Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles (vuoden 2015 painos)

It's about time that Anne Rice went back to her glory days as the matriarch of the vampire-lit genre after many years spent channeling her inter-evangelist. After her turn away from Lestat and company was made official it became clear to readers that she had been heading in that direction since Memnoch the Devil (which still had some classic vampire-ness), but I'm not at all surprised that she decided to take up the reigns again. Who honestly sticks with that Christian prudery when you have blood, immortality, and the entire span of human history? Rice had already proven herself a history enthusiast with a handful of novels (explored in Ramses the Damned and perfected in Blood and Gold), but she really out does herself with this story. She bring together the myriad of vampiric characters, from the First Brood of the Egypt to the modern David Talbot (as well as my personal favourite, Roman-era Marius), to confront the very creature who brought their kind into being, the spirit Amel. The story is comprised of narratives from almost every viewpoint, so we are treated to an unparalleled account of the epic story and get to meet many new vampires and revisit many old favourites. The strength of the narrative that we are accustomed to from previous novels (which are generally narrated by only one character) is slightly diminished by this change in tactic, but I don't think that the story would have felt complete without multiple narrators. In many ways this actually is quite representative of the fact that Amel is the true protagonist of the story. We are given more information about this type of "spirit" than ever before - even though no one (including the vampire scientists Seth and Fareed) understands the physical or mental essence of these creatures - as the vampires ome to realize that he is not the only spirit of his kind and that he is in every vampire at once. After years of passivity in the body of Akasha, Amel is brought to maturity and consciousness when he becomes part of the crippled Mekare, a situation that any creature of intelligence and curiosity would rail against. I won't give away the major plot points any more than I already have, since there is much to discover in this novel. It might not be as groundbreaking as Intervbiew with the Vampire or as historically interesting as Blood and Gold, but I am glad that a more true ending has finally come to the series than the travesty of disappointment that was Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle. ( )

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 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. ( )

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 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. ( )

got bored at page 40. the old books are the best ( )

Ce roman d'Anne Rice signe son retour dans sa série phare des Chroniques des vampires plus de dix ans après son dernier opus. L'intrigue principale n'est malheureusement pas des plus passionnantes mais son intérêt réside dans le rassemblement de nombreux anciens vampires, rencontrés presque tous au cours des précédents livres de la série. Retrouver chacun d'eux est un vrai plaisir pour le lecteur, l'auteur s'étant notamment attaché à se focaliser sur bon nombre d'entre eux au travers des très nombreuses pages de cet ouvrage. Cela donne au final un roman qui semble être une transition au sein des Chroniques des vampires, après les derniers tomes qui étaient centrés sur un nombre très restreint de vampires, la série semblant dorénavant se diriger vers des aventures de la tribu des vampires dans son ensemble. ( )