Ratings19
Average rating3.4
At the center of Anne Rice's new novel is the beautiful, unconquerable Merrick, a child--a witch with the power and magical knowledge of a Medea and a Circe. She is a Mayfair of New Orleans, descendent of a family rich in its French and Spanish past, steeped in the age-old tradition of voodoo. Into this strange and exotic world comes David Talbot, hero, storyteller, adventurer, almost-mortal vampire, a visitor from another realm of the dark world. In her mesmerizing new novel, the author of the Vampire Chronicles & the saga of the Mayfair witches demonstrates, once again, her gift for spellbinding storytelling & the creation of myth & magic. Now, in a magnificent tale of sorcery & the occult, she makes real for us a hitherto unexplored world of witchcraft. At the center is the beautiful, unconquerable witch, Merrick. She is a descendant of the gens de couleurs libres, a caste derived from the black mistresses of white men, a society of New Orleans octaroons & quadroons, steeped in the lore & ceremony of voodoo, who reign in the shadowy world where the African & the French--the white & the dark--intermingle. Her ancestors are the Great Mayfair witches, of whom she knows nothing--and from whom she inherits the power & magical knowledge of a Circe. Into this exotic New Orleans realm comes David Talbot, hero, storyteller, adventurer, almost-mortal vampire, visitor from another dark realm. It is he who recounts Merrick's haunting tale--a tale that takes us from the New Orleans of past & present to the jungles of Guatemala, from the Mayan ruins of a century ago to ancient civilizations not yet explored. Anne Rice's richly told novel weaves an irresistible story of two worlds: the witches' world & the vampires' world, where magical powers & otherworldly fascinations are locked together in a dance of seduction, death, & rebirth.
Series
13 primary booksThe Vampire Chronicles is a 13-book series with 13 primary works first released in 1976 with contributions by Anne Rice and Adalgisa Campos da Silva.
Reviews with the most likes.
Rice's prose is still strong, like the previous books in the series. The story is focused on a witch named Merrick, and her relationship with David Talbot. The only Vampire Chronicles element in the book is within a few pages in the beginning and the end.
It does add a bit to the series, because of the ending, which I didn't like very much. Lestat gives his blood to Louis who just tried to kill himself, going against Louis's wishes and making him nearly indestructible. I found Louis suicide befitting with his character, and he has long stopped adding to the series. Armand's resurrection was far more deserving and interesting.
It also introduces what i expect will be an important new character in future stories.