Don't get your hopes up just yet!

In an interview with TIME magazine, Anne Rice announced plans to resurrect the Vampire Chronicles series for one final instalment.

Fans were heartbroken when Rice, once an atheist, returned to church in 2005 and decided she would only write novels about the Lord. In fact, she told Christianity Today that ""I would never go back, not even if they say you will be financially ruined. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that."

Strong words, and Rice has justified her change of heart, saying that the book will have a heavy Christian influence, including a focus on the idea of redemption.

However, it will take a while to breathe life back into Lestat. Rice plans to write another book about the Lord before sinking her teeth into the Vampire sequel.


Source: andpop.com

What, Memnoch the Devil didn't have a heavy enough Catholic tone?

I hated that book for that very reason... among other things.

Needless to say, I won't be reading that final installment.

I'm afraid I will not be reading it. 

I will wait to hear the reviews that come out before I attempt to read it. She is such a wonderful writer. I hate to see things change in her new book. I really don't care for the Christian influence that might impact the book but I will stay positive, hoping for the same romantic macabre in The Vampire Chronicles.

I hope her Christian influences do not weigh to heavily on the chronicles. I personally could see she was heading towards Christianity through the numerous biblical references. These weren't bad and in fact I believe it added a lot, but I believe it was enough... and any more would be too much. I can't wait to read!

I am definitely reserving judgement. I just don't think it's possible to mix the two.


This in particular really "bugs" me. The very idea that The Brat Prince would even be interested in redemption is abhorrent to me. I could see it with Louis. He has never really embraced his true nature. BUt Lestat? She's going to make a lot of us die hard fans very very upset.

The only thing that would make it worse is if she decided to have Gabrielle have a complete change of character and move in with her son!

And I have to agree with you Metahre, Memnoch the Devil is most definetly my least favorite of them all. Though I wasn't very happy about her "melding" of the families when she made Merrick a vampire either.

I think the reason that Memnoch interested me is my study of religions. I was very interested in how she worked it in with the vampire story and in her theories. 

I think she probably is seeing Lestat  as an extension of herself and she has sought redemption, so she is showing that anyone can.  I do agree that the idea of Lestat looking for redemption annoys me very much.

I'm not big on the Christian influences in her writings but Memnoch The Devil is one of my favorite books, it really keyed into how I view Christianity from my outside analysis and point of view. Personally I believe if I were Christian I would be more in favor of seeing things from that point of view. It personally is my third favorite of all the books.

My first favorite is Blackwood Farm, and my second is Blood Canticle. I view those books though as one book because I tend to read them one after another to keep the story fresh.

You bring up a fine point that Louis may be the only one of her characters you would expect to look for redemption, however I feel if given the chance perhaps Lestat would take the leap of faith.

I could never get through Memnoch the Devil. So I don't expect I'll be reading this new one either.
My favorite books are the first three. After that, I started to lose interest in the books.

Blackwood farms is the last one I read. It just went against the grain for me that she melded the two series. The Lasher series was so on another page that it didn't make sense to me to bring the two "families" together. It was bad enough that she made Merrick a vampire. I realize that they are both set in New Orleans, but that is as far as she should have gone with it. ( Just my opinion).

To me I really don't think that Lestat would see it as a "leap of faith". It goes against his very nature. She has tried very hard over the years to make it very clear that he has no remorse,no conscience to speak of. He is always pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable. It seems to me that this would be no different. It would simply be another way for the Brat to assert his rebeliousness.

Remember, even kneeling at the throne of Akasha he felt no "servility". More it seemed it was as though he felt he had a "right" to be there. I don't see that he would feel any different if it were any other "god".

But it is just my impression. I'm not the writer so I can't say what she really was going for. It just seems as though it would go against everything to bring Lestat to his knees.

That is amusing, I really didn't care for the fist three and fell in love with Blackwood farm and Memnoch.

I used to like Anne Rice.  However, after Memnoch the Devil, I more or less lost interest in the whole series.  It was nothing to do with that book in particular, but Anne Rice kept getting wordier and wordier as time went along.  While I am all for description and elaboration, I personally think there is a point where it is too much.  This is just my thoughts, though, and I would not have anyone agree with me.

On a lighter note, I am glad that she is still producing vampire literature.  My interests just drifted to other categories, such as gothic fantasy (preferably medieval) and trying to keep up with my non-fiction books. 



Sincerely,
ResplendentSeraphim