Merrick (Vampire Chronicles)

Rating:
Summary: No depth
Review: Fans of the Vampire Chronicles who are expecting to read about Lestat & Louis will be disappointed. There's too little of the beloved Louis and Lestat only turns up at the end of the story. The main part of the book is about Merrick, whom is likely the worst Anne Rice character to-date. Known for her beautiful prose, Anne Rice elaborated on Merrick's external features but the character obviously lacks the depths and dimensions that have made Rice's earlier characters - namely Lestat, Louis, Claudia and Armand lovable and adored by so many fans. I can see that Rice wants to bring new members into the 'Coven of the Articulate' but if doing so is the result of 'Merrick', then perhaps, returning to explore, nurture and develop her old characters would be a much better option. Fans have been dying for a chronicle from Lestat to tell more of his beloved Louis, Claudia and of his other encounters and adventures... Let's hope that's coming next.

Rating:
Summary: Whoo-Hooo Witchy Woman!
Review: Merrick is the story of a young woman of color who belongs to the infamous Mayfair family and, although far removed from the so-called "white Mayfairs," is quite the witch in her own right. I enjoyed reading this book because it brought together many of the characters from Rice's previous vampire novels, such as Louis, Lestat, David, and Claudia. For someone who is not an Anne Rice fan, you will definitely want to read some of her previous books before reading this one. If you don't, you may be a little confused. For those of us who are Rice fans and have read many of her books, it's like old home week when you open the pages of this book. The basic plot of the story is that Louis is feeling sorry for himself and pining for his vampire companion of old, Claudia. In an attempt to make Louis happy, David contacts his ex-lover and old friend Merrick, a very powerful Voodoo witch, to ask if she will conjure up the spirit of Claudia for Louis to see one last time. To find out what happens from there, you must read the book, because I will not give away the rest of the story! The story does not encompass a very lengthy period of time; however, the story is told in flashbacks by David, and these flashbacks tell the story of who Merrick is and how she came to be associated with David and the Talamasca starting in her childhood and ending in the present time. While this book is not quite as lavish in its language and descriptions as some her previous novels, Anne Rice nevertheless does a fine job with this story. I would recommend it to all!

Rating:
Summary: One of Ann Rice's Worst books
Review: This book was actually worse than Memnoch or Body Thief(which I hated both). Although not the worst book of hers that I have had the misfortune of reading and yes at one time she was one of my favorite authors. My advise avoid this book. It was so badly done that I never want to read another one of her books again. Read the first three books in the series and Pandora. They are actually worth it. The rest are not very good.