An Anita Blake Limited Edition Lot Find I REFUSED to Leave Behind

Okay. Okay. Okay. So, Anita Blake and I have beefed back and forth for years. I stopped reading the series for a few years, jumped back on, stopped again, and recently decided to jump back on to catch up on Blake's (and Hamilton's) latest offering with 2020's Sucker Punch and 2021's Rafael. I had some deep, ripping issues with 2018's Serpentine; I welcome you to find the video in which I shared my concerns.

Nevertheless, my continuing to read Hamilton on and off is driven chiefly by the state of nostalgia her work generates. Summer of 2007. Just discovering how the urban fantasy/action woman stories stretched outside Buffy meant everything during that time. Not to mention how incredible the first nine Anita Blake books were (though I've gradually become accustomed to the tone change after book nine).

Anyway, enough of that. These omnibus limited book club editions of the first ten books have always had the most fabulous covers (I particularly love the rendering of Blake on Club Vampyre; Luis Royo is the artist behind all four). I’ve always wanted these books. To me they capture the absolute best of Blake during all her early-to-late 90's glory days of vampire hunting and zombie raising. Also, as a fan of 80's horror and specifically Night of the Comet, they just look freakin' desirable. The original mass market covers featuring character renderings are my favorite as well. 

Nonetheless, when you attempt to purchase these rare books online through resellers, you need to know what condition they will actually arrive in. That has been my biggest hesitation. 

So despite the blistering negative-something-degrees cold this Friday before Christmas, I was going to have a day out to myself and made it to 2nd & Charles after a Walmart run. And mannnnn, was I shocked to find all four of these rare Anita Blake omnibus books on the shelf in GREAT condition. Did they come from someone's estate collection? Or did somebody's partner make a spiteful-ass move on an ex and gave this collection away as a getback. They have obviously been read, but were well taken care for. Even down to the freakin' dust-jackets' spines being virtually trauma less. Regardless, there was no way I would overlook this opportunity. Whether I'm beefing with Anita Blake or not.

They were grabbed. They were paid for. They were brought to my collection with little hesitation. Maybe after fifteen years it's time to reread the early Anita books...