Pandora

Rating:
Summary: A Whirlwind Tale
Review: Miss Anne weaves a story both beautiful and painful. Her ability to transition effortlessly in time and space is mesmerizing and her characters in this story are ALIVE! "Pandora" is a good review for those who read "Queen of the Damned" years ago, recalling many of the the characters of long ago: Maharet, Akasha, and Enkil. An amazing lesson in history as well. I hope we meet Flavius again. Where can I get an ivory leg?

Rating:
Summary: PANDORA!
Review: I couldn't put it down! As with all Anne Rice novels, she evokes the imagination as well as the senses (making you a little bit wary of what's hiding in the dark!). A perfect inclusion to the chronicles -romance, history and horror. You'll be 'thirsty' for more.

Rating:
Summary: boring
Review: I used up about two months to finish this book. The longest period ever. The story mainly concentrate on the two characters Pandora and Marius, focus on their argument, their disagreement, this is boring, I fell asleep many times and have no incentives to catch up the story. The gory scene is not enough, it seems like a love story more than a vampire story. One thing I appreciate most is only the discription of the art of Rome.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but a little tooo short!
Review: I have read over ten novels by Anne Rice. I believe that this one is one of my favorites. I wished that it would go a little more into her life as a vampire rather than up to when she becomes a vampire. I think that this could've been a great novel.... if there were more!

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Pandora, if only for the glimpses it provides of the early life of Pandora and Marius, my favorite character. The book was well-written, and I never once had the urge to skip a few pages out of boredom, which happened when I read Memnoch and Tale of the Body Thief. I found the historical setting of the book intriguing; Rice does an excellent job of drawing you into imperial Rome with her vivid descriptions. The characterizations were good, and the narrative was quite engaging and easy to follow. This book was less philosophical than previous vampire novels, but the vivid prose and tight storyline make up for it. I agree, however, that the book was far too short. I was left wanting more.

Rating:
Summary: Feminism in the Roman Empire?
Review: I love learning something new, with Anne it never fails. Her books are always a fascinating look at the human condition- the drama, the ecstasy and the pain of what it would be like to live through everything. The loss of fragility, the loss of risk, these themes are reoccuring in Anne's many books but I think that Pandora is book where a woman's pain, and a woman's place is the perspective. As far a character is concerned, Pandora is a little more sallow than Lestat, but then again who isn't. Pandora is a great book by all standards, it's funny and perverse and there is so much beautiful discription, not to mention a history lesson or three.

Rating:
Summary: An Un-novel Novel That Still Pleases
Review: More of the same beautiful Rice prose and detailed long-time-spanning storyline. Even though the setup for the novel is VERY been-there-done-that, the novel luckily leaves that behind and emmerses the reader in an interesting world of bloodlust and sensuality surrounding the vampire Pandora. However, the novel is plagued with the fact that it is VERY similar to Rice's other novels. Same setup, same style, same rehashed storyline. The only real difference is that for once the viewpoint is from a female vampire, where as all the past Vampire Chronicles were testosterone narrated(even though her vamps are androgenous). This adds a new element to the novel that helps to distinguish it from all of Rice's other books and helps fans get past the rehashed storyline and become enveloped by Pandora's world.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, and that is about it
Review: This book can be interesting if you need a mental vacation without philisophical content: if you are looking for pure entertainment, interesting historical connections, and exotic locations, this is it. However, if you are looking for great literature, this isn't it. A few times she (Rice) tries to enter into a debate on the nature of the rational/irrational and the definition of self (which is good), but she quickly digresses back into a rather poorly written narrative. The overall plot is very well thought out, but it seems as though she was trying to spit out another book to meet a deadline. Case in point: she discusses two thousand years of history in about 100 pages (the rest is back-story and filler). With more development and better editing to eliminate some of the cheesy narrative dialogue (see the introduction of Pandora and David in the cafe. Why recount to David their meeting? It is apparently done to enlighten the reader on the circumstances of their meeting, but when told in the narrative format it becomes a little awkward), the book would have been much better. While the back-story is very inviting, Rice seems to give you just enough to become interested enough to buy her other books to get the whole story. In essence, entertaining, but not art. She changes the format of an already popular series just enough to keep you interested. If you want something to make you think, read some Rushdie.

Rating:
Summary: Different
Review: I liked Pandora. Anne Rice really draws you into the character and her life and events that surrounded them. The only problem is it ends and your still asking what happen to Pandora? You have this great story and not a second one to go after it? Overall, every thing about the book is pretty good. Just wish there was more.

Rating:
Summary: Milking the Cash Cow
Review: I keep hoping that one day Anne Rice will return to writing the books I know she is capable of. After reading "Tale of the Body Thief" years ago I was disappointed, after reading "Memnoch the Devil" I was simply disgusted. "Pandora" is a slight improvement, but ultimately unsatisfying.

From the first chapter I knew that I was not dealing with one of Rice's better books. The premise is that the fledgling vampire David has given Pandora a journal, and asked her to write her memoirs. She is reluctant at first, yet does it. The first chapter is Pandora, writing in first person, to David; she recounts their entire conversation, and this rehashing, when aimed at the individual she had actually spoken to, is very awkward--not to mention illogical. I admit to muttering "yeah, yeah, get on with it," and skimming through much of the first chapter; rather than provide a decent setup, it just made me want to cut to the 'real' story. The greatest fault of "Pandora" is that it seems rushed and undeveloped; getting it onto the shelves was the apparent priority, rather than developing the story and giving it any real richness and depth. It has tremendous potential, but gets bogged down in the recitation of historical details at times. What was it like to actually live at that time? What could Pandora, having lived through nearly two millennia, tell us about life in Rome and Antioch, beyond political intrigues and unrest? There are small glimpses of it, but I had hoped to be drawn into that world, to have some sense of the "flavor" of the time. It was like hoping for a taste of something rich and savory and exotically spiced, only to be given a baloney sandwich.

The final impression I had was that this should have been a much more detailed, finished book. It is as if the foundation has been poured, the framing for the walls put up, and the exterior sheathing nailed on, but it still isn't a finished structure. That's a shame, because both Pandora and Marius are intiguing characters living in interesting times, with the unique perspective of immortals. I would also have liked to know more about what happened to Pandora between the fifth century and the present; we get a flashing glimpse into the time of Louis XIV but it is only a a quick plot device. Although she mentions the Sun King, in the very same sentence Rice places Pandora in Dresden, not Paris--a rather jarring note. The truth is, however, that Pandora could have been anywhere by that point in the book and it would not have much mattered.

For those of you who despise the practice as much as I do, the book has been puffed out to fill 344 pages by using larger type and wider line spacing than usual. Published "honestly," it might have been closer to 200-225 pages. I bought it secondhand; after "Tale of the Body Thief" I quit paying for brand-new Rice's books. If she ever goes back to writing as she is capable of, rather than churning out hackwork simply to finance her latest extravagances, I will start contributing to her royalty checks once more.