Explore Anita Blake’s World With Our Reading Guide

If you’re an avid reader of paranormal romance, you’ve either read or heard of the Anita Blake series by author Laurell K. Hamilton. The series began in the 1990s and is still going strong—so where should you begin?

With twenty-nine novels and another coming out later this year, Hamilton has crafted a huge world for Anita Blake to exist in. Anita Blake is a necromancer, vampire-hunter, and a U.S. Marshal in a reality where supernatural creatures are real. Although she slays bad vampires, that doesn’t stop Anita from having relationships with the sexy ones. And, if vampires aren’t your thing, Anita has all sorts of different supernatural boyfriends, too, including werewolves and wereleopards. Of course, we all have our favorite male monster companions that we would choose if we were in her place—or maybe more than one.

Besides the spicy scenes, which often include intimate metaphysical moments, there is also an actual plot. Most of the time, there is a murder or a mystery only Anita’s special talents can solve. Even though she always has a supernatural guy with her, Anita isn’t a damsel in distress. Along with her powers, she’s always packing at least one weapon —the best might be the sword that sheaths down her spine. While her main focus is solving crimes, Anita usually has some kind of were-creature drama to sort out in her downtime, too.

All Anita Blake books in order

1. Guilty Pleasures (1993)
2. The Laughing Corpse (1994)
3. Circus of the Damned (1995)
4. The Lunatic Cafe (1995)
5. Bloody Bones (1996)
6. The Killing Dance (1997)
7. Burnt Offerings (1998)
8. Blue Moon (1998)
9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
10. Narcissus in Chains (2001)
11. Cerulean Sins (2003)
12. Incubus Dreams (2004)
13. Micah (2006)
14. Danse Macabre (2006)
15. The Harlequin (2007)
16. Blood Noir (2008)
17. Skin Trade (2009)
18. Flirt (2010)
19. Bullet (2010)
20. Hit List (2011)
21. Kiss the Dead (2013)
22. Affliction (2013)
23. Jason (2014)
24. Dead Ice (2015)
25. Crimson Death (2016)
26. Serpentine (2018)
27. Sucker Punch (2020)
28. Rafael (2021)
29. Smolder (2023)
30. Slay (Nov 2023)

If the novels just aren’t enough, there is also a slew of short stories and novellas set in the world of Anita Blake. And, if you also love comic books, be sure to check out Marvel’s Anita Blake comic book series. Happy reading!

(featured image: Marvel Comics)

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D.R. Medlen

D.R. Medlen (she/her) is a pop culture staff writer at The Mary Sue. After finishing her BA in History, she finally pursued her lifelong dream of being a full-time writer in 2019. She expertly fangirls over Marvel, Star Wars, and historical fantasy novels (the spicier the better). When she's not writing or reading, she lives that hobbit-core life in California with her spouse, offspring, and animal familiars.