Rating: 
Summary: Unworthy attempt at historical validation of fantasy.
Review: After "The Witching Hour" those that hunger to know the fate of Michael and his abducted-seducted wife will find that the wonderful, brooding sensual quality of that novel is not to be found in this half-hearted tale centered upon Lasher's rebirth as a physical being.
This is merely a dry effort, spent perhaps for the contract terms Rice may suffer under, but that is not an excuse for a work which has no real depth, no terror, no eroticism, and only minimal character development.
Through even the Sleeping Beauty series, Rice was able to sustain something of the "weaver of tales" I have come to expect of her works. Unfortunately, the tapestry she normally weaves seems to have unravelled this time.
Rating: 
Summary: It's fiction but you will believe it !
Review: This book, as well as others from Anne Rice, is very different
from anything else I've read. The characters, the story are
extremely envolving and surprising. It's like entering a world you
never even imagined, you end up asking yourself "This couldn't happen, could it ?"
Anne Rice's imagination has no limits, one of the best books i've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not the best from Anne Rice
Review: It really sort of saddens me when I read a book that has so much potential, but instead rambles on and on and on........Ah! this took me forever to get through. After the "Witching Hour" I was so excited to read this book. I was disappointed. But I will say towards the end, Julian's conversation with Michael, reliving his journey to Donnelaith and such is worth reading. Also, Lasher's explanation of how he came into being is worth a read. However, there is so much in this book that is NOT worth reading, I don't think I'd recommend it on the whole. For die-hard Anne Rice fans such as myself, you might as well read it. For those of you looking for an interesting read or a book as riveting as the "Witching Hour", don't bother. Sorry Ms. Rice.
Rating:
Summary: A Haunting, Erotic, Incestuous Old-Fashioned Family Saga!
Review: I loved every minute I spent reading Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour," and therefore looked forward to reading the book's sequel, "Lasher." I am certainly not disappointed now that I have finished the novel. I do want to mention here that although "Lasher" is part of a trilogy, it stands very well on its own as an independent work. I was almost as spellbound by this second book in "The Lives Of The Mayfair Witches Trilogy" as I was by the first. The author continues spinning this seductive story in a manner that captures the reader's interest and imagination until the very last page. The characters introduced to us in "The Witching Hour," geneticist Rowan Mayfair, her husband, Michael Curry, their friend Aaron Lightner, along with a huge cast of ghosts, witches and Mayfair clan members, return to delight and chill, depending on your perspective. And some new folks, (not all human), come on board also. As the novel begins, the author summarizes the storyline and takes up the narrative at almost the same spot where the prior novel left us.
Lasher, the former otherworldly spirit who haunted the Mayfairs, is now a flesh and blood supernatural being. He chose to leave the world of specters to join us humans in three-dimensional space on earth - New Orleans' steamy Garden District to be precise. He made this transfer through Rowan's birth canal. You have to read it to believe it. So Rowan and Michael, along with their many other roles, are also Lasher's parents. And you thought Rosemary and her baby had problems! Lasher, a very sensual, mesmerizing, manipulative entity, longs for love, yet doesn't really understand the human concept of the word. Therefore his motives are constantly misconstrued. And why not? He hasn't the faintest idea of how his actions impact others - a psychopathic supernatural entity? Or just your everyday misunderstood demon? You decide.
Lasher is one of Ms. Rice's more complex characters. He has had a love affair with every Mayfair witch, down through history. Interfamily relations, as a consequence, are not what they could be. Talk about dysfunctional families! Also, Lasher's affection is all consuming - he tends to drain those whom he loves - an emotional vampire, in other words. And he is draining in the more literal sense too. Baby Lasher almost sucks the life out of Rowan as she breast feeds him. Rowan, as the reigning Mayfair Witch, and his Mom, is now center screen on Lasher's radar. He grows to maturity within days of his birth, (Taltos - what Lasher is - mature very quickly), and then he kidnaps Rowan. Obsessed with having a child by her so that his race, the Taltos line, will continue, Lasher rapes her. The only females capable of carrying Lasher's child are witches, who have the required double length strand of DNA. If this strand of DNA is absent, the pregnant woman has a spontaneous miscarriage and usually dies. Yep! Rowan has the special strand. Lasher and Rowan have a daughter together, Emaleth. And this is not the first time Lasher has attempted to impregnate Mayfair women - with disastrous consequences. As Rowan lies in a coma, as a result of Lasher's attentions, he moves on to search for other Mayfair lovelies to impregnate. He really wants a son bad!! Much of this saga centers on Rowan's attempt to escape Lasher, and his pursuit of her and their child.
The author delves more deeply into the Mayfair family members' characters and their histories here, especially Julian's, the only Mayfair Warlock. This tremendous Mayfair dynasty, made up of so many individuals over so many centuries, is the crux of what makes this novel tick. Ms. Rice gives them depth, fleshes them out more in "Lasher," and their voices, as well as those of ghosts, angels, demons, witches, warlocks and ordinary men and women, contribute their points of view to the narrative. The plot is complex but not confusing. Much more family history is revealed than in the first book, and history is interwoven with fiction so that subplots become quite realistic. For example, it is discovered that Rowan is descended from a long line of witches who were exterminated by Protestants during the reign of King Henry VIII. They managed to keep some power in the family by moving to North America and intermarrying with their brothers and male cousin.
The Mayfair family, with the help of the Talamasca, a group of scholars who have studied and chronicled occult happenings for centuries, eventually track down Lasher. They are then faced with a dilemma. Do they kill this entity whom they do not understand? He is otherworldly, but not necessarily evil. What would you decide?
This is a magnetic, riveting read! I have read some negative reviews, and, as with everything else, people have different and definite tastes in fiction. As far as I am concerned, however, this is a real winner!!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: a boring read
Review: i tried to read this a few years ago and it made me yawn more than it made me want to save it to my book collection. it seemed to drag on and on through the pages. i threw it out when i moved because i was so unattached to it to keep it. i wouldn't buy in the future to read it. i love Anne Rice books but not this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Well..
Review: I didn't think that this book was the greatest but it was intriguing enough to draw me in and keep me interested. I still deeply dislike Rowan and now Mona. There is just something about them that grates me like cheese on a grater.
But what I was so fascinated was with the elder Mayfairs, especially Julien and Stella. They are such fascinating characters and I could read a whole series based on those two. Evelyn was deeply fascinating as well.
I also enjoyed the intrigues about the Talamasca and the inclusion of Yuri Stefano. Aaron is still a treat to read about and thought his relationship with Beatrice was sweet.
I still can't wait to read the last in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: A fabulous sequel. I loved it. More mystery, more intrigue, more of everything. I was shocked and horrified at the same time when Lasher explains his life in his own words. Anne Rice makes you love and hate the character at the same time. I was even more shocked about learning more on the Talamasca, the twists thrown in at the end of the book were unexpected and riveting. As soon as I finished this book I picked up my copy of "Taltos" and started reading. I read half of the book in one day. Hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting and sensual
Review: A massive Annie Rice story reader, I am. This book tells of Lasher, the evil one, the seducer. It is a wonderful, wonderful book, as are all of Ms. Rice's novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely dreadful! Rice at her ...worst!
Review: This book should never had been written. The plot is so dreadful that my temporary suspension of disbelief positively snapped! The series started high, Anne Rice at her best, but her creativity began to dry up and her characters became cartoon characters by this point. Finishing this book was an unbearable chore and was similar to a seven-course meal prepared by a bungling chef who cannot read a recipe.
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