Everyone has a different view of Edward. Some people (LKH included) maintain that he is a non-feeling sociopath asassin, while others, through fanfic mostly, make him into a closet romantic. So, I'm pretty sure that my version of the ultimate Anita Blake 'bad boy' is probably unique too. Edward plays a critical role in "The Queen of the Dead" series and I've decided to post some 'extra' character analyses to help me wrap my head around this large and unique cast. Death will be first...
I think it's common for writers of fanfic to design in their mind a background or history for the characters that they are using. With a really fleshed out character like Anita, this is not necessary, but with such a large cast, there has been a lot left out about most of the supporting characters in the Anita Blake books. This is wonderful
for fans, as it gives us room to let our imaginations run free.
So who is Death, in my story? I haven't needed to fill in a lot about him because mystery is part of his appeal. As Anita calls him a 'secret loving bastard'. You know you're a true Ed-lover (a.k.a. Edophile) if those three words make you smile. But what I did have to consider was what had happened to his character in the three years of
Anita's absence (more, if you think about how he was left out of every book since OB, excluding The Harlequin). It was stated in Part I that Donna, Peter, and Becca were killed by Van Cleef, and that Edward subsequently took his revenge, killed Van Cleef and abandoned or 'killed' his Ted Forrester personna.
Then what did he do? I imagine Edward actually still searching for Anita, possibly even gaining on her very hard-to-track trail for a time, while sinking further into lonliness and bordering on insanity. Edward's chapter in my companion piece Without Her explored this a little further.
When Anita shows up again, Edward sees it as his last chance to grab hold of the thing that means the most to him - the only person left living that he cares about - and he jumps on it. It may have seemed out of character for him to agree to being bound as a human servant, but at that point his desperation for something solid in the world
overcame his prior policies on monsters. There are always exceptions to every rule.
I chose to go with something that Edward had said to Anita in OB because I thought it would add an interesting twist to my story, and because of the fact that I have a soft spot for the cold hard killer. I made Edward and Anita truly soul mates, and not just in the ushy-gushy lovey-dovey sort of way. I thought it would be interesting to explore how this sort of connection would work in a world where metaphysics are not only very real - but very obvious. Through Anita's perceptions, I can explore how this bond would truly affect both her (someone deeply entrenched in the paranormal) and Edward (someone without any metaphysical traces).
It was a challenge to decide how to make this different from the other bonds that Anita shares. There are two important elements to this. The first is that shielding, for either of them, is not really an option. While Anita can block Edward out of her mind/thoughts (telepathic communication) and, to a certain degree shield from him, the fact remains that anything intense felt by either of them is shared and there is no way to 'disconnect'. The second element is that in combining this connection with the other 'natural' aspects of the human servant bond - I've really messed with Edward's head.
I know that he's still keeping a lot to himself, but the fact of the matter is - there's a lot more to MY Edward than meets the eye. I've taken my time establishing that he does actually have feelings, though for the most part, I've left them up for interpretation. There are revelations ahead though, and I'm looking forward to peeling back some layers to show you what I really think of the man behind the cold mask of Death.
