Prince Lestat

August 18, 2014
Compared to the poorly received Blood Canticle (2003), Rice’s newest Vampire Chronicles installment is triumphant. The Voice, a mysterious power, is compelling older vampires worldwide to annihilate the more newly made. Not since the massacre committed by Akasha, the original Queen of the Damned, have so many vampires been killed in one of Rice’s novels. The narrative is often nonlinear; in many chapters the elders reveal their backstories before heeding a young vampire’s frantic pleas for them to convene in Manhattan to uncover the Voice’s agenda and stop it. All wait for Lestat to lead them, but he remains reluctant until the last minute. Rice fills the dense story with plenty of deliciously gory mythology, but many of the info-dumps are bone-dry. Lestat’s journey from brat to prince fits his personality, but his attitude irritates even during the book’s fascinating climax.

September 1, 2014
Armand, Seth, Akasha and, of course, Lestat de Lioncourt are back with a vengeance-and, natch, they're looking to put the bite on someone. There was a time, not so long ago, when Lestat fans had reason to fear they'd seen the last of their-well, man, maybe, depending on how you define "man." After an 11-year dry spell since Blood Canticle (2003), though, Rice has resurrected her Vampire Chronicles, picking up where one of the earlier books, The Queen of the Damned (1988), left off. A lot's happened since that time. For one thing, the vamps have plenty of new technology to play with, with Lestat himself, the rock star manque, in love with his iPod and with that undead popster Jon Bon Jovi, "playing his songs over and over obsessively." That adulation is about the most frightening thing in Rice's latest; it's not that the novel is without its spine-tingling moments so much as that Rice has prepared the ground too well, with not just her own legacy, but also a legion of lesser imitators (Charlaine Harris, Stephenie Meyer, et al.) competing with her on the sanguinary-moments front. The latest installment finds the vamps at war with themselves, crowded on a planet with plenty of competition, indeed, but with plenty of juicy humans to nibble on: "So rich, so healthy, so filled with exotic flavors, so different from blood in the time he'd been made." Rice extends the Chronicles even farther into the past, rounding out storylines stretching into ancient Egypt, while reintroducing a large cast of familiars and adding some new characters to the mix. Suffice it to say, first, that the vamps are no longer limiting their recruitment to liberal arts majors, to the poets and singers of yore; suffice it also to say that the busy intergenerational (and inter-planes of existence) conflict that ensues screams out for at least one sequel, if not a string of them. Rice fans probably need not fear a drought of her thirst-quenching tales, then. As for this one, it's trademark Rice: talky, inconsequential, but good old-fashioned fanged fun.

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August 1, 2014
After exploring the plights of angels, werewolves, and even Jesus Christ himself in a string of novels, Rice (The Wolves of Midwinter, 2013) returns to the Vampire Chronicles, the series that made her famous almost four decades ago. In this new entry, the vampires are imperiled by an entity they know only as the Voice, who telepathically encourages older vampires to slay their younger counterparts. Though many vampires resist the Voice's commands, several powerful elders give in, including ancient Rhoshmandes. Infamous Lestat, who has been avoiding both his own kind and humans, is forced to come out of his self-imposed exile to unite the vampires to deal with this new threat. He's shocked to learn that a vampire scientist has used his DNA to create a human offspring named Viktor, but before Lestat can meet the young man, Viktor is abducted by Rhoshmandes at the behest of the Voice, who is determined to bend the vampires to his will. Featuring beloved characters from previous installments and spanning continents and centuries, Rice's exciting return to the Vampire Chronicles is bound to please her legions of fans.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Rice's return to her vampire series is big book news, and an author tour and initial 300,000 print run are set to meet reader enthusiasm.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

Starred review from August 1, 2014

After the release of the last "Vampire Chronicles" novel (2003's Blood Canticle), Rice returns to her popular series, with Lestat back with all of his cohorts and a major change coming in the hierarchy of those in the blood. Vampires all over the world are waging war against one another at the bidding of a mysterious voice. Those in the blood are looking for leadership in the oldest of the blood drinkers, and in the most famous vampire, Lestat. He barely protests. Hitting the sweet spot for fans of Rice's vampire fiction, this outing gives due attention to her series characters, bringing their stories up to the present day, with satisfying results. A list of terms, a prolog, and appendix of characters seamlessly usher in new readers, and help remind those who have been away for awhile. VERDICT Series fans should not miss this latest foray into Rice's magical world built around the undead, but anyone with an interest in the supernatural and aficionados of richly detailed and lush backdrops will enjoy this epic tale. [See Prepub Alert, 5/1/14.]--Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014

Vampire fans, you've been waiting a long time--since 2003's Blood Canticle, in fact--for Rice to revisit the territory first trod by that immortal dazzler Lestat. Rice revisits familiar climes and characters from her "Chronicles" but shows us a world where vampires have proliferated dangerously, leading to mass burnings. Even old vampires join in, obeying a cryptic Voice. A book you can chew on.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014

After the release of the last "Vampire Chronicles" novel (2003's Blood Canticle), Rice returns to her popular series, with Lestat back with all of his cohorts and a major change coming in the hierarchy of those in the blood. Vampires all over the world are waging war against one another at the bidding of a mysterious voice. Those in the blood are looking for leadership in the oldest of the blood drinkers, and in the most famous vampire, Lestat. He barely protests. Hitting the sweet spot for fans of Rice's vampire fiction, this outing gives due attention to her series characters, bringing their stories up to the present day, with satisfying results. A list of terms, a prolog, and appendix of characters seamlessly usher in new readers, and help remind those who have been away for awhile. VERDICT Series fans should not miss this latest foray into Rice's magical world built around the undead, but anyone with an interest in the supernatural and aficionados of richly detailed and lush backdrops will enjoy this epic tale. [See Prepub Alert, 5/1/14.]--Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 23, 2015
Narrator Vance lends his voice to the exciting audio edition of the 11th book in Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series. The Voice, a mysterious power, is compelling older vampires worldwide to annihilate their younger peers. Not since the massacre committed by Akasha, the original Queen of the Damned, have so many vampires been killed in one of Rice’s novels. Through the perspective of Lestat we are reintroduced to favorite characters such as the witch twins, David, Jessie, Marius, Armand, and Louis, along with new characters—the ancient voice and Akasha’s son, Seth,. Vance does a terrific job of creating unique voices for the characters. His rendition of Lestat is spot-on, portraying him with a droll French accent that perfectly captures imperial, hypnotic arrogance of the character. The general pace of the narration is slow and steady. But the story line is nonlinear, and the time frame is not clear at points in the audio edition. A Knopf hardcover.