Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles)
by Anne Rice
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anne RiceEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-08-31
ISBN: 0345443691
Number of pages: 401
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles)
Book Review: Existential and great and sadly misunderstood
Summary: 5 Stars
Blood Canticle is by far the most stripped down raw and honest installment of The Vampire Chronicles. I have read them all dozens of times. I am not sure where all the hostility towards this novel comes from all I can offer are my own insights.
Spoilers:
This novel starts with an interesting open. Its a glimpse of where our narrator (in this case Lestat) is currently at heart and soul wise. Brilliant open really curious insight into his mind. Sometimes I think that since its been so long since we the reader have heard from Lestat, well I think this could really sum up this novel in a whole, but I truly feel that the Lestat some had in their minds ceased to be once Memnoch reached its end. Since that point there have been glimpses of Lestat in other novels but not the man himself. I guess overall the audience who found this novel tough to digest were angered maybe because there was no answer to what happened to him during his slumber. As for the open lots of wonderful moral questions and solutions that could be found if only Lestat could become a Saint, themes to play out and the stage is set for a novel (whether you liked it or not)we did not see coming. Again this did not surprise me character wise and I am kinda surprised that the hater audience for this novel latched on that idea so much. Do you all not remember Lestat as a human long ago wanting to be a priest? Its almost like it never happened I know it was so long ago but I laugh at the notion that this novel lacks character development.
On the subject of Character development. I should say that for the first time I could recall the mortals in this story far outweigh the immortals, which I found to be a breath of fresh air. I loved all the characters that emerged from Blackwood Farm and was happy to see them again. As for the development of the Mayfair's that was brilliantly handled by Anne Rice. What a treat it was so revisit them again, Michael and Rowan (who I love the most of the whole Clan Mayfair) and Dolly Jean, Uncle Julien, Stella and of course the roving harlot herself Mona and Mona of course still dealing with the effects of the Taltos ironically becomes a thing apart from humanity much like the Taltos she birthed so long ago.
There are several intense short brilliantly written chapters in this novel one of my favorite being Lestat in the hotel room with the drunken woman waiting for the hit man. Pure brilliant writing short and brutal and beautifully written. The other is Lestat speaking of his love for Rowan Mayfair. Very intense writing there.
The long and short of Blood Canticle is this.
Its been more then 30+ years of Vampires and Witches. The two central characters of both worlds fall hopelessly in love with each other. And never has love felt so helpless in reading of a Anne Rice novel? The choice Rowan and Michael made to not go into the unknown at the end of Taltos lead to Rowan going to Lestat at the end of Blood Canticle. All of the horrid choices Lestat made over the years lead to him not giving in to Rowan, is Lestat redeemed for not giving in? Has his Saintly being finally shown thru? Is Rowan more then ever reinforced in her quest to right all her wrongs? We will never know, and honestly that does not bother me. That's where this tale really resides, in the unknown. It doesn't bother me that we never knew what happened to Lestat during his waking sleep. There are hints, glimpses but that is not what this story was about. To me Blood Canticle is about Love, spiritual love, love of the Earth love of what you cant have, Love of what you hope to be. A pure shame that so called fans only want complain about their personal wants not being met. We often forget as fans, as devoted as we are we really forget this is not ours. The creation belongs to the creator, we pay for the privilege to read along for the ride. And money well spent I love this book. Its my fave right behind The Vampire Lestat and The Witching Hour.
Summary of Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles)
Fiery, fierce, and erotic, Blood Canticle marks the triumphant culmination of Anne Rice?s bestselling Vampire Chronicles, as Lestat tells his astounding tale of the pleasures and tortures that lie between death?s shadow and immortality. . . .Surrounded by its brooding swampscape, Blackwood Farm is alive with the comings and goings of the bewitched and the bewitching. Among them is the ageless vampire Lestat, vainglorious enough to believe that he can become a saint, weak enough to fall impossibly in love.
Gripped by his unspeakable desire for the mortal Rowan Mayfair and taking the not so innocent, new-to-the-blood Mona Mayfair under his wing, Lestat braves the wrath of paterfamilias Julien Mayfair and ventures to a private island off the coast of Haiti. There, Saint Lestat will get his chance to slay his dragon. For Mona and the Mayfairs share an explosive, secret blood bond to another deathless species: a five-thousand-year-old race of Taltos, strangers held in the throes of evil itself.
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