# Are any of the "Hamiltonesque" books better than hers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890 "2007-11-18T02:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/1 "2007-11-18T02:55:14Z")
A friend of mine recently got started reading the **Dresden** books by Jim Butcher. On a trip to the bookstore for more in the series, I noticed that there seemed to be a group of books that looked similar to Laurell Hamilton’s **Anita Blake** novels, for example the plot revolves around a tough female in a world of magic. Maybe I’m oversimplifying. Anyway, he’s interested in starting those too, but I never really liked them, and I thought I’d ask for suggestions. He ultimately bought the first of the **Rogue Angel** series by Alex Archer if there’s something better out there. And am I naive to be annoyed at the similar ideas? ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/2 "2007-11-18T03:19:44Z")
I used to like Laurell K. Hamilton. She really lost it for me with Narcissus in Chains. I do have a weakness for women and the supernatural. Currently, I love Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan books. The end of her latest, For a Few Demons More, really was a heartbreaker. Others I’ve read, but won’t necessarily buy: Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld Series - but she is growing on me Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series - I bought the first couple, but have taken the last few out of the library Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series - but she is going towards the Anita side of “everyone loves/hates the heroine” Vicki Pettersson’s Sign of the Zodiac series On the lighter side: I enjoyed the first couple books of MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead… series Cassie Daniels’ Pepper Martin books Skip: Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer series Susan ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/3 "2007-11-18T03:54:36Z")
Tanya Huff’s Blood series ( _Blood Ties, Blood Lines, Blood Debt_, etc ) feature Vicki Nelson, a very strong willed and aggressive ex-cop and PI. She starts running into supernatural critters; a vampire ( a good guy actually ), demons, werewolves, and so on. It’s been years since I read any of the series, but the Sonja Blue books by Nancy A. Collins were good as I recall. The character is a sort of semi-vampire ( she essentially got halfway turned into a vampire, and was left with the best of both worlds ), in a world where vampires and other critters live upon humans in disguise and prey upon them. She in turn kills them. If it sounds familiar, I understand that it inspired quite a few imitations. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/4 "2007-11-18T04:24:11Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] Tanya Huff’s Blood series ( _Blood Ties, Blood Lines, Blood Debt_, etc ) feature Vicki Nelson, a very strong willed and aggressive ex-cop and PI. She starts running into supernatural critters; a vampire ( a good guy actually ), demons, werewolves, and so on. It’s been years since I read any of the series, but the Sonja Blue books by Nancy A. Collins were good as I recall. The character is a sort of semi-vampire ( she essentially got halfway turned into a vampire, and was left with the best of both worlds ), in a world where vampires and other critters live upon humans in disguise and prey upon them. She in turn kills them. If it sounds familiar, I understand that it inspired quite a few imitations. [/QUOTE] Interesting, so maybe it’s Hamilton that is the imitation? I tried **Magic Bites** by Kate Daniels. It was somewhat the same, yet different enough to be entertaining. I liked it; you might want to sample it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/5 "2007-11-18T06:55:32Z")
Not quite the same genre, but Simon R Green’s Nightside series is pretty damn good. Hamilton started out OK, but degenerated, and I mean _degenerated._ Tanya Huff’s series is on TV, Lifetime I think. I have not seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/6 "2007-11-18T07:28:06Z")
_Sins of the Blood_ by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is unusual in that it’s a single book, not part of a series (despite the fact that Rusch developed several of her other books into series). But it’s a very good book in the “female vampire hunter” genre. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/7 "2007-11-18T19:06:51Z")
_The Passion_ and _The Promise_ by Donna Boyd – historical romance with werewolves. I liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-the-hamiltonesque-books-better-than-hers/426890/8 "2007-11-18T20:02:28Z")
Not sure I’d call it “Hamiltonesque”, but there’s a series by Rebecca York which I’ve read which features werewolves–and a few witches, assorted psychics, etc. Hers are more in the line of Romantic Suspense with Werewolves-- each book revolves around one werewolf\* and his mate–whom he has not yet met at the beginning of the book. The werewolves are all brothers/cousins–in her universe, being a werewolf is hereditary, chance-y and sex-linked. It’s a far less complicated world than Anita Blake’s-- or Harry Dresden’s. And each book is far more independent. On the other hand, the female characters get far less facetime than Anita Blake–not surprising since she’s the narrator of her own adventures. And the books are not as engaging, somehow. \*I’m simplifying slightly.