Synopses & Reviews
The vampire civil war has been averted, deadly were-demons have been beaten back and now it Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera (now a Council level vampire) will finally have the chance to settle in and explore their deeper, sexier love. But Carlos and Damali should know by now that there is no rest for the saviors of the known world. One of the four topside Master vampires has stolen one of the Keys-the living blood of Christ---that opens the sixth seal as foretold in Revelations. He who possesses the Key and the Seal can decide to the outcome of the Final War, a.k.a. Armageddon. With a vampire in possession of the Key, the balance between the Light and the Dark have been thrown off and even Damali is deeply effected. She is now sporting a pair of fangs. In order to retrieve the Key, Carlos and Damali are quickly thrust into a web of vampire politics and intrigue. And when Carlos's secret drug, Oblivion, finds its way into the hands of the enemies, even the seventh level of Hell comes calling.
L. A. Banks is the author of the Vampire Huntress Legends series. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and a master's in fine arts from Temple University. Banks considers herself a shape-shifter. She has written romance, women's fiction, crime and suspense, and, of course, dark vampire huntress lore. She lives with her daughter and her dog in an undisclosed lair somewhere in Philadelphia. The vampire civil war has been averted, deadly were-demons have been beaten back, and finally Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera (now a council-level vampire) have the chance to explore their deeper, more sensual love.
But Carlos and Damali should know by now that there is no rest for the saviors of the known world. One of the four topside master vampires has stolen one of the seven keysthe living blood of Christthat opens the sixth seal as foretold in Revelations. He who possesses the key and the seal can decide to the outcome of the Final War, a.k.a. Armageddon. With a vampire in possession of the holy key, the balance between the Light and the Dark has been shifted. Even Damali is deeply effected: she is now sporting fangs.
In order to retrieve the key, Carlos and Damali are quickly thrust into a web of vampire politics and intrigue. And when Carlos's secret drug, Oblivion, finds its way into the hands of enemies, even the seventh level of Hell comes calling as well.
The Bitten is the fourth installment in Banks' widely acclaimed series of urban vampire thrillers. "I highly recommend Banks' Vampire Huntress Series for use in courses ranging from high school to college. I have used this series as recommended reading for my graduate students in Women's Studies and they cannot stop talking about these works. Banks' writing is smart, poignant, and engaging. Students aren't able to put the books down. Each novel in the series brims with social critique and commentary. Banks is a perceptive writer who provides a wonderful critique of societal issues, from the impact of drugs to self-responsibility and self-reliance to the choices we all make in life. Students who engage in the work of L. A. Banks will leave the classroom with sharper critical thinking skills and a newfound joy of reading."Gwendolyn D. Pough, Associate Professor of Women's Studies and Writing, Syracuse University, and author of Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere "I highly recommend Banks' Vampire Huntress Series for use in courses ranging from high school to college. I have used this series as recommended reading for my graduate students in Women's Studies and they cannot stop talking about these works. Banks' writing is smart, poignant, and engaging. Students aren't able to put the books down. Each novel in the series brims with social critique and commentary. Banks is a perceptive writer who provides a wonderful critique of societal issues, from the impact of drugs to self-responsibility and self-reliance to the choices we all make in life. Students who engage in the work of L. A. Banks will leave the classroom with sharper critical thinking skills and a newfound joy of reading."Gwendolyn D. Pough, Associate Professor of Women's Studies and Writing, Syracuse University, and author of Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere
"At the start of Banks' seductive fourth Vampire Huntress Legend fantasy (after 2004's The Awakening), former crime lord/master vampire Carlos Rivera bites his lover, hot hip-hop artist/gifted slayer Damali Richards, and she bites back. This passionate exchange puts Damali's humanity and the fate of the world at risk. As Damali and Carlos struggle with the implications of their bond, the pair work with Damali's Guardian team to recover a 'key' containing the blood of Christ (extracted from the Shroud of Turin), which another master vampire has hijacked and injected into an unwilling human. The key's spilled blood could open the seal that unleashes Armageddon: 'If he's able to open that seal, then everything you learned in Catholic school about the book of Revelations will go down. All Hell will literally break loose, hombre. You feel me?' To prevent this cataclysm and the sacrifice of an innocent victim, the couple travel to Australia, where they play a high-stakes game with four topside master vampires, with life-changing results . . . [The Bitten] will delight established fans."Publishers Weekly
Review
“Seductive...mixing religion with erotic horror dosed with a funky African-American beat, Banks blithely piles on layer after layer of densely detailed plot...will delight established fans. Banks creates smokin' sex scenes that easily out-vamp Laurell K. Hamilton's.”--
Publishers Weekly
“The stakes have never been higher, and the excitement and tension are palpable in this installment of Banks' complex, sexy series.”--Booklist
Synopsis
The fourth and most daring and pulse-pounding book in the Vampire-Huntress Legend Series.
Synopsis
The Bitten is the fourth daring and pulse-pounding book in L. A. Banks's Vampire Huntress Legend series
The vampire civil war has been averted, deadly were-demons have been beaten back, and now it Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera (now a Council level vampire) will finally have the chance to settle in and explore their deeper, sexier love.
But Carlos and Damali should know by now that there is no rest for the saviors of the known world. One of the four topside Master vampires has stolen one of the Keys---the living blood of Christ---that opens the sixth seal as foretold in Revelations. He who possesses the Key and the Seal can decide to the outcome of the Final War, a.k.a. Armageddon. With a vampire in possession of the Key, the balance between the Light and the Dark have been thrown off and even Damali is deeply affected: she is now sporting a pair of fangs.
In order to retrieve the Key, Carlos and Damali are quickly thrust into a web of vampire politics and intrigue. And when Carlos's secret drug, Oblivion, finds its way into the hands of the enemies, even the seventh level of Hell comes calling.
Synopsis
The vampire civil war has been averted, deadly were-demons have been beaten back and now it Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera (now a Council level vampire) will finally have the chance to settle in and explore their deeper, sexier love. But Carlos and Damali should know by now that there is no rest for the saviors of the known world. One of the four topside Master vampires has stolen one of the Keys-the living blood of Christ---that opens the sixth seal as foretold in Revelations. He who possesses the Key and the Seal can decide to the outcome of the Final War, a.k.a. Armageddon. With a vampire in possession of the Key, the balance between the Light and the Dark have been thrown off and even Damali is deeply effected. She is now sporting a pair of fangs. In order to retrieve the Key, Carlos and Damali are quickly thrust into a web of vampire politics and intrigue. And when Carlos's secret drug, Oblivion, finds its way into the hands of the enemies, even the seventh level of Hell comes calling.
Synopsis
Praise for L.A. Banks and the Vampire Huntress Series:
"Hip, fresh and fantastic."
- Sherrilyn Kenyon on The Hunted
"The well conceived and intricate rules of Bank's vampire-inhabited world provide endless opportunities for riffs on the meaning of power and sex that will please lovers of similar. . .philosophical musings found in the vampire tales of Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton."
- Publishers Weekly on The Hunted
"A terrifying rollercoaster ride of a book."
- Charlaine Harris on The Hunted
"A spellbinding thrill ride."
- Zane on The Hunted
"Cutting edge wit and plenty of urban heat flies from the pages of this quick read."
- Philadelphia Sun on Minion
"Blade meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. . .A pulsating blood-booster."
- Kirkus on Minion
Synopsis
"Tell me your darkest fantasy," she murmured. "Tell me what you really want..."She is a woman who lives between pleasure and pain--the pure, scintillating pleasure of the flesh and the kind of pain that has rocked the world and left it strewn with chaos set to a hip-hop beat. Her name is Damali Richards. And when she makes love to a master vampire, it changes everything in a struggle between good and evil--with the future of humanity hanging in the balance... THE BITTENIn L.A. Bank's astounding new Vampire Huntress novel, an unforgettable scene of seduction touches off a violent race around the world--and into a realm beneath us. For Damali, once a pawn, has been given a new, pulsating power of her own--bitten by lover and vampire extraordinaire Carlos Rivera. Between them, they know how high the stakes have risen. A powerful lord of darkness has hijacked a mystical key containing the blood of Christ. And for a world where blood runs like a river, one drop of this blood will be the end...
"The stakes have never been higher, and the excitement and tension are palpable in this installment of Banks' complex, sexy series."
--Booklist
"Mixing religion with erotic horror dosed with a funky African-American beat...will delight established fans. Banks creates smokin' sex scenes."
--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
She is a woman who lives between pleasure and pain--the pure, scintillating pleasure of the flesh and the kind of pain that has rocked the world and left it strewn with chaos set to a hip-hop beat. Her name is Damali Richards. And when she makes love to a master vampire, it changes everything in a struggle between good and evil--with the future of humanity hanging in the balance... THE BITTENIn L.A. Bank's astounding new Vampire Huntress novel, an unforgettable scene of seduction touches off a violent race around the world--and into a realm beneath us. For Damali, once a pawn, has been given a new, pulsating power of her own--bitten by lover and vampire extraordinaire Carlos Rivera. Between them, they know how high the stakes have risen. A powerful lord of darkness has hijacked a mystical key containing the blood of Christ. And for a world where blood runs like a river, one drop of
this blood will be the end...
About the Author
L. A. BANKS is the author of the Vampire Huntress Legend series and the Crimson Moon Novels. She had a bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business and a masters in fine arts from Temple University. Banks considered herself a shape-shifter. She wrote romance, womens fiction, crime and suspense, and of course, dark vampire huntress lore. She lived with her daughter in an undisclosed lair somewhere in Philadelphia.
Reading Group Guide
1. Now that Damali is twenty-one and can hook up with Carlos, do you think she should have?
2. Early in the series, what did you think about Damali's need to remain celibate until her twenty-first birthday? Would that fly in the "real world"? How do you feel about the whole issue surrounding the "choices" women must make regarding childbearing?
3. Which character in the book is your favorite hero/heroine and why?
4. What character do you love to hate and why?
5. What did you think about the depiction of the levels of Hell?
6. Have you visited the Web site at www.vampirehuntress.com to see how each level is organized by a governing structure? If so, what parallels does that possibly have to some of the "real world's" social, political, and economic infrastructure?
7. Do you believe a person can be redeemed after they've lived a wild life?
8. Are there types of characters (or creatures) you would like to see in the upcoming novels within the series? If yes, who or what?
9. Discuss the role of the Chairman versus Father Patrick as father figures to Carlos Rivera.
10. Remember that bad boy, Fallon Nuit? What did you think about his near sexual encounter with Damali on the astral plane (from the special edition scene in the mass market edition of Minion)?
11. Discuss the metaphor of "vampirism" as a seductive force to draw humans into a lifestyle of violence, crime, fast money--but ultimately incarceration into "a system."