Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorites.
Review: I am often at odds with other Anne Rice fans with reguards to which stories I like.I loved Pandora, but I still thought Blood And Gold was great, I don't feel it merely re-treaded old ground, covered in Pandora and The Vampire Armand. I actually added it up and more than half of Blood And Gold details events outside of those books. And the parts that do retell scenes from Pandora or Armand are different, because they are seen from Marius' point of view. I've always loved his character and it's nice to get to know him a little better. But this isn't about Blood And Gold, this is about Blackwood Farm. If you hated Blood And Gold you might not like Blackwood Farm, not for any strong similarities, but if you are one of the people who feel that Rice's writing has gone downhill, I don't sense any major difference between this and her other recent output. I loved Blackwood Farm. I loved the intimate nature of experiencing the family's history without the tedious charts and family tree of Mayfair Witches. After a while I felt at home in Quinn's house. I like the character Quinn, and I loved reading about his past, his teachers, and especially Mona. I didn't like the vampire that sired him very much, but that's more personal taste than anything. I should also note that I started reading Mayfair Witches *after* I read Blackwood Farm. But if you are like me, and you didn't mind Memnoch The Devil, loved Pandora, had to fight through The Vampire Armand (all the boring descriptions of Vennis and it takes so long for him to become a vampire), and liked Blood And Gold, for instance, then I think there is a good chance you'll enjoy Blackwood Farm.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing blend of vampires and witches
Review: Anne Rice does a much better job in "Blackwood Farm" than she did in "Merrick" in bringing together the worlds of vampires and the Mayfair witches. Quinn is an interesting, though rather naive character, and his haunting by Goblin is by turns spooky and sweetly sad. The twist to the haunting I did not see coming, and I was duly surprised, showing me that after all these years, Rice still has what it takes to keep an audience spellbound.
That said, this book still suffered from want of some editing. Some of the dialog was stilted at best, and at times downright mawkish. Also, I could see many places that Rice's writing could have been tightened. For example, she opens chapter 42 by writing, "When we returned to the palazzo, which we did by ordinary means, that is, walking, . . . " Why not write, "When we walked back to the palazzo, . . . "? I fear that editors are afraid to edit someone as famous and great as Anne Rice, forgetting that even she needs an editor. That's why they are there! Still, this book is a great read, and definitely an improvement over her last few releases.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!!!
Review: This book, in my opinion, is the best of the Vampire Chronicles since the first three. Second only to Interview with the Vampire. It leaves out pretty much all of the regular vampires ( of course Lestat is a main character ) but introduces a new one who is more interesting than even Lestat himself ( most of the otherr vampires are though from my point of view ). This is a definite read for any of Rice's fans, even if you were dissapointed with the last several, or newcomer's to the vampire chronicles.
Rating: 
Summary: Rice goes from bad to worse! (AND I'M A FAN OF HER WORK!)
Review: Boring, extremely descriptive novel. Could have been a great book, but turned to be just another derivation of the same story Anne has been writing over and over for the last ten years.
WARNING!!!
LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!
I have been a huge fan of Anne Rice's Vampire stories for a long time. However, I see with sadness how she has been falling slowly into a rare mood, in which her characters being vampires is the less important matter in her books.
First of all, the fact that every single main male character in Rices' books is gay was starting to sound ridiculous, but including an hermaphrodite vampire in this book shows me that she is reaching bottom now. Please!!!! seems that straight people just are not selectable to become a vampire. Not being happy with gay or hermaphrodite characters, the main character, Quinn (whose name says everything) is not only bisexual, but also lover of a ghost (!) , who, by the way, results to be his own brother's spirit. Jesus! He even become a vampire by sucking blood directly from male intimate parts!!!! Rice seems to be very disturbed and/or repressed, sexually speaking!
Also, what started as a very promising vampiric/ghost action novel, in which pages we could find a threat to the Vampires, as Quinn stated at the very beginning, turned to be just another highly descriptive biographic book, where Quinn's fear that a ghost (ridiculously named Goblin) could bring to existence a whole new breed of blood drinkers is only mentioned in the first pages of the book, and nowhere else. I found this to be a cheap trick to make the reader go ahead for 500 pages of boreness, hoping that this new breed somehow actually happens.
Even Lestat cameo is worthless, as he plays as a simple messenger who brings Merrick to the scene.
And Merrick, one of the most interesting characters that Rice have developed in the last years, dies here! Come on! She was the perfect central character for an open war between the vampires an the Talamasca! That was plain clear to all of us!! Instead of that, she just immolates herself, giving no reason at all.
I compare what Anne Rice has done in her novels, to what George Lucas did with the Star Wars Saga: A great story became a very predictable amount of data.
"SHE IS NOT PREDICTABLE!" Some will say. Come on: The lover of the main character was dying. Since we found out that, everybody knew that he would save her by giving her the dark blood. Also, a stranger appears in the swamp at nights. What a huge surprise that he is a Vampire, and that he will turn queen (ups! I mean, Quinn) into a vampire.
Boring, excessively descriptive, could easily have been written as a short story, instead of tormenting us for six hundred and fifty pages.
Anne, I love the lore you have created. PLEASE return from the dark side, and be again the writer who wrote once the masterpiece INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
Rating:
Summary: Mayfairs meet vampires. Excellent story!
Review: I have read Blackwood Farm twice so far. I reread it recently (as I decided to purchase it) before reading Blood Canticle. It's an excellent book in which Anne Rice is at her marvelous best. It reminds me a lot of the Witching Hour. The house and scene on Blackwood Farm is very similar to First House in the Witching Hour.
The retelling of Quin's life was done masterfully. Mona was perhaps my favourite character from the Witching Hour, so I enjoyed reading more about her. Although I would have preferred to read a bit more about her exploits and intelligenct. Still this is a book about Quin and his Doppleganger ghost goblin.
The one flaw in the book is that Aunt Queen or indeed anybody else did not ever connects Quin's twin with this ghost. Still this is a minor flaw. As a whole this book is wonderful and I am glad to have added it to my collection of Anne Rice books. I will look forward to reading it again in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant except for two things...
Review: This will just be a short review, or rather, a brief venting of thoughts on Blackwood Farm which I just finished reading.
First off, I thought this book was one of Rice's best. It was thoroughly imaginitive, and the character of Quin is a welcome addition to the VC cast.
However, I had two gripes. I wished there had been even a sentence or two filling in some of the gaps between Merrick and Blackwood Farm. At the end of Merrick we have David, Merrick, Louis and Lestat together. Then if I am not mistaken, the intervening chronicles do not give us an indication of why they parted ways. It just would have been nice to know why Lestat was on his own.
This leads to my second gripe. In Merrick, I was in love with the love affair between Merrick and Louis. What a fantastic pairing, and finally a reason for Louis to embrace his vampiric existence. Also the character of Merrick was fascinating, and I looked forward to reading more about her. **SPOILER ALERT** Thus, when Merrick is brought into the very end of Quin's story by Lestat, only for her to very unceremoniously immolate herself during Quin's exorcism, I was left unsatisfied and wondering why Ms. Rice couldn't give us a little more closure. How about Louis? Where was he? Wouldn't he be rather devastated over Merrick's demise? Some mention would have been nice. I think these characters deserved a little more, and I certainly would have liked Merrick's end to have been fleshed out more, with more insight into her mind.
Other than these points, it was definitely an excellent read, and quite a page-turner.
Thanks for your imagination Anne, and for your wonderful characters!
Rating: 
Summary: I HOPE IT GETS BETTER
Review: I am just starting chapter 10 of this novel and I must say I have almost put it down several times. I love Anne Rice. I love the Mayfairs and the Vampires but I am getting so bored with Quinns backstory. I have have read several reader reviews and am holding out hope that this book picks up soon. This book is not fast paced enough for me and it lacks the mystery that nornally would keep me interested. If it doesn't change in the next couple of chapters I will have to move on to something els and I bet I will miss out on a book that could have turned out great if it just had started sooner.
Rating:
Summary: You have to read it...
Review: if you are a follower of her Vampire and Mayfair series and I am. This novel provides some interesting updates about the Mayfair Clan. But far more interesting than the Over The Top Quinn and Get Over Yourself Mona are Oncle Julian and Aunt Queen. Let's follow Julian around for awhile and I want to hear all about Aunt Queen. Leave Quinn alone until he grows up or something! Check out this review. He says it better than I could: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/blackwoodfarm.html
The romance between Quinn and Mona was straight from a Teen Romance Magazine (if there is such a thing). Ho hum.
Ms Rice, I do love your books, but the moment we met Mona, we new she'd become a Vampire. Write Oncle Julian and Aunt Queen's story. But before you do find some way to renew, reinvent, reinstate, and reclaim your writing self. Your fans would welcome you back with open arms.
Rating:
Summary: Divine return to form, one of Rice's best
Review: 'Blackwood Farm' tells the grim and gothic tale of Quinn Blackwood, heir to the Blackwood estate and Sugar Devil Swamp, and his trials as his malevolent doppelganger Goblin gains power and tries to take control. Introducing a host of new characters, and, as always, with an understasnding of plot and pacing and tension that few authors can equal (Dan Brown tries; a shame, then, that his 'novels' lack even the most basic characterisation), Rice creates for us a garden of melancholic and sensual delight, in this true return-to-form.
What strikes me the most about this book is the sense of the grandiose that I haven't had from a Rice novel since 'Queen of the Damned'. 'Merrick' and 'Memnoch' notwithstanding, after the lacklustre (and, dare I say it, downright boring) 'Blood and Gold' and 'Pandora', Rice has managed here to recapture that
sense of bourgeoisie decay and seeping, creeping tragedy that made her first books such an absolute joy to behold.
Quinn Blackwood is like a cross between Lestat and Louis, and is by turns sensual and introspective, bawdy and shy, courageous and cowardly - and bears further examination. The supporting cast of Demons, Vampires and Witches turns up a few surprises, too - Aunt Queen and Petronia the Vampire being two of the most interesting creatures Rice has conjured up to date - and it's wonderful to see Merrick Mayfair again, even though her (excellent) ending is short and sweet.
Rice's narrative has become galvanised with this book - set at a suspiciously slow pace, she never allows the story to become dull or maudlin - and her prose is as overflowing with heady imagery and gothic tone as ever.
In short, this is a magnificent beast of a novel, and one which should be at the top of your To-Read list. Provocative, absorbing and some of Rice's best work ever, 'Blackwood Farm' is a novel that you'll enjoy coming back to over and over again.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: This is the first Anne Rice book I've ever read, although I have been familiar with the movies based on her works...and I came out of this book fascinated and amazed. While I was on chapter 10 I was a little weary of the nonstop back story, but the rest of the book had me mesmerized. GREAT ending, as well. I should have thought of it beforehand but instead it was a happy surprise to me.
In response to another reviewer's post, I think Quinn is a very likeable character. His youthful innocence, shelteredness, pride, and strong family bonds were really captivating.
I borrowed it from a friend and now I will definitely be getting my own copy. I already want to start it over, to reread the beginning now that I'm so familiar with all the characters.
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