointed by Narcissus In Chains and it went downhill from there. The last book, Micah, is the biggest disappointment of all. Not only is the book short, not only is the book large spaced in format, it's not any good. There is no plot, just one sex scene to the next - which isn't bad when there is a real story line, but REALLY bad when it's just sex for the sake of sex. I feel like I wasted $7.99 on the paperback. I feel cheated by Laurell Hamilton. Just sign me Disappointed Douglasville lady.

I have read all the Anita Blake series books. Seems they have steadily gone downhill. There used to have plots, now they are just sex. Don't get me wrong, I loved the old sex scenes, but that was when there was also a story going on that didn't revolve around them.

Wishing for the old days when Anita didn't have sex everything in pants.

I knew that I should not buy this book. The series has been getting worse and worse. I think that I actually did not buy the last one in this series.

But I read the DG quote, and sure enough, my hand reached out and bought the book.

What an awful excuse of a book. It is nothing more than a very poor short story. It is bulked out with improbable sex talk and rehashing of old details.

I get it, I get it... Laurell Hamilton likes her men in short shorts and ankle-length hair. The sex-toy men in both of her series are amply lock-endowed. Her books have become self-indulgent to an absurd degree. Don't get me wrong -- I like a steamy scene as much as the next person, but LKH is not even pretending to have plots anymore. Her heroine in this book is boring and stupid.

This book was so bad that I am actually going to toss it. I could not even finish it, as it became a grindingly unpleasant, pointless waste of time.

For all you Anita Blake fans, this is the next novel (or novella I should say) in the series following Incubus Dreams. It's just a little bite to tide you over until Danse Macabre comes out. I tried to pace myself but ended up finishing this book in a few hours. Even though I knew it was a novella I was disappointed to open it and see the large type, large margins, and three blank pages separating each chapter. Let me say, I love Laurell K. Hamilton. I will read anything the woman writes, but I want more, more! In Micah, Anita goes to Philly to raise a witness from the dead. He croaked before he was able to testify in a big federal trial. Things seem a little sketchy and Anita doesn't have the whole story. But, as she has learned, those little missing details can get you killed. Micah goes with Anita on the trip since we all know she has "needs" now (as if we didn't already have that pounded into our skulls). Micah gets a surprise of his own in the form of a federal agent who was involved in the attack that made him a wereleopard. It was nice to learn more about Micah since we don't know much about his past. Anita is still the smart ass we know and love but she needs to get back to work and spend less time in bed. The best part is the excerpt for Danse Macabre with a shock that is so surprising you won't believe it.

I actually don't mind that the Anita Blake books have lots of sex. I just wish that the later ones had lots of actual story in them. Micah doesn't work for me on either count. There was a half-hearted explanation of why what happened happened in the last two pages or so. This was also the case with the book before this one. Too bad that this series has gone this way.

If the book weren't so boring, it'd be too short. After finishing it in about two hours I think it is safe to say that the Anita Blake we used to know, the Dr. Seuss spouting wise-cracker, is long dead and certainly forgotten.

Don't let this miserable title clutter up your bookshelves; it looks like a trashy romance paperback because that's exactly what it is. If you never cared for the old plots and mechanics of the Anitaverse then consider MICAH. But be warned: not even the sex will deliver in this colossal failure.

I own all the Anita Blake books in paperback. I may be willing to pay $7.99 for a full length book, but no longer will I spend that amount on one of Hamilton's novellas. I bought this book with a giftcard and only spent $2 on it. It cost too much. I read it in less than two hours and found it extremely dissatisfying. Considering its length and price, I am extremely surprised it is #1 in so many book charts.

I expected more details about Micah and was disappointed that the goings-on in the cemetary - where the only action was, were not well developed. I was left with many questions of what was going on, and frankly, I could care less about the answers.

I love Anita Blake but her last few books have been nothing (...). The ONLY reason I still read her is because when she does finally get away from the endless sex and tells the stories she is so awesome about creating I fall in love with her all over again. This could have been three chapters only and been just perfect for the story she wanted to tell.

To be honest this will be the last book I purchase of hers. I can get porn free.

I watched carefully for this book and got it within a week of it being released. When I saw how thin the book was I hesitated buying it. $7 (i think) dollars for such a thin novel. But I choose to spend the money anyway trusting that it would be wonderful. It wasn't. It was pretty sad. I mean Micah - I'd been wanting to know more about this character. The whole book just disapponted me. I'm hopeing that the next one is better but from the reviews I just read I'm not so sure.

The title of the books should have been Antia Blake's phobias'.

I didn't like this book, but it seems for a different reason then most. I like Micah, and really wanted to know more about him so I was waiting for this book. But the book only had maybe 5 pages doubled spaced with large fonts that was about Micah. The rest mostly was about Anita's phobias', what women who has lived with a man for 6 months is afraid to spend 2 days alone with him, give me a break.

I don't know if the publisher was rushing Ms. Hamilton to get this book out by a certain deadline, but it looks that way. This book is a fraction of the size of her typical reads, 250 pages vs. close to 400. There's one "major" event that takes place and that's about it. I was highly disappointed. Folks are better off going to the library to get a copy as opposed to spending their $$.

The way that the publisher packaged this short story is criminal, in my opinion. This story, if done as Incubus Dreams was done, would have been just less that 100 pages in length. The typeset is larger, the number of lines per page is smaller (only 22 lines vs 41), there are either 2 or 3 blank pages at the beginning of every chapter (depending on whether the previous one ended odd or even), and each chapter starts halfway down the page (only 11 lines long vs 11 down from the top of the page). Then at the end of Micah there is a 32 page preview of the next book in this series, Danse Macabre. For a short story, the publisher put a price of $7.99 on it. That is the same price as a 722 page Incubus Dreams, the last full length novel in the series.

As for the story itself, that was what I expected. I loved it - Anita's smart mouth with the FBI agent, her phobia about flying, learning some background on Micah, a nice sex scene, a really, really great graveyard scene, new info on raising zombies, and a cool fight (yes, it ended too soon!).

I regularly check on author sites for information about books that I'm interested in, so I knew that this was very short. I knew about what it would cover. I just didn't expect what Penguin did to Laurell K. Hamilton's work. I hope they never do this again to her or any other author.

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed with the direction the Anita Blake book's have been going recently. I enjoy the earlier novel's where Anita Blake seemed more like a real person (well as real as a vampire hunter can be) than the complete Mary Sue, larger than life can do no wrong, gains a bazillion new powers and lovers in each book, super character. I really have to say that I don't like her very much any more, its like she is being pimped out to such a magnitude that I can see why people would want to kick her narcissistic booty (I find myself rooting for the bad guys lately).

This book to me Is worth reading if you enjoy Laurell K., but don't buy it. Pick it up in the bookstore, find a seat or sit on the floor, and read it there. It should only take you about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (less than that if you read super fast).

I do enjoy Laurell K. Hamilton, and will continue to read her books regardless, its just that I wish they would go back to having a bit more reality and a plot again and some stronger secondary characters. Many of the new characters (like Micah) although I enjoy them, aren't really developed enough for me to like or dislike them. Even though this book helped to develop Micah a bit more, he still just isn't quite there yet. This book makes Micah a bit more real to me (not like the vibrator with a head I originally thought of him as) but it still didn't completely bring him to life.

I hope her next book incorporates some of the stronger characters into it Richard, Jean-Claud etc... because I feel they made the story better; and help to put Anita back into reality. Unlike many of the new Characters, whom are merely like paper dolls surrounding an engorged Anita character.

So, although I am a Huge fan of Laurell K.'s I have to say that this book is not worth it. It would have much better served as a short story on Laurell K's website, than a Novel. Definitely read it, but its not worth buying.

The book was ok, not up to her usual standards. Very short.

Is it just me, or does anyone else have a problem paying $7.99 + tax for a book that only took two hours to read? Two hundred forty-five pages should NOT be sold for the same price as a full length novel.

I was disappointed. Hopefully, Danse Macabre will be better, and much longer.

The font is about 3 times the normal size to make up for a story that is less than 1/5th the normal plot length. This is a subplot made into a book. It makes you wonder whether L.K. Hamilton has simply lost all desire to write about these characters, or has decided that we are all just gullible enough to buy her books regardless of the quality or effort that goes into their creation.

Admittedly the Vampire Hunter series isn't and wasn't meant to be high literature, but at least there was an effort put into previous books. This book was so short and formulaic it was like watching an episode of a TV show. I was greatly disappointed. At least the double spaced text and blank pages between each chapter meant that it only took me a couple hours to read, wasting very little of my time.

I was also not impressed with this latest addition to the Blake series. I was expecting more. Most of the other reviewers have already covered the reasons why this book just doesn't cut it. I want to know what happened to Anita. Where is the kick-ass girl who didn't take anything from anyone? Why is she entangled in these messy relationships with all of these people? It's too much and too many relationships. It takes away from the basic concept: a tough girl holding her own against the underworld.

I am a huge fan of Laurell Hamilton- Anita Blake has to be one of my favorite characters of all time- needless to say I was incredibly excited for this latest addition- HOW DISAPPOINTED was I once I read it!!!!!!!!!!!! This book is horrid!!!! The feeling that I got from the first page on was of a teenager desperately pumping out as many descriptive terms that describe nothing in order to meet the requirements of a 1000 word essay. The gripping, exciting, page-turning stories that I've come to expect from L.H? Non-existant. I am incredibly disappointed in this collect of paper that I purchased. Don't buy this book - especially if it's your first experience with AH! You'll never read another one of her books if you read this one first!!!!!!!!!!!! Shame on you LH for subjecting your loyal fans to this crap.

Very short book, words had double spaces between them to fill more pages and make it look a little longer than it is.

NO plotline!

NO excitement!

NO reason to EVER buy another book from Ms Hamilton!

I had heard of the Anita Blake stories and thought I would give one a try! I want my money back and the few hours I spent reading that book hoping it would get better, it had to get better didn't it??? But nooooooooo!

I have to go, I need an apirin <g>

Cat in NC

As long as you know this is a short story taken from the middle of the series, it is very enjoyable. It was a quick read, nothing too deep. Liked learning about Micah's past, but thought it could be explored better- had more page length on Anita's hang-ups than his past. More text on the size of his- you know- than how he became a kitty. Thought he deserved a little more. I'm still not engaged in this character and hoped this would be the key- doesn't seem to have helped warm me up to him. A bit of action on the zombie-raising side. Still not the most satisfying read, but a good tease. Can't wait for the next Merry Gentry book (also LKH)!

Romance novels written in the first person are just wrong. I nearly bought the book based on the cover and the description -- it looked very promising. When I opened the book and discovered it was written in the first person, I was crushed. I can't read first person romances. If you can, the book might not be bad for you. But if like me, you don't want to read romance novels written in the first person then you definitely want to stay away from this book.

Hamilton should work all this out on the shrink's couch, and in the meantime we should spend our book money on somebody else. No excuse for anything she's written in this series since Obsidian Butterfly.

I bought this after having just finished "Kiss of Shadows", which was a great imaginative story (5 stars!) If I could give this "0" stars I would. Little character development and a nonexistant plot - don't waste your money. I won't attempt any more of the Anita Blake series.

Man, all I see is complaints about this series; it's nice to see that there are some others who actually like it. I love the series and yes; the cost of the latest book is above what it should be but I wanted to know more about Micah. I'm so tired of Richard and his constant whining that it nice to see that someone accepts Anita for who she is, altho her other five lovers don't seem to have a problem with her number of lovers either. Six lovers! Wow, a woman's fantasy.

We all know this is fiction. But I like the direction in which Laura Hamilton is taken the series. Incubi were myths and legends but here Hamilton give you a glimpse into what they actually could have been. There is probably too much detail on the actually acts of sex but what the heck; it's okay when books are loaded with men who sleep around with every Nancy, Teresa and Kathy, but god forbid a woman do it.

I would like to see Anita get back to what she does best, solving prenatural crimes and not so much on internal politics but do understand what she is trying to accomplish with bringing all the groups to work together instead of against each other.

If you don't like the series, then don't read it anymore. Hamilton is the author and the last word is up to her and the direction she is going is great.

After the last book, we said we weren't going to buy any more Anita Blake, but...we got Micah anyway. Yes, it is short (and double spaced), and yes there are two entire chapters devoted to one sex scene. But...Micah takes some shape as a character, Anita's powers manifest in a slightly new (and non-sexually oriented) way, and most importantly Anita voices what we have all been wondering: "why can't i stop picking at my love life?" and miracle of miracles does! So, this little book thankfully lacks the endless psychobabble meanderings about the soap opera that is Anita's love life, gives us a little mystery, gives us some new characters and some history of the old ones, as well as a taste of what may be coming in the next book. I did only give it four out of five because, there were still some things not followed up on, but I have to say, it seems like LKH is back on the ball.

I was displeased to see the number of pages and spacing of the paperback clearly showed that this was a novella masquerading as a novel. The plot is something that would pass only as a subplot in Blake's other books, though as usual her sex scenes are developed.

Also annoying was the sneak peak of her next novel in the rear of the book that added to the deceptive page count.

A decent read, but not all it was promised to be, buy it if you want continuity in the series, but it could easily be skipped if you don't feel like paying full price for something that could easily be packaged in an anthology.

Unfortunately this reads and looks as if Blake is getting lazy, something supported by the increasing amount of sex and decreasing amount of paranormal plot in her recent books.

I have been disappointed in books before - some of the later Anita Blake books, some of the wheel of time books and others.

At no point have I felt ripped off - this book made me feel like I was ripped off. It's not a book - it's several scenes.

8 bucks for this? there was no plot. there was no character development. There was no tension. There was nothing, except a car trip, a sex scene, a zombie raising scene and a lot of talk.

I like Laurell Hamilton's work, but I wasn't that impressed with the person doing the reading(Rey Colette). I am currently listening to Danse Macabre with a different reader--that is more to my liking. It could just be a personal preference.

Alright, Alright. Laurell Hamilton has taken a lot of heat from readers lately and I can see why from some point of views. But I'm not going to say anything negative here. She is an author writing what comes to her. Admittedly, to read her last few books in either series, you need to be very open-minded sexually speaking and willing to embrace a main character who has a lot of moral issues with the direction her life has taken while she also tries to accept the darker sides of herself.

This book, while short, did provide a few hours of entertainment, and is that not the purpose of a book? It gave a good back story of a character, Micah, which we really know little about. While there was not much going on action-wise, there was a lot of psychological information to take in pertaining to the characters Anita and, especially Micah. Was it really necessary to the series for this to be a separate book?? Maybe not. The informaiton gained here could have been incorporated into any other book, but it was a great filler to read while waiting for the next novel to come out and allowed for more details and the introduction of several issues to be addressed at a later time. It may not be the best thing Laurell Hamilton has ever written, but it was not a waste of time to read if you are a true fan of the series.

"Micah" was a big disappointment to me. Unfortunately, in this book, Hamilton has proved that, yes, she can write straight porn! The story line is minimal and undeveloped. If sex is the reason you read the Anita Blake series, then go ahead-- you'll love it. I felt nothing but disgust(with myself-- I read it to the end looking for some redeeming feature. Alas.).

this series is basically my paranormal encyclopedia. . . it always seems like every book i read after is just a book but these are the "real way its supposed to be" hahahah. . . .definately the best vampire/paranormal series ever written i think

I'm "hooked" on the Anita Blake series; as soon as I finish one, I'm eager for the next. But "Micah" was disappointingly brief. But for the detailed sex scenes, it could have easily been a short story in an anthology (such as "Blood upon My Lips" in the book "Cravings"). Still, a little of Laurell K. Hamilton is better than none at all, and you will learn everything you ever wanted to know concerning the title character.

I think it may be this book that was the turning point for the Anita Blake series. Micah has always been one of my favorite characters, but the book bearing his name was way below the standards I'm used to from Ms. Hamiliton.

I actually like Micah. I was excited about this book, desperately hoping that it would bring into light what for me is a mysterious and engaging character. It missed that mark. Completely. There is no plot. That would be okay if the book was a nice, introspective look at Micah, but it isn't. It's merely another outlet for the same old Anita emotional issues that we all hope she'll grow out of. Because that's what characteres do - they grow and not just in power.

I think Hamilton is a very gifted storyteller who probably was under a lot of pressure from her publisher. I look forward to the book in June, and I hope that it will give us more of Micah. However, after the sneak peek offered in today's release I'm afraid I won't be getting what I want.

Lastly, I don't appreciate paying $7.99 for an hour and a half read. No, sir.

This was a waste of money, and time. The book was the equal of maybe an 8th of any other anita blake book. There was pretty much NO plot. You heard about Micah's past, and had a quicky violent scene. The ending was the typical hospital scene. It was horrible. I cannot believe the publisher had the balls to charge 8 dollars for this!

Yay! I can't remember the last time Anita actually went out and raised a zombie! The last couple of novels it seems she just drifted around and had sex and had people try to kill her for some reason or another. Not that I don't love the series, I just miss the first few books where Anita was an a**-kicker and actually had mysteries and crimes to solve and then went out and solved them and did stuff, you know? Nonetheless, I actually _did_ enjoy this little story - I did feel it gave us a bit of background on Micah, who I actually do like. Yeah, Anita's compulsions about commitment do get tiresome (my whole "romance novel" gripes again), but I think he will be good for her. However, I do hope Danse Macabre will give us something to actually sink our teeth into (pardon the pun) rather than just being another erotic novel - it seems that the plot has become secondary to Ms. Hamilton lately, which, depending on my mood can be OK ;-), but sometimes I would enjoy to see my old heroine back.

I have read all of Laurel's published work and have enjoyed them all. The length of Micah is my greatest concern, it shows as 245p, but you can breeze through it in about 50 min. A fairly light read compared to the other works. This is about the same as the previous 3 books as far as character development, emphasized over plot guided work, which is not bad as long as it is mixed up with changes over time. I hope that if any further works are done in a short format that they are more filling; 2 hours would be a decent read for a short format. The equivalent to about a third of Incubus Dreams. Thanks for the book, hope there are more in the future following DM and it's release in July.

One of the biggest complaints I've had with the Anita Blake series is that LHK hasn't properly edited her writing, or let someone else do it for her. Thus, we are offered bloated volumes filled with typos and repetitive scenes. In Micah, we are given a glimpse of the tight writing and plot development that characterized the early books in the series.

I wholeheartedly agree that the story was too short for the price - but I blame the publishers, not the author for this. Micah seems to have been written for inclusion in an anthology, but the publisher had the bright idea of bringing it out as a standalone. That is unfortunate, since it isn't a great way to bring new readers to the series - I think it may frustrate a lot who've picked it up after reading Kim Harrison and Kelly Armstrong.

That being said, I think it was pretty flawless in execution - what little was there was perfect.

Too much Anita, not enough Micah, after all we were supposed to find out more about him, hopefully so we could give a hoot about him. We already knew he had "kitty kat" eyes,a too passive demeanor, and a too huge member. Scant background on Micah, we learned very little we could use to flesh out his character. What did learn here, is Anita's IQ drops with sex, as she keeps using metaphysically challenged blood donors, and participants in her zombie raising, and expecting things to go well. It appears Laurell must be losing IQ points writing about sex, because she is either running out of ideas or getting lazy, as she has started a series of self-repeating loops on sex scenes, zombie raising, interactions with Richard,and after a while, it feels like a lot of "cut and paste." We also learned Laurell is not above shamelessly milking a series, and watering down the milk. Boo000.

I loved this book like all the rest before it. I have actually just started reading the Anita Blake series last week and im already on book 14 now, i havn't been able to put any down. I've been to the book store everyday now haha. This novel even though fairly short gave me some more info on the character Micah, who I'm sure everyone has been wondering about since he came into the picture. I think the erotic parts are very descriptive but i love them. He is almost every women/mans dream guy in sure. The story line suffers a little but i love erotic novels so i was in love with it. Anita Blake novels in the past had made me waiting and waiting for some erotica her always saying no when she should have been saying yes. It's actually a relief for me that she has finally givin into her erotic side.
I would not have these books go in any other direction, I have not yet read a vampire novel that has no sexual activity in it. It's to be expected and Anita Blake has not let me down!!!
Keep up the good works!!

The padded pages, thin plot, and Anita's bloated inner monologues ruin this book. The new info about Micah could have easily been added to one of the main books. I see no reason why LKH wrote this "novella" unless she wanted some extra cash.

I suggest someone plant a tree to make up for all the wasted paper used to pad this book.

I'm a fast reader, I'm used to paying $8 for 1,5 hours of reading. I'm however not used to pay it for 30 minutes of reading. Micah was short and yet very uninteresting. I think LKH might have lost it.. She was so talented once, I loved the first books. I bought this out of nostalgia, hoping that it would be a return to the mysteries and fun. It wasn't. Anita is still over the top powerful, especially the thing with all the were-viruses made me go "huh?". And not in a good way.

i usualy love all of this authors books, but this one had a few things about it that i dident like so much. for one it was too short, im a fast reader so i need some meat to my books. for another it was too predictable. you could tell almost from the begining when it was going to end. there was only one fight in it. i love all the combat in the other books. there wasent enough dramatic events. the thing i like most about the latter books in this series is the interactions between the other charictors. the way that many chaotic events happen at once. and most of all that the charictors seem more real with their problems. i just read the blurb for danse macrabe and im looking forward to all the chaos and drama that will lead to, heres hoping theres more than one fight aswell.

I'm going to play devil's advocate for Ms. Hamilton's new novel Micah. Yes, I agree it is short. Yes, there is a great deal concerning sex, violence, Micah's body, Micah's body parts, and situations that followers of Anita Blake may dismiss as hokey or contrived. I think those readers are overlooking the benefits of Ms. Hamilton's change of pace.

First of all, it's Ms. Hamilton's book. She gets to call the shots. She's the author. Second, yes, there's a lot of sex and violence. But Anita Blake fans like that - we would miss our preternatural sex and violence if both were suddenly erased. Third, regarding some on-line reviewers' discounting of Micah's body part issue - it's only silly when it's not your issue. In real life, physical incompatibility hurts on more than one level. And, hey, isn't it nice to know something about Micah, and his life? By the end of the book, he's a bit more than Anita stunningly handsome cat-boy-toy.

Micah offers other refreshing changes of pace. Anita gets a night off from her multiple relationships. No, it doesn't go completely smoothly, but it's real, and long overdue. Yes, Anita is her usual cranky and difficult self. But, it's nice to see how she responds to a little privacy not interrupted by imminent death. And, as for the results of her graveyard foray, hey, even John Wayne had off days. Anita should get to have them, too. It will keep other characters on their toes if Anita isn't the total "Fix Everything Queen" - as she usually tries to tell them.

I would like to see more Anita-plus-one adventures of this sort - it provides the author with the time and space to tell a different kind of story with her creations. Anita and company are endlessly fascinating on their own, and may be even more so when not dealing with their usual cataclysmic crises du jour. Yes, I would like them a bit longer, but I respectfully defer to the artist. You go, Ms. Hamilton.

This book was obviously some previously dropped chapters from one of her other books. Anything to make money and according to her fansite, I am in the majority. Therefore I will not be buying her next hardback. Bad enough that "Incubus" had no plot and boring sex. I recommend that the author re-read her first novels.

Yeah most of my friends who read this series, note that they are all girls (I've only been able to get one guy to read the first book, which he really liked!! yay!!), read it for the sex scenes. Oi.

The only things that disappointed me about the book was that there wasn't as much action (not talking about sex action) as the other novels and that the book wasn't as long as the others. I was hanging by the thread on buying the next book, Danse Macabre. But once I read the the preview, (that thankfully for Mrs. Hamilton's sake she put in there) I'm ready and raring to go and get the 14th book in the series.

And for those that are complaining about the book having too much sex, umm did you really read the others. They had much much much much more sex than that. If you were really turned off by it you would be glad that there was only one sex scene! Not only that but it took only a short chapter and a half. Wake up fellas!!

Sadly though, my disappointments lead me to give it 3 stars cause I can't give it 3 and 1/2 stars. I liked the previous books more. And I don't mind the one or two sex scenes. Hey I'm a hopeless romance book girl, what do you expect!! lol.

But even with my disappointments, I would still recommend it as a buy but would warn peeps that it's not as good as the other but enough to keep you in the series.

I never rated any book but after reading this one, I must do it. If it is just to warn the other readers how bad this book is! If I could, I would have asked for my money back. I know I am being too harsh! However, you would too if you have been a fan of Anita Blake's books from the beginning and then you open this book and see that it was a big waste of money. The little that his book explained about Micah could be incorporated in one paragraph in her next book Dance Macabre. The book has no action scenes, no plot and it finishes drastically short. It seems like Laurell Hamilton when wrote this book really was not thinking about her fans but was simply thinking in making a quick cash. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK, it's too short and too crappy

I enjoyed the book, that being said I couldn't help being a little dissapointed. The story was good but I couldn't help feeling the publisher was scamming me. They increased the font and margins doubled the spacing and added chapter pages all to make the book seem like a full novel when in reality it was no longer then a short story you would include in an anthology.

If you are going to publish the first stand alone novel of the series, make it a novel. I tend to pre-order all LKH's books since I know I'll enjoy them and can hardly wait to read them. But now I'm not so sure I want to be in the catagory of "fan who will buy anything" no matter how inadequate.

While this story was short, I enjoyed it because it was more like what this series used to be like and why I fell in love with it. Anita was on a job, it had a plot, and she was interacting with the rest of the world with attitude. It was nice to not have her completely inwardly focused on her "issues."

I was pretty disappointed in this book. It seemed as if Ms. Hamilton was required to write a book for her publisher, so she simply shot this one out. It wasn't very inspired or interesting. I actually finished the book in two evenings reads (and I work full time and have an infant...so I don't stay up that late). I hope her next installment gives me bit more storyline.

This wasn't too bad. Not as much emphasis on sex as usual and quite short. Only 243 pages of story and that is widely spaced with a filler page before every chapter. I finished in about 2 1/2 hours. I'm not sure if this was suppossed to provide a lead in to the next full length novel, but the excerpt of Danse Macabre in the back doesn't seem to have any direct connection with events in Micah.

While I miss the old style Anita Blake books that actually had a mystery that was solved and a real plot, I do find myself enjoying the new style for what it is - basically a study of a single character and any emotional changes she goes through. Not always super-fast paced, but once I stopped expecting the old stuff to come back, I could keep reading the newer stuff.

from a bad beginning (a fed questioning her about rumors and she says "anyone who says anything bad about me didn't get to f*** me" what? where did that come from?) to a disappointing ending (she's unconcious during the zombie scene) where has the anita blake i grew to love gone?

Like a lot of other people said: short, gross sex, boring plot and too much of Anita complaining. This book is the worse of the series. I don't think it should even qualify as a book, more like a bad short story.

Once again I am disappointed in Hamilton's writing. The story line is almost nonexistent and overwhelmed by all the unnecessary sex scenes that, after the last several novels, is getting old and borring. I also didn't enjoy the how she focused on the relationship of Micah and Anita, and left out the orignal main loves like Richard and Jean Claude out of it. I personaly dislike the character of Micah. I was once again disappointed.

After just finishing the book today, I found "Micah" to be a very enjoyable light read. My only problem with it was it was too short. I've always enjoyed stories that are told from the internal monologue and narrative of a flawed character that has character. The paranormal and supernatural aspects of the environment the tale unfolds in only adds to the flavor. Yes, Anita does spend a fair amount of time on her relationships, but by no means would I call her stories "romance" novels. Can't think of too many touchy-feely love stories that involve raising the dead, coping with vampires, and fighting off flesh-eating zombies. Anita's spunk and attitude are what make this series great. She refuses to take crap from anyone, but she is still a fragile person. I, too, agree that the sex has gotten a bit graphic and frequent in the last few books, but I view it as part of the main characters growth and evolution. I do recommend this book to all TRUE fans of Laurell K. Hamilton's work, and I can't wait for the next one!!

I am completly in agreement with Avid Reader. I think that they were trying to extend her latest novel into two books and did a poor job. It did not advance the plot (such as it has been lately) and I sincerely hope that Danse Macbre is better.....

Initially, I was captivated by the first five or so books in the ‘Anita Blake, Vampire Huntress’ series; but, an absorbing storyline with intriguing characters and dialogue has been reduced to uninspired, nonsensical drivel filled with tedious sexual escapades that degenerate into equally insipid orgies. I suffered through the remaining books hoping the author would revert back to the superlative talent she exhibited at the onset in lieu of diverting the paranormal into vapid scenarios filled with monotonous erotica. I was wrong. ‘Micah’ was the last straw. I am both nauseated and vexed by the devolution of this series. Zero stars would be a more apt rating.

For those who love the action, adventure, horror, suspense and/or mystery inherent in the paranormal genre, the ‘Anita Blake, Vampire Huntress’ series is an colossal disappointment and a waste of time and money.

To all of the five star reviewers. Erotica Please! Mechanical is more like it. Hamilton's earlier works were superb examples of sensual erotica. If You Five star reviewers get aroused by this drivel Perhaps you are all not over the age of thirteen and should not have checked the box on the review page. Thank God for libraries

I have read all of L. Hamilton's book to date and found this one disappointing in its brevity. I am used to several plot lines and some drama. This lacked both. While I enjoyed learning more about Micah, I felt cheated by the quick storyline. The intro to her next book at the end of this one was actually more interesting.

While sex occupies roughly one third of this short novel, compared to her last couple of novels this is positively a de-emphasis. This needs to be encouraged.

In any event, the non-sexual parts are actually not that bad. Not nearly up to the levels of her earlier works, but not bad at all. The section where Anita actually raises the zombie is quite well-done, as is the opening section.

It gave me just enough encouragement to take a look at Danse Macabre when it comes out. (But if that one's no good, I'm done with the series.)

This entire book is about Anita and Micah's romance so the sexual theme is to be expected. I enjoyed the close look into the dianamics between the characters and the depth Hamilton went into to describe Anitas point of view

This book was too short. Like other reviewers have stated the margins are really wide and the font is big. Wish Laurell would have taken a little more time with it. I think it could have brought a lot of readers back into the fold. I loved the zombie raising and meeting the old agent that Micah was involved with. We find out a little bit about Micah's background and why he is kinda shy and quiet. The sex was ok in it. I enjoyed the zombie part. Brought back the old Anita that I miss. Would recommend for the zombie and for background on Micah which I'm sure she is using for the next book. I'm hoping the next novella brings back Edward.

I've always been curious about how Micah became the "monster" he is now and his story certainly satisfied my curiosity. I have personally always liked Micah but never understood his unquestioning desire to be with Anita, but now I do.

Micah loves Anita as she accepts him for what he is, and has virtually from their first meeting, and he understands her, while accepting who/what she is and is fully capable of handling whatever she becomes. Micah supplies Anita with a comfort level, just by his touch, bringing about a certain degree of calm, that most of her "other men" cannot.

In "Micah", Anita substitutes for a friend /colleague who is also an animator but has more pressing matters to attend. Anita travels to Philadelphia to perform a grave raising and brings along Micah to assist in case the "ardeur" flares up. While in Philly Anita gets to spend some alone time with her leopard king, Micah, which has never happened before during their relationship.

Upon her arrival to Philadelphia, Anita once again comes in contact with an old nemesis, FBI Agent Franklin, who apparently hates and fears her as Agent Franklin has some deep, dark secrets of his own that he does not want discovered. Anita appears to be the one person who could bring major changes to Franklin life and thereby, could end his career as an FBI agent.

The grave raising does not go quite as smoothly as it should have since Anita's growing power is picking up on all sorts of vibes in this very old graveyard and the animator job starts to go badly as soon as the corpse is out of the grave.

I can't complain about "Micah" being novella as that is what it was advertised as. As far as the price, well Laurell K. Hamilton is one on a very short list of authors that I will purchase no matter the cost. I love her novels just that much.

Ms. Hamilton, has never disappointed me to date and I doubt she ever will unless she stops writing. Anita has finally grown up and is now facing her fears. I like Anita just as she is but I keep wondering just how powerful she will become.

Yes, "Micah" was definitely short in comparison to what Ms. Hamilton usually delivers but I loved it just the same and am anxiously waiting for whatever Ms. Hamilton offers me next.

As I stated previously, I'll be purchasing whatever Ms. Hamilton writes, no matter the length, content or cost, she's worth every penny it.

After I read an Anita story I read the reviews here, some of them are downright entertaining. Truthfully a few of you should try your hand at writing, although you probably don't have skin thick enough to endure the type of reviews you generously dole out.

Enough already with the, "Don't waste your money on this book" comments. Most of you will run right out and purchase "Danse Macabre" when it hits the shelf.

If you're taking this series so seriously you've got problems. Get some therapy to blank out all of your memories after "Cerulean Sins" and quit the series.

Now for "Micah"...it is what it is...short. You can borrow it from the library if you think it's too much to pay. I enjoyed the book and knew full well the direction Hamilton has been going with the plot and characters when I purchased it.

It was great hearing how Micah became a "Were", but I was also hoping to hear more...such as info about his relationship with his wereleopards and more details on his time with Chimera. I think that would give Micah added demension. I do feel a better connection to who Micah is after reading this book. I find it interesting that Anita's powers have kept her from going furry and more is revealed about what is swimming around in her blood.

It's fun, it's fantasy. Oh to live the life of Anita Blake.... :-)

Let's face it, we all love Laurell K Hamilton. Her characters pull you into the story. It was great to get background information on Micah. He has always been a mystery, so finding out what happened before he meets up with Anita was going to be great. However, I find by the end of the book, I really didn't care. The story is short and feels like something is missing. All of a sudden, the end gets wrapped up in a nice little package, and I was left holding the book going..."Hmm, what else?" With that said, I still love the characters and even a little bit of an Anita Blake fix is enough for me. I can't wait for "Danse Macabre"!

One good thing about the printing scheme of this book, it all most made the sex scene seem shorter. I had hoped to learn more about Micha but didn't learn nearly enough. However with all that said, I enjoyed this book more than all of her recent works. If Ms Hamilton would ever get it that a book can OD on sex and just write a good story I would be very happy.

Both my husband & I love the Anita Black series. I felt that this book had actually been written to be published in one of the books that feature 4 authors, but the publisher decided to publish it by itself because they knew it would make more money.

It's not a bad story, but when you are used to the complex plots in the regular novels, it just doesn't hold up well. I wouldn't spend the money to buy it, either borrow it from the library or a friend.

Thank god I got this from the library and didn't buy it. It's terrible. And the ending is so abrupt I turned the next page expecting to read more and was shocked that the book was over. The sex is icky and there's little else in the book.

The book was very very short. It is a short story with large print and a lot of extra blank pages. The story while short was good and I am not going to turn down the chance to read any Anita Blake but for what you pay and what you get it was a real dissapointment. I hope the next book is longer.

I LOVE ALL OF LAURELL HAMILTION'S PREVIOUS WORKS. THIS ONE WAS A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT. THERE WAS NO PLOT VERY LITTLE CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT AND NO POINT. WE KNOW HOW GREAT THE SEX IS . WE KNOW HOW GREAT ALL THE MEN'S BODIES ARE. ENOUGH. I JUST HOPE THE NEXT ONE RETURNS TO THE LEVEL WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO.

My review will be very brief. I for one loved this book, because Micah has become my favorite character since Jean-Claude. I am very happy he was added to the series and thrilled that a book was written about him. I hope he continues in the series. I would be devastated if he did not. So for those who dissagree sorry, but I do like Micah and yes I find him very necessary for the series. He is more than likable to me. Micah and Jean-Claude make this series for me.

This book was too short. Like other reviewers have stated the margins are really wide and the font is big. Wish Laurell would have taken a little more time with it. I think it could have brought a lot of readers back into the fold. I loved the zombie raising and meeting the old agent that Micah was involved with. We find out a little bit about Micah's background and why he is kinda shy and quiet. The sex was ok in it. I enjoyed the zombie part. Brought back the old Anita that I miss. Would recommend for the zombie and for background on Micah which I'm sure she is using for the next book. I'm hoping the next novella brings back Edward.

I've always been curious about how Micah became the "monster" he is now and his story certainly satisfied my curiosity. I have personally always liked Micah but never understood his unquestioning desire to be with Anita, but now I do.

Micah loves Anita as she accepts him for what he is, and has virtually from their first meeting, and he understands her, while accepting who/what she is and is fully capable of handling whatever she becomes. Micah supplies Anita with a comfort level, just by his touch, bringing about a certain degree of calm, that most of her "other men" cannot.

In "Micah", Anita substitutes for a friend /colleague who is also an animator but has more pressing matters to attend. Anita travels to Philadelphia to perform a grave raising and brings along Micah to assist in case the "ardeur" flares up. While in Philly Anita gets to spend some alone time with her leopard king, Micah, which has never happened before during their relationship.

Upon her arrival to Philadelphia, Anita once again comes in contact with an old nemesis, FBI Agent Franklin, who apparently hates and fears her as Agent Franklin has some deep, dark secrets of his own that he does not want discovered. Anita appears to be the one person who could bring major changes to Franklin life and thereby, could end his career as an FBI agent.

The grave raising does not go quite as smoothly as it should have since Anita's growing power is picking up on all sorts of vibes in this very old graveyard and the animator job starts to go badly as soon as the corpse is out of the grave.

I can't complain about "Micah" being novella as that is what it was advertised as. As far as the price, well Laurell K. Hamilton is one on a very short list of authors that I will purchase no matter the cost. I love her novels just that much.

Ms. Hamilton, has never disappointed me to date and I doubt she ever will unless she stops writing. Anita has finally grown up and is now facing her fears. I like Anita just as she is but I keep wondering just how powerful she will become.

Yes, "Micah" was definitely short in comparison to what Ms. Hamilton usually delivers but I loved it just the same and am anxiously waiting for whatever Ms. Hamilton offers me next.

As I stated previously, I'll be purchasing whatever Ms. Hamilton writes, no matter the length, content or cost, she's worth every penny it.

I've been a die-hard Anita Blake reader from the beginning. I wait patiently from book to book, dying to know more about Anita's life. I think Laurell K. Hamilton writes an entertaining novel in a supernatural romance genre. Obviously, if the term: "supernatural romance" doesn't appeal to you, or you dislike reading about vampires and a variety of other sexy monsters, this is not the book for you.

QUICK CATCH UP FOR NEW READERS: With the last book, Incubus Dreams, Anita Blake has a variety of boyfriends to choose from. (Ladies, who doesn't want to live in a world in which a girl can have a sexy harem of Fabio-esque type men?) Anita is a legal vampire executioner: meaning she kills the bad vampires who murder and kill. Just like our society has criminals, so does the vampire community. Anita works with the police to catch the bad vamps, and in addition, she works as a necromancer: a zombie raiser. With a tough attitude and beyond-human strength, Anita can fight with the rest of the bad guys and probably win. In this short story centered around Anita's wereleopard boyfriend, Micah, she discovers more about his troubled past. They've been living together for over a year, and she knows very little about his past.

"Micah" is one of the rare novels that takes Anita out of her everyday life in St. Louis. She must travel to raise a zombie for an important case, and she needs to bring one of her boyfriends with her as an "assistant". (An unfortunate side effect of being the human servant of Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, she has an power that gives her the need to have sex; the arduer) She decides to bring Micah, the Nimir-Raj (Leopard King) of the Wereleopards along. This will be their first time alone together for more than a few hours, and Micah expects a lot out of the trip, which gets Anita very nervous and scarred. She isn't very good with intimacy issues, even though she has a horde of men surrounding her at every turn.

Like in many of her other novels, Anita suffers with the fact that she is dainty and petite, but packs a mean punch, and her chump police "friends" don't like the competition comming from someone her size and sex. In a field dominated by men, its hard to be a successful woman, no matter what your case file says.

I was unusually dissapointed with this novel, since it barely scratches the surface of Micah's past. In a book that is supposed to be about Micah, the storyline centers more on Anita's troubles and worries about sex, romance, life and her job. I was especially dissapointed because at the end of the book, there is a teaser from the next in the series, Danse Macabre, where we discover from the first paragraph that Anita could be pregnant. By adding this information, it certainly explains a lot about Anita's strange behavior in "Micah". It explains her random mood swings and emotional highs and lows, and really takes away from the tiny novel we just finished reading.

I will always want to know what happens in Anita's life, and read about her exciting near-death experiences, but these novels that originally defined a ner genre in literature, are mimicking the latest fad of supernatural TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed; like mini supernatural soap operas. Personally, these types of TV shows and books really bring me out of my repetitive and ultra-busy schedule, they are pure entertainment.

After I read an Anita story I read the reviews here, some of them are downright entertaining. Truthfully a few of you should try your hand at writing, although you probably don't have skin thick enough to endure the type of reviews you generously dole out.

Enough already with the, "Don't waste your money on this book" comments. Most of you will run right out and purchase "Danse Macabre" when it hits the shelf.

If you're taking this series so seriously you've got problems. Get some therapy to blank out all of your memories after "Cerulean Sins" and quit the series.

Now for "Micah"...it is what it is...short. You can borrow it from the library if you think it's too much to pay. I enjoyed the book and knew full well the direction Hamilton has been going with the plot and characters when I purchased it.

It was great hearing how Micah became a "Were", but I was also hoping to hear more...such as info about his relationship with his wereleopards and more details on his time with Chimera. I think that would give Micah added demension. I do feel a better connection to who Micah is after reading this book. I find it interesting that Anita's powers have kept her from going furry and more is revealed about what is swimming around in her blood.

It's fun, it's fantasy. Oh to live the life of Anita Blake.... :-)

Let's face it, we all love Laurell K Hamilton. Her characters pull you into the story. It was great to get background information on Micah. He has always been a mystery, so finding out what happened before he meets up with Anita was going to be great. However, I find by the end of the book, I really didn't care. The story is short and feels like something is missing. All of a sudden, the end gets wrapped up in a nice little package, and I was left holding the book going..."Hmm, what else?" With that said, I still love the characters and even a little bit of an Anita Blake fix is enough for me. I can't wait for "Danse Macabre"!

One good thing about the printing scheme of this book, it all most made the sex scene seem shorter. I had hoped to learn more about Micha but didn't learn nearly enough. However with all that said, I enjoyed this book more than all of her recent works. If Ms Hamilton would ever get it that a book can OD on sex and just write a good story I would be very happy.

Both my husband & I love the Anita Black series. I felt that this book had actually been written to be published in one of the books that feature 4 authors, but the publisher decided to publish it by itself because they knew it would make more money.

It's not a bad story, but when you are used to the complex plots in the regular novels, it just doesn't hold up well. I wouldn't spend the money to buy it, either borrow it from the library or a friend.

Thank god I got this from the library and didn't buy it. It's terrible. And the ending is so abrupt I turned the next page expecting to read more and was shocked that the book was over. The sex is icky and there's little else in the book.

The book was very very short. It is a short story with large print and a lot of extra blank pages. The story while short was good and I am not going to turn down the chance to read any Anita Blake but for what you pay and what you get it was a real dissapointment. I hope the next book is longer.

I LOVE ALL OF LAURELL HAMILTION'S PREVIOUS WORKS. THIS ONE WAS A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT. THERE WAS NO PLOT VERY LITTLE CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT AND NO POINT. WE KNOW HOW GREAT THE SEX IS . WE KNOW HOW GREAT ALL THE MEN'S BODIES ARE. ENOUGH. I JUST HOPE THE NEXT ONE RETURNS TO THE LEVEL WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO.

My review will be very brief. I for one loved this book, because Micah has become my favorite character since Jean-Claude. I am very happy he was added to the series and thrilled that a book was written about him. I hope he continues in the series. I would be devastated if he did not. So for those who dissagree sorry, but I do like Micah and yes I find him very necessary for the series. He is more than likable to me. Micah and Jean-Claude make this series for me.

I love LKH Anita series and I was disappointed. There was no depth. The story line could have been easily incorporated in a regular full length book and did not need to be published as a separate book. I guess the only good thing was that we did learn a bit about Micah's background.

Did I mention this was short?????

That's the bad news. Only one real event and only ONE sex scene. (SOB!) The good news is that it was good. If you are 13 (?) books into a series, it's not like you are going to stop reading now. This is a hold-you-over book until DANSE MACBRE comes out (in hardback, not paperback like Micah) on JUNE 27! {Just like the last Sookie Stackhouse book was.} You could definitely see her introducing some new characters with BIG secrets that are going to come out in the books to come. The OTHER good news -- there is a 30 page pre-view of DANSE MACBRE at the end. And that one sounds like it will be the real deal and smokin'.

Don't be put off by the reviews of people who only read LKH's books so they can complain. This short novel is a refreshing appetizer on the way to the main course (Danse Macabre) that will be showing up this summer. It's a stand alone adventure to get the back ground on Micah, and develop the relationship between him and Anita sans the rest of the usually enormous cast. A simple plot that focuses on character developement of a specific cast member and a heads up on Anita's current power curve. Yes we get more on her necromancy and how it's been affected by her mystic ties to the weres and vamps in her life.

It's a light, fast read to satisfy Anita Blake Universe addicts until the big novel comes out. About a two hour read for fast readers. Perfect for a little 'me time' afternoon or evening reading with a nice snack.

i really enjoyed reading micah. I loved the fact that micah got some face time and that we learned more about his past. I also like that both the sex and the zombie raising actions were strong points equally shared in the book (ID was more about sex and it bored me greatly). if this story is anything like what Danse Macabre will be like, i am ready and willing to dive into reading the book. the only problem i had with micah was that it was extremely short!!!! plus the font and emty chapter heading pages make the pg count larger than it should be. i did notice however that the price was still high, at $8! next time more writing for such a heafty price!!!

OK, I was waiting for this book like maybe my next shopping trip which is very often. So when I finally got it I was thoroughly disappointed. It was ok ,but it didn't do much for me like her other books. I would have thought she would have went to more depth with the Micah character. I have all of the other books in this series and they explain alot about the other characters.I thought getting to know the Micah character would explain him a little more ,but obviously she had other things in mind. I just got into this series and when I found out that she had other books like this I was hooked. So I hope this next book will be great and very satisfying.

The only saving grace of this book it that it could potentially set up reopening a future plot possibility that was closed in Cerulean Sins and Obsidian Butterfly.

It was nice to see more of Micah, but this did not provide the character much more depth than we already had.

With all the vetching I thought I'd add my two cents worth. The majority of paranormal romances have a small and predictable plotline-your basic werewolf or vampire meets X, falls in love, loses love, refinds love etc etc. In other words Hamilton on her worst day beats most of the stuff out there. Yeah, too short and not long enough on plot-but it moves quickly and I enjoyed the book. As for those of you offended by the new Anita and her sexual choices-read someone else and lay off knocking the series. Enough said.

I am a big Laurell K Hamilton fan....but this one bites the big one. There is absolutely no plot, no story, and one sex tryst. Why bother Laurell? First of all I've never been a fan of Micah. We know absolutely nothing about him, he has no personality, and frankly has no life. The reason why the Anita Blake character is even interested in him is confusing. Get with the program miss Hamilton and get her back with Richard like we all want.......

I see several scathing reviews, and I have to ask... exactly what were you looking for here? I mean, "Incubus Dreams" & "Cerulean Sins" were both continuous sex with a smidgen of story occuring in the background. No, thank you. I missed the old interactions, the characters, and mostly the laughs. Any scene involving Anita & Zerbrowski was a sure thing! I want more incongruous stories about vampires, shapeshifters, and magic-users standing around someone's breakfast nook gossiping about whoever's not there, not sternly admonishing Anita to control her new godlike abilities. What drew me to LKH's world, was the "alternate reality" aspect, but also the quasi-retention of reality.

It wasn't perfect, but if you really think "Micah" isn't an improvement over the last novels, then I really don't know what you're looking for.

Micah, though not necessarily an appropriate character to base an entire book off of, fits in well with all the other neurotic, psychotic, bipolar, and otherwise mentally disturbed hodgepodge of characters. Consider this: Micah is probably the most normal, albeit abhumanly patient & understanding, character in the series. I mean, Anita's human friends have more drama than the good Nimin-Raj. The conundrum is, while the book would have been "meh" if completely focused on Micah, it almost disappoints by doing the opposite, and barely skimming over any of his history or personality.

As far as the writing style, HALLELUJAH that LKH finally wrote a book with more story than sex. The people who complained about the "gross" and "nonstop" sex... um, is this your first LKH book? Seriously, basically one scene, MUCH less graphic than she has been, not bad at all.

The rest of the book was really a step in the right direction. Think about it: no "monster of the month" who is introduced in the first chapter and *gasp* is shockingly revealed at the end to be the villain; a storyline that didn't include the sun, moon & stars revolving around AB; the drama dragged on, but didn't get too melodramatic, unlike the last few AB entries; best of all, there is not yet another token "psycho cop" who is so threatened by AB becuase of her "girl power" femininity that he possibly throws away his career to draw his weapon & threaten her life - that's utterly stupid, and I'm thrilled to see no trace of it here. Special Agent Fox was a rare treat, and I strongly hope we run across him & Bradford again.

The very ending of the book was thankfully free of ominous foreboding of failed relationships, omnipotent vampire bad guys, and loose threads. Hopefully this marks a return to the flawed yet heroic Anita we know and love, the reason why the popularity of the AB series persists. More personalities, not fantasies; more interaction, less droning on about the same emotional claptrap we've heard over and over. Humans eventually learn and adapt, but even taking her hectic life into account, Anita hasn't grown in any way except becoming more sexually liberal. No personality change, nada. Very unrealistic for a human.

So if you hated "Micah"? So sorry, I didn't. I haven't enjoyed Anita Blake this much since the Killing Dance, and I'm already wearing out my third copy. So there. :p

This short book was very disappointing. The plot was shallow. The climactic action was boring, compared to other books in the series.

Additionally, I felt that this book was little more than thinly disguised porn. I read waay too much about Micah's member and bedroom skill.

I kept trying to read slower because I didn't want it to end. To me, it was like a quick visit with some old friends.

Since I read LKH's blog, I knew this was going to be a short story. Maybe if I hadn't known that in advance, I might have been disappointed - maybe not. I love both the Merry and Anita series.

I see a lot of folks complaining about the lack of a plot. I guess I look more at the big picture. To me, the entire series is one long plot line - sort of like an afternoon soap. Some episodes (books) have major plot points and lots of drama, but sometimes episodes are just backstory, color, or getting the characters from point A (in the last episode) to point B (which is where they need to be to start the next episode). I still enjoy all the episodes.

(Just FYI - I remember a couple of old sci-fi series that were much more in the one-long-plot-over-many-books style. I seem to recall one book stopped practially in the middle of a conversation and you had to wait until the next book to finish the scene!)

I have read the entire Vampire Hunter series and had waited to read this one forever before I remembered how cheap it was online. I love the characters in this book. I have read the Twilight series as well but this series is a litte more adult which is right up my alley.

Anita is given the job of raising a zombie in Philadelphia when Larry's, her friend and fellow Animator/Marshal/Executioner, wife goes into premature labor. Because of the Ardeur Anita has more luggage to take on the trip than a suitcase, one of her companions Micah, her Nimir-Ra, has the pleasure of going. While Anita is there to deal with raising a zombie, she also has to deal with her emotions after becoming painfully aware that it's only Micah and her....no others...truly together alone for the first time.

Like many Anita Blake fans I have waited dutifully for the next book in the series (I know this is a stand alone novel) nevertheless I'm glad to see an ideal of action (no vampires/lycanthropes just Anita and her Animator skills)and more exploration of Anita's emotional insecurities with Micah of course. We finally learn how Micah became a wereleopard and Agent Franklin from Obsidian Butterfly makes an appearance. There is more focus to the storyline and there is an explanation to Anita's amazing healing abilities and I thank Laurell K. Hamilton for that since I always had questions about Anita's abilities and glad she has taken to time to answer and clear up some confusion. It is never an easy task, for an author, to return to a way they wrote before when they are continuingly changing the way they write, especially when they are thrown into situations they never expected themselves or their characters, for that matter, to arrive to. I think Laurell Hamilton has arrived to a place where she is comfortable with Anita and her life and it obviously shows in Micah.

The story is fast, the writing smooth, and a quick read that offers a fix enough for fans until the arrival of Danse Macabre in June and well worth it.

Yes, it's short, but it was nice to have something to tide me over until Danse Macabre is released in June. For all the people who complained about the length vs. the price, please keep in mind that Laurell's last several books have been a lot of reading for the money. I feel a lot more ripped off by publishers who will put a short book like this out in trade paperback, and charge you $14 for it.

It took me only 1 hour to finish this book. It was more like one of those short stories in other books. I wish it would have been longer and had more detective work. I still don't quite understand why she titled it Micah she gave a little bit more information about him but the book was not about him. The fact that I actually Finished this book I gave it 3 stars, I could not finish Incubus Dreams.

I read this book in one night, once I started I could not put it down. Even though the length of the book disappointed me, Laurell Hamilton was true to her previous novels and has written a fantastic book. This does not prelude her next novel but delves into Anita's growing powers and her uncertainties. It explains why she heals so fast and we find out what types of lycanthropy Anita actually has in her blood. This a great read before her next novel Dance Macabre. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves vampire, werepeople books. Also the followers of the Anita Blake series will love this.

Laurell K. Hamilton should be ashamed, but I'm sure she is laughing all the way to the bank. The book had lots of angst and little plot. The 10 paragraphs of true story could have been added to another book. I encourage looking for a cheap used version and saving your money.

After reading Laurell's description of the book as a novel-lite, I was not disappointed. After all, the regular books in the Anita Blake series are ranging between 800 to 1000 pages, how fast can one person write? I thought the book took a snapshot of one of Anita's regular zombie raising jobs and added in a great deal of information about Micah that hadn't ever come up. Such as how he became a shapeshifter, was it voluntary or not, and information about his family. The book was a quick read, much in page length like the early Sookie Stackhouse books, but still had excitement to it and new discoveries. I think the book was as advertised and found it an interesting way to get to know much more than I knew before about a main character.

The titular Micah of the latest entry in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series is the nimar-raj (head wereleapord) of a group in which Anita is co-leader. He's also one of Anita's live-in lovers. That's right, I said ONE of her roomies. Our girl has come a long way from the uptight, sexually repressed near-virgin of early books.

Micah will be a welcome relief to many series fans, on a number of counts. To start, the last few Hamilton books have focused so heavily on sex it's largely supplanted plot development. Not so here. Yes, we do have a two-chapter (very well-done, in my opinion) sex scene, and the book is better for it - but that's it. Micah has been much better copy edited than some recent series entries. I only counted two typos in the entire book. There are no gun related errors, a particular pet peeve of mine in the Anita Blake series. Of course, that's because Laurell doesn't actually get into any real discussion of guns, but still....

The worst thing you can say about Micah is there's not much in the way of plot. Anita travels to Philadelphia to raise the zombie of a dead federal witness. Since Anita's become a de facto succubus and needs to have sex three or four times a day, Micah travels with her to supply the appropriate needed services. Not to give away the surprise, but things do not go smoothly on either front. Gasp, shock. That's it for plot. There's none of the involved plotline, the twists and turns and subplots, that normally characterize an Anita Blake novel. Micah is amazingly straightforward, almost spare by comparison.

It's also fairly short. The publishers have gone to a large type and wide line spacing attempting to disguise that fact. If they hadn't, this 245-page "novel" (actually a novella) would have gone about 100 pages. I almost get the feeling Micah was originally conceived as a short story that got away from Laurell a bit length-wise, or maybe it was cut for length from the next book.

Most of Micah (the book) is devoted to Anita's evolving thoughts and attitudes toward her relationships with men in general and Micah in particular. This is the horror novel equivalent of a chick flick. Either that does it for you or it doesn't. Personally I think Laurell Hamilton is at her best when she starts digging inside Anita's head, using that as a device for meditations on love, loyalty, devotion, sex. So for me, it works.

I have to disagree with the assessment of Micah (the character) as "boring" and "the guy we never wanted to learn more about." True, he seemed the least fascinating of Anita's men, but that was mostly because we didn't really know that much about him. This book rectifies that, fleshing out the character, making him much more complex and interesting.

Good news for Anita Blake fans who get a sense of bookus interruptus when Micah ends: a full-length Anita novel, Danse Macabre, is set for June 2006 release. An excerpt is included in Micah, partly I'm sure to pump up the page count. For now, Micah is a welcome return to Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series in fine form. I read it all in one evening - and not just because it's short - something I haven't done with an Anita book in awhile.

Micah is fine, and it's nice to see a more recent story by Hamilton that isn't so totally dominated by sex scenes. But, we're not getting much book for the price - between the large print and huge spacing, they managed to stretch it out, but this really belongs in a collection or a "2 in 1." You do get Micah's history, but it's not that shocking - most of the book is what Anita would call "shoveling emotional s**t."

I have to say that I loved this book, but I am a huge LKH fan. She is one of the only authors I will pay the hardcover price for.

I will admit that the first chapter of this book felt forced, even the dialog didn't sound right for the characters, however it picked up nicely once Nathaniel said his goodbyes and I devoured this book just like any other in Anita's (or Merry's) line. It was really nice to finally get the background on Micah and this book brought out a new side of his personally which was nice to see.

The crowning point of this book, IMHO, was the graveyard scene. Great writing! The only thing I was disappointed by was the fact that the book felt like it was ending but I still had at least 100 pages left of the book. Surprise! A sneak preview to Danse Macabre, which I didn't read. =) I want to be surprised.

Over all, I would have to say that if you like her books, all her books, you will not be disappointed. =)

Ok - so I've generally been disappointed with the last few Hamilton books (that last Merry Gentry one stunk). Enough that I told myself that I would NOT fork out $30 for a hardcover edition ever again. I did, however, run across this one in paperback, and thought - well, just how bad can it be? Trust me - bad. Do not bother wasting $8 or any amount of money on it. If I could give it 0 stars - I would. If you just have to read it, wait until you can check it out from your local library.

First off, it's short. Really short. They should be ashamed to charge full paperback price for it. Since it's so short, the story consists of just one zombie raising event. That's it. There is one little sexcapade (and honestly, isn't that the only reason why we buy her books anymore anyway?) that wasn't very satisfying. The one bright spot was that I didn't have to deal with the myriad of all her lovers in this one.

I know my review will be dis'ed because I'm dissing this book. I know there are still tons of fans out there that haven't had the courage to wake up and smell the rotting zombie. Laurell, Laurell, what happened? What happened to the glory days of Anita Blake circa Obsidion Butterfly? Please, please, can we go back to simpler, gentler days of killing vamps, raising the dead, and f**king just a few guys? Please?

I read the whole book in an afternoon. I have been reading her work since the very beginning and I must admit some of her recent books were a little to emotional conflict filled. I missed the sarcastic kick butt Anita from books past. There is still alot of emotional "crap" in this book, but with Micah and Anita's relationship in the center it kept me totally engrossed in the books. If you have never read any of the Anita books don't start here but start because they are truly great (ps: they are coming out with a graphic novel this summer based on this series I can't wait) also the Merry Gentry series that LKH writes is fantastic as well but there are alot more intimate situations (like MIcah has). Well, enjoy and keep on reading LKH books I hope there are many more to come.

i felt cheated after reading "Micah".
yeah, I'm shameless when I say that I *love* Laurell K. for her tongue-in-cheek [...]...
but there is exactly ONE sex episode-with Micah (chpts 7 & 8 to be exact) in the whole frellin' book. Honestly, the best part was the zombie-raising. This has to be the tamest I've ever read of LKH's. Come on, Laurell!!! Your loyal fans deserve a nice thick juicy one... don't disappoint us with the next. ~B

I feel that the purpose of this book was to develop Micah's character a bit. I like him. He's a survivor. He doesn't whine about what he is or the situation he finds himself in (Richard), he deals with it. Not only does he deal with his own issues, he helps others deal with their issues. He is damaged, but does not wallow in self pity or self loathing. There is a quiet strength in him. He is exactly what Anita needs. He compliments her and Nathaniel nicely. He fits. Wouldn't we all love that in our lives?

Just finished reading this short story (for a Laurell K. Hamilton...usually her stories are much longer and involved) and I enjoyed it very much. There are no particular surprises: there's sex and a zombie (thankfully not together), relationship angst, danger, and a happy ending. It's a desert of a book, not a full meal, but enjoyable none the less.

I know its a novella (now) and I enjoyed the story--but it was not worth the moeny for the time it kept me entertained (which was about 2 hours).

I read it though in one go and thought LKH had her voice back for the first time in a while and this was a strong effort than the last 2 novels. Its not to the quality of the begining of this serise but does give me some hope for the future of it.

Okay all I've read is how everyone hates were Anita is going. But I want to write a good review because I LOVE all the books and have no problem with how they are. my advice to others who hate sex and hate were Anita is should put her down forever becaus apparently this is were she is and were she will be staying. I hate it when I come to read and all I see is "I hate this, I hate that" Well I hate it when that is all everyone says.

I was so happy with this book I read it in one sitting. I love Micah! When he first showed up in NiC I loved him!!! I have read NiC so many times that it is falling apart and its the hard back! I am enjoying all her relationships except her on going thing with stupid Richard. But other than that I am still in LOVE with the series as I was when I first picked it up. I also am loving Marry's story too. So push off all you negative people!

The Anita Blake series is a favorite of my husband and I and the story itself is quite interesting but this one was a little too short for my tastes, thus the 4 stars. Hopefully "Danse Macabre" will be a little meatier.

I found this book by accident on the shelf at my local bookstore a couple of days before it was released. I must say I thought I would be disappointed by the book because it was such a short read but I actually enjoyed it very much. It gave me more insight to Anita's and Micah's relationship. Unlike some readers I am actually a fan of all the books in the Anita Blake series. At first read I was partially put off by Narcissus in Chains because of the sex but honestly now I can't complain. In my opinion Laurell K Hamilton is my favorite author of all time. And on another note consider "Micah" to be a light snack to be read while waiting for the main course "Danse Macabre" to come out.

I really don't understand some of the other reviews of this book. Granted, it is not as long as the current Anita Blake novels, but this was a pleasant return to the style of the early books, more zombie raising and Anita than there has been lately. Also Micah's story really needed to be told and she does it very well here. I no longer feel that Micah just turned up out of nowhere, when all of the other main characters are much more defined. The story is not the best of the series, but still far better than many of this genre that I have read lately. This one will hold me over until Danse Macabre comes out.

I can't honestly figure out why the people who don't like this series keep reading it... stop reading it or quitcherbitchen! If y'all wanted Anita to stay macho and "pure" then you should have stopped after Lunatic Cafe... that would have saved you so much disappointment, I'm sure. What would Ms. Hamilton have left if she'd have stayed within your Puritanical boundaries? Same story, different day, that's what!

I love this series - it's an excellent escape from life - which is what I want the books I read to do for me. This series has excellent character development & these books are no more pornographic than the typical housewife's romance novel. Anita portrays a healthy woman in her 20's with some baggage (who doesn't have any?), & some genetic traits that make her different from "normal" humans (necromancy). Anita started out tough & judgmental towards non-humans, while wanting to keep love at a distance. She has begun to learn how to love and deal with her personal and emotional baggage while learning to lose some of that idealism. She has lots of sex. So what? Micah ain't a bad guy, but Ms. Hamilton doesn't spend a lot of time developing his character - this series is about Anita, her life, her hang-ups, and how she deals with things.

Advice? If you go to a typical vampire movie expecting it to have a good plot/story, you will be disappointed - so don't go with high expectations. This isn't Shakespeare, people. It's science fiction meets horror with a realistic approach to real everyday issues for regular people. The meat of the thing is in Anita's issues with herself and how she outgrows them, how she deals with them... the rest is just icing on the cake.

Great book! Great series!

Micah was not one of the best books of the Anita Blake series but without it you would get lost between Incubus Dreams and Macre (I can never remember the last word lol). Anyways, I was pleased with this book because you also get to see a different side of Micah Callahan.

Like all of the Anita Blake series this was full of sex, gore, detetive work, raising the dead, and relationship hang ups. It would have gotten five stars in my book, but it was so short! The letters were spaced out, they didn't use up all of the page, it was almost like they should have marketed this as a short story to bridge between one novel and the next, but didn't wan't to give up all the hype. I still think it was well worth the money, but I just wish there had been more to the book.

I loved learning more about Micah and seeing his relationship with Anita grow and deepen, even though the book (novella) was short for the price.

Watching Anita fight her internal demons throughout the course of the series has been gratifying, and this story is no exception. She's coping with shifting relationships and growing power, as she travels with Micah to Philadelphia to raise a zombie.

I'm looking forward to the next full-length book in the summer.

Micah. The one character in the Anita Blake series that nobody really wants to see more of -- really, we've heard too much about his physique already.

And because of this, Laurell K. Hamilton has turned out a very short novella, "Micah," to show off her latest creation and his enormous member. "Micah" has many of the same problem as her latest books -- too much emphasis on sex, annoying attitude -- but it's also horribly boring and unnecessary.

Anita Blake is woken when a coworker calls her. A federal witness died before he could be put on the stand, and the coworker can't go, since his wife is suffering a miscarriage. So Anita hops on a plane. But since she needs the occasional quickie to feed the ardeur, her boyfriend Micah tags along.

Though Anita has been shacking up with Micah for the last year or so, she actually doesn't know much about him -- he's a wereleopard, has kitty-cat eyes, and that's about all. But as they spend time alone together (no Jean-Claude, alas, and no Richard), Anita begins to find out what her boyfriend's past contains.

Here's a warning for potential readers: "Micah" is short. Very short. Too short for its size. It strains to fill the few hundred pages of its length. In fact, it's more like a longish short story than a novella, really.

And at the end of the day, "Micah" commits that cardinal sin -- it's completely unnecessary. There's not much of a plot, no exposition, no new revelations worth knowing. There isn't even any excitement until the ending of the book, and that peters out quickly.

Even Hamilton doesn't seem terribly enthusiastic. She's going through the motions: unimaginative (and sometimes gross) sex, lots of Anita whinging, and soap-opera angst about Micah (horrors!) being a good boyfriend. The writing suffers the most, since there's little detail and equally little atmosphere. The sex scenes, of course, are the exception. We get too much detail in those.

Admittedly, Hamilton DOES try to give Micah new dimensions as a character, by giving him a traumatic background. Unfortunately, this trauma is that his girlfriend dumped him because Micah's Magnificent Member was, uh, too big for her to handle. It will move readers to tears... of laughter. And you can only imagine how the Magnificent Member's, uh, size has an impact on the rather icky sex scene that follows. Although since they have been together for a year, it's not clear why the size is suddenly such a problem.

With "Micah," Laurell K. Hamilton has served up a pint-sized story that doesn't really accomplish anything. It's not much of a story, but somehow that seems appropriate for someone who is not much of a character.

Though I liked Micah, the character, from the moment he stepped on stage in Narcissus in Chains, it was great to get more of his backstory. Unlike the other characters in the books that we have gotten to know over time, Micah came to us fully formed. But now we know about the attack, about his family, and, to a certain extent, about the survivor's guilt that he must feel. After all, he does not appear to have any contact with his father or his siblings.

We also got more zombie raising. It was interesting to see how Anita's increased triumvirate powers are playing havoc with her inate powers.

Naturally, this was too short, but it was intended to be short. A Novel-lite, as it has been coined. These are the plots that can no longer be included in the full novels because they are side-plots but they are still important within the scheme of the Anitaverse. Since it has been nearly 18 months since we've had a full Anita Blake novel and will be another 3 until Danse Macabre, I greatly enjoyed the teaser!

Micah lacked the edge that Laurell K. Hamilton usually incorporates in her work. This work focused more on Anita and Micah and pretty much left, almost everyone else out.

It was a good book but just kind of left me really antsy for the next one to come out. The preview for the next book at the end though really will have you chomping at the bit for the next one to come out.

For those of you complaining that the book was to short if you go to LKH's blog it states that she is starting to do short shories for each major male characters with anita to show growth in their relationships this is the first book only but she will doing more of these short books along with the longer novels. I think it's a great idea as a struggling writing myself it is ingenious way to develop complex relationships outside the normal context which is usually a highly develped plot line. If you don't want to see anita with only one character then don't buy the book, if you want to see the development of relationships between characters then buy this book and the next few that come out. For those who are complaining regarding more sex and less action in her books LKH states on her blog that she enjoyed going back to the ideas of detective work and zombie raising so she seems to be heading a little bit back in that direction. Develping plot lines especially for a long series book has to be handled carefully or you can ruin the whole series the idea of sex and anita is the development of her powers and she just can't automatically have powers that develp overnight with no warning and then know how to use them with in a week. LKH has a longer goal in mind (at least that is what it seems to me) and is develping this plot at the pace that she seems fit. If you think it is so easy to write a series then I suggest you try it and see how easy it is for you.

Hmmm. since by either reading other reviews or reading the back of the book you know the basic story line. This book is a NOVELLA it is NOT a full length book it isn't suppossed to be so quiet down about how it was too short. Anyone who gets this book should know that Danse Macabre the next book will be out soon. This is complete and it IS good. I really wish people would stop harping on the fact that the books now involve more sex. The character evolved. Things change get over the fact that life changes. Anita Blake was and still is a great and fascinating character as is Micah. This book gives you more insite into what made Micah who he is today and why he is the way he is. You learn more about him in this book in any other except maybe all the little clues and key ins into him before but this book shows you more clearly and more detailed things than before.

Sorry this book is great. Yes, it is a bit short but hey NOVELLA, everyone will just have to wait 'till Danse Macabre to set their teeth into a longer feeding of this wonderful series.

I don't understand these reviews, wow...I thought this book was great, in the beginning there weren't alot of sex in the series and this was like the old Anita, I don't know how you could go wrong with that..I personally could read her books over and over. If you are a true fan you will enjoy this book, despite the other reviews.

Laurell has been mentioning for a long time on her blog that she was working on a *short story* about Micah.

She also told about how Micah's backstory was continually cut from books due to length restrictions, and that the book's sole purpose was to provide some backstory.

If you keep that in mind, you have to admit: This is a wonderful read. It's a lovely Anita quickie, rather like a snack to whet our appetites for Danse Macabre (Which is over 1000 pages. That should make you folks who had length issues happy, hm?)

So, yes. If you love your Anita Blake, buy with confidence. There's some excellent story in there!

yikes! i you really don't like the turn that Laurell has decided to take with her books STOP READING THEM. If all you are going to do is complain, don't pursure the series. This book was called a *short story* Plus relax the next book is over 1000 pages. It is quite obvious that Laurell has decied to pursue more of the metaphysical and sex aspect of Anita. This book just proves that. Please give this book a chance it really is a good *short story*

Although Micah isn't my favorite character, I really enjoyed this novella. Laurell should do more of these little books. It's the perfect way to get through the waiting period for a new book. I could stop reading the book once I picked it up. I totally recommend this book to any fan of "Anita Blake".

Another good one from LKH. Yes it is short, but it will whet your appetite til the next one comin in June (although, if your not very good at waiting, I'd advise against reading the excerpt of Danse Macabre in the back of the book, it'll make you antsy till the book comes out) Explains more about Micah's history, as well as Anita trying to deal with more of her issues, makes for an interesting read on a lazy afternoon.

Another great story from Laurell K. Hamilton. It is a nice little story about Anita Blake's relationship with Micah. It comes across as a bit of an off-shoot. Limited appearances from many of the other main characters, but it was a nice change. It would be nice if she did more of these, little tales with just one of the other main characters. It was a bit short, to be sold at full size novel price, but still worth it...as is everything Hamilton writes.

This little addition was about a couple of days that she spends out of town with Micah, filling in for Larry on an Animator, Inc. job. Micah goes with her for ardeur purposes and for the FBI's benefit, pretends to be her assistant. Since she's never taken a Lycanthrop onto the cemetery before, things go a little differently this time. It's very good and we also get to see a little bit of Nathaniel, which makes me happy. (He's my favorite Anita guy) Also, at the end you get about 10 pages or so of the next book, Danse Macabre, coming out in June.

I MUST SAY THIS WAS VERY INTERSTING READ.

THIS IS MY SECOND BOOK FROM LAURELL K. THE FIRST ONE IS 'INCUBUS

DREAMS' ,BUT I HAVEN'T READ IT AS OF YET.

IF ITS ANYTHING LIKE THIS BOOK... I WILL BE MOST DEFINITELY ONE

OF YOUR NEWEST FANS !!!

Luckily I knew this wasn't intended to be a full length novel. It is supposed to be a mini-novel or novella. Perhaps that is why I for one, wasn't disappointed. I thought it was a great little story. Good background on Micah, interesting bit of info on Anita, and a steamy sex scene. It is a great little novella and an enjoyable read.

This short book was very disappointing. The plot was shallow. The climactic action was boring, compared to other books in the series.

Additionally, I felt that this book was little more than thinly disguised porn. I read waay too much about Micah's member and bedroom skill.

This is an excellent book. Gives plenty of background information on Micah and how he became a Wereleopard and at the end answers a few questions that I had about Anita.

Plan on purchasing the entire series in paperback and what I can on MP3 cd. Matter of fact think I will go ahead and pre-order Dance Macabre!

Although there is some sex in this book there isn't nearly as much as is in Incubus Dreams or Cerulean Sins. So stop complaining people!

I'll make this short and quick as I can. The book was amazing. Period. Still is after a second read through. It has an absolutely fabulous sex scene in it between Micah and Anita that alone is worth spending the money on to read the book. Lots of interesting developments in the story and to the Anitaverse. It's a pretty fast read but it'll leave you like a man in a desert having just drunk a bit of water- you're going to thirst for more so I suggest to you to buy Micah along with Danse Macabre at the same time.

Ms. Hamilton has refered to this work as the first of her 'novelites'. It's longer than a novella and much shorter than one of her full sized novels. I loved learning more about Micah, his family, and the history of his turning. I finished it in two hours, so it wasn't nearly long enough for my tastes, but Ms. Hamilton's works could be 800 pages and I'd want for more. Highly worth the money.

This book was a fantastic filler for between books. I love Laurell's books, and I am never diappointed. Micah was the central love in this book, and it let the reader know more about Micah's past. He is a sweet and tragic hero. I can't wait for the next installment in the Anita Blake series.