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The Tale of the Body Thief

The Tale of the Body Thief

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An enjoyable critique
Review: This is an enjoyable critique about human vanity and greed, as well as how we react to our bodies, our lives, etc. When Lestat "steals" the other body, he finds himself delighted and repulsed by the various aspects of human mortality. Despite the novel's thickness, it moves rather quickly, with more than enough humor and action to keep the characters' observations from making the novel boring or sermonic.

(Duane Simolke's books include The Acorn Stories, Degranon, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio.)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Very good, but something's missing...
Review: This book is undeniably entertaining. The whole 'Lestat can't even handle everyday aspects of being a human' had me laughing out loud at times, and was a wonderful characterization on the part of Anne. However, I can't help but feel that this novel didn't drag me into its narrative so wonderfully as the first three books in this series. The writing seemed to have lost that...indescribably beautiful flow. The breathtaking mixture of gothic tragedy, horror and romance so notable in its predecessors remains, for the most part, aloof, and at times it feels like you are reading a well-written piece of fan-fiction rather than part of the Vampire Chronicles. I also had real problems with the character of David. Granted, he was mildly intriguing in 'Queen of the Damned', but now he just appears as yet another character in what had been a wonderful cross-section of characters created in the first few novels. He also annoyed me because the excellent love-hate relationship between Louis and Lestat, something that this series is infamous for, was often ousted for his ramblings on God. Enough! In fact, this character so bored me that I have to draw on points raised by some of the other reviewers-- you end up hoping desperatley that Louis, Armand or one of the others will show up again. And that's the thing; the scenes between Louis and Lestat are so entertaining, so insightful that when Lestat leaves to return to David, you just groan and think 'here we go again'. This novel is good for two things-- firstly, as an insight into the tragedy of growing old, of the waste of life, (so wonderfully linked to Yeats's 'Sailing to Byzantium') and also if you are just in the mood for a comic-book type of adventure. However, if the reason you read the first novels was for that blend of history, romance and gothic themes-- you will find it here, only not quite as much as you had hoped. Shame. In summary, all I can say is that perhaps this series should have ended with 'Queen of the Damned'. Memnoch was a travesty; this story, though entertaining, does not feel as 'tight' as the others in terms of narrative and characterization. I feel it should have simply ended with the scene where the other vampires have gone off to pursue their own adventures, and a furious Louis is stalking the streets of London with a grinning Lestat who howls, 'Tell me how bad I am! It makes me feel so good!' That's only because this story doesn't end quite so well, for all its excellent parts. Think of it as 'Ernest does necromancy'.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not for the faint of heart
Review: As in all Rice novels you must go into it with an open mind. Although I would like to see more of the others, particularly Marius, It is still a good one. Don't give up on the series, you will find the vampire your compatible with somewhere in Rice's gothic world...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is up there as the best of Anne Rice's books. I enjoyed all her others but there was something missing...I enjoy the focus on the tries and tribulations of Lestat and the truth behind Louis incoherent views of Lestat. Heck, Lestat has more humanity than Louis. Lestat feeds on the dregs of society, Louis feeds on whoever happens to cross his path, without another thought...but read the books to see.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A book of unspeakable excellence
Review: This book was terrific! I was drawn in word by word. I found myself yelling at Lestat not to make a terrible mistake, and then mourned for him when Louis didn't help him. I cheered when he cornered James and I gasped when he turned agaisnt David's wishes. This book definetly strikes up my emotions as do all of Anne's books in her wonderful Vampire Chronicles. This is a great read and I highly recommend it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another transfixing tale from an incredible writer
Review: This book is utterly delicious. I enjoyed it far more than Interview with the Vampire, in which Louis generally misinterprets Lestat all over America and Europe. I'm so glad Lestat has had the reigns for the following four.

The characters is this installment of the Vampire Chronicles proved fascinating and realistically gruesome. I love watching the workings of Lestat's convoluted mind.

While some parts of the story dragged, the characters salvaged the book from its occasional mire. I did think Claudia played a bit too large of a role, probably because she has never seemed realistic or likeable to me. I was also pleased that Louis and especially David played large roles in this book.

Hopefully we'll see more of Lestat in the future, despite the new, tiresome series New Tales of the Vampires. Oh well, at least we got to hear about the fascinating Armand in The Vampire Armand.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: This book was my favorite since Interview. It is a very unique story. If you ever wondered what Lestat would be like as human being with human desires/struggles in the current era - this book gives you that and more. It also clears up some questions from previous books. Such as why Lestat treated Louis the way he did in Interview. And why Louis wrote about a reunion that Lestat left out. It is also very funny in some places. Some customers expressed disbelief concerning his struggles as a human because he should remember what it was like. But he hasn't been human in over 200 years and we (humans) forget common occurances that happened a year ago.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disgustingly bad
Review: I can't believe I still read this book, even after a friend told me not to bother. Rice gives WAY too much information on the workings of the human body, and Lestat having sex with a nun was just plain bad taste. The previous three works were classic, but this one should be left to collect dust on the shelf.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A really good book
Review: Although not quite up to par with the first 3, and at times somewhat predictable, this is still a great book. The story helps explain yet another aspect of Lestat, as he realizes that the thing he has wished for, his mortality, was all in vain as he realizes he is The Vampire Lestat, that he no longer belongs in the world of humans.

There are some very comical scenes of Lestat describing his trying to cope in a human body, as well as some very touching scenes. He also becomes closer than ever to his mortal friend, David Talbot. This is great book, & if you like Rice's vampires, or even if you like a great fantasy story, you will be impressed with this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This book is beautifully written. Of course, like all Anne Rice books, if you didn't like the first three then don't read this one. Frankly, I think that she should have included Louis a little bit more in all of her books. Aren't Louis and Lestat supposed to be close? Why is it, then, that one of them always seems to hate the other one? I thought the ending of the novel was kind of diappointing, though. Don't read the ending of this book and then don't read Memnoch--that would be the perfect series.

Otherwise, this was a wonderful book. Even though some might think of it as trivial and as Anne writing to herself, I think that it was interesting and captivating. Although not as much as Interview, which I think everybody should read. My only complaint is that she should have more of Louis--- AND HE IS NOT A WHINER as most people would point out!


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