Laurell K. Hamilton
b. 1963 · American fantasy and romance writer
Laurell K. Hamilton is an American writer of fantasy and romance, born in 1963, best known for two long-running series that helped shape the urban fantasy genre. Her work sits within contemporary American fantasy fiction, and her name often comes up in discussions of how that genre grew in popularity.
Born Laurell Kaye Klein in Arkansas, she grew up in Indiana with her grandmother. She earned degrees in English and biology at Marion College, now Indiana Wesleyan University, an evangelical Christian institution. It was there she met Gary Hamilton, whom she married, and they had a daughter, Trinity. She later married Jonathon Green and settled in St. Louis County, Missouri. She is also known for her support of animal charities, particularly dog rescue and wolf conservation.
Her first series, Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, follows a necromancer who raises the dead and works as a police consultant on supernatural cases. Over time the books shifted from crime noir toward a more explicit focus on sexuality, which divided readers. Her second series, Merry Gentry, follows a Faerie princess working as a private investigator. Both series have spread across novels, short stories and comics, and have sold millions of copies.
Her legacy lies mainly in her role in developing urban fantasy, a genre that Time, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly have credited her with significantly shaping.
Key works
- Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter (1993): the first novel in the series, in which a necromancer and vampire executioner gets drawn into supernatural police investigations.
- Merry Gentry (2003): the first book of the series about a Faerie princess who works as a private detective in the human world.
- Narcissus in Chains (2001): an Anita Blake novel in which the heroine becomes infected with the ardeur, a power that compels her to have sex with several people.
Where to start
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter 1993
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter is the ideal entry point into Hamilton's work. Her first novel, Guilty Pleasures, introduces a vampire hunter and necromancer who works with the police in a world where the supernatural coexists with everyday life. Readers will find mystery, action and the signature tone of the author's urban fantasy.
Next: Merry Gentry. Merry Gentry continues Hamilton's urban fantasy, now focused on a protagonist tied to the faerie court and a plot of supernatural political intrigue.
Works in Filopedia
- Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter 1993
- Merry Gentry 2000
Curiosities
A line from Time
In 2008, Time magazine declared that the popularity of urban fantasy "owes everything to Laurell K. Hamilton".
A reply to readers
Responding to criticism of the series' erotic turn, she published a blog post titled "Dear Negative Reader", arguing that life is too short to read books you don't like.
Teachers and influences
Influenced by
- Robert E. Howard 1906–1936
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.