Rating: 
Summary: Perfect.
Review: Merrick Mayfair is a lovely, intriguing character, very much in Anne Rice's style. Yes, the book does have much less of her (and our) old favourite vampires in comparison to the other books in the Vampire Chronicles, but it was just about time for a change in Lestat's little coven anyway, and Anne Rice's introduction of a new character (Merrick) is absolutely perfect. Merrick's voodooienne background makes her all the more alluring and interesting as a character and she does show a deepness in character and strongness in will. Louis's guilt and pain over his lost love is also absolved. Yay! I can't wait for another book. Hurrrrrrrry Anne!
Rating: 
Summary: Getting back to basics
Review: Anne has returned to her roots of supernatural story telling. Her 23 previous vampire books (Vittrilo & Pandora) were a let down for me because the main characters were supernatural for about 20 pages between the two books. This one is different. Blending Voodoo with the world of vampires allows the entire story to focus on supernatural characters. From the first chapter we know that the characters do not live in our world of logic and security but in their own world of passion, death and the unknown having more power then anything. I applaud Anne for returning to the story which focuses on the supernatural and not a story about a person where, oh yeah, one of the characters is a vampire...Thank you Anne.
Rating: 
Summary: Who are you--and what have you done with Anne?
Review: An unfortunate turn of events has led to the release of this book before it was completely formed. A devoted reader of the Vampire Chronicles will feel cheated--Louis and Lestat are merre footnotes in a plot that should have left them out entirely if the author couldn't have found a good place to put them. Merrick is very easy to despise, but more often than not she cultivates indifference in the reader--a horrible thing to do, considering she's the title character. The Mayfair Witches play no significant role at all in this story, and--like Louis and Lestat--would have best been left out completely. The potential for a truly gripping novel is there, but at the end of the book I was left saying, "this can't possibly be it, can it? The damn thing was more than 300 pages long!" The book jumps from plot twist to plot twist without ever letting the parts develop. I adore Anne Rice and have read all of her books (except the "Beauty" series)--she possesses the ability to paint the most lush, gorgeous pictures with words, as well as the sense to make the reader care about her characters, alive or Dead (the Mayfair Chronicles, in my opinion, are her best efforts yet, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment). The only glimmer of light was David Talbot, the narrator of this tale--I dunno, I've taken a shine to him for some reason. On the whole, however, "Merrick" feels like a book written by someone impersonating Anne Rice--and botching the job miserably. Come back, Mrs. Rice, please!!
Rating:
Summary: What is everyone complaining about?
Review: I don't see what everyone is complaining about. A few people I have talked to said that it was the most repulsive thing that they have ever read. WHY!! I have read every book that Anne Rice has ever written and I think this is the most interesting and compelling book ever. (Besides V.C. Andrews and Stephen King, of course!!) It has a very good plot and I love the setting and time period. I'm sorry, but you people don't know an awesome book when you see or read one.
Rating: 
Summary: mills & boone meets buffy
Review: Firstly, Anne Rice is one of my favorite novelists of the past two decades, however, her more recent works, Memnoch, pandora, vittorio and Armand have let many down. This unfortunately was no exception. From the start Rice has been able to make psychotic and conventionally revolting characters somehow understandable and admirable. In the beginning there was Louis, a passionate and cursed being struggling to keep a grip upon a humanity that was taken away through force, narrating a remarkable tale of lies, deception and anger, mainly due to the 'wannabe' god and all round monster Lestat. Louis is loved by all. Sequel: Lestat, previously met and disliked by most turns tables and recounts his side of the story clarifying the questions readers had and becoming the nations anti-Super Man. Lestat is loved by all. Rice, recognising a good thing in Lestat and his mis-adventures continued for three more books keeping our Vampiric Harrison Ford employed as "star", and getting progressively worse with each novel. The following books see the torch being passed to an immortal destined to an eternity of being ineffectual, a vampire with the charisma of a unix manual. Merrick! this book is without doubt worth a glance, as were the afore mentioned, sadly just not in the same league as the books thought of when the name Anne Rice is mentioned. My two favorite characters are given a more prominent role than in recent scripts, but they are rather shallow and neutral in comparison to the characters created in the foudation laying text. I now feel that Rice has written more bad novels than good, and with recent works that I feel can only be stamped as "pot-boilers" I refuse to give up hope. Don't let the rant of an inarticulate english nurd who watches pokemon every day make up your mind. Decide for yourself and write a review titled "who is that twerp?"
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best but not her worst....
Review: "Merrick" really had a slow start. I felt the book did a little too much to "catch-up" the readers who had not read the previous vampire chronicles. However, once all that was done it was an interesting story and easy to read. As usual Anne leaves us wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Meaning of "Undead."
Review: Ever wanted to know what it would be like to be drained by a vampire? Well, this book will let you know. Anne Rice, who has sucked an entire *career* out of what was a great concept (25 years ago) is slowly draining the life from this genre. If you have never read the chronicles, I urge you to read "Interview With the Vampire", a true classic of Gothic fiction, up there with anything by Stoker or Shelley. The two sequels to that, "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" are good old-fashioned adventure stories worthy of your time. After that, I cannot help but feel that there is a downward slide in Rice's work. The novels move away from a narrative that deals with the agonies suffered by each character, to become a forum for whatever whim Rice has at that given time. "Tale of the Body Thief" was "Lestat Tries Necromancy", "Memnoch" was "Lestat Goes to Hell", "The Vampire Armand" was "Death in Venice Goes Vampiric." Now, we have "Louis Goes Voodoo." It has actually been rather distressing to see the downward slide evident in Rice's later works. How is it that an author who held me enthralled with her first novels actually has me cursing my folly at paying hard-earned money for such tripe? Louis, as a character, is not true to form. Where before he had been savagely beautiful, an enduring example of humanity led astray, he is now lifeless and interchangeable with a dozen other characters in this book. David, an annoying stereotypical British character who was foisted upon the reader all of a sudden to take the narrative away from the infamous outsiders Louis and Lestat, is given a narrative voice that sounds like a poor reproduction of Lestat's erstwhile narration. The plot itself is contrived, the 'love-story' convoluted; where on earth did that come from? Plot holes abound, and as for the grammar, can any schoolchildren tell me why the editor let the 'sentence' "...As the sky grew ever more lighter..." slip through the net? And yet, for all this, I have to agree with the earlier reviewer and say it is her best since "The Tale of the Body Thief". It is not as boring or convoluted as her other works, but on an ending note, can I just say that I seriously doubt Rice can ever match "Interview With the Vampire" again. Or the two sequels for that matter. This series is still being written, but it lost its soul a long time ago. That, my friends, has to be the ultimate representation of "Undead."
Rating:
Summary: Let's hope Anne will do better than this ...
Review: I've been a fan of Anne Rice for almost a decade and the vampire chronicles from IWTV to MtD have been a treasured jewel. I was thrilled to hear about Merrick as it promised a return of our beloved Louis. And I believe like many fans out there, I have been waiting for some bizzare adventures of Louis and Lestat...and those ever-enduring romantic undertone. Disappointingly, Merrick reads like a normal (a word I've before this, refused to use on my fav. author) novel - Indiana Jones-like adventure, and worse, a too-unlike-Rice love triangle that seems all superficial! What happens to the Rice we love? Where are the mysteries, the love-hate, the struggles, the bitterness and sweetness .. I miss the misery, the haunting and those burning sensations I used to get when reading a vampire chronicle. Anne, please listen to your fans and oh, ... the editing of the book was terrible, if there was even one!!
Rating:
Summary: Repetetive racket?
Review: I never thought I'd find myself thinking this way about Anne Rice, I truly consider her to be one of the greatest storytellers...of the 70's and 80's, but I'm sorry, her stories have become utterly repetetive and pointless. Although Merrick has somewhat of a plot, and THANK GOD, Anne decided not to describe every single leaf on every single tree the characters ran into, the plot is quite weak and it doesn't really take the reader anywhere. For a new reader, the book might be acceptable and even different (a friend of mine hadn't read anything by Rice, and found it fascinating, but confusing), but for someone who has read ALL of her novels, Merrick is the same coffee but in a new cup. The story is very predictable and I believe that as much as we have learned to love her vampire heroes, we all need a PERMANENT break form these boring tales. I must admit Merrick is better than Armand, which is boredom itself in a book. I'd like to add that I've heard Anne is releasing her new book about....MARIUS! All I can say is, FORGET IT! I can't take any more of these dull novels.
Rating:
Summary: Talky and Disappointing
Review: After all my anticipation, this book just left me flat. Too much talk and recollection, very little actual action. The main plot engine - the recall of Claudia's ghost - turned out to be an anti-climax, and it was never resolved as to whether it was "real" or not. The other major plot turn happened "off-stage" and was explained only briefly by the two participants. This book read to me as though Rice simply published her first draft - even containing misspellings. According to the A&E Biography show, Rice refuses to be edited. IMHO, she is doing herself a disservice.
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