And the first book I've read this year is.....

After a grueling month, I finally finished Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned. Unlike the first two - Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat - Queen of the Damned felt slow moving. It lacked the same emotion the previous two presented - not stating that the book was without the human emotions that we've come to admire from Lestat and his pal Louis, it's just that the majority of it wasn't presented until the end. 

Originally, I wanted to finish the novel before the turn of the new year, but the slow movement in the book caused me to put it down several times and ignore it for days at a time. The novel, like the first two, is teeming with new and old characters - we even learn the name of the boy reporter from Interview - that all play an essential role in the story, one way or another. However, there are several times when I wonder why exactly I have to know about Baby Jenks and what role she played after her short life as a vampire. 

Of course, her death was used to paint a portrait of the afterlife, but it still felt unnecessary. 

Power is the force that drives this novel. Power to be seen. Power to be heard. Power to change the world. From Lestat to the vampire queen, Akasha, everyone wants a slice of the power to exist. Each knows that the queen is the central point of their existence, so when she raises from her slumber to mold the world into her liking, they have to weigh the consequences - to destroy her would to destroy all, that is, if they can destroy her at all. 

I did like the Legend of the Twins story that appears in the novel - as told by Maharet. It gives a rather original, detailed account of how vampires came to exist - rather than the brief explanation in Lestat. Other than that, I can't think of a single detail that stuck with me. Which is sad, because I really did like the second novel.

As I see it, I've completed my task of reading the Anne Rice vampire cannon. Though it's a constant reminder that the box set has a forth novel. Until next time, happy huntin'.

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