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67th out of 180 books
—
199 voters
Taltos (Lives of the Mayfair Witches #3)
by
Anne Rice
The lone member of an ancient species called the Taltos believes he is the last of his kind. When he hears rumors that another Taltos has been seen, he is propelled into the world of the Mayfair witches, a New Orleans dynasty besieged by ghosts, spirits, & their own dizzying powers.
Audio Cassette, Abridged, 205 pages
Published
September 19th 1994
by Random House Audio
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this character "Ashlar" just up and jizzes all over the faces of the preceding novels in the series, except that it is not hot, not hot at all. The Witching Hour was a fascinatingly cracked historical-family saga and Lasher, although a much lesser work, was a disturbingly oedipal psychodrama. Taltos is like a big bucket of spooge, just silly and disgusting and entirely unappealing to even contemplate. ugh, thanks a lot Rice for ruining a perfectly good series! almost as criminal is the increasin...more
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"ANNE RICE WILL LIVE ON THROUGH THE AGES OF LITERATURE."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"TALTOS IS THE THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES KNOWN AS THE LIVES OF THE MAYFAIR WITCHES . . . Their haunted heritage has brought the family great wealth, which is exercised from a New Orleans manse with Southern gentility; but of course such power cannot escape notice . . . or challenge. . . Rice is a formidable talent. . .
[Taltos] is a curious amalgam of gothic, glamour fiction, alternate history, and high soap opera."
--Th
It took me a while to get around to this third installment of Rice's Mayfair trilogy. I started it a while back and realized I couldn't quite handle it yet so I moved on to other things for a while then came back and was able to finish it. There's just something about this story, from beginning to end (1st book to 3rd book) that has gotten under my skin. It's one of those stories I won't soon forget... beautifully written yet intensely disturbing. The perfect formula for an unforgettable tale.
A...more
A...more
Ok I know by reading a few of the other reviews that I must just not have a good experience with Anne Rice. I mean the people who love her really love her and seem so forgiving of the things I had trouble with in this series. This is my last book in this series. I will stop here since it has been so difficult for me to invest in this story. I have learned that the history I criticized in book one seemed much more interesting than book two and three. I do like Mona and Mary Jane. I enjoy their in...more
14/04/2009
Sto facendo molta fatica a leggere questo libro e ormai ci sono sopra da ormai più di due mesi. Inizialmente la lettura era resa difficile dal fatto che, avendo letto i primi di due libri della saga oltre due anni fa, non ricordavo parecchi elementi fondamentali della trama, i quali hanno impiegato un bel po' prima di ritornare alla memoria.
Poi però non ho trovato il romanzo avvincente così come ricordavo L'ora delle Streghe, manca di quell'atmosfera misteriosa che invece permeava i...more
Sto facendo molta fatica a leggere questo libro e ormai ci sono sopra da ormai più di due mesi. Inizialmente la lettura era resa difficile dal fatto che, avendo letto i primi di due libri della saga oltre due anni fa, non ricordavo parecchi elementi fondamentali della trama, i quali hanno impiegato un bel po' prima di ritornare alla memoria.
Poi però non ho trovato il romanzo avvincente così come ricordavo L'ora delle Streghe, manca di quell'atmosfera misteriosa che invece permeava i...more
Aug 30, 2010
Starling
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
paranormal
This is the final book in the original trilogy. I've found two others with Mayfair Witch characters but they are mixed up with the Vampires in those two books, and I'm not sure I really want to deal with either of them.
We finally get to know a real Taltos in this book. One who was around when disaster struck this not-quite-human species. They are normally a separate species, but even though Ash doesn't remember a time when the two species were a single one, they have to have been one at some tim...more
We finally get to know a real Taltos in this book. One who was around when disaster struck this not-quite-human species. They are normally a separate species, but even though Ash doesn't remember a time when the two species were a single one, they have to have been one at some tim...more
Apr 25, 2009
Lisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa by:
Jade
Shelves:
2009
Culmination of the Mayfair Witches' trilogy, this sometimes feels as though it's an entirely separate book as much of it is concerned with the relating of Ashlar's tale, which is a delicious mix of history with myths and legends, all imbued with the inevitable sadness that comes from having lived a centuries-long life.
The events concerning the Mayfair's (other than Rowan and Michael, who simply listen to Ashlar for the most part) and the reclamation of the Talamasca are relegated to the sideline...more
The events concerning the Mayfair's (other than Rowan and Michael, who simply listen to Ashlar for the most part) and the reclamation of the Talamasca are relegated to the sideline...more
Jul 30, 2011
Geriana
added it
after reading the first two in the series, I was excited to read this last one. I had so many questions from the first two books that I was looking forward to getting answered. The way she introduced two new characters was sudden and vague. It was only after I read about 5 or 6 pages about them, that I realized she was writing about people completely new to the story. I found that it was a little confusing. The ending was rather lackluster and still left you asking too many questions, but the ov...more
Wow, I really loved this series. I did not want it to end. It's one of those stories that you get so wrapped up in you feel like it's really happening somewhere and you forget that it's only fiction. The reason I gave this book only 4 stars is because I wanted a little more closure at the end. She did end it well and mostly happy, but I feel like she could now write an entirely new series on what inevitably happens after the last sentence. I know that all stories have to end. And it's probably t...more
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I became kind of obsessed with this whole series. Witching Hour was definitely the best.
!!Warning; Can contian spoilers if you haven't read The Witching Hour and Lasher!!
Taltos is the story which birthed the journey of Lasher and the Mayfairs taken in The Witching Hour and Lasher. Yet it also furthers the relationship development between Michael Curry and Rowan Mayfair. After all the tumultuous events in Lasher I tumbled in to a story that I found very bittersweet to read at times. There are more troubles ahead for the Mayfairs. Characters who I had to say goodbye to and more histo...more
Taltos is the story which birthed the journey of Lasher and the Mayfairs taken in The Witching Hour and Lasher. Yet it also furthers the relationship development between Michael Curry and Rowan Mayfair. After all the tumultuous events in Lasher I tumbled in to a story that I found very bittersweet to read at times. There are more troubles ahead for the Mayfairs. Characters who I had to say goodbye to and more histo...more
It starts off acting like a Bourne adventure; intrigue and suspense, action scenes and car chases, mysterious figures firing guns and disappearing into the mist ... all in the name of some grand plot that must be uncovered by our intrepid (and emotionally devastated) heroes. Then it takes a right turn at Albuquerque and we end up learning a new mythology and sensing final destruction.
I wish it had stayed with the action adventure plot a little longer. There was a redemptive quality to the pulp...more
I wish it had stayed with the action adventure plot a little longer. There was a redemptive quality to the pulp...more
Just finished this last book and must say am mildly disappointed--it leaves you hanging, drags you on for at least a hundred pages with this confusing stream of consciousness memory trail and confuses you by turning your favorite characters into dependent mindless ninnies..it is crazy to meet Mona and love her headstrong mind and mischeviousness and then see her become doting and helpless after a strange experience..What can I say I loved the premise, thought most of the chararcters were okay (h...more
Aug 29, 2007
John
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of romance and horror
Shelves:
ivereadthis
This was such an amazing conclusion to the series. Unlike the vampire chronicles she sews it up nice and tight. One of the best side notes to this book is the cross pollination of a very significant character from the vampire chronicles, brilliant, sexy and frightening. A good read to me.
Qui est donc l'étrange M. Ash. géant calme et d'une infinie douceur, collectionneur de poupées anciennes et philanthrope ?
A la tête d'un immense empire financier. est-il vraiment le seul survivant de l'espèce légendaire des Taltos ?
II a toute raison de le croire. Mais bientôt il apprend par un mystérieux informateur que l'on a signalé l'un des siens en Ecosse, sur les lieux mêmes où, des siècles plus tôt, avant l'arrivée des Romains, il dirigeait son clan.
Ses investigations le propulsent auss...more
A la tête d'un immense empire financier. est-il vraiment le seul survivant de l'espèce légendaire des Taltos ?
II a toute raison de le croire. Mais bientôt il apprend par un mystérieux informateur que l'on a signalé l'un des siens en Ecosse, sur les lieux mêmes où, des siècles plus tôt, avant l'arrivée des Romains, il dirigeait son clan.
Ses investigations le propulsent auss...more
The third book in the Mayfair Witches series, which tells the story of Ash, a centuries-old Taltos (Taltos grow to a height of seven feet, carry an extra set of chromosomes, and have a superior intelligence that enables them to digest dictionaries and encyclopedias in moments.). The book centers around a wicked scheme being pursued by the Talamasca, an order of scholars who study the supernatural and keep records of the Mayfair witches. When a particular scholar is murdered, Rowan Mayfair, the m...more
While Witching Hour remains the best in this trilogy, Taltos was thankfully better than Lasher. While some things felt a bit implausible to me (how could a Taltos grow so quickly after being born when it has no food/vitamins/etc to nourish its growing flesh - a scientific impossibility when you consider just how quickly they grow - within the hour after birth!), this was a very good book and answered questions about the Taltos and where they came from. Mona was an interesting character, she is a...more
By this point, Anne Rice was writing Fan-Fic of her characters, and not quite as good as better fan-fic. She should have stopped with the trilogy and just walked away. Sadly, she wrote a lot more.
If you've already been sucked into the Mayfair trilogy, you're going to have to read this book. I'm sorry. It's not good.
Really though, this series is worth finishing, even if you LOL your way through the last book because it's so freaking ridiculous. There is a good explanation for what Lasher is, and how he came to be involved with the Mayfairs, and what the Talamasca knows about it; you're going to want to know this stuff.
Unfortunately, the characters (particularly the family members) have...more
Really though, this series is worth finishing, even if you LOL your way through the last book because it's so freaking ridiculous. There is a good explanation for what Lasher is, and how he came to be involved with the Mayfairs, and what the Talamasca knows about it; you're going to want to know this stuff.
Unfortunately, the characters (particularly the family members) have...more
Sep 06, 2009
Louise Tobin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
supernatural,
read-in-2009
With this being the finale of such a great series, I guess I expected just a bit more. In the previous book, Lasher, Mona was a very interesting character and very likeable. However, once she got the legacy and became a 'woman', she became a thoroughly unlikeable character. I didn't enjoy the start of the book, I thought Tommy and Marklin were completely unneccessary. However the middle was quite good. Ash comes off as such a great character, we feel such empathy for him. The actual ending left...more
Another failure from the Mayfair Witches series. Taltos was not as much of a struggle to get through as the other two books, likely because it was not as long (or at least did not seem as long), but it suffers from the same ridiculous and hackneyed techniques employed in the two books that preceded it, The Witching Hour, and Lasher.
The vast majority of the text in this book is delivered in the form of exposition, wherein one character goes on for chapters and chapters and chapters, delivering a...more
The vast majority of the text in this book is delivered in the form of exposition, wherein one character goes on for chapters and chapters and chapters, delivering a...more
Read during high school, I don't remember much. However, as the final book in a trilogy it stood alone really well! Currently in the process of reading from the beginning, hopefully it's as good as I remember.
Just started Book 3 (April 8) and I can see why I felt it stood alone well...we start with a new, seemingly random character. Who, originally, confused me, however it's now clear what/who he is and how it will fit into the larger picture.
Far faster paced than the first two books, but keep...more
Just started Book 3 (April 8) and I can see why I felt it stood alone well...we start with a new, seemingly random character. Who, originally, confused me, however it's now clear what/who he is and how it will fit into the larger picture.
Far faster paced than the first two books, but keep...more
Taltos is by far the worst of the Mayfair books. And after reading most of Rice's books this only ranks above her Beauty series in my eyes. The first two books were highly entertaining to read and Lasher was my favorite of the three. So to follow up Lasher with the needless Taltos tale was highly disappointing. I believe the entire book could have been condensed into the end of Lasher within a few chapters for series closure. Having said that, I'd still recommend reading it if you enjoyed the fi...more
I found this series to be very good, however, I do not care for Anne Rice's severely descriptive writing style. I don't want to know about the color and pattern of the curtains. I think it's really unnecessary to go into that much detail. Part of reading a book is to see it in your mind and since I have a strong mind, it's almost insulting to have to imagine the world strictly through Anne Rice's eyes. That being said, I do recommend this series. If you like rich detail and a decent storyline th...more
If I read another book about sex with different species, rape, slavery and singing and dancing, I think I´m going to puke. Could you people save your fantasies to yourselves or something? Because book about them is not a book at all. Maybe it is to the author, but please, keep it for yourself.
Stonehenges, Frankensteins, Draculas, whatever-wolves and so on ... well, keep it private as well, if you, obviously, have nothing new to add to that. There are already, probably, theories about Stonehenge...more
Stonehenges, Frankensteins, Draculas, whatever-wolves and so on ... well, keep it private as well, if you, obviously, have nothing new to add to that. There are already, probably, theories about Stonehenge...more
This is the third and last book in the Mayfair witches series. I read it back in high school too.
In the third chronicle of the Mayfair Witches, the Talamasca seek to preserve the nearly extinct Taltos race by bringing together a male and female. Their searching catches the attention of an ancient Taltos named Ashlar entwined with Lasher's identity. Ashlar reveals the taltos mythology and lineage and enlists the help of Michael and Rowan in his battle againsst evil. Ashlar longs to make right th...more
In the third chronicle of the Mayfair Witches, the Talamasca seek to preserve the nearly extinct Taltos race by bringing together a male and female. Their searching catches the attention of an ancient Taltos named Ashlar entwined with Lasher's identity. Ashlar reveals the taltos mythology and lineage and enlists the help of Michael and Rowan in his battle againsst evil. Ashlar longs to make right th...more
This is the last volume of the trilogy on the Myfair witches, that starts with "The Witching Hour". This book is not as good as the first volume, but it's nevertheless fascinating and you definitely won't be tempted to abandon this book in the middle.
The main character here is Mr. Ash, who is the last Taltos alve, or so it seems. This fascinating, misterious creature's life will become intertwinned with that of the current designee of the Mayfair family legacy in and odd way, and despite all tha...more
The main character here is Mr. Ash, who is the last Taltos alve, or so it seems. This fascinating, misterious creature's life will become intertwinned with that of the current designee of the Mayfair family legacy in and odd way, and despite all tha...more
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I had heard about the Taltos from blood quenticle (sp?) and immediately fell in love. Then I started reading the Witching hour and again loved every word of it. Lasher was ok. And then came Taltos ... and what a huge disappointment that was. I just can't finish it. I get stuck and lost whenever I try to read it. Its too boring and long winded, sorry.
Ms.Rice, you're great but if I were you I'd just disown this one.
Ms.Rice, you're great but if I were you I'd just disown this one.
Anne Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" series swept me right in. I was obsessed with The Witching Hour while reading it, but was incredibly disappointed in the ending. A friend told me I'd be more satisfied if I moved o to the second book, Lasher, and she was right. I decided to plug through and finish with Taltos. The writing is choppy and the tale fragmented - I just got through it to know how it ended, but the true magic in this story is contained within the first book of the trilogy, The...more
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Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien) is a best-selling American author of gothic, supernatural, historical, erotica, and later religious themed books. Best known for The Vampire Chronicles, her prevailing thematical focus is on love, death, immortality, existentialism, and the human condition. She was married to poet Stan Rice for 41 years until his death in 2002. Her books have sold near...more
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“His Back was turned to the end of the world and the end of the world was quiet.”
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“I wish you hadn't told her. If you must know, I could have done without your telling her I commited statutory rape on the living room couch with her cousin." - Michael Curry”
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