Blood and Gold

Rating:
Summary: A classic, a masterpiece...
Review: Most of the people around the world (especially in Turkiye) learned her name, Anne Rice, after the movie Interview with the Vampire. Unfortunately, I must add. After the movie (and it was fabulious) I began the chronicles and I read almost all her novels both the Mayfair Witches and the Vampire Chronicles.
In this book, you become part of that time, it's not just a horror book as the booksellers describe. It has history, philosophy (anger is weakness for example) it has art, art history and of course it is literature. Because literature is when the writer describes and tells something, it has to envision in the reader's mind, the reader can imagine it completely...
EVERYONE SHALL READ HER AT ONCE.. THIS IS LITERATURE..
God give her a long long life, so that she can produce such ultimate works for the world..

Rating:
Summary: Same story badly told
Review: I don't know what to do with book. Throw it out or use it to hold open a door. I am a HUGE Anne fan, but this was pure shlock. I hated it, the whole thing. I don't know what she was thinking when the words, "cloud gift" found their way onto her screen. Usually Anne Rice can make the unbelievable believable. She can take her readers on journeys of thousands of years and miles and we are right there with her, shaking with joy and anticipation. And then, there was Blood and Gold. Ugh. If you are looking for a great Anne book, try Cry to Heaven. It's pure magic.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!
Review: This is perhaps one of the best novels of all time, in my opinion. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys historically evocative writing mixed with subtle sensuality. This is now my favorite of all the Anne Rice books, even moreso than "The Vampire Armand". Marius is finally fully developed and provides the reader with a rich history as well as writing style.

Down through the years, Marius has always remained the stable one, the wise one, the Blood Drinker with the most mental power, arguably more than even Akasha. If you're tired of the sleaziness of Lestat or the Queen of the Damned and want an intellectual character, one whom you can aspire to and fall in love with over and over again, look no further than "Blood and Gold." A must read for any serious Anne Rice fans.

The story of the wisest of all vampires starts off all together differently than the rest of the Vampire Chronicles, told from the third person as Anne Rice introduces us to a new character, Thorne, who is the cause of this great story being told. Marius, upon rescuing him from the Ice Caves Thorne retreated to long ago, brings him to his home and provides for him the necessities he has deprived himself of these past hundreds of years. Sitting by the fire later on (3 chapters later to be exact), he finally begins his tale of passion, lust, sorrow, mystery, rage, apathy, and intrigue. Nowhere is Rice's talent more obvious than in this novel, her most recent installment to our beloved Chronicles. Ignore those who would have you believe that this extraordinary novel came anything short of perfect and use your own mind. It's an amazing piece of literature and, personally, Marius being my favorite character, I was pleased immensely with what Rice did on every page. Make use of the sample pages and see for yourself what an incredibly well written work you're denying yourself. In all seriousness, "Blood and Gold" is definitely the best book I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Vampire's aren't the only one's that suck!!!
Review: Please do not waste your time or money on this book. Anne Rice needs to spend more time writing 'engaging' fiction and less time getting ideas from from her poet/artist husband. Jesus! What's worse than gay, pedophile Vampires? Queen of the Damned was the last one worth it's salt. Maybe Anne should become a poet-artist like her husband.

Bring back the Mummy 'cause she doesn't seem to have any new ideas for the vamps.

Rating:
Summary: Bored to tears
Review: First I'd like to say that I'm a huge Anne Rice Fan!! and a devoted Vampire Chronicle reader-but-and this is big- this book doesn't live up to the series. It's filled with lovely historical references and images that would be great for a documentary on the history channel. Unfortunately it's a painful read, like a wordy text book on the Roman empire narrated by Marius the vampire. If this is your first Anne Rice purchase just go for The Vampire Lestat forget you ever heard of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Non-Stop Page Turner
Review: I have really missed Anne Rice. I absorb all of her novels so quickly that she just can't create as fast as I can enjoy them. I just read a review from someone who only gave her 3 stars. 3 stars he said because most of the information "Marius" revealed was knowledge that we already learned from other vampire chronicles. The reviewer did make mention of the interesting injection of Mael... However I welcomed her slight brush over the history as told by Lestat. And she did not go into detail. Marius was telling his story to Thorne - a character I can't wait to "hear" from. And Thorne's character already knew about the history - through the mind gift. So I don't believe that she was lacking in any way in this novel. I look forward to her next novel. I will agree with another reviewer that she ended the book AMAZINGLY - something you would never expect. Which is why I look forward to hearing more about Thorne...even if the story overlaps with her other novels.

Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Review: I have read every Anne Rice book ever written, including "Belinda", "Tale of Sleeping Beauty" series, and "East of Eden". I typically like her characters and the situations that they encounter. However this changed when I read "Blood and Gold". I got tired of Marius's incessent wining and complaining. After reading her other books I kind of thought of him as a god/father figure for all of the other vampire children that could help them in their times of trouble. But when I read this book I realized that Marius has almost as many issues as Lestat. However unlike Lestat he doesnt seem to have the courage to do anything meaningful about them. This book changed my perseception of Marius, but not all Anne Rice books. I suggest you read "Blackwood Manor"(the main character is magnificent!) instead of "Blood and Gold".

Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS GREAT!
Review: Mrs. Rice's talents are incomparable. In Blood & Gold, finally the tale of Marius is told (my favorite character - aside from Lestat), and it is told splendidly. Unlike Pandora and Vittorio the Vampire, Marius' tale reveals much of real history...Rome, Italy, etc, and Rice goes into plush details about these times, but they aren't as overbearing. And the events that happen to Marius, and the character himself, outshine the vast historical information she gives. Indeed, the history is the background and Marius and those in his stories are indeed vivid in color and story.
The book is simply fascinating. As you know, the Queen of the Damned and The Vampire Armand is woven into Blood & Gold, but with details that, I think, make the story even more alive than what the singular books are already. Amadeo, a.k.a Armand, becomes even more real. Indeed, both books compliment one another. As for the Queen of the Damned, you get a better understanding of her and Enkil and what Marius went through relating to the Divine Parents in his narrative.
And Pandora. Ah, the lovely romance of the two vampires is powerful and alluring, drawing you in to continue to read to see what happens with the couple. Heartbreak, tragedy, triumph, passion, and love are woven throughout this story. If Marius were real, I would without a doubt love him wholeheartedly...and so would other fans of Rice's vampires.
The new character she introduces in the story, Thorne, is fascinating and has a distinct personality from the other vampires. The end was simply amazing...you would never expect it...my only hope is that we hear more tales from these vampires, now that their history has been told. I hope further adventures come for Marius and Pandora....Thorne and the twins...and Armand.
Anne Rice fulfills you but not enough to the point where you aren't asking questions about what is to happen next. A couple of loose ends aren't tied at the end of the book...I can only hope they will be in books to come.
Another interesting fact about this book is that Marius' story doesn't unfold like the others. In the first 3 chapters, I think, she introduces Throne and all is in third person. She picks up with this at the end of Marius' story, and I enjoyed it because it was more to the book than just Marius story. Outside of that, an adventure was transpiring - no matter how short-lived - and left you awaiting more of her books.
If you have read the Vampire Chronicles, you can by no means skip this book. (I say this because I skipped Memnoch the Devil, but all the significant parts are mentioned again in the books afterwards and therefore it was really important to read). I think, aside from the Vampire Lestat, this is the best one of the vampire narratives in which they tell their history!
Now, it's off to Blackwood Farm.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: I was suprised to find so many negative comments about this book. I thought it was an amazing tale from beginning to end, and Marius has always been one of my favorite vampires. I think some readers do not give him enough sympathy for the kind of life - and the unbelievable length of life - that he has. You can follow his growth and development throughout the story and it is one of the most interesting of all the vampire chronicles. Yes, part of the book is basically a repeat of the Vampire Armand, but it is from a different point of view so you can compare the two, which I thought was very cool. Overall I loved this book and recommend that if you are debating on getting it, don't give much credit to those who are giving it negative reviews. Decide for yourself. I think if you like the vampire stories at all, you will like this one, if not love it!

Rating:
Summary: Anne must have needed easy cash
Review: If you've already read the Vampire Armand, this book will bore you to tears. There are very few new ideas here.

Save your book-buying dollars for writers with integrity.