Rating: 
Summary: Been There, Done That
Review: I was torn between giving this book a 3 or a 4 star rating. I enjoyed it, of that there is no doubt. I do love Anne Rice, and her work rarely fails to impress. Marius is also one of my favorite vampires. However, there are some issues I have with this book. Marius' story, in part, is Armand's story told from a different point of view, which makes for a redundancy that after reading Armand's story, seems a little boring to me. Other than a single Bianca sighting centuries later by Armand, we never know what becomes of her. She was one of the most important characters in this book, and in fact, without her, Marius might not have escaped his villa. Yet, she is not important enough for Rice to have told us a little more. At the time that I read this, I imagined that we would get the rest of the story in one of the other books, but alas, we know nothing of the troubled Bianca's fate, and barely get to venture a guess. If this loose end is meant to be this way, then it was not done in a way that intrigues, but rather, it frustrates. I gave the book three stars because Rice could have done better, despite the fact that this is a very entertaining book.
Rating: 
Summary: Gorgeous and enrapturing
Review: Oh god, this book was beautiful. Even if it wasnt Rice's best work, it was her most beautiful. Marius is so exquisite in his love, his life, and his isolation. The loving but evident painful quarrelling of him and his love Pandora; his hate for his companion and accomplice to making him, along with his love for Mael's lifelong friend Avicus was a perfect paradox and rising contradiction, and the addition of Zenobia from the ashes of the wretched Eudoxia was specifically beautiful. Although Rice seemed to cut corners, using "long sleeps" to attain a time that she wished to get to, i was relieved when the book finally reached the Renaissance, and Marius' intense and forbidden loves for the courtesan Bianca and his apprentice Amadeo. I will mention no more, but i will say that the book is gorgeously written, and you feel your emotions rising and falling with that of Marius. The main reason this book only got 4 stars: the random use of the "Mind Gift" "Cloud Gift" and all of that when it had never been used before urked me. Also, there is never any conclusion to what happened to the strong Avicus, Zenobia, and Bianca. They were all strong, and it was never known whether Akasha destroyed them or if they just dissappeared. You would think that Rice would have given us closure on that fact, but no. For those two reasons, i had to dock her 1 star, but still it was one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching books i have ever read, and i really do adore it. Nice work Anne Rice!!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: Anne always draws me in with her ability to make historical
realities suddenly right /now/ and propel it along with great
emotion of characters you care for. This story does that and
more. Marius progress from his making up to the interview with
this particular vampire is a worthy effort from a mistress of
the genre. Marius is presented in all his glory and all his
passionate faults. If you had to be killed by a vampire you'd
wish it to be this one, but at the same time he seems, as do
all Anne's vampires, locked into an eternal stasis of emotion
and personality that inevitably leads to his own grief.
This story ranks with the best of Rice' work along with the
first Lestat story and Pandora. You can start with this one if
your just casually looking and enjoy it, and you can also
find new depth to the series if you've been reading it already.
Rating:
Summary: Marius
Review: I've read the series and I found the book to be highly entertaining. Even if it did have a bit of repeating it was still told from another point of view which is part of what makes it so interesting. In fact I think this is my favorite book in the series. As for not condoning grown men sleeping with children, people need to remember that it was something that was occasionally done in those days. Also, if someone doesn't condone that does that mean they condone the killing of human beings for their blood? It's fiction.
Rating:
Summary: BUT.....
Review: Didn"t her husband, Stan, recently die....
could this be a factor in the slump in her writing
I just finished Blackwood Farm and it's sequal Blood Canticle and they are back up to her old standard.
We are all human.. some more than others maybe
Rating:
Summary: a mixture of old and new
Review: I hesitated before reading this book. Ever since the point in the Tale of the Body Thief where Lestat attempts to burn himself, I feel Anne's writing has been suffering and I haven't really enjoyed anything she's written since then. I've always felt that the first quarter of Tale of the Body Thief was material she had to chop off of the end of Queen of the Damned for that first part was well written and captivating. Then when the body thief entered, it fell apart.
Well, when I picked up Blood and Gold and started reading, I found myself liking it and I became captivated. I remember saying to myself that it felt like her writing of the past which I love. It had me wondering if perhaps she had gotten back on track. But then I reached the halfway point in the book, when the narrator (Marius) brings us 1000 years forward in time. Suddenly, it felt like I was reading one of Anne's more recent books. It was such a sharp decline in quality. No more luscious, passionate writing with fine details. Just clunky, choppy storytelling. Now I am convinced that the first half of Blood and Gold must have been written by Anne years ago and never published. I think she had written it back in the past to flesh out the story of Marius for herself and had held onto the manuscript for reference. And now she's mining this older writing and supplementing it in order to create new books for her publisher. For example, pay attention to how she references the title "blood and gold" in the book. She does it twice - once in the first half and once in the second. The two paragraphs in which this phrase appears illustrate how her writing differs so dramatically in quality within the same book.
I miss the old Anne, who wrote The Feast of All Saints and Queen of the Damned.
Rating:
Summary: Maruis's story worth the time and cash
Review: I got this book when it fist came out and I loved it fromt he start its that good sure some of this has been re said before but thats what makes the story so good it lets us see things from his point of view I am sick of people talking so down about her works Anne was right when she said that if you are downplaying her work then you are not reading it I can agree with that give it a try you might like it
Rating: 
Summary: Take a Stand against Pedofiles
Review: I am a fan of Rice's novels and a little bit bored with the endless vampire tales. But I picked this book anyway because it told the story of Marius, who used to be one of my favorite vampires in the original series. The story was good up to the part where he met Armand. I stopped reading after the part where "Armand gave himself to Marius". I cannot condone grown men sleeping with children and I will not recommend the book to anyone else. This book would have deserved 4 or 5 stars if that sick part was left out.
Rating:
Summary: Blood And Gold Is "Gold"!
Review: Blood And Gold is one of my favorite books in the Vampire Chronicals (ranks right up there with Interview, Vampire Lestat and Queen Of The Damned *ed note: I am so sad they hacked that beautiful story to peices in the movie version of Queen.. sigh...*) This book gripped me, pulled me in, and would not let me put it down to the finish! It is a beautiful peice of poetry, skillfully crafted to perfection! It touched me so, there were several times I wept openly. This book does a fantastic job of giving us further insight into the history and character of Marius, as well as Armand but more importantly, I think, gives us events that we were introuduced to in Vampire Armand from a completely different perspecitve and viewpoint! It is quite amazing to see how each had thier own unique thoughts, riactions and feelings about certain events and circumstances (the relationship between Marius and Armand and the creation of the seperate coven by Armand being just a couple of examples). Being that they are two different characters, of course they are going to have their own riactions and views on events, but you dont really think about it in that light until it is masterfully presented. I truely had several instances of saying "Wow! Armand saw things *this* way, but Marius saw them *this* way!" And once again, Anne Rice has perfectly researched and used events and characters from history and blended them seamlessly into her beautifully woven story! The way Michaelangelo was included in this book was absolutly brilliant! Anne Rice remains true to her characters. Their attitudes, actions, and opinions while at the same time, expanding upon events that have shaped them and introduceing exciting new characters into the story line as well! I would suggest this book to anyone who has any sort of interest, however, I would also suggest that you catch up and read Anne's previous novels (I would say read them all, because they are all fantastic, and you definately should if you have the time and inclination, but at the very least, I would suggest reading all the vampire novels. However, if you can only get through a few of the vampire novels then Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen Of The Damned, The Vampire Armand, and Pandora are musts!) Bravo to Anne for Blood And Gold, and I look forward to delving into Blood Canticle soon! Five Out Of Five Stars!
Rating:
Summary: a little dissapointed...yet it's four stars for me
Review: kidnapped,burned,heartbroken,your home sacked a couple of times...no man can survive this,unless you're a vampire like Marius.
Strong of heart and blood Marius tells of his lost loves to a fellow Vampire ,who has not heard a single word coming from a person's lips for half a century,Thor.Forced in the blood by the ancient,and currently queen of the damned together with her twin,Maharet Thor seeks revenge from his Maker.
what i'm dissapointed at is the fact that the ending doesn't explain what happened to Claudia and the others. i hope anne rice weaves another tale of vampires that shows the reunion of Marius and his love ones. truly, anne rice is like maharet weaving her hairs to bind the most powerful minds in the world.
|
