Rating: 
Summary: Trying Something Different . . .
Review: It isn't often after I've read an author as long and as faithfully as Anne Rice that they can surprise me. Normally, I open their latest book like I put on my favorite shirt. Warm, comfortable, easy to relax in, but nothing startling or new. Anne Rice threw out my favorite shirt when she wrote "Blood Canticle".And I loved it. Although perhaps not her best (ask any Anne Rice fan, and they'll be more than happy to let you know what her best are), for the first time in years I saw her really taking risks as an author. Risks in voice, in style and in plot. Lestat finally had a voice! In "The Vampire Lestat" Rice descibed Lestat's narrative style as inconsistent and a cross between a "flat boatman and detective Sam Spade". And every time I've read those lines I've thought, "No, you don't. You sound like the same voice as 'Interview with a Vampire' as 'Witching Hour' as 'Servant of the Bones' and many other of Anne Rice's narratives." In "Blood Canticle" I actually heard a new voice. A different voice. A voice peppered with pop-culture (granted perhaps not 21st century pop culture) slang and imagery. It was the voice of someone who had learned how to write from pulp fiction and the movies. From the first lines, I could sense Lestat tearing across the page--so much to express that not only his hand but his head could not keep up. It still had the richness of detail that I as an Anne Rice fan expect, but I heard--for maybe the first time--a distinct voice that was unique for the author. The risks she took in style really pleased me. The short vignettes of action and imagery were such a refreshing experience in one of Anne Rice's books. The chapters where it is pure motion--no thought, little characterization, little-to-no dialogue were wonderful and showed how much she learned in the experience of writing screenplays. For the first time she allowed action to truly dicatate the pace rather than characterization and theme, and it was a great surprise from an author with such a traditional style of story-telling. On the other hand, the chapters where she digressed to religion and other heady-matters could only have come from Lestat! None of her other characters would ever imagine we would want to know their opinions on religion and philosophy in such a direct fashion.[] As to the plot--no, it was not a typical Anne Rice supernatural yarn. I did, however, come away from this one thinking more about what had occurred than in her last several books. Yes, Lestat has changed--he's met the devil and perhaps God. He went insane for a period of years and has slowly crept back toward sanity. But who experiences a life-changing event and doesn't come out the other side a different person? Lestat's values have changed. Yes, he still loves adventure and sticking his nose in other people affairs. He still is the "brat prince" but now with a teenage daughter--a teenage daughter who gives Lestat a run for the title of "brat". A teenage daughter who happens to be a single mother. All you need do is read the last chapter and see the choice that Lestat makes to realize that values have changed for both Anne Rice and her alter ego. So, is "Blood Canticle" a book I'll go back and read time and again like other Anne Rice novels? Probably not. Am I sorry that for the final Vampire Chronicle Louis, Marius, David, Pandora and others never even made an appearance? Yes. Am I sorry she'll never tell us the "lost years" of Khayman (who has always been my favorite vampire) or the silver-legged Flavius? Absolutely. But I give her props for taking risks, trying something other than what her audience (obviously) expected, and allowing her life experiences (i.e. the death of her husband) to affect her "art". Yes, I would argue that this book pushed Anne Rice back from the brink of pop-fiction to something worthy of where she began as an artist so many years ago. So, read at your own risk. It's not typical Anne Rice fare. It's not the brat prince we knew & loved--and knew & loved to hate. But enter with an open mind and give an artist the opportunity to grow (and follow where their heart leads) and you might come away with more than you ever expected from an author's twenty-fifth novel.
Rating: 
Summary: So far so good
Review: I'm a big Rice fan, ever since I read Interview with the Vampire when I was 13. I was hooked with Louis and then fell in love with Lestat. He's one of the most colourful characters I've ever read about. Anyway, on to the book review! I haven't even finished it, and it's great! Memnoch changed Lestat. Well, who wouldn't be changed after traveling with the devil and talking to God? And this book continues so far with the change in Lestat. And Continues the story of Quinn and Mona, and not to mention the Taltos. I heard a rumour that this is the last of the Vampire Chronicles. That's the only disappointing thing in my opinion. I can't, and won't criticize the other reviewers. I'm sorry to hear this book isn't thought of as "a good one" by some people. But everyone is entitled to an opinion, no matter how distasteful it may be. Keep up the good work Anne. Even if all you do start writing about God and the Devil, and the sinners and the saints to go along with the religion, I'll still read it. Just don't change your writing style too much. It's so rich!
Rating: 
Summary: Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah
Review: Taltos, shmaltos, who cares about these evolutionary deadend salamanders. God has Lestat turned into a bore of a vampire. Do us a favor Lestat fly into the sun. Anne Rice has taken a great franchise and turned it into a loser. And these Mayfairs, what a bunch of dreary people they have turned out to be. Especially that Mona, pining away over her mutant daughter Morrigan, hoping that Mother and Father can be brought back out of the deep freeze. Oh for the good old days of the Vampire Chronicles!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, Anne...
Review: Dear, dearest Anne. We love you. But whatever happened with those perfectly defined, coherent, fresh characters of both sagas, and with their convincingly complex worlds? Please, please, give us a great finale worthy of your talent before you change directions. I propose that you write for us a "Book of Revelation. The last Chronicle."
Rating:
Summary: About as awful a work of fiction as you can find.
Review: I absolutely loved the Mayfair witches novels - until "Taltos." Then the series took off in a direction that can only be classified as "tripe." Poor Anne Rice - I think she has finally run out of inspiration for her novels of the supernatural. Having suffered through "Blackwood Farm," I thought, well, let's try one more time. Thank heaven Ms. Rice is putting the Vampire Lestate to bed (in fiction, at least - there's rumours of a Broadway musical, heaven forfend!). The legion of fans who have made Ms. Rice a best-selling author deserve better than this sloppy, boring, idiocy that passes for fiction. Pass it by and re-read "The Witching Hour," if you need a Rice fix.
Rating:
Summary: Very,Very disappointed
Review: I read all of the reviews for this book and I thought it can't be that bad. From the 3rd chapter I thought to myself who is this new whinny,weak Lestat? The story line was weak and my goodness Quin is such a wimp! What a useless side kick! Also what was up with Lestat's lingo??? Yo Bro? I have so many more things to add but I'm sure it will just be the same thing has everyone else's. So, I will just say this for shame anne, for shame you could have done a lot better then this!
Rating:
Summary: A bad book...
Review: Oscar Wilde once said that there's no such thing as a bad book, just badly written ones. Well, this was definitely a badly written book. It's very inconsistant with the characters and personalities in the other novels and I certainly would not call what she's done with the character of Lestat maturing. A terrible, terrible way to end it. It should have stopped at Memnoch the Devil. There is such a thing as over kill. For those starting out The Vampire Chronicles should be read in order... Interview with The Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
The queen of the damned
The Tale of the body thief
Memnoch The Devil
Pandora
Vittorio The Vampire
The Vampire Armand
Merrick
Blood and Gold
Blackwood Farm
Blood Canticle
You want Lestat, take my advice, stick with the novel with his name in the title.
Rating:
Summary: Ugh...
Review: This is the second wrost vampire novel I have ever read. The top of my list being Whitley Strieber's The Last Vampire. I used to think I disliked Memnoch The Devil but then I read this....
Rating:
Summary: It's okay to admit disappointment.
Review: Yes, they're hers but she gave them to us and I have the right to be disappointed. Any artist that abruptly changes something good that they've already created- the fans have a right to react. It's unhealthy to believe that any human being is infallible. You can be loyal to someone and still admit they have faults. Don't be afraid to speak up, you have voices, and you have the right to have an opinion other than absolute love for everything someone has done simply out of blind loyalty for what had once been glorious. Yes, Anne Rice is an artist. Yes, she's a genius but let's face it, kids, once she signed that fifteen million dollar contract that got her pushing two or three books out a year she dropped the ball. I'm an Anne Rice fan but I'm not afraid to say she made a mistake. Okay! She made a mistake. It's all right. It's not the end of the world. You're allowed to dislike something an artist creates. You can like a dozen movies by one director but if one doesn't sit right with you, that's okay. It's okay to admit she's wrong. I am a fan of Anne Rice. I adore the first three vampire chronicles (the trilogy as someone else once called it). But I'm not afraid to admit she's dropped the ball here.
Rating:
Summary: It's not him...
Review: About the protagonist in this particular piece of Rician fiction, it's not him. It's very simply not him... That's all I can really say about it.
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