Rating: 
Summary: Whoo-Hooo Witchy Woman!
Review: Merrick is the story of a young woman of color who belongs to the infamous Mayfair family and, although far removed from the so-called "white Mayfairs," is quite the witch in her own right. I enjoyed reading this book because it brought together many of the characters from Rice's previous vampire novels, such as Louis, Lestat, David, and Claudia. For someone who is not an Anne Rice fan, you will definitely want to read some of her previous books before reading this one. If you don't, you may be a little confused. For those of us who are Rice fans and have read many of her books, it's like old home week when you open the pages of this book. The basic plot of the story is that Louis is feeling sorry for himself and pining for his vampire companion of old, Claudia. In an attempt to make Louis happy, David contacts his ex-lover and old friend Merrick, a very powerful Voodoo witch, to ask if she will conjure up the spirit of Claudia for Louis to see one last time. To find out what happens from there, you must read the book, because I will not give away the rest of the story! The story does not encompass a very lengthy period of time; however, the story is told in flashbacks by David, and these flashbacks tell the story of who Merrick is and how she came to be associated with David and the Talamasca starting in her childhood and ending in the present time. While this book is not quite as lavish in its language and descriptions as some her previous novels, Anne Rice nevertheless does a fine job with this story. I would recommend it to all!
Rating: 
Summary: The Best I've Read! Excellent!
Review: This is the first book that I've read from Anne Rice. I truly loved the book. It's great! I will not be able to rest until I have all Anne Rice books and until I read all of them. I recommend this book to everyone who finds vampires as fascinating creatures.
Rating: 
Summary: Annie, Annie, where art thou Annie ?
Review: I find it hard, no, make that impossible to believe, that the same author who wrote "Interview...," "...Lestat," "Q O D," and "The Witching Hour" is the same author who wrote "Merrick." To be more thorough, beginning with "Violin" and including the entire "New Vampire Tales" and ending with "Merrick"....is this in fact the same author ?! I just can't believe it is. Ms. Rice has always been long winded, but her words were in depth, intriguing and beautiful. This new "mystery writer" is simply just long winded. Painfully long winded....the passages just seem to rattle on and on with no particular place to go. If you haven't read this novel yet, trust me, reading a dictionary is more exciting than reading "Merrick." There are no moments of dizzying heights, no intrigue, no wicked humor, no jaw-dropping surprises to be found. Just rattling....and when a minor incident finally happens, you try to convince yourself that it was major, out of love for the author. This book was yet another disappointment from the camp of Anne Rice, but, as a long time fan, I have a right to wonder which camper is writing it. Could it possibly be that she's allowing her young son Christopher, whom is a writer, to do her work for her ? Whatever is the case, I miss the real Anne Rice.
Rating:
Summary: Second only to QofD
Review: I loved this book. I can't say enough good about it. I thought it was beautiful storytelling from the first page to the last. Who wouldn't want to hear tell of Claudia, and more of David Talbot? I thought it was excellent, second only in my favorites to Queen of the Damned. I'm anxiously waiting what Rice has to say about Marius in Blood & Gold due out this fall.
Rating: 
Summary: Stay true to the original characters!
Review: Why would anyone want to get rid of the character, Louis? This is one of the most intriguing character in the VC, apart from Lestat, Armand and Claudia. These 'old characters' are the most charmings. Anne Rice should just focus on these few vampires instead of trying to intorduce too many other characters especially when they are not interesting at all. Ever wonder why and how Anne Rice become who she is today? It's because of her very first book, Interview with The Vampire, and maybe the next 2 chronicles.
Rating:
Summary: Vampires, witches and death, oh my!
Review: I've loved every one of Anne's vampires and witch books from the beginning. She has the ability to take a concept we are used to and approach it from a different angle. Merrick, however, is good, but more of an extra chapter to the other witch/vampire books than a novel that stands on it's own. In other words, if this is the first book by Anne you're picking up, I recommend you start at the beginning with "Interview with a Vampire." For those of you who are familiar with Anne's writing and style, Merrick is a witch related to the witches in "The Witching Hour," who comes into contact with the vampires in her other novels. Throughout all of her books, she has teased us with a cross-over and now she finally did it. Is this a good book? I sigh and hesitate with this one. Yes, it's good, but only if you're a die-hard Rice fan and you want to know what's going to happen to Lestat and are curious about another encounter with Claudia (yes, there is another, this time with the help of a voodou witch by the name of Merrick.) However, Anne isn't really up to par with how she wrote the first three vampire novels. Whereas I couldn't put down "Vampire Lestat" for the sheer fact that each passage was truly intriguing and I was dying to read what was going to happen next, "Merrick" can have it's dry moments. Unfortunately, this is what happens to excellent authors: their publishers give them complete creative control and don't recommend anything, such as editing, to spruce up what is already good. "Merrick" goes off on a tangent about history and backgrounds of characters that I'm sure we'll never see again and only concentrates on our heros and heroines only at the end. Of course, this isn't nearly as bad as "Violin," but better and a nice addition to the Vampire Chronicals. If you're an avid reader of Rice, I think you'll like this addition. Plus, there is a cliffhanger ending that will make you anxious to read the next one in line. I'll give you a hint: The Talamasca is getting too pushy! If you're a new reader to Rice, I recommend you start with the first. I used to say that you can completely skip "Interview with the Vampire," and go straight to "Vampire Lestat," but with this one, I think you should go begin with the first as well as read the Witch Chronicals. Playing catch-up will take time, but that is so you could identify with all of the characters by the time you get to this edition. Otherwise, you'll enjoy the other novels first and find this one good. Overall, not a bad edition to the Rice collection. Could have been better, but seemed a novella stretched out to a novel. Also, for those new readers starting out, here's the list in reading order: (Vampire Chronicals) "Interview with a Vampire" "The Vampire Lestat" "Queen of the Damned" "Tale of the Body Thief" "Memnock the Devil" "Pandora" "The Vampire Armand" (Mayfair Witch Chronicals) "The Witching Hour" "Lasher" "Taltos" P.S., "Vittorio" stands on it's own as a vampire novel not related to the Vampire Chronicals, so don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: it was okay
Review: When are you going to get rid of that whinning Louis???? I love that David has soul, and I love that David got made and I love how he's just into everybody business, and I loved that you finally woke up that Lazy Lestat, He needs a new book give him something to do! Write it, Anne Write it!! Oh yeah, and Merrick was, well Merrick was a black girl, Yeah!!!!
Rating:
Summary: No Vampires. Voodoo and Witchery...
Review: I would like to recommend this book to everyone who would like to take a break from the Vampire "Scene" and move onto something different. Yes, you will hear about the vampires in this book...Louis, Lestat oooh my Favorite Armand, but you will note that Rice has kept "as well she should" her character in tact at all times. Voodoo...Yes. Did I get lost and have to reread a part Yes, but isn't that common...? I would like to see Rice write more on Merrick or her ancestors. This is a definite Must Read Book!
Rating:
Summary: Good Story
Review: It felt so good to be back in the vampire world of my favorite characters that I didn't care too much that I hated Merick. I really didn't mind I missed everyone so much. Wow a real shock at the end. The end was my favorite part of the book. Thank you! For ending it that way Anne!
Rating:
Summary: Misleading
Review: When I read the publisher's blurb for Merrick, I was delighted. Here was exactly what all true Vampire Chronicles fans were waiting for, a book that finally went into more detail about Claudia, Louis' beloved child vampire, destroyed in the Theatre des Vampires for trying to murder Lestat. However, it becomes clear from the outset that Claudia plays very much a peripheral role in this novel. Perhaps the publishers played up her part in the story to entice fans to buy it? For whichever reason, the star of this book is Merrick, and she is not an easy character to like. Rice has written Merrick as an extremely strong, confident female. However, much of the time she just comes across as cocky and conceited. She somehow manages to turn the ordinarily restrained David Talbot (the consummate gentleman) into a slobbering schoolboy, and Louis ends up completely under her thumb. However, the most annoying part of this novel is the fact that Lestat (who only turns up at the very end of the novel) takes an immediate liking to Merrick, when in every other volume of the Chronicles he couldn't abide people who were likely to steal his limelight. This erratic break from the character that Rice has built up so carefully over the past 5 Vampire chronicles shows a complete disregard for continuity that will surely irk regular readers. However, in spite of the character Merrick's innate annoyingness, the novel itself is still very enjoyable. Simply take the girl herself with a pinch of salt, presume that Rice wrote her partly as a characiture, and sit back and enjoy a return to the literary form that temporarily abandoned Rice during "Tale of the Body Thief" and "Memnoch".
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