- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Arrow; New edition edition (1 Nov 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099271486
- ISBN-13: 978-0099271482
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.9 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 254,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Merrick (The Vampire Chronicles)
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
With the splendid Merrick, Rice is firing on all cylinders, and this latest volume in the best-selling Vampire Chronicles has all the elements that we expect from her: richly evocative use of locales; flesh-creeping horror (the squeamish should steer clear); rich, operatic characterisation and (most of all) that strange, overwrought prose style which is hers alone. The Vampire Armand ended with Lestat being revived in modern-day New Orleans. But the central character in this new volume is Lestat's friend Louis de Pointe du Lac (who first appeared in the 18th-century France of Interview with the Vampire ), another one of Rice's tortured vampires. Louis is dealing with the memory of the dead child vampire Claudia, to whom he was devoted. But when the Machiavellian organiser David Talbot joins Louis in appealing to the beautiful Merrick (mixed-race daughter of a New Orleans Mayfair clan) to invoke the ghost of Claudia, Merrick's very individual brand of black magic becomes the one thing that can save Louis' sanity. This tampering results in other malign spirits being released, and soon Rice's narrative is knee-deep in bloody mayhem and voodoo.
The novel has the feel of a massive, sprawling canvas, teeming with colour and invention, the locales move from her beloved New Orleans to a colourfully realised Brazilian jungle, and set against this are the larger-than-life characters Rice excels in. Merrick takes a little while to establish herself but when she assumes centre stage, the reader will find the wait well worthwhile. The big set pieces are as gripping as ever (in the usual sanguinary fashion):
Suddenly she lunged at the altar, never letting go of her bottle, and, grabbing the green jade perforator in her left hand, she slashed a long cut into her right arm. I gasped. What could I do to stop her, I thought, what could I do that wouldn't enrage her? The blood streamed down her arm and she bowed her head, lifted it, drank the rum and sprayed the offering on the patient saints once again. I could see the blood flowing down her hand, over her knuckles. The wound was superficial but the amount of blood was awful. Again she lifted the knife...--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
Vampires, witchcraft and voodoo come together in this vivid, exotic and terrifying new novel from Anne Rice, merging the worlds of the Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witches.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
loved it,
By
This review is from: Merrick (Paperback)
Not having read any reviews of this book it came as a splendid surprise to have some of the old characters back. David Talbot was always one of my favorites. To learn about his experience with magic and to have him introduce such a provocative and mystical witch was fascinating and quite a departure from the Rice that we know. She is no passive dabbler in mind-reading. Unlike the Mayfair Witches of First Street, the exotic Merrick is a priestess of ceremonial magic, a spirit conjurer of the highest order.
Although Rice departs from her usual vampiric adventures, delving more into Voodoo and witchcraft, she moves the story of her much beloved blood drinkers along seamlessly. If you are a fan of The Vampire Chronicles then you will be pleased by some of the revelations in this episode. NOTE: It is unnecessary to have read The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy to understand and appreciate this book. While many say that this is a union of the Rice's witches and her vampires is not entirely accurate. Only a single character from the First Street Mayfair bloodline is mentioned and only to make the most flimsy of connections. It would be a truer statement to say that this novel is a melding of Rice's vampires (read: characters) with the world of her witches (read: rules, physics, and powers). However I do suggest you read this AND the witches trilogy before reading Blackwood Farm or Blood Canticle
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT ADDITION TO THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES,
By
This review is from: Merrick (Vampire Chronicles 07) (Paperback)
This is the seventh book in Anne Rice's vampire chronicles series, and even though it is not the best of the series, it is still a great read.
The story is narrated by David Talbot and focuses on David's relationship with the powerful witch Merrick Mayfair. Lestat is withdrawn in a deep sleep and David has become the companion of Louis de Pointe du Lac, who is tormented by the memories of the child vampire Claudia. In order to ease his pain, David asks his old protégé from his Talamasca days, the beautiful and dangerous Merrick to call the ghost of Claudia. Although Louis' encounter with his long lost beloved child is brief, the story of Merrick is fascinating and powerful. Rice has wonderfully enriched her vampire world with ghosts, spirits, voodoo traditions, Mayan magic and interesting adventures in the jungles of Guatemala. This haunting and atmospheric book, is excellently written, with well developed characters, suspense and fantastic descriptions.
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Failed to cast a spell on me.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Merrick (Paperback)
I find this book to be a massive improvement on the turgid prose of its predecessors, The Vampire Armand and that attempted re-write of Dante's superior work, Memnoch the Devil. However, this book is by no means anywhere on a par with the first three novels in a previously compelling series. Although Rice's prose has improved a little, the characterisation of Louis and Lestat is totally unforgivable. Louis, that dark, sensual vampire of "Interview With the Vampire" is terribly twisted now. His reasoning-- can there be redemption for a killer-- is discarded because he wants, like any teenager, 'to belong'. Ahh. And Merrick, well, she drinks rum. And she's spiritually talented. She's clever and loved instantly by *every* character and despite the nasty trick she performs on Louis, is forgiven, because she's so lovable. That's characterisation so shallow that you can see the words on the other side of the page. Or, for the unitiated, it's what many writers call a 'Mary-Sue', a beautiful, amazing person based on the author with no faults whatsoever. So, are there any strengths? Well, yes, sort of. What I will say for this book is that, as someone who loves the sheer *feel* of New Orleans-- that mixture of heat and the occult and offbeat history-- it is beautifully portrayed in this book. For that reason alone, it merits the two stars. I'm also annoyed at those who proclaim that if we don't like these drastic changes, we can lump it. What a silly suggestion-- the people who loved those first books and rushed out to buy them made Rice's career. I think we are right to expect a good adventure, or none at all. Because these new titles are a serious burden to Rice's credibility as a good author-- it is particuarly damaging to the classic "Interview With the Vampire." In sum, if you don't care for canon, and like your characters changing out of all recognition, go ahead and buy it. If you don't care about the characters anyway, and want some beautiful descriptions of Louisiana, then, yes, buy it, because that is the strength of the novel. If, however, you're expecting a good read on the par with her earlier works, steer clear. You'll only feel cheated at the end. Go and re-read Interview, or, spend your money on a groundbreaking new author, not a deteriorating one.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
