Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting tale
Review: When i first started to read this novel, i got bored and impatient with the plot fast. I mean, i haven't read the first two installments of Anne Rice's series and had no recollection of the characters, but pretty soon the plot started to pick up pace and i got into the story. The story is mainly composed of different point of view narration, all pulling together to tell the tale of Queen Akasha, the queen of the Damn. This allows the reader to gain a more intimate prospective to the various characters and allows Anne Rice to easily develop the characters. The downside of this is that she switches the focus of the story to a different character just as soon as you are really caught up with the prospective of one. I found this story to be a quite unique and exquisite tale dealing with vampires. I've always been interested in demonic tales of vampires and demons and it is quite interesting to read about Anne Rice's version of how the very first vampires came into being. I praise Rice for her creativity and imagination. The various flashbacks into the past, which focuses on two fiery haired twins and their role in the creation of Akasha and Enkil were quite facinating. Another matter of facination is of the character of Akasha. She is undoubtedly the best character to this story. Her plan to "save the world" by basically destroying man kind was interesting. In conclusion i recommend this book to practically anyone interested in the world of vampires. I knew i had a good time with this story. You won't be dissapointed. The story has a rich casting of original characters and an original and involving plot.
Rating:
Summary: Writing that inspires; a climax that fizzles.
Review: Despite what I'm about to write in this review, let me just state up front that I would highly recommend this book. Now to the task of dissecting Anne Rice's third installment of The Vampire Chronicles. Queen of the Damned further supports my belief that Anne Rice is one of the finest writers of our time. Despite the length of her books, she doesn't fill them up with useless verbiage. Her descriptions are concise but effect. The remainder of her writing is comprised of effective dialogue, compelling internal monologue, and enthralling action. As Rice takes us through 6,000 years of history, we're drawn into each time period through well-placed historical facts (or theories). But, of course, the most important aspect of these trips through history is the world that Rice has created, in which vampires and spirits exist. We have the additional benefit in this book of seeing this world through the eyes of multiple characters, as they tell the evolving tale of Akasha and the twins. Despite this tremendous foundation on which to build her plot, Rice falls just short of a rousing success in this story's culmination. 400 pages are spent leading up to the ultimate clash of the immortals, but if you blink, you'll nearly miss what happens. I'm not surprised that the movie (which I ashamedly admit I've seen) didn't have the same ending. I believe that Rice must've known she failed in the climax, because the denouement of the book lasts for roughly 40 pages, as Lestat seeks to fully grasp and understand what happened. Overall, the book is outstanding. The story is well-composed ... so well-composed, in fact, that it can exist regardless of the ending.
Rating: 
Summary: WHOA!
Review: ok, I admit it, I have not completely finished this book, so I am sure that I have not quite yet discovered the genius that Anne Rice has employed in this 3rd book of the Vampire Chronicles. But, I am almost done, and it is the most capitvating book I have ever read. Interview with the Vampire was a slow-moving book, with overly detailed descriptions and exagerated feelings from the vampire Louis, who seemed to have not been able to make the transition from human to vampire. The book itself revolutionized the way that vampires were looked at in such an ingenius way that I could forgive all these mild annoyances. It seems that the next book was just the opposite extremity. It gave way to great mysteries, old vampires, and answers to human questions in a way that only Anne Rice could do. But it seemed to still be preparing for something. It was preparing for this very book. The Queen of the Damned is the ultimate book of a series. It introduces everyone in short amounts of time, and gives them all the same goal: to somehow get to the upcoming concert of The Vampire Lesat. In the 2nd book of the series, it is described by none other than Lestat, but he has no idea what elements were at play while he was yelling his satanic chants. He had no idea that Akasha, the mother of all vampires, was closer than he could imagine. This book reveals anything and everything that you need to know about this series. It emphasizes just how special and monumental this concert of Lestat's is, and it gives way to a revolution in vampires like never seen before... This is truly the most important, most exciting, and best book of the series so far, and should be read by any fan of Anne Rice.
Rating:
Summary: Queen of the Damned-the book
Review: The Vampire Lestat tells his tale of his rock-stardom and it's finale via the Queen of the Damned, the mother of all vampires. It is a suspenseful tale of the adventures of Lestat and other vampires in the severe 1980's. Learn of the Children of the Millenia and the Twins and the various covens.
I recommend this book above most others in the Vampire Chronicles written by Anne Rice to the new readers of this series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Devil Is In the Details
Review: Following the curse of Frank Herbert and Dune, Anne Rice doesn't know when to let sleeping vampires lie and keeps churning out sequels to her initial monster hit. And each one is just a little less than the one that preceded it. Vampire Queen Akasha, first of the immortals, awakens by the secret-revealing rock music of Lestat from her eons of slumber, to initiate the vampire-human apocalypse and implement a New World Order. The pearls of immortality have for too long been cast before swine, and she wants to clean house. Cleaving her Chosen Few to her bosom, her plan is to eliminate all lesser immortals and men, and rule over a carefully controlled and bred human world. Needless to say, those not Chosen - from either species - have something to say about that, and even her own favorites rebel against her. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth..." It's a great plot, but the devil is in the details, and Rice dwells on unimportant details at the expense of the plot. The climax is terribly anticlimactic for such an inordinate buildup, and the novel's structure is more than usually loose. Her historical accuracy is hit-and-miss, though nothing to be concerned about. The book's greatest problem is simply its length. It actually climaxes halfway through - which is when the plot truly begins - leaving a long, long stretch of exposition to what the story is really all about. And by the time it gets to where it's going, the reader's interest is drastically diminished. The vampires are a loquacious lot, and keep repeating their points in a talky finale that then concludes all too abruptly. The epilogue is actually better than the rest of the novel. Rice's fans will certainly embrace Queen of the Damned, but her new readers will want to start with her stronger work - namely, the original Interview with the Vampire. The movie really wasn't bad, considering this is an all but unfilmable novel as written.
Rating:
Summary: The mother of all vampires
Review: After reading the Vampire Lestat, you have to read this book. The mother of vampires, who were introduced to in the last book, is awakened and has a plan to save humanity. And she's choosen Lestat to help her. We learn how vampires were first created. The book has to back track some to introduce some more characters, but that's great. Read the other two first. I wish I could give this book 4.75 stars, because it's a great book, but not quite as good as the first two.
Rating:
Summary: Is Anne Rice the best or what?
Review: Anne Rice is my favorite author. I wish I could write like her. I really do. The Queen of the Damned is by far my favorite book. It was so satisfying to read. I read it like three years ago, and I have continued reading the Vampire Chronicles, and I love all the books, although I haven't read Memnoch, and I favored this one. It has so much substance, and the entire Egyptian thing was great. I love Ancient Egypt, so it was great for me. I hope the movie is as great, even though I have heard other wise. Loved the characters and the history! Loved this book! READ IT!!
Rating:
Summary: This Queen Rocks!!!
Review: You don't have to know the complex order of all of the vampire books written by Anne Rice to enjoy Queen of the Damned. There is sufficient background material to keep you abreast of who is who so the book can stand on its own. Basically, it seems that our old friend Lestat had restyled himself in the 20th century as a rock star, and his music somehow have awaken Akasha, the "mother" of all vampires, from her trance as an unaware alabaster statue. Akasha then went on a personal mission to create paradise on earth by destroying most of the men, leaving the women in charge, and through selective breeding and conditioning would men be introduced back to "civilized" society; and she has her eye on Lestat as her consort and partner in crime. Akasha also destroyed all the other vampires on earth, except for a few, whom she spared because Lestat would want them around, or because she couldn't affect them because they are as powerful as she is. But standing in Akasha's way are these same surviving vampires, and a certain prohecy proclaimed to her six thousand years ago. Complex and chock full of characters, Anne Rice nonetheless managed to weave it all into one coherent whole and top it off with a shattering (quite literally) conclusion. The most fascinating part of the book is the story of Jesse, herself a descendant of a vampire who uses her own psychic gifts for the organization known as the Talamasca, and the story of the red haired twins, Maharet and Mekare. These two latter are "witches" whose reputation aroused Akasha's curiousity, which inadvertendly started the race of vampires. Queen of the Damned is a virtual page turner. Unfortunately, because of its length and its complexity, most of it has to be thrown out for the movie version. If you have seen the movie and have not read the book, do it. If might make you appreciate the movie more.
Rating:
Summary: Anne Rice Rocks again!
Review: Anne Rice kept this reader enthralled through this whole book. It is easy to become one of the characters in this book and feel as they feel. A definite must read for any Anne Rice fan.
Rating:
Summary: Queen of Authors
Review: Anne Rice is Queen of Authors. She is wonderful at mixing fantasy and romance with the real world. It makes you actually sit back and wonder if these beings could actually exsist. I've read all of the Vampire Chronicles, and I have to say this one is absolutely the best. They are all fantastic, but this one stuck with me.
If you are planning on seeing the movie, you REALLY have to read the book first. The movie is NOTHING in comparison!
I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, suspense, horror, and/or Anne Rice!
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