The Queen Of The Damned: The Third Book in the Chronicles of the Vampires (The Vampire Chronicles) [Paperback]

The book begins a week or two before Lestat's legendary rock concert and the ensuing mayhem that erupted outside the auditorium on that night. We follow the paths of other vampires in the days prior to this, including Armand and Daniel, the young man from Interview With the Vampire. We also learn that the immolation of vampires that Lestat, Louis, and Gabrielle saw that night had actually begun several days earlier, as a number of covens were destroyed by Akasha, the newly awakened Queen of the Damned. After the story of her awakening is told, the book takes on a somewhat mystical air. Almost all vampires are dreaming of two red-headed young women preparing to feast upon their dead mother, only to be taken prisoner by soldiers while their village is destroyed around them. The true significance of the red-headed twins does not become clear until the final hundred pages of the book, for their tale is an integral part of the story behind vampirism's very existence. We already knew that Enkil and Akasha, ancient rulers of Egypt, were the first vampires. Now, the whole history of the King and Queen is revealed, including the curse that accompanied their transformation. Rice goes out of her way to explain the beginning of vampirism in a unique way, although the facts of the matter seem a little too elaborate and far-fetched to me.

The one real weakness I find in the novel is Akasha's agenda. She is not exactly the altruistic type, and her mission to save mankind sounds ingenuous at best. It is also a rather laughable plan; having spent the past six thousand years in contemplative thought, I would have expected a character of her strength and moxie to have come up with a plan much better than this one. The final conflict, one prefigured for hundreds of pages in the slow unveiling of the Legend of the Twins, ends so quickly I was forced to stop and make sure I hadn't somehow skipped a paragraph or two. Basically, it's all over in one sentence. Even Lestat is not himself here; I actually enjoyed the stories of the other vampires and the history of the accidental birth of vampirism in Akasha more than I enjoyed the action related first-hand by Lestat. Certainly, Rice is to be commended for vastly expanding her vampire universe and having her characters deeply examine their lives and their purposes on earth, but I just could not fully connect with this novel. Still, it is an essential book for Anne Rice fans, as it offers up loads of information about the vampires who roam the world of her creation and explains the very origins of vampirism itself.

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.