Author : Anne Rice
What is it about : An alcoholic sex-crazed teenage spelt out his life to the vampire Lestat. From having an intimate relationship with an under-age minor, growing up and having sex with with a spirit (Goblin), having sex with a ghost, having sex with domestic helpers, having sex with a vampire which was half man-woman and he himself finally was turned into a young vampire; yeh, you got the gist. In a nutshell, New Orleans became the de facto centre of the universe and the party scene of choice for vampires, witches, spirits, ghosts and Talamasca (the organisation which analysed these entities) and all the drama played out among the city's many different suburbs.
Some thoughts after having read the book : Yes, the author's vampire fans would be seriously disappointed as the actions and menace were nowhere to be found. Basically, the book read like a teenager's rampage through his brat of a life; swinging from one drunken scene to the next, always a beer in hand - when exploring the deadly swamps, confronting blood-sucking vampires etc; ha hum ... Alas, the last 30 pages saved the day and had the genuine feel of the author's original and authentic touch; these last pages told the origin of the Goblin and its eventual dramatic demise; these pages had all the hallmark, strength, fire, tension and horror which this author excelled in her earlier books.
Would I recommend this book to you : A bit of a let-down as I had read the Mayfair Witches, the other Vampire Chronicles and they were almost always excellent; so do yourselves a big favour and go read her earlier novels to re-capture the blood and gore !
