Merrick (Vampire Chronicles)

Rating:
Summary: We Watch, and We Are Always Here
Review: I have just recently finished reading "Merrick", and I found it a rather interesting book. I enjoyed the fact that Ms. Rice finally made Louis a main character again. She has barely even used him in past books, except for "Interview...".
As most other reviewers have said, if you are a new fan to Anne Rice and her Vampire Chronicles, you don't want to pick this book up first. There would be too many question you'd be asking yourself, that you wouldn't be able to read the book. (An Example of which is "How did Claudia die in the first place?")

The book stays strong with following the Talamasca, most of all with the narrator being David Talbot, the 70+ year old, former Superior General of the Talamasca. He tells his story of how he came to know, and fall in love with, the yound and very Beautiful Merrick Mayfair, and the past that leads up to the present story.
Davids story stays mainly in the past, from when he first met Merrick, to her upbringing in the Talamasca Motherhouse, and their adventure in the Guatamala Jungles. Only afterwards does the plot unfold: Will Merrick be able to rise the spirit of the dead Vampire child Claudia?
If you are a strong fan of Louis, and of his very humanistic traits and emotions (even for a vampire), then the ending will be an amazing shock for you. You may even shed a tear or two.

The only thing I did'nt like was the CONSTANT mention of Davids undying love for Merrick. Yes, I know, if there was no love, there would be no story. It starts out fine, but after a while, it will possibly get on your nerves.
None the less, I found when i was reading, i didn't want to put the book down.

Rating:
Summary: John L, Miller Place, NY
Review: i've never been able to get past the first couple chapters of this book, which is not something i normally do with an Anne rice book. i came to this site to read the other reviews to determine why i have so many problems getting into this book, i skipped to and i had no problems reading Blood and gold marius's story.. i have Blackwood farm and Blood canticle to finish. i'll give it another chance.. thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I own 6 of the ten vampire chronicles, merrick is one of them. i thought this book an enjoyable read, i liked the entrance of Lestat to save the day, and although david is not ay fave character his point of veiw is still an interesting one. i didnt enjoy my humanlike louis taking the strong blood of lestat, i felt as if i'd lost him. This book is a wonderful must read for all anne rice fans, it is the dark wonderland her fans are so used to. :)

Rating:
Summary: The Talamasca declares war on vampires
Review: This novel in the series called The Vampire Chronicles is very surprising in many ways. Anne Rice starts merging her witch line with the Mayfairs and her vampire line with Lestat and Louis, and some others. But this merging is marginal as for the Mayfair line since it concerns a "colored" witch, or a witch from the "colored" line of the Mayfair family, that is to say the descendants of the white Mayfairs in the black population of their slaves and servants. But this line of "colored" witches introduces us to new witchcraft and first of all Vodun, which some of us call voodoo. The approach shows how the Christian dressing of this religion that has its roots in Africa, is systematic and extensive. But this vodun religion is based on some age-old, ancient practices: animal sacrifices, the use of blood, charms, and of course the belief that spirits exist and that, when we die, we either go into the light, that is paradise, or we err and roam in some dark in-between space and we can haunt the world of the living. There is no concept of hell or satan in this religion. The book though goes even further because it takes us to Guatemala where Merrick looks for and finds some more than ancient spirits and magical artifacts, particularly a mask that will enable her to achieve the objective that Anne Rice gives her in this book. She accepts to bring back the spirit of Claudia, a child vampire from the very first volumes of these Vampire Chronicles, because Louis wants to know how she is faring in her death. She was made a vampire as a child, she tried to destroy Lestat, escaped with Louis to Europe and Paris, and she was executed by other vampires in Paris by exposure to the sun, because she had destroyed her maker, which is an unacceptable crime for vampires. Merrick does the magic and then we can see the reactions of the various vampires in this group (they are four altogether). This will start a war between vampires and the Talamasca, a secret society studying paranormal phenomena and beings. This book is very interesting because of this blending procedure: blending of two novel lines, blending of at least two religions and two or three witchcrafts, blending of plot lines and diverging developments. A must in the field of fantastique literature.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU


Rating:
Summary: It Drags, But It's Not A Bad Read
Review: In "Merrick", we have the marriage of the Mayfairs and the vampires through Merrick, who is a voodoo woman from the black side of the witchy family.

Louis has been tormented of late by Claudia's spirit, and he is out to make amends for what was done to her. Merrick is enlisted for the task.

Merrick also has her own issues to deal with, mainly revisiting a Guatemalan cave with David Talbot which we get all the background on through a series of flashbacks.

Like most of her female protagonists, Anne Rice paints for us the picture of a woman with a backbone. Unlike her male leads that tend to be complete wimps, Merrick is an interesting and strong character. In this book, through the telling of Merrick's story, we get an earthier Anne Rice. Granted, it would kill Rice to make a character of hers poor, and Merrick is not poor by any standard, but her background is more down to earth.

We are led on a creepy journey in this book that culminates with the raising of Claudia's ghost. Unfortunately, the book is anticlimactic, and we are built up for a big ending that never comes. I was disappointed by Merrick's fate in the end as well. Whatever spells she has cast on the vampires in her life, and whatever Louis' obssession, the ending was not fitting in my opinion. If that ending had come later in another book, or in some other way, I think it would have been better.

Overall, this is an entertaining book but it did not live up to the hype I got from another Rice fan before I read it.