Rating: 
Summary: The vampires live on!
Review: Anne Rice is back! This book is a wonderful addition to the Vampire Chronicles. If you've enjoyed the rest of her vampire novels and the Mayfair Witch books, you will most definitely LOVE Merrick.
Rating: 
Summary: A little disappointed
Review: This is quite an enjoyable read. For those who like adventures, this is much like an installment of the 'Indiana Jones' adventures. But for those who had fallen in love with Rice's classic Interview with The Vampire for its philosophical journey, this is likely to be a little disappointment. Rice did return to the pursuit of knowledge of God & earthbound creatures (which of course, in this case involves our beloved vampires), of Good & Evil. We got some of these from the conversations between the beloved Louis and David. Both, Lestat's fledglings. It was intriguing but not touching as in Interview. It should have been explored further instead of some superficial witch crafts. I had much enjoyed Rice's explorations of the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Romanticism... the intertwine of Good and Evil, even of Heaven & Earth as in Memnoch, which are missing here. I thought when Lestat brought David into the vampire world in the Tale of the Body Thief, he had actually brought together two most interesting creatures - Louis and David, and that we would have beautiful tales and adventures written about these two equally sensitive and imploring creatures. As one of the other readers has commented, Louis and David makes great companions for each other. They both look beyond themselves, they look around them, on earth, on the celestial and both try to find answers for their existence. I think Anne Rice should have brought these 2 characters of hers together for some journeys, adventures ... Perhaps even Lestat has made David a vampire so that he would make Louis a more congenial companion (to make up for his earlier blunder with Claudia)? ;-) You see, no matter how much Lestat and Louis love each other... the paths they take (even though they may be heading toward the same goal) are very different, and there we have the famous love-hate relationship. But I think it's time for Louis to be given some tender love. Perhaps that's what Anne Rice is doing, too. However, instead of David, she gives Louis Merrick, the Mayfair witch who really is kind of the central of this novel. Unfortunately, the love between Louis and Merrick is introduced almost without any background or substance. It's like...the readers just have to accept that! No way! This is by far, the most superficial and unconvincing relationship ever introduced by Rice. The readers have always been able to understand and cherish the love between Lestat and Louis, between Louis and Armand, between Armand and Marius, ... between Lestat and David, and now in "Merrick", between David and Louis (although this was kind of slightly under-developed). The Louis-Merrick relationship has no significance... It would have been so much better if it's just Lestat-Louis, Lestat-David, Louis-David, Louis-Armand, and David-Merrick. That would have been much more interesting. I certainly hope Anne Rice hasn't brought in Merrick because she thinks all our vampires need a 'lady-love'! Anyway, back to "Merrick", I would say that all Anne's, or more precisely, the Vampire Chronicles's fans should not miss this. It brings us updates on the characters and in many ways, as already mentioned a lot of times by others, it gives us previews of further novels. Let us hope Anne will spend more time revisiting and developing her beloved vampires ..and bring us not just exciting adventures, but great explorations of various realms! We'll wait, Anne. Oh, and I just have to say this... We don't need new, superficial characters... The immortal characters you've developed would be quite enough to give us a life-time of exciting mysteries and adventures and by that, we mean, of course, Louis, Lestat, Armand, Claudia and David *full-stop*
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Summary: Newest of the Vampire Chronicles confusing but bewitching
Review: "She backed away from us and moved slowly towards the gnarled fruit trees that sprang up in the very middle of the patio flagstones. She dipped her head as she moved under the low green branches, and lifted her arms almost as if she was trying to embrace the trees . . . A huge snake descended, coiling itself about her arms and shoulders." Meet Merrick Mayfair, the newest member of Ann Rice's coterie of vampires, witches, ghosts and other otherworldly beings. Beguiling, bewitching and beautiful, she is one of the gens de couleur libres, a society of New Orleans octoroons and quadroons Rice first wrote about in Feast of All Saints published in 1979. She also is a member of the matriarchal family of the Mayfair witches Rice introduced in The Witching Hour, published in 1990. We come to know Merrick through the impassioned narration of David Talbot, former member of the Talamasca, an ancient secret society that chronicles the comings and goings of preternatural beings. Talbot, you'll recall, was later made into a vampire by the Über Vampire Lestat after switching bodies with an unknown young man in The Tale of the Body Thief, published in 1992. As for Lestat, he has been lying in catatonic state since drinking the Blood of Christ (literally - we're not talking communion here) in Memnoch the Devil, published in 1995. Are you following any of this? Grab a bag of breadcrumbs and fall in; we haven't yet finished our stroll down memory lane. Merrick, with her penchant for unusual pets and grisly mementos, is being called upon to raise the ghost of Claudia, the child vampire created by the eternally tortured Louis, who was created by Lestat in the 1976 Interview with the Vampire, the original book in Rice's Vampire Chronicals. (Pause for breath here.) Claudia was destroyed by the cast and crew of the Theatre d'Vampires in Paris as punishment for her attempt to kill her maker Lestat, the one unforgivable crime among vampires. It seems that Louis remains wracked with guilt over his role in Claudia's rise from the dead and demise back to the dead, and wants an opportunity for dialogue. Can dead vampires become ghosts? In Rice's netherworld, anything is possible it seems. Lost? First time Rice readers likely will be. Even the faithful may find themselves reaching for the bookshelf to brush up on who's who. The latest in Rice's immortal vampire series takes the reader on a journey from New Orleans down to the jungles of Guatemala as well as through the dizzying gauntlet of Rice's earlier works. On the way we meet characters with such unlikely monikers as Cold Sandra and Honey in the Sunshine. Despite the rather convoluted plot and the need for a program to keep track of the cast of characters (you may want to clip this article for handy reference), Rice continues to demonstrate her ability to weave a mystical spell over the reader. Merrick appears to be a bridge between the glory days of Lestat's reign over the world of the vampires and his long awaited return. As compelling as she is beautiful, Merrick's introduction in the Vampire Chronicals breathes new "life" into the demimondaine of the undead.
Rating:
Summary: Get back to Lestat
Review: In general, the book is ok. The book starts off alright. The crossover was inevitable and I enjoyed it. Towards the middle of the book, I found myself bored and skimming the pages. I enjoyed the ending. Here are some general comments: Do all vampires have to be bisexual? As Seinfeld says, "Not that there's anything wrong with it." Does every male vampire have to fall in love with another male vampire. Why does she constantly have everyone falling in love with each other? Why only men? And there always kissing each other eyelashes. What is that? These are supposed to be humans that are changed into vampires....does that create some change that makes you play for the other team? Which leads me to the fact that Anne Rice typically cannot write from a man's perspective. She definitely just doesn't get it. Lestat is the exception to this rule (even though he even has the man-man thing going, too). Which leads me to.... Write more about Lestat. Of all the characters Anne Rice has developed, he is the only one who is truly interesting. Louis, David, Armand, etc....all boring.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging Read
Review: The problem with this book wasn't the book at all, but the reader. I have never read any book in Rice's Vampire Chronicles (I confess that I never saw the movie either. I understand that, as a result, I should be put out to pasture, but be gentle.). This put me at a huge disadvantage when reading through this otherwise luminous book. It is a very good read, not exactly Shakespeare, but very entrancing and enchanting. Unfortunately, it is not successful as a stand-alone book. Too much depended on insider knowledge of the Mayfairs and Lestat and Louis and Claudia. The plot could stand alone, but the characters needed that "extra layer" to be more complex. I'm sure that had I been familiar with these characters before, I would have identified their complexity. Merrick was certainly intriguing--I wish the story had been told from her point of view, not David Talbot's. I found him melodramatic and stiff all at once. I do agree with other reviewers, though, Ms. Rice is an excellent storyteller. She reels you in until you are dying for more on these characters. She's fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Merrick is truly excellent! The beloved vampires are back in a tale full of mysteries, seduction and interesting twists. Through David Talbot, Lestat's "youngest" fledgling, we are introduced to Merrick, a Mayfair witch & David's old lover. David seeks Merrick to help raise the spirit of Claudia, Lestat & Louis's vampire child. In the process, the tale travels back and forth ..the adventures of David and Merrick in those mysterious ruins, the green mask throught which one could see spirits .. and then, we have those familiar and engaging questioning of one's soul between Louis and David. I personally think David & Louis make a great pair. They are both sensitive, intelligent and ever wondering & questioning one's existence and survival, and whether true immortality exists. I think they learn from each other. The last few chapters of the novel is especially spellbinding... face-paced and keeping you wondering what will happen next. Two most wonderful things did happen: the waking of Lestat to the rescue of Louis, and the rebirth of Louis .. Now almost as strong as Lestat and David, yet still gentle and still-questioning. And of course, we are also warned to expect some clashes between our beloved vampires and the Talamasca ... Simply can't wait for the next tales. Love you, Anne. My fiance managed to be at one of your recent booksigning and got me a signed copy of the novel. Now I can pass the first one to a friend. I'm sure she'll enjoy it as much as I have.
Rating:
Summary: The old Rice is back!
Review: An excellent book! This is the quality of story we haven't seen since the Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Highly recommended. The ending will leave you begging for a sequal.
Rating: 
Summary: Bewitching
Review: This tale of Merrick has inspired me to go back and read the books before it in the Chronicles as well as the Mayfair Witches. David Talbot's character is expanded. There were parts that were not what I had expected in the story, but overall is a great read. I could not put it down.
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Summary: In the Anne Rice Tradition
Review: "Merrick" introduces us to a new vampire and satisfies our curiosity about the characters with which we have become so familiar. The book is written in the Anne Rice tradition. A fast- pace- leave- you- wanting- for- more book is what you expect from A.R. She has never told us a story that did not leave us with questions, so I cannot, for the life of me, understand some of the reviews that I have read. Anne Rice's appeal is that she tells a fantastic tale that leads us to another fantastic tale. If you are a TRUE A.R. fan, you will love the update on the vampire crew and the introduction of a new and interesting character. I enjoyed every word in every sentence. Book Lover
Rating:
Summary: Quite good ...
Review: I'm glad that Anne Rice has returned to her classic vampire motifs (plus some witchcraft), and I hope it stays this way. I just didn't get into the angels and devil(s) of Memnoch and Vittorio. Of course the part of the book I liked best was the finale, since therein lies the promise of at least two sequels, and Louis finally takes his rightful place among the other Vampires. I hope the next Vampire novels can maintain this level of quality, and if the last 50 pages of Merrick are any indication, they might even reach the greatness of the first three Chronicles.
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