Rating: Summary: A Thought-Provoking Piece... Review: I admit, when I first sat down to read this book, I didn't know what to expect; I had heard so many different opinions of it. And I will say one thing: this is not for someone just starting the Vampire Chronicles! It is meant for the readers who have followed Lestat through his life, and feel a close connection with him. While I personally feel betrayed by this book, I can't think of a better way Rice could have written it. Now, I don't feel betrayed because I disliked the book, rather, I feel betrayed for the lack of ending she gave us...what happens to Lestat??? I know that others, like myself, are eager for Rice to write more of our favorite Vampire. I can't remember another book so deeply affecting me that I sat for hours just pondering what she wrote...and this book is by no means for readers who like fast-paced action! It is for those who appreciate the more philosophical aspect to Rice's work, which has always been there, from the first pages of Interview With the Vampire. Memnoch truly does tug at your heart with his sympathetic retelling of Creation and Christian lore. I found myself, although already knowing the ending, wanting to believe in Memnoch, wanting his story to be true...or hoping maybe that he had been misinformed by God, that he had misunderstood...because I didn't want Memnoch to be a bad guy! Memnoch is a perfect reflection of our own dear Lestat. Lestat admits to being evil, and we can't help but love him all the more for it, because we know that his heart isn't evil! Personally, while reading this, I was reminded strongly of Lestat's journeys with Akasha during Queen of the Damned. Lestat was being told by someone whom he loved, yet was also inherently evil, that they were good, and that they had a plan for goodness, if only Lestat would help them! A truly heart felt book, I think. I wonder...did Anne cry when she finished it? I would have...
Rating: Summary: Memnoch the Paper Weight Review: The Fifth book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Memnoch the Devil gives an interesting view of christianity and of God and the Devil. This book, in my opinion, is my least favorite of all the Vampire Chronicles. Memnoch didn't have the action-packed, page turning, fast paced plot that I have come to know and love in Anne Rice's novels. This story tells of The Vampire Lestat's decent through heaven and hell guided by Memnoch the Devil. I thought that this book involved to many theories and spent too much time on thought and flashbacks to the beginnings of time. Most of the characters from the previous novels were not even in it, and it was long and hard to follow.
Rating: Summary: Brilliant. Review: With Memnoch, Anne Rice shows she is more than just a character based writer. This book takes you on a journey that knows no bounds. This is easily my favorite Rice novel thus far. Rice takes you on an adventure than transcends Earth and even time itself. It really is a great book despite all the bad reviews out there. Critics of Memnoch are generally Christian people who are offended by a work of fiction that contradicts their beliefs. If you are a person who hates anything that isn't Christian, this book isn't for you. People need to realize that this is a fictional story, Rice isn't bashing Christianity here. For those of you with open minds, this book will be extremely hard to put down. Excellent read, one of my favorite books of all time.
Rating: Summary: As good as Interview Review: As mentioned in the beginning, being a vampire is not central to this tale. It is the most theologically intriguing book I have read in years. It succeeds in breaking up the formula of books 3 and 4, and while none of the chronicles can equal "The Vampire Lestat", this one stands on equal ground with "Interview..."...and like the first two, it can hold up on its own, not just as part of a continuing saga...
Rating: Summary: You'll like it even better when you're through Review: I am a huge Anne Rice fan and am particularly fond of "The Chronicles." Memnoch the Devil is laced with biblical fantasy from top to bottom. Being an atheist, this did not originally appeal to me. However, once I finished I realized what a gift this piece is...It makes you think! Besides what could possibly be more interesting than Lestat meeting Jesus Christ? It's far out, but enthralling nonetheless.
Rating: Summary: Sheer genius at its best! Review: This is probably one of the most thought provoking tales Ms. Rice has come up with yet. She has taken the most disturbing and intriuging questions of man and placed it into the heart of a fallen angel. This is not only a tale, but also a vision of how the world and it's heavens exist. Be preprared to be awed.
Rating: Summary: Boring Review: Lumbering, turgid, incredibly boring. If she sat down to write a suffocatingly dull book on purpose, she could not have done a better job. I am not a religious person, but I found the theology bizarre. And there is page, after page, after page of it. Pure torture.
Rating: Summary: Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles, No 5) Review: First: THE DISCLAIMER Okay, I'm biased. I'm an Anne Rice fan... more to the point I'm a vampire chronicle fan... you have been warned. Now: The Review If you are a follower of the vampire chronicle, this is one great reunion. Yes, they are all here and more. If you have followed the series its pretty clear that Lestat has been heading somewhere. With Memnoch the Devil it looks like we've finally got there. This book sweeps Lestat, and us into the grand-daddy of all conflict- The devil vs. God. (Okay God isn't really fighting very much- but then HE doesn't really need to does he?) Lestat is his usual irreverant self demanding all manner of proofs and signs, so Memnoch really does have to try hard to impress.And that is the beginning of an exploration of human evolution, theology, and other esoterica as the devil (Memnoch) makes a sound case for Lestat joining his cause. At times the book gets a tad too instructional, but that's okay- the concepts are interesting, and the research is very sound. You may not agree with the world-view put forward, but you do have to admit it is beautifully presented. All in all, a great read on a rainy afternoon when you're feeling intellectual, and think your life is in a rut- chase through heaven and hell with Lestat and Memnoch and whatever its is that's eating at your soul will swiftly pale. Who knows? You might find a spiritual awakening.
Rating: Summary: dangerous Review: Warning, a slight spoiler. This has to be one of the most thought provoking works of fiction I've read in many years. In Memnoch the Devil, Anne Rice, takes us to heaven, hell and back again. The story is told from the devils point of view and shows satan to be the ally of man...not his enemy. At the same time revealing god to be the incompetant fool he surely is. One of the most powerful scenes is the crucifiction of christ. It exposes him as a weak coward. Unwilling to sacrifice knowledge of his divinity while walking among us. The idea that christ can empathise with man because he himself was one is complete nonsense. Christ always was aware of his origins and ultimate destination. To be truely human, you must know fear, despair, doubt and confusion. Christ never knew this. Even the 9 hours of torture he endured on the cross was nothing but an empty gesture. What is 9 hours of agony compared to an eternity of bliss? If you're a christian, be warned. Reading this book may just tear the blinkers from your eyes. Surely, critical thinking, is the enemy of faith.
Rating: Summary: MEMNOCH THE DEVIL Review: ONCE AGAIN ANNE RICE HAS CAPTURED THE SOUL OF HER INTENDED VICTIM, THE READER. THE FINAL SAY IN THE MATTER IS, MEMNOCH, THE DEVIL. THIS IS ONE THE MOST ENLIGHTNING PIECES OF "FICTION" I HAVE READ. THE AGE OLD QUESTIONS OF GOD VS. DEVIL ARE TACKLED, AND, YES, ANSWERED. THE VAMPIRE ONE OF GOD'S CREATIONS HAS A PLACE TOO IN THIS WORLD, AND A MISSION. IT IS A POWERFUL TESTIMENT OF THEOLOGY AND MODERN FICTION, THE COMPLEXITY OF A DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER AND STORY TELLING CAN BE DAUNTING, BUT ANNE RICE,HAS THE POWER OF MAGIC WHEN TELLING THIS AWESOME TALE, THE CREATION OF HEAVEN, THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, THE PURGATORY THAT IS/WAS HELL. THE CHOSEN LEADER OF THIS HELL IS THE STAR OF RICE'S NOVEL. LESTAT, ALWAYS IN SEARCH OF A NEW CHALLENGE, HAS BEEN CALLED UPON TO HELP THE DEVIL, WHOM INCIDENTELY PERFERS HIS GIVEN NAME, MEMNOCH, IN A BATTLE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND GOD. LESTAT IS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE WHO IS RIGHT GOD OR THE DEVIL. OUR OWN CHRISTIANITY IS OFTEN A MYSTERY TO EVEN THE MOST DEVOUT, I TELL YOU, THIS BOOK WILL FEED THE THRIST OF THE READER. IT WILL TAKE THE MYSTERY OF OUR FAITH TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE. THE TORTURED SOULS OF ANNE RICE'S VAMPIRES AND THEIR QUEST FOR PURPOSE HAVE A NEW FOUND SENSE OF HOPE. THE CAST OF CHARACTERS ASSEMBLED HERE HAVE CLAIMED OUR HEARTS ARE PRESENT IN THIS NOVEL. WE SEE OUR VAMPIRES AGAIN AS THEY ARE CARRIED ALONG WITH LESTAT TO HEAVEN AND TO HELL. IT IS A NOVEL OF TRUTH AND FICTION, THE VISION OF OUR BRAT PRINCE LESTAT, WHOSE LIFE WILL FOREVER NOT BE THE SAME AGAIN.
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