Book 13), Vampire Hunter, Micah (Anita Blake

I bought these for my home bound daughter (age 21) and she loves them. She now has the complete set thanks to the store. Definitely have to be a reader of vampire stories to enjoy these but they are a great set. We are already looking forward to future releases in this series.

'Micah' is a VERY short paperback book that takes Anita Blake to Philly in order to raise a zombie for the Feds. She takes along her boyfriend Micah in order to satisfy her esoteric sexual needs; he's supposed to be along as her 'assistant'.

I assumed that much more would be revealed about Micah, things that would develop his personality a little bit. Up to this point, Micah has been a quiet vaccuum of a character-- he pacifies Anita, provides sexual release, and makes nice with all of her other boyfriends. He reminds me of Opie--sweet, nice, and utterly forgetable. (Except for his enormous dingie and his leopard eyes, what makes him special? Oh yes, they can wear the same shirts.) Unfortunately, the story focuses on Anita's ongoing personal angst and only glosses over Micah's story. If the intention of the book was to provide a showcase for Micah, LKH didn't really follow through. I love her books, I own all of her books, but I was disappointed by this one. My advice: If you're a fan, you're going to buy this one, and I realize that. However, don't have great expectations about plot or content or character development. They're not part of this book. It's a quick, one-evening read that is very enjoyable, but very, very short!

Oddly enough, what bugged me the MOST about this book was the almost blank page in between each chapter; the only thing on the page was the chapter number. I feel like I should have part of my money refunded for paying for blank paper-- or LKH should write longer books to make up for the fluff inserts.

3 stars is notably better than average for the genre but not really great. The subtitle could well be Micah and Anita go to Philly to have great sex. There is some humor and the erotic scene is very well done. Anita gets in this mess because her partner Larry is scheduled to raise a witness for the FBI and at the last minute his wife Tammy has problems so Anita takes the call. She runs into an old non fan Agent Franklin and a new agent Fox who wants to play things close. The net result is that she and Mica work out some of the kinks that look likely to destroy their relationship and that she gets a nasty surprise at the routine raising. This is a Novella length book set with a relatively large font and double spacing, but still a good read.

Micah is the first sign that hopefully the Author is going back towards Story driven Sex rather than Sex driven Story. If such is the case I applaud this and am eagerly looking forward to the next book. I really liked this one. Short cohesive story that dealt with little things that many wondered about Micah's past, without getting so bogged down with trying to make up excuses for sex (Incubus Dreams). One sex scene in the whole story with Micah.... and while it ran a bit long, it at least worked into the story.

Anita emotional hang-ups are becoming more excuses for turmoil than character quirks.... however it's good to see that Micah has his own problems, rather than being cardboard cutout man ;)

The Mystery/Adventure to it was a bit shorter than I like.... it started the mystery and solved it all in the last 80 pages of a 245 page book.... Everything else was interpersonal relationship drama and finding out about Micah.... it wasn't a supernatural suspense or mystery or even adventure up until those last 80 pages and even then... kinda light on anything more than a quickie in courtroom drama form... Lots of lead up, everything fell together all of a sudden, a few pages of action, and then resolution and end of story....Left you feeling satisfied that it was an ending, but it was kind of short on story and long on personal information.

Okay now the bad part.... This was /NOT/ a novel... 245 pages that should have been maybe 100 and that's being generous. This is nothing about the Author, and all about the publisher... 2 FULL pages of blank space for the chapter break so between 2 and 3 pages added for every chapter depending on if the last page of the previous chapter was odd or even... Double spacing everything, huge footer space, couple points larger fonts, half again larger margins than any of the other books and big thick top and bottom borders for every page... The Publisher should be ashamed of itself for packaging a short story in the form of a novel by pulling cheap high school level tricks that would have dropped you 2 letter grades automatically on a Term Paper without someone having even read it, just for insulting the teacher's intelligence. Thus the 3 instead of 5 star rating.

I don't mind paying $8 for a book I like even if it is short, but don't treat us like we're idiots by packing a book so full of sophomoric editing tricks that it looks longer than it actually is and then labeling it a 'NOVEL'. If you didn't visit LKH's website and know this was a short story, you'd definitely feel ripped off by the false feel and size of the book, the label of Novel and the $8 price tag.

Definitely buy used, the Publisher doesn't need to be encouraged to pull this sort of stunt again.

I sympathize with any author that has problems which arise in their craft. My recommendation is to take a vacation. Do NOT write a 245 page book, 50 or more pages blank or half blank in an effort to "pad". The text was simply a rehash of earlier graveyard experiences. Micah we already know and admire. Not necessary to go there unless a storyline that merits the visit.

In all......shame on you Ms. Hamilton...your fans and loyal readers deserve better.

I love Anita Blake series, all though it has become a little predictable with the plot sometimes, and I'm really tired of the ardeur scenes but this nice slowed down pace of her and Micah together. I would have liked more of a Micah story but it was pretty good

... well, I'm probably exaggerating a bit with the ratings, but in contrast to _Incubus Dreams_, this is ... a masterpiece.

The book is 288 pages, the last 30-odd being a preview of Danse Macabre. And rather than the densely spaced tiny text, this is normal-sized text, double-spaced. It's like reading a Parker _Spenser_ novel -- and it reads nearly as fast. Short chapters -- even short sentences -- and, wonder of wonders, a plot that doesn't center on, or even consist primarily of (a) Anita having sex with people, (b) Anita learning she has new and terrible powers.

Well, there's a bit of that, but it's a continuation of the previous volume. But most of what we get is a straightforward story, with a limited cast (only some of whom we've met), much of which centers around animating a zombie for the FBI. There's sex, yeah, but that's just sort of a blip in the middle of things. We learn some interesting stuff about the titular character (and some goofy stuff as well, dealing with how he, like the majority of the men in Anita's life, is Extraordinarly Well-Endowed). We get some gunplay. We get some personal conflicts not having to do with vampiric or lycanthropic politics. And we get something that resembles the original novel in the whole series far more than the past several volumes.

I don't know if all of this was the result of Hamilton suddenly getting some editorial advice, having a contractual obligation to produce a book and limited time or inclination to do so, or if she just had only a short nubbin of a story idea and decided not to embellish it with ... well, the seemingly obligatory multiple sex scenes.

This novel (practically a novella) restores my faith in the series, at least to some degree. Decent (well, recommendable) stuff.

For all you hard core Anita Blake/Laurell Hamilton fans out there, "Micah," the author's latest offering, is a mere tidbit, an appetizer to what I hope will be a gourmet feast with "Danse Macabre," expected release date - June 27. 2006. For those potential fans who, as yet, have never read an Anita Blake novel, "Micah." is not the place for you to begin. "Guilty Pleasures" - book one, is.

Now I am one of the most fanatic of Ms. Blake's fans. I have read, in order, every novel she has written - Anita's and Merry Gentry's. So I can write with some authority that "Micah," while not a bad book, is not my idea of a novel - certainly not the kind I have grown accustomed to from this author - those with various complex characters, the fully human, partially human, and not at all human - along with labyrinthine plots (in the best sense), and subplots. It is a stretch to label "Micah" a novel. I would say it is a novella or a long short story based on size and substance. I know Ms. Hamilton must be pressured constantly by fans who want more. l am one of those pests. So, she gave us more. I'll settle for "Micah" until June or July. This is enough to hold me over. Just don't expect greatness within these pages. A visit with Anita and Micah, with whom she has never spent a night alone, is enough for now.

OK - short & sweet! Over the course of 12 novels Anita Blake has achieved the level of master (mistress?) necromancer, licensed vampire executioner, animator, enhanced her status as human servant to Jean-Claude and acquired a vampire servant of her very own. She has also become Bolverk of the Thronnos Rokke Clan, Nimir-Ra, with her own Nimira-Raj - Micah - of the Blooddrinkers Pard, and a lycanthrope politician, of sorts. She is also the LAW - Federal Marshall, to be exact.

When friend and colleague Larry Kirkland, is unable to keep a business appointment in Philadelphia because his wife has gone into premature labor, Anita pitch-hits for him. Her job is to raise a newly dead corpse, a zombie, for questioning by the FBI. Since our fearless protagonist is human, still, she does have some phobias - flying is a biggie. So her beloved Micah makes roundtrip plane reservations for himself as well, to provide support and lend a hand. In Anita's case, lending a hand is a euphemism.

Anita possesses the "ardeur," a ravenous sexual hunger, and a gift from Jean Claude, Vampire Master of St. Louis, which must be fed as soon as it presents. An inconvenience, to say the least, for a professional business woman. So Micah's presence serves yet another purpose. His job title on this case is assistant. His job description is none of the FBI's business.

So with "Micah" readers get more background info about the chartreuse-eyed Nimira-Raj and all around nice guy; at least one wowser of a sex scene; and an animation gone terribly wrong. Did you really expect it to go right? If it were just me here, with my love for all things Anita Blake, I would go with 4 stars...because I miss her & Co. However, I have to go with 3 stars because it is just an hors d'oeuvre.

JANA

I was very disappointed after waiting for this book. It is definately the worst of the series and nothing more than a short story with a few extra pages. It lacks all the excitment and suspense of the other books.

Taking into account the wide borders, empty pages and big type, this is a nice short novella. On her website Ms. Hamilton admits it's a novella. The problem is that it was sold & packaged as a novel. It was a good interlude but not worth the price.

Of all the guys, Micah is the most two dimensional. If this was an attemption to give him three dimensions, it didn't work. I liked the zombi story but wished that she had fleshed it out some more. She could have done a lot with that story line rather than concentrated on Mr. 2D.

I did not like the teaser for the next book. It's unkind to put out something like that and then make us wait MONTHS for the next book!

I love this series, and I loved this book, but....It felt almost like an outline of a storyline idea without all the parts filled in!

It was a very enjoyable book, as they all are, it just left me wishing there were at least another 200 or so more pages with more details about Micah. We found out that he has a family, but not why he has no contact with them. That is just one example - I won't list any others as to not spoil it for others! But little things like that just made the book feel unfinished.

Can't wait for the next one!

When her partner's wife pregnancy has complications, Anita is called in to fly to Philadelphia to raise a zombie. Micah goes along with her, and for the first time, the king and queen of the were-leopard pard are all alone.

Like any Anita Blake book this one is packed full of sensual description, action, and a great story. I've always loved Micah's character and was happy to see him get a tale of his own. We learn information about his past, how he became a were-leopard, and it ties in neatly with the story.

For those who said this was a return to LKH's old form, I believe they may be misguided. This story is truly a shape shfiter romance. Because it's a romance (and the fact they're not in St. Louis) Anita doesn't get to have sex with all her men, and the story focuses on Micah and Anita. I really liked the softer lens, though sensed that the character's story was being fitted into a softer, more traditional romance format.

Still, LKH offers us another awesome installment in Anita's life, and a super teaser at the end of the book. I certainly thought I got my money's worth out of this book, and hope LKH returns to true form in her next story.

laurell k hamilton is an amazing author. Not only does she take you on a trip with the main charecter but in the book Micah, she takes you a ride with the suave, mysterous Micah. You learn a bit more about him as he opens up to anita about his past and makes not only anita but you, the reader,fall in love with him even more. Great Book!

I loved this book. Knowing more about Micah and how he became a lycanthrope was cool. As was seeing how lycan blood can affect a zombie raising. But was this book foreshadowing something in Anita's blood or was it revealing what was known.

My one complaint about this book was soooo not worth the $11 plus dollars to buy it new with as short of a story as it was.

This might be a bit bias since Nathaniel and Micah are my favorite characters from the Anita Blake series. Be warned.

I loved reading a story about just Micah. Since the moment Anita meet him I've always wondered about his life before he came into town. We know some of the story and how his pack, previously lead by another, was taken over by Chimera, who was one crazy mo-fo. But what else did we know....not much. Now we get a better look at the person he was before. He was the victim of a vicious attack which lead to him turning furry a month later. The details are pretty bad and I instantly felt for him as the survivor of something so terrible.

As if that wasn't enough he pulled through and went off to college only to be rejected by girl after girl for his curse of being well endowed. Some guys would brag but that's not Micah so when he gives the details of what some of the girls did to him, I felt so bad that I was enchanted by his accounting of how he felt when he meet Anita. She didn't make him feel like a toy, a monster or an animal for wanting to have sex with her. She was the first and only girl that could handle his size and not treat him like anything but human.

I'am so in love with Micah and I know many of you will be to when you read this story.