Rating: 
Summary: The Rum Drinking Merrick
Review: This is my first time reading an Anne Rice book. It was OK once you got past the early years of Merrick and also David's history. I'm not one to read about vampires and witches. I don't know if I will read another one of her books, this is not my genre of reading. All-in-all it was a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bewitching Addition To The Vampire Chronicles
Review: For devoted readers such as myself, the wait has been agonizingly long, the anticipation almost unbearably great. Finally, the new novel by Anne Rice has arrived. Its title is Merrick, and it was well worth both the wait and the anticipation. Merrick is, very simply, a wonderfully satisfying addition to the canon known collectively as The Vampire Chronicles.In the nearly twenty-five years since the publication of the now classic novel Interview With The Vampire, Mrs. Rice has become justifiably famous for the creation of characters that are so vividly drawn and have such compelling stories to tell us, they have become legends of almost mythic proportion in their own right. Think of Louis de Pointe du Lac, The Vampire Lestat, the enigmatic child vampire Claudia, The Vampire Armand, Marius, Pandora, Memnoch The Devil...Rowan Mayfair and her consort Michael, Mona Mayfair, Lasher...and a host of others too numerous to mention. To that list of most memorable fictional personages, add the name Merrick Mayfair. That's right. I did say Merrick Mayfair. What, you may be asking is a character with the last name of Mayfair doing in a Vampire Chronicle? Suffice to say that Mrs. Rice has made the brilliant choice to marry the world of her invincible vampires to the world of her enigmatic witches so lustrously created in her Lives Of The Mayfair Witches novels. The results of this decidedly unholy union are consumated in a richly imaginative story that could only have come from the deliciously dark pen of Poe and Shelley's daughter. So, who is Merrick Mayfair? What does she want? How does she impact the lives and destinies of our beloved vampires? As to the first question, Merrick Mayfair is distantly related to the First Street Mayfairs of Lives Of The Mayfair Witches infamy, though those witches play no role in Merrick whatsoever. Don't let this be a disappointment to any expectations you might have. Be content with the fact that the Lives Of The Mayfair Witches as we know them have ended with the conclusion of the novel Taltos. In The Witches' Companion by Katherine Ramsland, Mrs. Rice is quoted as saying: 'The Mayfair family is a huge imaginative refuge for me; it is living and growing in my mind all the time.' With the introduction of Merrick Mayfair, I suspect this is still true for Mrs. Rice. Let the Lives Of The Mayfair Witches stand as they are -- whole and complete. Let new Mayfairs come to the fore and tell their tales. If they are anything like Merrick Mayfair's, you will be as enthralled as with any story about the First Street Mayfairs. To that, let me add that to describe Merrick Mayfair as a female Indiana Jones as some reviewers have done is appallingly simplistic. She is far more complex and enigmatic than that. She is totally unpredictable and therefore difficult to second guess. She is also a witch, make no mistake about that, with incalculable powers at her command. Her powers are so great, in fact, she is compared to the Witch of Endor (get out your Old Testament if you don't remember who SHE is) numerous times in the narrative, not to mention the fact that she is capable of giving creatures as strong as Rice's vampires pause. 'Touch me and I'll shatter you,' she wordlessly says at one point to the vampire Louis. Think, for a moment, about having the strength to shatter a vampire, and then you'll have some idea of just how powerful a witch Merrick Mayfair is. Kind of makes the First Street Mayfairs pale in comparison, doesn't it? As to the second and third questions I posed, you'll have to read the book to find out what Merrick Mayfair wants and how she impacts the lives of our beloved vampires. I can't say anything without spoiling too much of the plot. What I can say is that the answers to those questions will surprise and satisfy you far beyond your imaginings. Truth be told, I felt sort of like a vampire as I was reading Merrick. Once I had bitten into the book and the gush of words began to flow, I couldn't get enough. The story became more and more involving, more and more compulsively readable after each page, that I simply had to know how everything turns out. It was beyond difficult to put the book down for something as trivial as work and other obligations. If you are already a fan of Anne Rice, I can't urge you strongly enough to get a copy of Merrick as soon as possible. If you have not read any of her novels, it would be helpful for you to read all of six of the previous The Vampire Chronicles before beginning Merrick. You will not understand the significance of certain events or the relationships between the characters without doing so. All are five-star books in my opinion. I would also recommend that you read the three Lives Of The Mayfair Witches novels. Having copies of Katherine Ramsland's The Vampire Companion and The Witches' Companion isn't a bad idea either and, besides, they are both extremely interesting books in their own right. And now I find myself where I began. With long months of waiting filled with anticipation before me until the next novel by the incomparable Anne Rice is published. Sigh. On that note, 'over and out' as The Vampire Lestat would say.
Rating:
Summary: There have been greater
Review: The only reason Ms. Rice only got three stars on this one is because I am unjustly comparing it to the rest of her books! Overall this is an interesting book, I read it in one sitting... But the reason I love Anne Rice's books is the philosophy the likes to add. I loved Memnoch because she explored a history rich with religion and theory... I love reading her books because she has a talent for tying all aspects of every book together. I feel like I am at home in her stories. Merrick is about one of the Mayfair witches. The plot is rich with cultural references, they travel to the rainforest in search of a temple... of course you search through New Orleans for your next fill... But the end was *way* to predictable... I actually was telling myself "No, that won't happen... it's to preditable" and was waitng for the surprise... and well, the surprise was the fact that it ended exactly the way I thought it would. The best part of the book was Lestats entrance, and I know now that there will be more about him in a future novel. So, it was worth it to get to this point... and it's always worth it to read one of Anne Rices Novels, even when it's not her 'best ever'... (which I think every time I read the newest one!)
Rating: 
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: I've heard alot about Anne Rice and how rich and descriptive her writings are. This is the first book I've read of hers. I was truly disappointed in the character development and the depth of writing. I was not captivated. I was not mesmerized. I only finished it because I paid for it and I thought it would get better. I couldn't bear to read about how creamy Merrick's skin was or how green her eyes were one more time. Everything was so shallow and contrived. This work has not motivated me to buy another book written by her again.
Rating:
Summary: I've seen this ending before.
Review: While I enjoyed pieces of this latest book, there were two things that Anne Rice could've done better. The first was that she brings up this whole ancient civilization in Central America that is "Olmec or Maya, but neither." We do not learn anything more about this mysterious culture that Merrick's ancestors came from, which I think could've been developed a little bit more. The second thing was the ending. She introduces a new character, in this case Merrick, and then turns them into a vampire at the book's end. In light of the fact that this happened in both "Tale of the Body Thief" and "The Vampire Armand," its sad to say that Anne Rice is getting a bit too formulaic. If Anne Rice wants to come up with a good novel, she should explore the character of Gabrielle, Lestat's mother, who is also a vampire. She is only briefly featured in the earlier books and I think there's much more to be fleshed out there.
Rating:
Summary: ALAS, POOR MERRICK!
Review: This is foremost the life behind Merrick, the Mayfair witch who is called upon by our dear friend, Louis, to conjure up his beloved Claudia to ease his tortured soul and to know if she rests in peace! I began to wonder if we were every going to have *that* confrontation due to Merrick's own troubled self over her sister, Honey in The Sunshine's death. So much so that I simply had to laugh when I got to page 176 of 307 and read "Now, stop mentioning Honey; for the love of Heaven..."! Good grief...so little mention even of the need for sustaining blood that I found myself so hungry for it my teeth itched! I swear, had someone come to my door at that late hour I'd have dragged them in and sunk my own teeth into that soft, delectable part of their neck and had my fill! Claudia finally appears(or does she?) on p.243 and gives Louis "Hell" apropos to where she is, I guess. The book does come alive here and I finally had the Anne Rice I so dearly love back in all her glory. I am probably being too harsh... but *my* choosing books in this genre are for entertainment, horror, excitement and grab-my-attention-and-don't-let-go! This one sadly did not do that.
Rating:
Summary: She lured a fan back!
Review: I was so happy with this book compared to the last few she has written. I couldn't get through either Armand nor Pandora. And didn't even have the heart to try Vittorio. I started Anne Rice reading with the witches series and then went into the vampires. The witches are still my favorites and I enjoyed the combination of the two in this book. I recommend this to all those fans who lost faith in her writing. I think this should bring you back as it did me.
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent installment in the Anne Rice universe
Review: I began Merrick expecting something similar to one of the Lestat or Armand stories, since it is a continuation of the Vampire Chronicles. However, as the book is supposedly about Merrick Mayfair, I wouldn't have been surprised with something along the line of the Mayfair Witches. Ms. Rice gave me a reading experience that was not what I expected. Delightedly, Merrick sets out on its own path, apparently as the foundational novel for a new story line. The main characters are David Talbot, Merrick Mayfair, and Louis de Pointe du lac. David and Merrick dominate the story, with Louis playing a significant role only in the last quarter of the book. The book does a fine job of developing the character of David Talbot, as well as developing further the Talamasca part of Ms. Rice's literary universe. Merrick Mayfair is introduced by Talbot and richly described as a character. However, in this book we only see David Talbot's vision of Merrick Mayfair. It is complex and haunted. Having heard the woman described, you want to get to know her in person. It leaves this reader wishing for another book in the series written from the perspective of Merrick. Merrick appears to be a rich, complex, intriguing character who deserves to be further developed. The voodoo and Meso-American shamanism addition to the Mayfair witchery through Merrick is a fascinating twist, well handled, and most appropriate. The imagery is rich and evocative, as is characteristic of all Rice's novels. That said, I must also add that the story is really a love story involving: an alcoholic young woman from a dysfunctional family, a father-figure friend and lover who is going through an identity crisis, and a mutual friend who is clinically depressed and suicidal. The magic and vampirism are conventions used to help move the story forward but the real story is the dynamic of the relationships between these three vulnerable, struggling and confused people. I liked that in the story but those who may want only the already established vampire or witch formulae may be frustrated.
Rating: 
Summary: A true embarrassment
Review: In literary studies, characters are often referred to as being either flat (remaining the same throughout the novel) or dynamic (changing emotionally/spiritually as the novel progresses). As later additions to the vampire novels demonstrate ("Merrick" included), Anne Rice's vampire characters have for years been flat, flat, flat. Unless she plans to let them change and grow, she should stop writing about them. It's such a shame that she's constrained her characters - they had, and still have, fantastic potential. As far as the actual text is concerned, does no one take a blue pen to her work?? It's depressing when an author hacks off her own work, and it's even worse when she inaccurately hacks off her own work. Where is her editor? Well, at least we have two classics - "Interview with the Vampire" and "The Vampire Lestat."
Rating: 
Summary: When worlds collide
Review: This book was simply incredible. How many times have I wanted to see both The Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches in one story. My wish finally came true! The story was gripping, and suffered very little in the way of longwindedness. If you love either of the two story lines, this book is a must have.
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