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Taltos

Taltos

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fast paced and imaginative
Review: Although I find this to be the weakest of the three books in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Rice has undoubtedly mastered the art of characterization and reinventing history. The history of the Taltos left me wishing that they actually did exist.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice closing for the Mayfair Witches trilogy
Review: This is the last volume of the trilogy on the Myfair witches, that starts with "The Witching Hour". This book is not as good as the first volume, but it's nevertheless fascinating and you definitely won't be tempted to abandon this book in the middle.
The main character here is Mr. Ash, who is the last Taltos alve, or so it seems. This fascinating, misterious creature's life will become intertwinned with that of the current designee of the Mayfair family legacy in and odd way, and despite all that occurs throughout the book you won't be prepared for what happens at the end.
Though the mistake made in the 2nd volume of the trilogy ("Lasher")is repeated here when Ash talks about his life - some 3 chapters devoted to describing everything in detail, which is interesting at first but then becomes boring and kind of makes you want to skip that section - this book is much more intense and involving than "Lasher", especially if you are a faithful follower of the Mayfair family. I just read the whole trilogy for the second time and I already feel like starting over again! This is the most fascinating story, full of mystery, history, love (and a pinch of erotism)... a mix that will win you over!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Well?
Review: Actually this is the book of the trilogy. I like the less, but you must read it to complete the whole story. I believe Ann Rice abuses of the "anticlimax" resource, so if you read this book, and when you are reching an important point of a situation and in the next chapter she jumps into another less important moment, please, feel free to jump that chapter and find out what happens, and then go back to the one you jumped, doesn't matter, sometimes it's pretty annoying.
I seriously believe she ruined the plot of the other two books, I mean, I can see she planned the story from the begining to turn like this, but I don't like it, I wanted something more like it sounded in the first book, a tale of ghosts and witches, but it is still an original plot, and monstrous in her own way.
She has her own style, one I enjoy, I believe she has a pretty dark hand to write, and a delicious conception of horror, unique in it's kind, no doubt about it, but I still think "Lasher" is better, and "The Witching Hour", the best of the three.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well Um...
Review: Being an Anne Rice fan after reading this book I have to say I was a little dissapointed. I was really expecting something a little more...not what it was. The first two, "The Witching Hour," and "Lasher" were definetlly something good. But I dont quite know what happened here. It seemed to drag on forever then the ending was a shocker, but hey what do you expect from a witch. It wasn't that bad, it was quite interestring, especially what happened to Mona. I would read it but just don't get your hopes up, and don't rush through the book expecting some wild ending, it'll be what you expect from the Mayfairs.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Third/Final Book in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches Series
Review: After Lasher dies in the previous book ("Lasher"), a new Taltos is introduced to this series: Ashlar (aka: Ash, Mr. Ash, Ash Templeton, Saint Ashlar), who is supposedly the oldest Taltos alive, and was often confused in history as Lasher and vice versa. However, the two characters are completely separate beings. While Lasher had been a devious, evil Taltos spirit that haunted the Mayfair family for generations, Ash is a more even-tempered, kinder flesh-and-blood Taltos that lives in Manhattan as a very rich doll-making entrepreneur. (Between the two, I still prefer Lasher because he was so wicked. ;)

For centuries, Ash has been alone, never encountering another of his kind, until news from his good friend, Samuel (one of the Little People in Donnelaith), has Ash traveling overseas to London in the hopes of finding another Taltos. While abroad, Ash roots out the corruption in the Talamasca and kills those who are guilty. Aaron Lightner's murder in this book is among the many occurrences that prove the Talamasca's fall. Because he was so loyal to the Mayfair family, despite his obligations to the Order, it was sad to see Aaron go.

During Ash's search, one of the Talamasca members (Stuart Gordon) claims to have a real Taltos and entices Ash to meet her (Tessa) for his own selfish reasons. However, Tessa is barren and cannot carry on the Taltos line; yet Ash is still hopeful in finding a mate. His persistence pays off when he eventually meets Rowan and Michael, who are attempting to avenge Aaron's death. Through their meeting, Ash unknowingly makes a connection with another Taltos, one that isn't born yet. Remember Mona from "Lasher"? Well, she has a big surprise for everyone: she's pregnant with a Taltos (Morrigan). But will Ash find her in time, or will Morrigan be murdered like Lasher and Emaleth, destroying Ash's chances of ever finding a mate and continuing the Taltos line?

Although "Taltos" detours from the Mayfair family, it's still a pretty good addition to this trilogy. It expands on the Taltos mythology and gives the reader more insight on this species than what Lasher could previously offer. However, I missed Lasher, the Mayfair witches, and New Orleans. The Taltos history is all well and good for background information, but I prefer the witchcraft, demons, and drama in "The Witching Hour". That's why I gave "Taltos" a 4 instead of a 5. If you've read the previous two books ("The Witching Hour" and "Lasher") and enjoyed them, then I'd recommend this book; otherwise, skip it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mary Shelley Lives!
Review: If there is reincarnation, surely Anne Rice is Mary Shelley. Taltos, especially, hearkens back to Frankenstein.

I have not read the other Mayfair Witches books, so I can't compare Taltos to them, though I have read most of Rice's books and a good portion of The Witching Hour (first in the Mayfair series), which is generally better written than Taltos.

Taltos has extremely well-developed and interesting characters, and more straight plot than is usual for Rice. The Taltos are a "mythical" race of near-immortal demigods, the history and exploits of which are recorded by a sort of occult research Order known as the Talamasca, who are also aware of (Rice's) vampires and the Mayfair family of witches. In fact, the Mayfairs are related to the Taltos, deriving much of their psychic ability from that genetic line. The mating of Taltos and humans is a precarious affair at best, often resulting in madness or death, which the Mayfairs have had to deal with as a sort of family curse throughout their known lineage.

In Taltos, friends of the Mayfairs in the Talamasca are being murdered by a person or persons unknown. The Talamasca are as anxious to figure out who is responsible as are the Mayfairs, themselves. Into their midst arrives Ashlar, the last known survivor of the Taltos race, which is a potentially catastrophic circumstance both for him and any of the Mayfair line, since they are compulsively drawn to breed with one another and the result is far from pleasant - the present head of the Mayfair clan only recently survived one such attempt, and is just now coming out of her trauma to rejoin the world of the living.

It's hard to say more without giving too much of the game away, and Taltos is worthy of reading. It is better plotted than most of Rice's novels, and has her usual memorable characters with their fascinating moral ambiguities, but suffers from her episodic style of writing. Rice's ancient history is always spotty, and questionable at best, and she spends too much time detailing it, bogging down pretty much the entire final third of the book. But the story is dramatic and good, and it comes to a believable climax.

Certainly not Rice's best, but worth the time if you like her style.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Completely Spellbinding!!
Review: I totally loved this book!! Im a huge fan of the Mayfair witches and of Mrs. Rices literature. Being 16, i was completely enthralled but the complete setting and the characters in the Mayfair witch Trilogy. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Mrs. Rices other literature and tales of the occult & fantasy! It was a really great read, but there were a few slow part but they were short enough to trudge through! Keep Reading See ya!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another stunning novel
Review: I'll not go into the plot... other reviews here do that, so do avoid repetition here are my thoughts about Taltos...

Unlike Lasher, Taltos is completely self-contained so you need not read the previous two books in this trilogy.

Throughout this book I was completely spellbound. Having already read The Witching Hour and Lasher, I was expecting a continuation of the lives of the Mayfair family, but in Taltos, Rice's imagination runs wild. Once again, her descriptive powers soar above writers such as Stephen King and Deane Koontz, dragging you into what seems like a completely different universe.

The only qualm I have is the ending - it was such an anti-climax. Up until the end I was completely engrossed and loved every second. Perhaps such a weak ending has been used to 'prophesise' a future sequel. Perhaps.

Don't let this deter you, though. Taltos, in its entirety, is another fantastic novel. You'll be drawn in from the beginning and love every second just as much as I did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: She's done it once more!
Review: In the third book in this majestic trilogy, the main character is Ash(or Ashlar as his full name). He has looked about the earth but never seen one of his own kind. He hears that another Taltos has been spotted, but this Taltos, Lasher, has been destroyed by Michael. I will not ruin the story but I not only reccomend this book, I reccomend every book in this trio.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Yummy
Review: I must confess - I only bought this audio book to add to my Tim Curry collection. Mr. Curry's hypnotic voice aside, this is my favorite Anne Rice story. There are some incredible scenes in the audio book that Mr. Curry captures perfectly, such as an incredible dance with beautiful background music that you just can't get from the book version. And, I'm a reader - I hardly ever listen to audios when a real, live book is within reach. But, this is an excellent listen - relaxing, suspensful, and interesting. Highly recommended.


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