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Memnoch the Devil

Memnoch the Devil

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good!
Review: Good book, Anne Rice told her views of what Heavan and Hell is, it convinced me, except the whole Memnoch trying to get Lestat on his side. But the rest of it could be true. Although, I dont really understand the end, was Memnoch just trying to get Lestat to bring Veronica's Veil to Earth so everyone would see it and witness a miracle? I don't know... For some reason it reminded me of The Passion of the Christ movie(that one part anyway). Hm...The beginning and end was good, the middle went by slowly.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome book
Review: Just a great book to read, a nice book to sit down and relax with because it will just bring you to the edge of your seat! Lestat brings you all over the world, to the past, Heaven, and Hell! Rice's integration of God and Vampyres is just amazing (Can't find any other better word at the moment). Definitely a book to read. As well as all her other books as well! =D

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Passion of Christ - Vampire style
Review: I read it because it was the next one of Rice's Vampire series. This one let me down a little. It supposes that our hero Lestat finally meets the Christian Devil, gets taken back in time to witness the Crucifixion first hand, even speak to Jesus. I found the continuous vampire killings to have become boring after the previous books. The explanation of how Lestat gets involved with Christian theology is strained and confused. I finished it to find out how it ended, but reading it got tedious. I can't decide if it's vision is over reaching, or maybe Rice was working to hard to top her previous efforts and fell short. Read it if you're hooked on the vampire series.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I stopped reading Anne Rice for six years after this one
Review: Rarely have I ever been so disappointed with a book. Anne Rice has a rare talent, and it was not apparent here. I fell in love with the earlier Vampire Chronicles, eagerly read this one when it came out, and felt cheated after completing it. It felt as though she just blurbed it out onto her computer and sent it straight to her publisher. It lacks her fantastic descriptive prose; there is far too much dialogue (and inane dialogue it is). Also, it's too short. After reading The Vampire Lestat, which Anne clearly put her heart, soul, and a great deal of time into, this one is rushed, choppy, and irritating. And, I admit, I didn't quite give up on her; when The Vampire Armand came out, I purchased it in hardback and read about 100 pages. I actually stopped after that, it was so lackluster. This is very rare for me. For some odd reason, I decided to give her a try last week. I read Blackwood Farm, and I was incredibly pleased. If you haven't read her works, be sure to read The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned; they're both fantastic. The Tale of the Body Thief was not quite as good, but was still engaging. Skip Memnoch and Armand. Read Blackwood Farm. I'm just starting Merrick, and I'll backtrack to Blood and Gold. Truly, this is one of the only series I've ever read that actually calls for skipping books. It really is possible, and it won't leave you as frustrated. After the first four, others can be skipped, as they are the personal stories of vampires other than Lestat. Even the Interview with the Vampire can be read out of order. So, if you've just finished the first four and you're ready to continue, skip this one. You won't regret it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Prepare to alter your view of Fiction
Review: This is not a book for the meek hearted or the narrow-minded. This book will challenge every belief you've ever had about God, the Devil, Heaven, Hell, Christ, Evil, and Good. It will Rock your foundation and force you to take another view at your reality. Every 'programmed' belief you've even had will be UN-programmed by this book. If you are mentally and psychologically ready for this, then pick this book up and do yourself the favor of reading it. Otherwise, leave well alone because you will not enjoy it, nor will you understand it.

Lestat is his usual lovable, adorable, unbelievable self. He pushes all the boundaries. He explores all possible, and impossible realms. He's the worst Vampire, the most powerful, and the best! This time he challenges no less than the Devil Himself. Memnoch opens-up to Lestat, he shares his life, and his pain with him. He explains creation, and God to the Vampire we all love. He takes him on a journey through Hell, and a tour of Heaven. By the time you put down the book, you'll be saying "I wonder if..."

Rice writes in her usual addictive style. Give yourself plenty of time.. this is not casual reading that can be done in small stretches and over a long period of time.. once you start, you'll not be able to put it down, even if you hate it!

If you have not read of Rice's Vampire Chronicles, then do yourself a BIG favor and buy them all. They will change the way you see humanity...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Way Too Much of a Religious Theme for a Horror Novel
Review: Tale of the Body Thief, Anne Rice's fourth book that came out before this one, was one of my personal favorites by Anne and I never thought that one day I would rate one of her novels below at least a four- oh but this one that I pounced on immediately after I read Tale of the Body Theif the fifth time, threw me off that light little cloud of opinion completly.
This book was simply too religious for me. It confused me utterly and even Anne made Lestat tell us in one scene if we were still did not understand, then go back and read the scene over again, which I found was a hilarious thing to do because it seemed she just branded her own book confusing. But really, the novel was just way too religious. I know that's what the entire book was to be about, but still, Anne has to remember she is supposed to be writing about her vampires the most, not her own personal opinions on life after death. Honestly I don't know why she wrote such a story in the first place though, I guess it really was just to shock her viewers with this weird new plot.
Mainly this book is about Lestat, the star character of the entire Vamprie Chronicles, and again like in all the Chronicles besides Interview, you see what happens through his eyes as he takes us on quite a trip I found out. What happens is that Lestat is being stalked by this man who soon presents himself to Lestat as Memnoch, a.k.a. the devil. Throughout this entire story from then on the devil mainly tells his story to Lestat as he takes him on a personal voyage through both heaven and hell. I must advise everyone though not to take offense to Anne's writing religious- wise, because one of my friends were. This is just her opinion of what the afterlife is like, she doesn't mean to say her's is the right idea of things. This is just how she sees it. But I am irratated at this sudden profound discussion of religion. Sure Anne makes religion a slight stroke in all her stories, but only slight. This went much more deeper than a slight stroke. When I first read this, I worried severely what she was doing exactly. I mean, was she going all holy on her writing or something? Luckily the Vampire Armand came out and I loved it dearly, and Marius's, Armand's Maker's novel wasn't bad either, but I felt something was lost then from Anne after Memnoch. I'm not really sure what, but none of Anne's novels after Memnoch had the same feeling I once felt with her first four novels. For one reason Lestat never was really the same ever again after Memnoch, for awhile he wasn't even physically moving as will be told from Armand's novel. And when he finally does start to move again which he does, he's a changed man, and that's not in a good way.
So my advice is if you can stand a theme that surrounds Anne's views on religion,and have the patience for a book you sometimes can get a bit lost in, then go on and read it. But it's not really based on anything vampiric but Lestat himself being the star character, following the supposed devil around and listening to his story like some sort of Interview with the Vamprie replica.
In my opinion, Blackwood Farm, a book written way into the future from when Memnoch was written, was the final ring in my opinion that proved Anne was slipping. Memnoch was the first warning years before that we Chronicle followers didn't heed out of hope that more books would come after that matched the loveliness of her first four novels.
But out of all of this, I will say one thing: All of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles are worth reading once. So I do recommend this, just for a mere observation.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting Christian Perspective..Dismal Vampire Chronicle
Review: A small note, this book to me, should really be called: The Bible According to Anne Rice....but I'll put that opinion aside for now....

The 1995 book, Memnoch the Devil starts off in New York City where Lestat is stalking a drug dealer named Roger and ends up killing him but starts to become obsessed with Roger's televangelist daughter, Dora after he kills him. Unbeknownst to Lestat a man starts stalking him and turns out to be named Memnoch who claims that he's the Devil or his he? He asks for Lestat to be his right hand man in Hell and tries to persuade him by taking him through a journey through time and between Heaven and Hell so that Lestat can decide which side he would serve.

First off, be warned that you're going to either like or hate this book. This book was unusual in that I kept going back and forth on my position of the book as to whether I liked it or didn't like it and my end verdict is that it depends on what your expectations are.

If you are of the type that likes delving into a different, yet controversial perspective of God, the Creation, and the like you will like this book. There are numerous and thoughtful debates on how much a person must be worthy or sinful to be saved or damned, the validity of the construct of Christianity, and the whole meaning of God's progress and plan for angels and humans.

The subject of not being a valid vampire chronicle aside, you would not like this book if you are deeply offended at an unorthodox view of the Christian religion in general. God sometimes is portrayed in a negative light for some of the book and Memnoch is portrayed in a positive light for some of the book. There are also what some people would think are graphically offensive parts such as Lestat drinking from Christ's blood (LITERALLY) and also some menstural blood from a woman in a nausiating description.

By all means, I would NOT consider this a valid vampire chronicle. At least 95% of this book is not even focused on the theme of vampires. The person that Memnoch selected to come with him didn't have to be a vampire and could've been a regular human. Most characters are neglected and are in a theological tone that no characters except Lestat actually progress in character in the series. Don't read this book expecting an exciting contemporary vampire adventure because some of this story can be a little monotonous. However, I wouldn't skip this book as that Lestat's personality drastically changes in some ways in later books due to this one.

One final note. Remember, the naration of Memnoch and the debates discussed in this book are FICTION. This is not the official view of the Bible so don't let this confuse those of you who are weak minded Christians out there as some of this story can seem creepily real.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Review by Bonnie
Review: This book was absolutely phenomenal! I own the entire Vampire Chronicles and this is Anne Rice at her very best! This is by far my favorite book in the series so far. (I haven't read them all yet). Lestat is being stalked by something he refers to as "The Ordinary Man" who actually turns out to be the devil himself in another form. Lestat is stalking a drug lord and at the same time, the devil is stalking him. the devil introduces himself as Memnoch and takes Lestat on his most extrordinary adventure yet- to Heaven and then to Hell. Lestat is forced to choose who he will serve, the devil or God or neither one. lestat meets the daughter of the drug lord, Roger, whose name is Dora. Dora and Lestat try to help each other and give each other advice. then Lestat seeks out Memnoch and his newest and most daring adventure begins. A great book! I would reccommend this book to any person like myself who is absolutely infatuated with Lestat or Anne rice's novels as she tells her newest installment. I read it in less than a month when I was 16! (I'm a very slow reader by the way) and I absolutely could not put it down! You don't have to read the rest of the chronicles first. They all seem to be written in no particular order anyway. Get this book as soon as you can! It's sensational!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: what a fast read!
Review: While i consider Anne Rice to be an exceptional writer, sometimes i find it hard to work through a few of her books. For example, i thought that The Vampire Lestat and The Tale of the Body Thief were really good stories, but i was wondering while reading when the next big development might happen to make the story progress. From what i read she tends to go alot into detail (not like that's a bad thing) and it sometimes loses me because i want to get into the story fast. That definetly wasn't the case with the detailed story called Memnoch the Devil.

The whole idea behind the story is Lestat meets the devil (of course, right?) and the devil gives him the choice of working with him or with God to end the religious battle that has been going on for centuries. To aid Lestat in his choice, the devil tries to pursuade Lestat into joining his side by telling him the story of creation and how he fell from glory up to the present day. Anne Rice does a wonderful job in writing this tale. I read over 2/3rds of this 400+ page book in one day, i absolutely could not put it down.

The way she describes things, her spin and her idea about the beginning of time and how the devil fell from grace is, while at times disagreeable, incredably interresting. While Memnoch is telling Lestat the tale he pulls both Lestat and the reader into the story. The book is well written and the way she portrays the creation is incredable. I recommend that anyone interrested in religion or faiths or in the series itself should read this book because it brings fourth not only and interresting story that will make you never want to drop the book when you hit page 182 but because of the controversy of her theory on creation.

In the end; read it, you will not regret it and, possibly even like me, this book may just become your favorite book in the whole series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: should get 10 stars!
Review: Love the philosophical aspect of this novel. Totally recommend this book!


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