Product Description
Lestat, the vampire-hero, enchanter and seducer of mortals, speaks in the new book in the bestselling Vampire Chronicles that began with Interview with the Vampire and continued with The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. For centuries Lestat has been a courted prince in the dark universe of the living dead. But now he is alone, and everything he has come to believe in is called into question. Soon he will embark on the most dangerous enterprise he has ever undertaken.Amazon.com Review
It's been said that VladimirNabokov's best novels are the ones he wrote after starting afailed novel. Anne Rice wrote The Body Thief, the fourththrilling episode of her Vampire Chronicles, right after she spent along time poring over that most romantic of horror novels, MaryShelley's Frankenstein, toresearch a novel Rice abandoned about an artificial man. Perhaps as aresult of Shelley's influence, The Body Thief is far morepsychologically penetrating than its predecessors, with a laser-likefocus on a single tormented soul. Oh, we meet some wild newcharacters, and Rice's toothsome vampire-hero Lestat zooms around theglobe--as is his magical habit--from Miami to the Gobi desert, buthe's in such despair that he trades his immortal body to a con mannamed Raglan James, who offers him in return two days of strictlymortal bliss.

Lestat has always had a faulty impulse-control valve, and it gets himin truly intriguing trouble this time. On the plus side, he gets toexperience romance with a nun and orange juice--"thick like blood, butfull of sweetness." But Lestat is horrified by an uncommon cold, andhis toilet training proves traumatic. He's also got to catch RaglanJames, who has no intention of giving up his dishonestly acquired newsuperpowered body.Lestat enlists the help of David Talbot, a mortalin the Talamasca, a secret society of immortal watchers described inQueen of theDamned.

The swapping of bodies and supernatural stories is choice, and there'seven a moral: never give a bloodsucker an even break. --TimAppelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (207)

The Tale of the Body Thief
Lestat is wandering alone, haunted by dreams and wondering if his existence serves any purpose.He is being stalked by a mortal who has a proposition for him.This mortal is a body thief and can take over the bodies of others.He wishes to switch bodies with Lestat for a period of time and Lestat finds the offer irresistable, against all his friends wishes and warnings about the many ways in which this could go wrong.

I found this to be the least interesting book in the series so far.Lestat continues to philosophize and ponder religion, only he's a bit more boring without his vampiric powers.Sad to say, but my favorite character was the dog that Lestat adopts.David Talbot continues to be an interesting and sympathetic character, but I'm getting somewhat tired of Lestat and his endless quest for meaning.

I hope that Memnoch the Devil is a return to the level of enjoyment I've experienced in the first three books of this series...and if not, maybe at least the dog will be in it again!

It's an odd one but, fills out nicely.
Lestat gets the chance of an (immortal) lifetime; to exchange bodies with a mortal for one night/day to experience what he's been longing for for decades.
After 24 hours, however, things...go wrong.

Lestat has to call up "old" friends - most of whom reject him - and try to get things back to "normal".

Also, David has a new outlook on life when all is said and done.

Excellent book!
This was a great book from cover to cover.If you love Lestat like I do, you will thoroughly enjoy reading this.Action packed the whole way through!

Better than Queen of the Damned but still just an OK read
This book was better than the horrible Queen of the Damned however it was not a great read itself. I found much of the book to be predictible and the end of the book to be completely pointless. Even with the predictiblity of this book at least it was not as BORING as Queen, I didn't think that book would ever end it was a miserable read for me.

The Body Thief
The vampire Lestat bares his tormented soul in "The Tale of the Body Thief". He tires of life as a vampire and dreams about life as a human. When the opportunity arises, he trades his vampie body for a human body for a short term "human" experience. Lestate finds that life as a human is not at all as easy as he had imagined and things get complicated when he is unable to trade his body back to the vampire form.
The story is enthralling and fascinating and kept me at the edge of my chair, unable to put the book down. I felt for Lestat, his longings and need to be human, and was almost able to understand why he took the risk of trading his vampire body for a human one. But thinking about it logically, it was a very stupid thing he did and the consequences well deserved.
To me it is the best book from the Vampire Chronicles. Anne Rice has a very unique way to write and her eye for the smallest of details is amazing and brings life to the characters and the settings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Truly, some of Anne Rice's most DESCRIBTIVE work...
These novels take you, grip you tightly, and refuse to release you until the last page is turned.Then, they leave you wishing that you were a Mayfair or wanting to get away from anything Mayfair.Anne Rice is to be commended for her descriptive ability--- she leaves me breathless...

these 3 books are truely awesome
If your a Big Anne Rice fan like I am, then you should definately read these books!Anne goes so deep into the lives of this family of whiches that you allmost begin to feel as if you were one of them.And Anne's books are never creepy or full of spells or any of that, her books tell what it might be like in her mind to be one of them and to go through their every day routines as we do.

Anne Rice wins with the Mayfair Witches
I read these three books after reading The Vampire Chronicles. Never has a writer captured me so much as Rice with her tale of the Mayfairs. A must for readers everywhere. Not just horror enthusiast or Rice readers, this tale is great for everyone.

I love the Mayfairs.
The Mayfair series are my very favourite Anne Rice books. I have never loved a set of books as much as I love these.
The Mayfairs are a curious bunch. Not every one will like them as much as I do.
The characters are wonderful. I love Rowan and Michael (the two predominant characters) but there are so many others that you meet in the second and third books that I love also.
The family history, written by the Talamasca,always fascinates me. I love reading about the 13 witches, from Suzanne to Rowan.

If you are someone looking for a book about witches casting spells and riding broomsticks, you're in the wrong place.
If you like Anne Rice, I highly recommend these books!

beautiful novels
These books are some of the most realistic books I have ever read.Anne really out did herself. As always she moved me like no other auther can. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Nicely done...
I gave this to my wife as a gift before our recent trip to New Orleans, and she carried this book everywhere.While any book like this is a bit out-of-date as soon as it is published, it was still very useful for finding all the sites and giving us good background information.One important note though is that Anne Rice is selling off her doll collection and the orphanage, so there is no longer any tour. That was really a disappointment.

Perfect for the specialist
If you're going to New Orleans largely because you're a fan of Anne Rice's Vampire and Mayfair Witches novels, then this is an essential.

I used it on my first trip to New Orleans. It includes self-guided tours of the French Quarter and Garden District that include Vampire Chronicle and Mayfair sites respectively without leaving out the must-see unrelated sites and experiences. The only caveat is that zoo fans should be aware that the Audobon is one of the best in the country.

Three types of sites are covered - those related to Anne Rice herself, those used in - or speculated to have inspired locations in - the books, and those where parts of "Interview" were filmed.

With chapters on guided plantation, swamp and cemetary tours, as well as restaurants and hotels (the last including descriptions of ambviance that helped me considerably in my choice of hotel), you'll have everything you need to plan your trip and not miss anything like the Ursuline convent where Louis found Claudia and the Gardiner House that inspired the home that Lestat, Louis and Claudia shared.

Best of all, Ms. Dickinson wants us all to be careful out there in a city that can become ominous if you go too far off the beaten track sans tour group - especially at night. As she wittily reminds us, we're not all as indestructable as Lestat, and if an area - even one that contains an Anne Rice site - is unsafe, she doesn't hesitate to tell us so. Following her advice, you'll see everything you want to see and get home safe and sound.

Picked it up In New Orleans
Last year, for Christmas 97 we had to go to New Orleans to see my father's family, I was having a a horrible time because of the weather. (We went the year before for Mardi Gras, the weather makes my hair go afro-y; it doesn'thelp to use your normal hair-care products.) We went to the French Quarterthe day we were leaving and pow there was this cool book. I had to get it,I've read all of the Mayfair Witches books. I recommend it to anyone that'sever wondered about where their favorite characters lived.

Anne Rice fan from Michigan
I saw this book in the bookstore and it's really interesteng. So mesmerizing that I couldn't put it down (thus being late to work). I realized just how much I had missed on my first visit to New Orleans. Iplan on going again in Spring and I'm taking this book as a guide of sorts.Full of many great odditites of New Orleans. ... Read more

Product Description
Directly and in considerable detail this anthology argues for the serious study of the literary oeuvre of Anne Rice, a major figure in popular literature today. This writer of gothic fiction attracts not only great general interest among readers but also much serious scholarly attention among those who recognize in her work evidence of sophisticated characterization and intricate plotting. Such readers find allusions in Rice's work to that of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, to Ann Radcliffe's gothic romances, such as The Mysteries of Udolpho, and to Bram Stoker's Dracula, as do such present-day authors as Clive Barker, Robert R. McCammon, and Stephen King.

The essays in this volume assert that Rice goes far beyond the conventions of the formula to examine important contemporary social issues. Like a handful of authors working in the horror genre, Rice perceives in its otherwise predictable narrative structures a way by which a larger, more interesting cultural mythology can be developed, as the editors of this volume point out. In short, Rice may be said to search for philosophical truth, examining themes of good and evil, the influence on people and society of both nature and nurture, "the conflict and dependence of humanism and science," as one essayist states. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An unchartered decent through Rices literature.
The gothic world of Annne Rice is an absolute must have for both fan of the gothic, vampirism or scholar.The anthology is A direct rout into the marvellous world behind the authour.Not only does it convey an unchartered depth of her literature, but is also A direct approach to A more academic criticsim. This book is of universal appeal because it charts A thought provoking desent through her key best sellers. For any reaserching vampirism especially,or just fasinated by this tallented writer this book is essential. It provides integral essays which traverse themes of anthrapology,in which is discussed how |Rice's characters assume A place in modern society, through to her more historical novels. But more invaluable are the essays which discuss her infamous vampire characters. In these essays is disclosed the intrinsic roots of vampirism and the gothic, linking back to writters of the Romantic epoch. They also provide A rich source of information, which deals with the more academic side of the gothic as well as A direct insight into the novels themselves. It is well researched, astute and perceptive. With Rice's work rapidly becoming recognised for its academic appel this book provides A critical idiom of her work and deserves A place on the shelf of any avid fan of the gothic, vampirism, or who is just enchanted by the pen of this literary sorceress.

The G.W.of Anne Rice is a stunning look into the mind of A.R
This book takes you to a place where you can feel the passion of Anne Rices works.he is brilliant. What woundn't a person do to meet the creater of the Vampire Chronicles And The Lifes of the Mayfair Witches.She isincredible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

No vampires, no witches, just GREAT storytelling.
I can't say enough about this wonderful book.Published in 1979, it's Anne Rice's second time out of the gate.The story is set in her beloved New Orleans in the 1840's and the subject matter is one of extreme interest; a much overlooked part of New Orleans society of the time, the free people of color...Creole offspring of white landowners.The writing is rich (as is all of Anne Rice), so rich it almost drips...and so delicious!Beautifully written and tragically told...one of her best!If you love her vampires (and who in their right mind doesn't?), then you gotta give this a try (along with her 3rd book, Cry To Heaven...but that's another story). ... Read more

Product Description
Inmortal y sediendo de sangre humana, Lestat ansia descubrir el secreto de su inmortalidad. Eso le llevara a recorrer un variado espectro de lugares y entornos sociales que hace de la suya una apasionante biografia: desde el lascivo Paris del siglo XVIII hasta la Roma de Augusto y la Bretaña de los druidas; desde el Egipto satanico de la prehistoria hasta el mundo frenetico de las estrellas del rock... practicamente toda la historia de la humanidad./Lestat. The vampire hero of Anne Rices enthralling novel is a creature of the darkest and richest imagination. Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s, he rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence. His is a mesmerizing storypassionate, complex, and thrilling.Amazon.com Review
Lestat, the vampire hero of Interviewwith the Vampire is back.Once an aristocrat on the heady days ofpre-revolutionary France, now a rock star in the demonic, shimmering1980's, he rushes through the centuries in search of others like him,seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence.His is a mesmerizing story - passionate, complex, and thrilling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Vampire Lestat is a sensual, psychological thriller!
This book is simply excellent!Lestat is a vampire you soon learn to love.He is beautiful, and yet deadly.Another thing-Lestat always makes it in the end-unlike every other Vampire book.To all you other vampire lovers-this one's for you! It gets a little confusing in a few areas, but Anne Rice brings you right into the book with Lestat-like you're right there with him.You would think there would need to be a lot of physical sex for it to be good, but this has very little of it, and the sensuality level is still high.I love this book! @-->--:) ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Merrick
I am not happy with this order at all.It was sent to my son directly from Amazon to jail, and they sent it incorrectly n Spanish.I sent three books and two were correctly in English.I've sent enail after email to Amazon to have them refund my account for this book or send it free of charge in English. directly to my son. All of my attempts have gone unanswered.No has bother to return my email or to assist me with this matter.This was a $20 book not the usual $7 or $8 book.I am currently getting ready to send him other booksbut I am trying to find another source that cares about the customer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Interview With a Vampire
I found what I liked most about this book is Anne Rice's use of description and setting. She uses both to set the atmosphere and tone of this novel. The dark atmosphere and the ominous tone create a deep, underlying desperation within the characters. I've watched the movie and now read the book. I've enjoyed both.

The best!
This book is brand new and looks as if it was just written even though it was written in the 70s.Definitely a must have for the hardback cover!

One for the ages...
This was the first book I read by Anne Rice and will always be my favorite. It's well written and simply an excellent read.

Great read
Fairly similiar to the movie if you're not into reading, though there are some differences that make the book worthwhile.If you like the book, i recommend the series as it gets better. ... Read more

Product Description
Quinn Blackwood, un rico y excéntrico joven convertido en vampiro, pide la ayuda de Lestat para librarse del celoso control a que le somete Goblin, su doppelgänger. Desde que Quinn entró en el reino de los muertos, Goblin, otrora su sombra fiel, se ha convertido en una amenaza para los seres cercanos al atractivo gentleman. Lestat, intrigado, le pide a Quinn que narre la historia de su vida. Éste recuerda su infancia en el seno de una familia muy peculiar y describe sus días en Blackwood Farm, la mansión de altas columnas y extensos jardines rodeada de zonas pantanosas en la que creció y ahora reside. / Quinn Blackwood, a wealthy and eccentric young man who has been transformed in a vampire, request the help of Lestat to get rid of the jealous control to which Goblin. Since Quinn entered the Kingdom of the living dead, Goblin, has become a threat for the people near the attractive gentleman. Intrigued, Lestat asks Quinn to tell the story of his life. . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Está bien, nada más.
Tomo 9 de las Crónicas. Muy extraño. Interesante la anécdota, la historia mortal de Quinn, futuro vampiro, quien nunca había aparecido en la serie. Aquí se suma Petronia, también desconocida hasta el momento. Pero todo es muy factual, la mera narración de hechos. El tratamiento de los personajes es muy superficial. Le falta profundidad.

Y al igual que el anterior de la serie (Sangre y Oro), sigue careciendo de la fascinación que tenía la lectura de los textos de Anne Rice, sobre todo los seis primeros de las Crónicas Vampíricas. Es más, hasta parece escrito por otra persona, diferente estilo.Interminables y reiteradas descripciones de vestidos y zapatos de taco alto, a cada rato, tanta redundancia, ¿qué es eso?

Mezcla a Lestat en un rol secundario de oyente, con Merrick en otro muy breve y termina en apoteósico final de redención cristiana, poco creíble e incompatible con los personajes que ya conocemos. ¿Lestat tomando la ostia y viendo la luz? ¿Cristo salvador?

Esto debe tener mucho que ver con la conversión religiosa que procesó Rice en este período. Pero Rice debe guardar sus convicciones religiosas para su vida privada y no forzarla en sus personajes.

Very good
lo que se esperaria de un libro de Anne rice muy bueno, buenisimo ... Read more

Product Description
Anne Rice's uniquely gothic, sensuous, and existential approach redefined the modern vampire mythology. Shaped by personal tragedies, critical successes and failures, and a fervent rediscovery of her Catholic roots, Rice has penned over 27 novels from supernatural to historical tomes, erotica and religious themes. But Anne Rice's life is just as interesting as the tales she spins.This expanded collector's version includes several special extras including a pictorial tour of Rice's beloved New Orleans, a brief overview of the origins of the vampire myth, and an illustrated bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
From the vampires Lestat and Louis to a sexually liberated Sleeping Beauty, novelist Anne Rice has created a host of characters who are notable for their paradoxical combinations of the deviant and the conventional. Exit to Eden, for example, ends with the sado-masochistic protagonists embarking on a traditional monogamous heterosexual relationship, while the vampires often long to exchange their erotic immortality for "ordinary" mortal lives and loves.

This scholarly analysis of the seemingly incompatible elements of the subversive and the socially acceptable in Rice's early work covers her career from the landmark Interview with the Vampire (1976) to Lasher (1993). Each chapter tackles a different aspect of Rice's conflicting portrayals of sexual issues, including homophobia, pedophilia, castration anxiety, and the vast array of gender stereotypes and roles that her novels so often interpret and exploit. This study is appropriate both for readers of Rice's writing and those intrigued by issues of sexual politics and the ways in which a popular author both embraces and repudiates some of the most shocking concepts of sexuality. An index and bibliography are included to aid research. ... Read more

Product Description
Collected for the first time, here are the twelve extraordinary illustrated volumes that form the graphic novel of THE VAMPIRE LESTAT. Evocative full-color paintings and an artful abridgment of the original text capture the inimitable spirit and atmosphere of this passionate, complex, and thrilling tale.
The story begins in our own time with Lestat, tall, blond, and handsome, a world-renowned rock star. His gifts are timeless, his youth never withers. But he was not always the powerful and famous child of darkness. Before his long earth-encrusted sleep, he was an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-Revolutionary France. It was then that he came face-to-face with the incarnation of evil and the temptations of love that he has ravenously pursued through time. Where it has led him and what he has become is the heart of the tale that has captured millions of readers.
Amazon.com Review
Collected for the first time, here are the twelveextraordinary illustrated volumes that form the graphic novel of The VampireLestat.Evocative full-color paintings and an artful abridgementof the original text capture the inimitable spirit and atmosphere ofthis passionate, complex, and thrilling tale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

Very Enjoyable
This graphic novel was a pleasent, yet gripping read. The art is awesome and blends well with the story in both capturing the characters emotions, and mission. A must have book for fans of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. What I enjoyed about this book is how the art put me in a cinema of story telling, (a choice for some readers who may not be fans of books with too many word details). I could only wish that all the Vampire Chronicles had a graphic novel adaptation. -- Genaro Zamora (author of "The Found")The Found (ghost/crime thriller)

I love it......but......
I read the stories before I saw the film. Then read the stories again.
And even tho I understand why they have to abridge these tales (have you seen the size of the original books!!) it still saddens me that some of the intricacy is lost. That said, stunning, beautiful, fabulous art, and a great way to get into the stories.Try The Mayfair Witches next. Just the best.

A classic graphic novel
This is NO substitute for reading the novel, but if you already love the story of Lestat, this is a beautiful version of it worth having.Some it might not be as you imagined it, but most of it is dead on.Much of the dialogue is kept intact but the interesting choices of angles, styles, layout and mood keep it from geting tiresome and static.I wish there was a leatherbound deluxe edition!

Beautiful adaptation
This is a beautiful adaptation of the classic story of The Vampire Lestat. Lestat was the antagonist of Interivew with the vampire but in this book you get his own side of things.This is pretty much word for word the entire original novel but with beautiful, artistic accompaniment. The illustrations are gorgeous.

Graphic SF Reader
This is actually a reasonably well done take on this story.

Often would expect something like this to be rushed out and not done that well, but that was not the case here.Well worth a look. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Gran historia
Uno de los mejores libros de vampiros escrito. Muy ameno y agilmente escrito. Estilísticamente están mejor los siguientes de la serie, con los que debió de esmerarse más puesto que ya era famosa. Éste fue en principio un relato breve que luego extendió, y eso se advierte, pues las descrociones no son tan prolijas como por ejemplo en Lestat el Vampiro. Aunque no me gustan en especial los libros de vampiros Anne Rice escribe tan bien que cualquier cosa suya parece verídica y se lee muy bien. Cien por cien recomendable.

It is very sexy, and thriller at the same time.
I enjoyed reading the book, and then watching the movie. I think it would have been great if the director of the movie would have included the wholebook in the movie. I just wish they make Vampire lestad, and then the wholechronicles.

The greatest
I love Interview with the vampire, actually its my favorite movie, i have seen it so many times that i can say each line by heart, and from my heart too. People often make me feel as if i were crazy. I say it is just because they will never feel the way i do about it. It entered to my heart and kept in my soul.

I like these kind of books, it's about Vampire Lestad
I wanted to know more about Anne Rice Vampires books.Lestad the vampire,but I like to read them in spanish ,that's my original language.Mildred Santana ... Read more

Product Description
This story begins with a murder on modern-day Fifth Avenue in New York and reaches back across the centuries to an equally ruthless Old Testament world. Through the hero, Azriel, it explores the pogroms, the diaspora, arcane mysteries of the Kabbalah, the Fall, and the nature of good and evil.Amazon.com Review
Her first book since Memnoch the Devil,Anne Rice takes us now into the world of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the destruction of Solomon's temple, to tell the story of Azriel, Servant of the Bones.He is ghost, genji, demon, angel--pure spiritmade visible.He pours his heart out to us as he journeys from anancient Babylon of royal plottings and religious upheavals to theEurope of the Black Death and to the modern world.There he findshimself, amidst the towers of Manhattan, in confrontation with his ownhuman origins and the dark forces that have sought to condemn him to alife of evil and destruction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (164)

Boring and plotless
I read this book when it first came out, and I read it again recently and it doesn't get any better as I age.It is boring and has no plot.Oh and someone should tell Ms Rice the word is spelled "Muslim", not "Moslem".

Decent read
After being disappointed by 'Violin', I gave this book a try. Thankfully, it proved to be better than the other book. It's not on par with the Vampire Chronicles, but is a decent and satisfying read, whether for the Anne Rice fan or for someone just looking for a good read. The story is interesting (the past story of Azriel and the present one of Belkin, his cult, and the surrounding events) and I actually liked this. I wouldn't quite give it a four, but it deserves better than 3, but unfortunately you cannot choose half-stars. My personal rating for this book is 3.5/5 stars for a entertaining and interesting read.

I loved it!!!
I will only say that this book grabbed a hold of me and made me feel as if though I WAS the main character and I found myself feeling his feelings, his joy, his pain. I found myself holding back tears as I read of his horrible death and many trials. I am left with an undeniable feeling that Anne Rice has been gifted with such an amazing talent, a gift from God!

Thanks Anne!!!

It's time to hang it up, Anne...
Don't get me wrong- I think Anne Rice has done some brilliant writing. Unfortuntely, I don't think this book falls into that category.What Rice accomplishes in 387 pages could have been done in 50.There is a lot of repetition, fluff, and long rambling stream-of-conscious type writing here that is frustrating at best, confusing at worst.Pass.

Not Free SF Reader
This is a version of the whole genii in the bottle story.Azriel is one of that sort of supernatural entity, and grows more and more cantankerous and nasty over the years, leading him to be imprisoned over the centuries.His name, of course, is supposed to suggest his demonic nature.

He ends up being awakened in modern New York, and becomes involved with a murder, and a history professor that learns his story.


... Read more

Product Description
Title: The Queen of the Damned, Vampire ChroniclesAuthor: Anne RiceISBN: 0394558235Binding: HardcoverPublication date: 1988 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The return of the... queen
Anne Rice revamped vampire fiction in "Interview with the Vampire," the first volume of her bestselling Vampire Chronicles. But the highest point of the entire series was "Queen of the Damned," an epic vampire story full of sensuality, terror, and a haunting picture of greed and power's effect.

Not only are vampires everywhere having odd dreams, but they are getting peeved about Lestat's music videos, which reveal secrets about vampire history. Some even plan to kill him. But those same music videos wake Akasha, the mother of all vampires, who kills her sleeping husband and casts Marius into an icy prison.

Then she goes on a rampage, setting vampires on fire and finally escaping with the Brat Prince himself. The vampire cast thus far gather together, hoping to defeat the malignant Akasha; elsewhere, Lestat begins to think the same when he finds that Akasha is a mad megalomaniac. But Akasha cannot be destroyed without killing every vampire on earth...

Out of her entire bibliography, Anne Rice wrote only one epic story -- one that spans the world, time, and three novels' worth of characters (Armand, Gabrielle, Marius, Louis...). Lots of fictional memoirs, but no more epics. Perhaps she should write more, because this book remains not only her finest novel, but a stirring, creepy read on its own.

Rice's lush prose is well-suited to many characters, whether they're rogue Talamasca or biker vampires. She skips effortlessly from ancient Egypt to a hard-rock concert, with the same level of skill. And most importantly, she creates a stunning explanation for why the vampires exist, wrapped up in ancient Egyptian imperialism and malevolent spirits.

The plot twists and winds itself every which way, before finally smoothing out into a finale that makes perfect sense. And the present scenario is just as gripping, with Lestat realizing that Akasha plans to kill off 99% of the men in the world, and be a goddess. That's what happens when you run off with strange women, Lestat.

The large cast in this means that almost everybody gets a turn in the spotlight -- Armand, Marius, Louis, Pandora, the guy who recorded Louis's story in the first book, and Gabrielle. Not to mention a few new ones, like the ancient Maharet and Mael. And the Brat Prince shines the most brightly of all, in his nastiness, naivete, and delight in his own unlife.

"Queen of the Damned" is a remarkable epic novel, despite the spotty series it was a part of. This is Anne Rice at her peak: thrilling, chilling, and almost magical. ... Read more

Product Description
A Graphic Tale of Unspeakable Horror ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great service
The product was delivered in the condition as described and was very prompt.I look forward to another purchase in the future.

Language serves Anne Rice better
The story, purely English, is typical of Anne Rice's style. She mixes old times and new times. She mixes historical dramatic times (the plague, the Black Death) with modern times. She also gives her vampires a loving and lovable side which makes them indestructible at least for sane human beings who do not see any reason to destroy someone or something in the fact that he or it is slightly different, and even a lot different. Here the trick is that in modern times it is a woman who is mesmerized by the vampire into guaranteeing his own safety in exchange for eternal life, or eternal damnation. We are far from Mona, the willing and agreeing victim who kills the vampire in the end out of mercy. The story then is in no way particularly outstanding. But the form of the tale, that of a comic book, is slightly more original for Anne Rice, though Interview with the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned have also been drawn into comic books. Then the originality comes from the artists this time and the result is quite interesting, though I do not find it that outstanding. I have seen better, even if I have also seen worse. In fact I believe Anne Rice is not graphic in her art because she is a marvelous storyteller. Her use of words and sentences is always great, but it takes a lot of graphic imagination to transpose this richness into visual transcendence. This comic book hasn't found that greatness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

Amazing
As an avid fan of Anne Rice for many many years, I was soo happy when at my comic book store a few years ago i found this story in a graphic novel by Innovation comics.. After I read it I fell in love with her all over again, this is the reason i started reading her in the first place. It's lush, and wonderful.. If you can find the Graphic Novel it is well worth the investment

A rehashed ghost story
A short story that Rice wrote a few years back, this is the first time it's been published in audio
format. It's a lot like something a writer from the 19th century would have written, old-fashioned,
yet oddly compelling.

A woman and her brother inherit an estate when their father dies, but are given a stern order in
his will: Burn Rampling Gate to the ground; destroy it! Curious, the siblings travel to the estate
and instantly fall in love with it. They can't figure out why in the world no one has lived in the
400-year-old mansion except for the housekeeper. They begin to think their father was a bit nuts
when he went on about some unspeakable horror that lived in the house - that was why it needed
to be destroyed.

But neither of them find any horrors and thoroughly enjoy themselves in the mansion and on the
grounds. They can't bear to tear the building down. They even visited the nearby village to ask if
there were any ghost stories or legends associated with the estate and no one has heard of any and
say nothing but good things about the mansion - to the villagers, it's a part of their lives and they
love it as much as the siblings.

Then one night, the sister awakens in the middle of the night after an odd dream. She wanders
downstairs and sees the fire is still going in the drawing room. As she enters, she realizes there is
a man in the chair, and he's not her brother. When he notices her and stands, papers fall from his
hands - a story she was writing. She recognizes him as the horror her father spoke of, the
mysterious thing that haunts the mansion and she screams. He disappears and of course, her
brother think she's as nuts at their father supposedly was.

She is determined to prove this man is real and instead becomes spellbound, not by the house,
but by this mysterious man. And he's not alive. Nor is he dead.

(The Master of Rampling Gate was originally published in Redbook magazine in 1984.)

The Master of Rampling Gate
Loved the book. Glad I found it for less then the price here. 131. used when new it was 6.95???
Do yourself a favor if you are seeking this very hard to find peice by Ms. Rice don't spend so much for it here. It is true it is in limited print and also that it is hard to find, yet I had no trouble purchasing it through another book store, well known and online. I paid Retail price for the book or 6.95
The book fantastic, the price here outragous! ... Read more