Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Knopf (2014), Edition: First Edition, 480 pages
Description
"The novel opens with the Vampire world in crisis...vampires have been proliferating out of control; burnings have commenced all over the world, huge massacres similar to those carried out by Akasha in The Queen of the Damned... Old vampires, roused from slumber in the earth are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn vampire-mavericks in cities from Paris and Mumbai to Hong Kong, Kyoto and San Francisco. As the novel moves from present day New York and the West Coast to Ancient Egypt, fourth century Carthage, 14th century Rome, the Venice of the Renaissance, the worlds and beings of all the Vampire Chronicles--from Louis de Pointe du Lac, the eternally young Armand whose face is that of a Boticelli angel; Mekare and Maharet, Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the Secret Talamasca, and Marius, the true child of the Millennia; along with all the other new seductive, supernatural creatures--come together in this large, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious novel to ultimately rise up and seek out who--or what--The Voice is, and to discover the secret of what it desires and why... And, at the book's center, the seemingly absent, curiously missing hero-wanderer, the dazzling, dangerous rebel-outlaw--the great "hope" of the Undead, the dazzling Prince Lestat.."--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Back in high school in the 1980s, I discovered and read Interview With the Vampire. I think it was when The Vampire Lestat came out in paperback because that’s what caught my eye in the bookstore, but realizing it was a sequel, I read the first one first. Maybe read is too light a word. Devoured
Alas the spell has been broken for me for quite a while and I stopped purchasing and reading the books altogether. I still have them though and have read the first three books a few times since, getting lost in all that meaningless history and unrepentant navel-gazing. When I heard that Rice was penning a new Lestat novel, I even went back and read a few of the later books to get my head into that space. Well, I read Blood and Gold and I tried to read Vittorio the Vampire, but gave up because it was so inert and, frankly, stupid.
I knew though, that no matter what I tried to tell myself, I’d buy this book. And I’d read it pretty much immediately. At first I had hopes that it was written for more than nostalgia and a guaranteed paycheck, but as I kept reading and every single character in it kept doing nothing (except maybe the inexhaustible musicians who just play and play and play), I began to see that those are the only reasons for the book’s existence.
And that’s how I tried to continue to read it. As a trip down memory lane. But then the cast became choked with not only vampires we knew from old, but new ones and a myriad of spirits and outcasts presumed dead or just unimportant. And they also proceeded to do nothing much more than wring their hands and yearn to exsanguinate each other. Ok, so I had to let things go a little more and stop rolling my eyes. It was pretty clear from the start just who the Voice was, what he wanted and also where he’d end up. What I didn’t expect is that Lestat, that inveterate rule-breaker would then go and set up some elaborate court for his princely reign, delegate Marius to write a book of vampiric laws, appoint ministers of this and that, all on top of the previous mythology he’d brought to light. It didn’t make sense and was really out of character. Sure, I could see why he’d invite and relish in his fusion with Amel, being such a needy bastard, but all that other pomp and circumstance? A fledgling-making ceremony? To insist that creatures like his mother and Cyril bow to the yoke of rules and acceptable behavior? That they all carry cell phones and be friends on Facebook? What happened to the old Lestat who did the unthinkable because rules are only there to be broken? No wonder she dropped the Brat from his title.
Ugh, I liked the reunion part, even when it made no sense to bring certain vampires into existence and have them cross paths with our old friends. That I could have taken. Also the treacly plot that took forever to manifest into the least modicum of action, that I could also have borne. Even the lost opportunity with the scientist vampire could wait for another book. But to make Lestat into someone altogether opposite of everything I’ve read of him, to turn him into an politico puppet; that was just tragic. Like stripping Pegasus of his wings. Now we have an ordinary being where there used to be an extraordinary one. Exciting rule-breaker has been replaced by a stilted rule-maker. And who needs that?
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is more like it. By that time I think the only vampire novel I’d read was Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, which is a riff on the stalwart Dracula where vampires are unadulterated evil beings. These Vampire Chronicle novels were different. They were lushly seductive. With the first one you believed that vampires could exist and if they did, that was exactly how they should live. As tortured souls, eternally questioning their role in the universe by candlelight and with many velvet draperies. By the second one, you wanted to be among their number, to be captured by the sight of dust motes in moonlight and sent into paroxysms of ennui. Alas the spell has been broken for me for quite a while and I stopped purchasing and reading the books altogether. I still have them though and have read the first three books a few times since, getting lost in all that meaningless history and unrepentant navel-gazing. When I heard that Rice was penning a new Lestat novel, I even went back and read a few of the later books to get my head into that space. Well, I read Blood and Gold and I tried to read Vittorio the Vampire, but gave up because it was so inert and, frankly, stupid.
I knew though, that no matter what I tried to tell myself, I’d buy this book. And I’d read it pretty much immediately. At first I had hopes that it was written for more than nostalgia and a guaranteed paycheck, but as I kept reading and every single character in it kept doing nothing (except maybe the inexhaustible musicians who just play and play and play), I began to see that those are the only reasons for the book’s existence.
And that’s how I tried to continue to read it. As a trip down memory lane. But then the cast became choked with not only vampires we knew from old, but new ones and a myriad of spirits and outcasts presumed dead or just unimportant. And they also proceeded to do nothing much more than wring their hands and yearn to exsanguinate each other. Ok, so I had to let things go a little more and stop rolling my eyes. It was pretty clear from the start just who the Voice was, what he wanted and also where he’d end up. What I didn’t expect is that Lestat, that inveterate rule-breaker would then go and set up some elaborate court for his princely reign, delegate Marius to write a book of vampiric laws, appoint ministers of this and that, all on top of the previous mythology he’d brought to light. It didn’t make sense and was really out of character. Sure, I could see why he’d invite and relish in his fusion with Amel, being such a needy bastard, but all that other pomp and circumstance? A fledgling-making ceremony? To insist that creatures like his mother and Cyril bow to the yoke of rules and acceptable behavior? That they all carry cell phones and be friends on Facebook? What happened to the old Lestat who did the unthinkable because rules are only there to be broken? No wonder she dropped the Brat from his title.
Ugh, I liked the reunion part, even when it made no sense to bring certain vampires into existence and have them cross paths with our old friends. That I could have taken. Also the treacly plot that took forever to manifest into the least modicum of action, that I could also have borne. Even the lost opportunity with the scientist vampire could wait for another book. But to make Lestat into someone altogether opposite of everything I’ve read of him, to turn him into an politico puppet; that was just tragic. Like stripping Pegasus of his wings. Now we have an ordinary being where there used to be an extraordinary one. Exciting rule-breaker has been replaced by a stilted rule-maker. And who needs that?
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LibraryThing member Vinbert
Was it good? Yes. Did I fall in love all over again? No. However, I can't say if that's because of Ms Rice's writing, or because I have changed as a reader. Perhaps I should have re read the whole cycle before starting this, but I just couldn't. Worth it if you followed the series avidly for sure.
LibraryThing member LadyBrook3
Another Epic!
Anne Rice does it again with Prince Lestat. If you have read the Vampire Chronicles you will not be disappointed. If you haven't read them yet, hurry and do so that you can sit back and enjoy this ride!
Anne Rice does it again with Prince Lestat. If you have read the Vampire Chronicles you will not be disappointed. If you haven't read them yet, hurry and do so that you can sit back and enjoy this ride!
LibraryThing member csweder
The latest installment in the vampire chronicles.
LibraryThing member pinakadalisay
The book feels like a reboot of the Vampire Chronicles. Although it doesn’t erase the things that happened in the past, the feeling I got was that the whole book was setting up a new series of books featuring vampires. The appendices alone seem to speak to a new group of (younger) readers who
The plot is quite thin and predictable, moving so slowly as old and new characters enter the narrative, which makes the proceedings seem like a reunion episode of a loved but long gone TV show. Much of the action is not shown, but told from secondary sources. The embrace of the familiar dulled much of the tension caused by the antagonist. Even the deaths of beloved characters do not have the same emotional pull as the death of other characters (like Claudia) in past books.
Even Lestat feels like a shadow of the vampire he used to be. He seemed to have mellowed like an ageing firebrand. It could be an intentional move by the writer and I’m uncertain where this change in character will lead to, story-wise. Also, the language is less florid, which I think fits well with the ruminations on identity, community, and responsibility–new themes which were pondered upon by the characters.
There are no earth-shattering revelations here, which is probably why I wasn’t impressed with the book. The embrace of the familiar, which didn’t benefit the plot, is my source of delight. Prince Lestat is filled with characters that I’ve followed through books and years; their histories are part of my memory and this nourishes my curiosity on what their next adventures will be.
Will I read the next book/s? Just the other day, I read an announcement that the next book will be called ‘Blood Paradise’. You bet I will.
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might be unfamiliar with the Vampire Chronicles.The plot is quite thin and predictable, moving so slowly as old and new characters enter the narrative, which makes the proceedings seem like a reunion episode of a loved but long gone TV show. Much of the action is not shown, but told from secondary sources. The embrace of the familiar dulled much of the tension caused by the antagonist. Even the deaths of beloved characters do not have the same emotional pull as the death of other characters (like Claudia) in past books.
Even Lestat feels like a shadow of the vampire he used to be. He seemed to have mellowed like an ageing firebrand. It could be an intentional move by the writer and I’m uncertain where this change in character will lead to, story-wise. Also, the language is less florid, which I think fits well with the ruminations on identity, community, and responsibility–new themes which were pondered upon by the characters.
There are no earth-shattering revelations here, which is probably why I wasn’t impressed with the book. The embrace of the familiar, which didn’t benefit the plot, is my source of delight. Prince Lestat is filled with characters that I’ve followed through books and years; their histories are part of my memory and this nourishes my curiosity on what their next adventures will be.
Will I read the next book/s? Just the other day, I read an announcement that the next book will be called ‘Blood Paradise’. You bet I will.
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LibraryThing member Luna.Falena
I actually finished this book on December 9th but just now got around to writing the review.
When I heard that Anne Rice was going to be publishing another book for The Vampire Chronicles, I was beyond excited. It was those exact books that helped me get through some of my toughest times from
With that being said, you can see why I was excited about Prince Lestat and Anne Rice did it again. Lestat and so many other slumbering, old companions re-entered my world. It was exciting to read about what they had been up to and what they are doing now. It was all brilliantly pieced together in this novel; each character having chapters all to themselves. There's a sort of maturing in Lestat (though, he's still the Brat Prince) and this radiating, exciting energy felt whenever all of them come together again. Anne Rice weaves the ancient with the modern in beautiful ways, so this book is sure to draw crowds from old and new alike. I could write so much more, because this was such an exciting read for me, but I don't want to spoil anything. If you're a fan of Anne Rice and have yet to read this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're new to Anne Rice, dive in and enjoy The Vampire Chronicles and be prepared to have these beautiful, shadowy companions linger in your heart forever.
Thank you, Anne, for providing us all with another installment about the best vampires in history!
When I heard that Anne Rice was going to be publishing another book for The Vampire Chronicles, I was beyond excited. It was those exact books that helped me get through some of my toughest times from
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2006-2008 after I had a wreck, unable to walk and dealing with multiple surgeries that inevitably cost me losing a leg. During that time, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles swept me away into a totally different and intriguing world and she easily became one of my favorite authors. I am forever grateful to her for being a massive support (unknowingly) during those times.With that being said, you can see why I was excited about Prince Lestat and Anne Rice did it again. Lestat and so many other slumbering, old companions re-entered my world. It was exciting to read about what they had been up to and what they are doing now. It was all brilliantly pieced together in this novel; each character having chapters all to themselves. There's a sort of maturing in Lestat (though, he's still the Brat Prince) and this radiating, exciting energy felt whenever all of them come together again. Anne Rice weaves the ancient with the modern in beautiful ways, so this book is sure to draw crowds from old and new alike. I could write so much more, because this was such an exciting read for me, but I don't want to spoil anything. If you're a fan of Anne Rice and have yet to read this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're new to Anne Rice, dive in and enjoy The Vampire Chronicles and be prepared to have these beautiful, shadowy companions linger in your heart forever.
Thank you, Anne, for providing us all with another installment about the best vampires in history!
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LibraryThing member alexyskwan
I don't know how I feel about this merging with Amel of our Brat Prince, but it is like him to be so impulsive...
LibraryThing member agarcia85257
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice is for many of us who found the world of The Vampire Chronicles to be an eye opening and a vision into a universe, a sad and weak addition.
The vampire world is once again in chaos. Someone and it must be some ancient vampire, is using the fire gift to burn up entire
In and around it all is the aloof and too cool for school Lestat. Only he is not so cool anymore and truth be told, is something of a whiny and spoiled hipster. The old vampires are calling for Lestat to take action, because well I guess because he is the main character after all. Lestat in this book has taken the role of Louis in the original Vampire Chronicle. A morose, sad, and pathetic eternal being in need of therapy and a good spanking.
Enter the Voice. An unknown entity that speaks to the older vampires, urging them to kill the younger. An angry petulant voice causing division among the remaining vampires. Lestat decides to get involved, but first a rogue vampire doctor fixes it so Lestat can get laid first with a human woman, because with all that the vampires face, that's high on the priority list isn't it? This one night of course creates a child, because after centuries of not getting laid, the one time you do she gets pregnant. With a son now, and an adoptive daughter, who of course fall in love with one another, because incest was the only thing missing; Lestat is ready to return to the world of vampires and take on the Voice.
The novel is told through the experiences and narrative of different vampires at different times. Piece by piece the tale of the vampires and the voice is told. Lestat only shows himself in the beginning and toward the end and considering what a boring Prince Lestat he has become, this is probably a good thing. The problem with this novel is that all the characters are morose and boring. There is so much woe is me going on with these vampires that you hope they will turn on one another and start turning each other into vampire flambe.
This is Lestat neutered. This is Lestat ready to step into Twilight. This is a sad example of Lestat, the one vampire that had stayed...a vampire.
He isn't anymore and that is too bad.
The vampire world is once again in chaos. Someone and it must be some ancient vampire, is using the fire gift to burn up entire
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groups of younger blood suckers. With vampires bursting into flame all around, no one knows who to trust and the twins, the two witches who took the core into themselves and now rule the vampire world, are not to be found. Is it them? Are they falling into the step of the ancient Queen and Mother of all vampires and killing the young? In and around it all is the aloof and too cool for school Lestat. Only he is not so cool anymore and truth be told, is something of a whiny and spoiled hipster. The old vampires are calling for Lestat to take action, because well I guess because he is the main character after all. Lestat in this book has taken the role of Louis in the original Vampire Chronicle. A morose, sad, and pathetic eternal being in need of therapy and a good spanking.
Enter the Voice. An unknown entity that speaks to the older vampires, urging them to kill the younger. An angry petulant voice causing division among the remaining vampires. Lestat decides to get involved, but first a rogue vampire doctor fixes it so Lestat can get laid first with a human woman, because with all that the vampires face, that's high on the priority list isn't it? This one night of course creates a child, because after centuries of not getting laid, the one time you do she gets pregnant. With a son now, and an adoptive daughter, who of course fall in love with one another, because incest was the only thing missing; Lestat is ready to return to the world of vampires and take on the Voice.
The novel is told through the experiences and narrative of different vampires at different times. Piece by piece the tale of the vampires and the voice is told. Lestat only shows himself in the beginning and toward the end and considering what a boring Prince Lestat he has become, this is probably a good thing. The problem with this novel is that all the characters are morose and boring. There is so much woe is me going on with these vampires that you hope they will turn on one another and start turning each other into vampire flambe.
This is Lestat neutered. This is Lestat ready to step into Twilight. This is a sad example of Lestat, the one vampire that had stayed...a vampire.
He isn't anymore and that is too bad.
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LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
I gave up at page 111. Thinking I would return to the novel 2 months passed by and I was still not moved to pick up the book and complete the narrative. That being said, how sad. I loved Lestat as a character in the Vampire Chronicles and in The Vampire Lestat - I was excited to see Anne Rice pick
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up her pen again to write about vampires, but the truth is, she should've let them remain a memory. Show Less
LibraryThing member vwinsloe
Prince Lestat (or 47 Vampires, Two Humans and Assorted Ghosts and Spirits in Search of a Plot.) Well, okay, there was a plot, but she didn't get around to it until about 350 pages in. Most of the previous pages violated the cardinal writer's rule "show, don't tell" and made for very tedious
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reading. So sad, really. Show Less
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
I gave up at page 111. Thinking I would return to the novel 2 months passed by and I was still not moved to pick up the book and complete the narrative. That being said, how sad. I loved Lestat as a character in the Vampire Chronicles and in The Vampire Lestat - I was excited to see Anne Rice pick
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up her pen again to write about vampires, but the truth is, she should've let them remain a memory. Show Less
LibraryThing member vwinsloe
Prince Lestat (or 47 Vampires, Two Humans and Assorted Ghosts and Spirits in Search of a Plot.) Well, okay, there was a plot, but she didn't get around to it until about 350 pages in. Most of the previous pages violated the cardinal writer's rule "show, don't tell" and made for very tedious
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reading. So sad, really. Show Less
LibraryThing member bg853
I started this book with great anticipation. I loved the early Vampire Chronicles and had hoped to rekindle that love. It didn't happen.
In Prince Lestat we learn about what has been happening with the major vampires from the chronicles. Then we learn about what has been happening with the lesser
There is a voice bedevilling them all and they all believe that the answer to the crisis ithe voice is causing is Lestat. They talk, contemplate, complain and speak about Lestat in hushed reverent tones.
There is occasional action but it comes and goes so quickly that it swallowed up by this infernal contemplation.
I gave it two and a half stars because I did enjoy hearing what had happened to some of the major characters but ratio of contemplation to action was disheartening.
In Prince Lestat we learn about what has been happening with the major vampires from the chronicles. Then we learn about what has been happening with the lesser
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vampires from the chronicles. Then we learn what has been happening with vampires we never met in the chronicles. Then we learn what has been happening to non-vampires who we never met in the chronicles. Thats it. You learn what is happening to them and you get to watch them talk, contemplate, complain and hope someone wil do something about it.There is a voice bedevilling them all and they all believe that the answer to the crisis ithe voice is causing is Lestat. They talk, contemplate, complain and speak about Lestat in hushed reverent tones.
There is occasional action but it comes and goes so quickly that it swallowed up by this infernal contemplation.
I gave it two and a half stars because I did enjoy hearing what had happened to some of the major characters but ratio of contemplation to action was disheartening.
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LibraryThing member Vinbert
Was it good? Yes. Did I fall in love all over again? No. However, I can't say if that's because of Ms Rice's writing, or because I have changed as a reader. Perhaps I should have re read the whole cycle before starting this, but I just couldn't. Worth it if you followed the series avidly for sure.
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
Ten years have passed and we've finally gotten a new Vampire Chronicles book. Thankfully this audio book included a summary up to now and an appendix with all the characters from previous books and a one sentence summary of each book and what it was about. That did a really great job getting me
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back up to speed and I like that if you realized they were summaries and still remembered everything they were easy to skip as opposed to being intertwined in a long first chapter. The story was clever and the premise I found pretty interesting. We got to catch up with many older characters and were introduced to tons of interesting new ones. I was glad to finally see the introduction of some science and am curious about where that was going. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
Ten years have passed and we've finally gotten a new Vampire Chronicles book. Thankfully this audio book included a summary up to now and an appendix with all the characters from previous books and a one sentence summary of each book and what it was about. That did a really great job getting me
Show More
back up to speed and I like that if you realized they were summaries and still remembered everything they were easy to skip as opposed to being intertwined in a long first chapter. The story was clever and the premise I found pretty interesting. We got to catch up with many older characters and were introduced to tons of interesting new ones. I was glad to finally see the introduction of some science and am curious about where that was going. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
Ten years have passed and we've finally gotten a new Vampire Chronicles book. Thankfully this audio book included a summary up to now and an appendix with all the characters from previous books and a one sentence summary of each book and what it was about. That did a really great job getting me
Show More
back up to speed and I like that if you realized they were summaries and still remembered everything they were easy to skip as opposed to being intertwined in a long first chapter. The story was clever and the premise I found pretty interesting. We got to catch up with many older characters and were introduced to tons of interesting new ones. I was glad to finally see the introduction of some science and am curious about where that was going. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
Ten years have passed and we've finally gotten a new Vampire Chronicles book. Thankfully this audio book included a summary up to now and an appendix with all the characters from previous books and a one sentence summary of each book and what it was about. That did a really great job getting me
Show More
back up to speed and I like that if you realized they were summaries and still remembered everything they were easy to skip as opposed to being intertwined in a long first chapter. The story was clever and the premise I found pretty interesting. We got to catch up with many older characters and were introduced to tons of interesting new ones. I was glad to finally see the introduction of some science and am curious about where that was going. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
In the new book of the Vampire Chronicles Lestat and all the vampires has to face a new danger. Is it possible that the days of the new Burning came and it's the end of almost all of them? It seems that they can only survive if they act together as a 'tribe'....
LibraryThing member brakketh
Further explores the mythos of her world. Continues to show the elder/stronger/more beautiful vampires as almost inherently better.
LibraryThing member allison_s
Most of this rating is probably just a STAGGERING WAVE OF NOSTALGIA but I don't care. I met up with some old familiar faces, had some stories fleshed out, was introduced to some new and fascinating immortals, wanted to know more about them, etc etc.
Every chapter heading led to a FANGIRL SCREAM
I hate you, Anne, for stopping for 10 years to write about Jesus and other things that weren't your glorious vampires or witches.
Every chapter heading led to a FANGIRL SCREAM
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moment. "MARIUS??? WHEEEEEEE. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"I hate you, Anne, for stopping for 10 years to write about Jesus and other things that weren't your glorious vampires or witches.
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LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan
I love Anne Rice and this new book about the popular vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt did not disappoint. When Lestat can't get rid of a voice in his head, he decides to join civilization again after years of isolation, and discovers the world of the undead is in turmoil because Amel, a spirit that is
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at the core of their existence, is inciting vampires to kill their own. As the ancients gather to figure out how to stop him, they all cry out for Lestat, the Brat Prince, to lead them. Never wanting for the wonderful descriptive language that her books are noted for, Anne Rice paints a picture of suffering and joy in one of my favorite fantasy worlds as Lestat and his companions unite and win the moment. The romantic notion of vampires lives on after the last page is turned. Show Less
LibraryThing member wb4ever1
A few months ago I read BLOOD CANTICLE, which at the time of its publication was to be Anne Rice’s final chapter in the Vampire Chronicles after nearly three decades of the adventures of her romantic and decadent Undead characters, and in my review for that book, said that she was clearly burned
I liked PRINCE LESTAT way more than the naysayers, but I also get where some of them were coming from, and why they were so peeved. The basic plot concerns a mysterious entity known as The Voice which is speaking telepathically to Lestat and other vampires around the world and commanding them to destroy their own kind. Some listen and act on what The Voice commands, while others are able to shut it out, but Lestat, and others like Marius, David, and Jesse, are determined to discover just who and what is the true nature of this threat to their peculiar “tribe.” The answer lies with a return to Rice’s earliest books, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT and QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, and reappearances of the immortal sisters Maharet and Mekare, the latter having slain the Blood Queen Akasha, the mother of all vampires, and taken the “sacred core” from the Queen into herself; this being the spirit Amel, who entered Akasha’s body and become one with her flesh and blood, thus making him the true progenitor of all vampires. It is little mystery as to the identity of The Voice, and not much more as to how its threat will be resolved. Thus Rice attempts to reach back to her early, and clearly most beloved, books, pull on a plot thread, and weave a new story that builds on what has come before.
And that was fine with me, for as a long time Rice fan, I was satisfied with this latest book which brings back so many previous characters that it was necessary to have a glossary of them at the end, along with a chronological listing of all the Vampire Chronicle books that came before. It was a real help in keeping track of who was who, and where they entered the story. The book also had a lot of points of view and chapters shifted from the first person POV of Lestat to third person narratives by Marius and a host of new characters, both living and Undead, not to mention some ghosts who have figured out how to pass among the living. This is a departure from the first person narration that was a hallmark of many of Rice’s best books, and many long time readers didn’t cotton to it, but I had no problem. It was nice catch up with Armand, Benji, Pandora, Louis and Daniel Malloy again. There are also some out of left field turns that no one saw coming, such having Lestat father a biological son with the help of Fareed, a research doctor turned vampire. This seemed to contradict the physical nature of vampires that Rice established in her first book, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, way back in 1976, but this is fiction after all, and an author has the right to bend their own rules. The problem comes with readers who consider a bend the same as a break.
The main fault I have with PRINCE LESTAT is that the plot ultimately turns out to be rather thin, with an antagonist that appears to be a huge threat to vampires being revealed to be something less when all is said and done. And the subplot with Viktor, Lestat’s son, and his ward, Rose, could have been way better developed, along with its dramatic possibilities. How about Lestat having a mortal son who is determined to kill his monster of a father who abandoned him? That could have been a book all to itself. But Rice clearly so loved her beautiful, and beauty loving, immortals, that she just couldn’t be but so mean to them by this point in her career. She wrote PRINCE LESTAT after coming back to her childhood Catholic faith, and there is no mention of the decadent Mayfair family of witches with their incest and pedophilia that dominated BLOOD CANTICLE, but I did wonder where Quinn and Mona Blackwood were. Still, to the end, Anne Rice was a master world builder, one that intrigued and enchanted readers everywhere, and to open her one of her books was an invitation to join that world, to become part of it, to walk with the Undead through their endless nights as one of them. If she ultimately struggled to write new adventures for her characters after they had lived so many lifetimes, then it was a problem she shared with other equally talented authors. I’m looking forward to reading PRINCE LESTAT AND THE REALMS OF ATLANTIS next.
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out on her beloved vampires. BLOOD CANTICLE was clearly written to tie up loose ends, and give her loyal fans some closure before Lestat bid farewell from her imagination. That closure lasted a little more than a decade before Rice brought back her Brat Prince of the blood suckers in PRINCE LESTAT, along with a host of familiar faces in a new story that took some twists and turns, especially when it comes to the origin of the vampires and their mythos she created in earlier books. Not all fans where happy with this turn of events, and PRINCE LESTAT received some scathing reviews from Rice diehards, along with gargantuan over analysis in others. Lestat was back and every one had an opinion.I liked PRINCE LESTAT way more than the naysayers, but I also get where some of them were coming from, and why they were so peeved. The basic plot concerns a mysterious entity known as The Voice which is speaking telepathically to Lestat and other vampires around the world and commanding them to destroy their own kind. Some listen and act on what The Voice commands, while others are able to shut it out, but Lestat, and others like Marius, David, and Jesse, are determined to discover just who and what is the true nature of this threat to their peculiar “tribe.” The answer lies with a return to Rice’s earliest books, THE VAMPIRE LESTAT and QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, and reappearances of the immortal sisters Maharet and Mekare, the latter having slain the Blood Queen Akasha, the mother of all vampires, and taken the “sacred core” from the Queen into herself; this being the spirit Amel, who entered Akasha’s body and become one with her flesh and blood, thus making him the true progenitor of all vampires. It is little mystery as to the identity of The Voice, and not much more as to how its threat will be resolved. Thus Rice attempts to reach back to her early, and clearly most beloved, books, pull on a plot thread, and weave a new story that builds on what has come before.
And that was fine with me, for as a long time Rice fan, I was satisfied with this latest book which brings back so many previous characters that it was necessary to have a glossary of them at the end, along with a chronological listing of all the Vampire Chronicle books that came before. It was a real help in keeping track of who was who, and where they entered the story. The book also had a lot of points of view and chapters shifted from the first person POV of Lestat to third person narratives by Marius and a host of new characters, both living and Undead, not to mention some ghosts who have figured out how to pass among the living. This is a departure from the first person narration that was a hallmark of many of Rice’s best books, and many long time readers didn’t cotton to it, but I had no problem. It was nice catch up with Armand, Benji, Pandora, Louis and Daniel Malloy again. There are also some out of left field turns that no one saw coming, such having Lestat father a biological son with the help of Fareed, a research doctor turned vampire. This seemed to contradict the physical nature of vampires that Rice established in her first book, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, way back in 1976, but this is fiction after all, and an author has the right to bend their own rules. The problem comes with readers who consider a bend the same as a break.
The main fault I have with PRINCE LESTAT is that the plot ultimately turns out to be rather thin, with an antagonist that appears to be a huge threat to vampires being revealed to be something less when all is said and done. And the subplot with Viktor, Lestat’s son, and his ward, Rose, could have been way better developed, along with its dramatic possibilities. How about Lestat having a mortal son who is determined to kill his monster of a father who abandoned him? That could have been a book all to itself. But Rice clearly so loved her beautiful, and beauty loving, immortals, that she just couldn’t be but so mean to them by this point in her career. She wrote PRINCE LESTAT after coming back to her childhood Catholic faith, and there is no mention of the decadent Mayfair family of witches with their incest and pedophilia that dominated BLOOD CANTICLE, but I did wonder where Quinn and Mona Blackwood were. Still, to the end, Anne Rice was a master world builder, one that intrigued and enchanted readers everywhere, and to open her one of her books was an invitation to join that world, to become part of it, to walk with the Undead through their endless nights as one of them. If she ultimately struggled to write new adventures for her characters after they had lived so many lifetimes, then it was a problem she shared with other equally talented authors. I’m looking forward to reading PRINCE LESTAT AND THE REALMS OF ATLANTIS next.
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Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-10-28
ISBN
0307962520 / 9780307962522