The Queen of the Damned (The Vampire Chronicles, #3)

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The Queen of the Damned (The Vampire Chronicles #3)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 71,886 ratings · 1,214 reviews

In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire . . . in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat.In The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice continues her extraordinary "Vampire Chronicles" in a feat of mesmeric storytelling, a chillingly hypnotic entertainment in which the o...more In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire . . . in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat.  In The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice continues her extraordinary "Vampire Chronicles" in a feat of mesmeric storytelling, a chillingly hypnotic entertainment in which the oldest and most powerful forces of the night are unleashed on an unsuspecting world.

Three brilliantly colored narrative threads intertwine as the story unfolds:

- The rock star known as Vampire Lestat, worshipped by millions of spellbound fans, prepares for a concert in San Francisco.  Among the audience--pilgrims in a blind swoon of adoration--are hundreds of vampires, creatures who see Lestat as a "greedy fiend risking the secret prosperity of all his kind just to be loved and seen by mortals," fiends themselves who hate Lestat's power and who are determined to destroy him . . .

- The sleep of certain men and women--vampires and mortals scattered around the world--is haunted by a vivid, mysterious dream: of twins with fiery red hair and piercing green eyes who suffer an unspeakable tragedy.  It is a dream that slowly, tauntingly reveals its meaning to the dreamers as they make their way toward each other--some to be destroyed on the journey, some to face an even more terrifying fate at journey's end . . .

- Akasha--Queen of the Damned, mother of all vampires, rises after a 6,000 year sleep and puts into motion a heinous plan to "save" mankind from itself and make "all myths of the world real" by elevating herself and her chosen son/lover to the level of the gods: "I am the fulfillment and I shall from this moment be the cause" . . .

These narrative threads wind sinuously across a vast, richly detailed tapestry of the violent, sensual world of vampirism, taking us back 6,000 years to its beginnings.  As the stories of the "first brood" of blood drinkers are revealed, we are swept across the ages, from Egypt to South America to the Himalayas to all the shrouded corners of the globe where vampires have left their mark. Vampires are created--mortals succumbing to the sensation of "being enptied, of being devoured, of being nothing." Vampires are destroyed.  Dark rituals are performed--the rituals of ancient creatures prowling the modern world.  And, finally, we are brought to a moment in the twentieth century when, in an astonishing climax, the fate of the living dead--and perhaps of the living, all the living--will be decided.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Paperback, 448 pages

Published November 29th 1997 by Ballantine Books (first published 1988)

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Sep 13, 2012 Peter rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic, unfinished

What a mess. I got totally lost amongst the endless random new characters each one duller than the last. How can vampires be so dull? Events hopped about through thousands of years of history. I didn't understand the sudden interest Akasha had in humans and their morality- or her plan to kill all the men? What's all that got to do with the amoral vampire world? And all this from a woman who has slept through 6000 years of history and is woken up by MTV! What's with all the sudden history of witc...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Darcie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Rice/Lestat enthusiasts

Shelves: fiction

This was the book that pretty much killed my desire to read anything more by Rice. Only 3 books into the Chronicles and I was already weary of her style. As it was, the book was so dull that it took me ages to finish it.

I despised a great deal of the new characters and their stories, but as usual, I enjoyed the history (particularly Egypt) where certain stories took place. I could not stand the inclusion of the whole Talamasca thing and found myself rolling my eyes whenever that mess came into...more

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Sep 13, 2007 Nicola O. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I kept waiting for it to get interesting but it never did. It got stupider and stupider until I thought my brains were leaking out. If I were on a desert island with nothing to read but this book, I would scratch out old 80's pop lyrics with a twig in the sand before trying to read this dreck again.

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Apr 16, 2008 Francisco rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novela

Tercera parte de las Crónicas Vampíricas. Agotada totalmente la creatividad, se suman vampiros y vísceras hasta llenar un montón de páginas innecesarias. Superflua.

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Sep 09, 2011 Matthew Leeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vamps, sexy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 10, 2008 Beckie Shotwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the best one of them all. It fills in all the holes and makes for a fascinating read. The only character who didn't seem to fit in with the story was the Baby character who killed her mother and father. The only thing I could figure out was that she gave us Anne Rice's ideas of the afterlife. That you just go up into a wonderful loving place with all the people in your life even if you were a horrible person. The rest was sheer creativeness. That a vampire could be so ancient and comple...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Danielle Sepulveda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: vampire lovers

Of all of the vampire chronicles this is by far my favorite. If you have seen the movie and were not impressed. It's ok because neither was I. The movie is nothing like the book in any way. The book goes into detail and answers a lot questions. Goes into detail of the family tree and tells you how Akasha and Enkil became to be. I love every single part of this book and it really was a page turner for me. I love everything from the twins, to Armand and Daniel. Everything! All of these characters...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars

In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire . . . in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat.In The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice continues her extraordinary "Vampire Chronicles" in a feat of mesmeric storytelling, a chillingly hypnotic entertainment in which the oldest and most powerful forces of the night are unleashed on an unsuspecting world.Three brilliantly colored narrative thread...more In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire . . . in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat. In The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice continues her extraordinary "Vampire Chronicles" in a feat of mesmeric storytelling, a chillingly hypnotic entertainment in which the oldest and most powerful forces of the night are unleashed on an unsuspecting world.Three brilliantly colored narrative threads intertwine as the story unfolds:- The rock star known as Vampire Lestat, worshipped by millions of spellbound fans, prepares for a concert in San Francisco. Among the audience--pilgrims in a blind swoon of adoration--are hundreds of vampires, creatures who see Lestat as a "greedy fiend risking the secret prosperity of all his kind just to be loved and seen by mortals," fiends themselves who hate Lestat's power and who are determined to destroy him . . . - The sleep of certain men and women--vampires and mortals scattered around the world--is haunted by a vivid, mysterious dream: of twins with fiery red hair and piercing green eyes who suffer an unspeakable tragedy. It is a dream that slowly, tauntingly reveals its meaning to the dreamers as they make their way toward each other--some to be destroyed on the journey, some to face an even more terrifying fate at journey's end . . . - Akasha--Queen of the Damned, mother of all vampires, rises after a 6,000 year sleep and puts into motion a heinous plan to "save" mankind from itself and make "all myths of the world real" by elevating herself and her chosen son/lover to the level of the gods: "I am the fulfillment and I shall from this moment be the cause" . . . These narrative threads wind sinuously across a vast, richly detailed tapestry of the violent, sensual world of vampirism, taking us back 6,000 years to its beginnings. As the stories of the "first brood" of blood drinkers are revealed, we are swept across the ages, from Egypt to South America to the Himalayas to all the shrouded corners of the globe where vampires have left their mark. Vampires are created--mortals succumbing to the sensation of "being enptied, of being devoured, of being nothing." Vampires are destroyed. Dark rituals are performed--the rituals of ancient creatures prowling the modern world. And, finally, we are brought to a moment in the twentieth century when, in an astonishing climax, the fate of the living dead--and perhaps of the living, all the living--will be decided.From the Hardcover edition.(less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Nicola rated it 1 of 5 stars

I like books. I like reading them, writing them, sleeping with every word I have ever read staring down at me in a legacy of comforting language. I have only ever in my life put down two books without finishing them, and throughout this whole torturous affair I had to continuously remind myself that I don't want that figure to reach three. In short, this was slow, painful and pointless, more of an elongated love affair with Rice's beloved Lestat than any honest attempt to, y'now, educate or ente...more I like books. I like reading them, writing them, sleeping with every word I have ever read staring down at me in a legacy of comforting language. I have only ever in my life put down two books without finishing them, and throughout this whole torturous affair I had to continuously remind myself that I don't want that figure to reach three. In short, this was slow, painful and pointless, more of an elongated love affair with Rice's beloved Lestat than any honest attempt to, y'now, educate or entertain her audience. I wish I hadn't started it, because then I could have read something else.

Plot? There is effectively none. The whole thing is told through a series of side-stories and flashbacks, with the actual conflict resolved in a handful of pages at the back end of the book, about two or three hundred after I started actually, verbally yelling at the thing to get to the point already. Nothing at all is accomplished; Rice cleans up her mythology a little bit and injects a bit more vampiric superpowers into her fictional crush Lestat. This, more than anything, is what grates about the story. Every character spends far too much time worrying over Lestat. It is an elongated aggrandizing, a chance to reiterate just how attractive, devilish, powerful and irresistible the irritating little godlet is. Every other character spends far, far too much time worrying over him, and each mewling phrase sticks out of the narrative like a staple in a quiche. Even the titled Queen of the Damned herself, who at points showed the potential to be a well-realized character with a handful of villainous virtues and flaws, is inevitably defeated because Lestat is just too damned beautiful for anyone to resist. It's tiresome, it's awful, and it makes me angry - because there ARE hints, here and there, of surprising narrative potential, if only when the author pulls her head out of her own ass long enough to write a chapter that has absolutely nothing to do with her favorite dead, white masturbation fodder.

Skip it; watch the movie if you must, it's shorter.(less)

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Dec 21, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. I don't think you need to bother with this one. Lestat is back, picking up from where he left off in book two...sort of. He introduces the book, then we dart off to explore the lives of a multitude of different vampires. The Queen of the Damned, whom the book is named after? Oh, we pick up on her about 48% of the way into the book (thank you, Kindle). Some of the vampires lives are pertinent, some aren't...and you're left trying to remember who some of these guys are by the time the Queen s...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Kevin Rubin rated it 3 of 5 stars

The last time I read "The Queen of the Damned" was close to twenty years ago, so it was just about the right amount of time to feel almost like I was reading it for the first time.

This begins right where "The Vampire Lestat" left off with Lestat's rock concert in San Francisco with some vampires loving him and some ready to kill him, and something killing almost all of them.

Here we have the vampire queen, Akasha, finally getting up after sitting her throne for 6,000 years, while two other 6,000...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Danielle Tremblay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantastica, vampire

The third installment of the Vampire Chronicles starts off just about where the last left us. Lestat is preparing for his big moment, the first concert of his band The Vampire Lestat. It is at this concert that all Vampire hell is going to break loose as Lestat has awakened the oldest of them all...the Queen of the Damned.

Anne Rice again provides us readers with lavish descriptions and immense action. The one problem I have with this novel is the amount of characters she has all wrapped up in th...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Delicious Strawberry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anne-rice, vampires

Ordinarily, for a book I enjoyed so much, I would give it five stars. The Legend of the Twins was actually my favorite story arc in Queen of the Damned, and the Twins are two of my favorite characters. Infact, I'd say that this book is my favorite in the entire Vampire Chronicles.

But the reason I take away a star is due to the abrupt ending. It is clear that Akasha is deluded in her thinking, and that what she believes is good for mankind is not. But I wonder after 6000 years of sleep, she would...more

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Oct 01, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

After chugging my way through Interview with a Vampire and Vampire Lestat, I finally completed The Queen of the Damned, an interesting if somewhat bloated work by Anne Rice. Anne’s written plenty of books in her vampire chronicles but I think I’ll stop here and savor it.
The Children of the Darkness have their “Baltimore Catechism” (as Anne says) in The Queen of the Damned. The book does a pretty good job of catching up the new reader, but it’s better to read Lestat first.
As in Lestat, the book...more After chugging my way through Interview with a Vampire and Vampire Lestat, I finally completed The Queen of the Damned, an interesting if somewhat bloated work by Anne Rice. Anne’s written plenty of books in her vampire chronicles but I think I’ll stop here and savor it.
The Children of the Darkness have their “Baltimore Catechism” (as Anne says) in The Queen of the Damned. The book does a pretty good job of catching up the new reader, but it’s better to read Lestat first.
As in Lestat, the books actually appear as characters in this very story. The characters are somewhat fleshed out such as Daniel , the original writer of “Interview” who wants to be a vampire himself, following Armand all over until Mr. A acquiesces.
Other characters are introduced too such as Jesse, a redhead and apparent relation to the original Twins who dealt with the Queen way back 5000 B.C.

The book tends to really be slow at the start: lots of explanation, what is happening to Louis, New Orleans, the mysterious organization Talamasca, and other supernatural craziness that was at times hard to follow.

Queen: Finally things start rolling mid-novel when all the characters we’ve met gather in a cabin in Sonoma and plot what they will do about the Queen, who really just wants to kill pretty much the entire male side of the human race (since men are so evil, doncha know!).

I found Anne’s prose in this respect very interesting. Lestat seemed at times out of character, acquiescing to his Queen and at times even joining in the carnage rather than protest against her. That was a disappointment.

The ending, I will not reveal, but I felt the final confrontation was quick and disappointing after all the build-up.

The final paragraphs were fun: Lestat with his new-found power is delighting in it, and Rice sets us up for the next book.

Bottom Line: Entertaining in the end, but you need the patience of an Exorcist to get through to that point! Best character: Jesse, although she was pretty much dropped from the story early on. Worse would have to be Mael, who didn’t really have much of a role to play in the final act.

Recommended.

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Mar 14, 2012 Audrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Literally could not put this book down. It was my first experience with Anne Rice and I honestly wanted to jump on the bandwagon and read all of her works after this.

It's really wonderful because, as it was my first experience with Rice, I was still able to follow it without reading the books that come before it in the series. It stands as its own individual piece and I really appreciated not having to hunt the others down before starting on this one (my mom bought it for me at a thrift store).

F...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars

After listening to The Vampire Lestat, which I enjoyed well enough, I couldn't very well stop there. I needed to know what happened to Lestat after his concert. So of course I picked up Queen of the Damned immediately after finishing that one.
My god, there were a lot of characters in this novel. Thank god for a good narrator of this audiobook (the wonderful Simon Vance). He helped keep up with all the various characters with an impressive array of voices.
The story itself was interesting, in tha...more

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May 26, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked it well enough.

There was a lot of skipping around. There was a lot of poetry in the beginnings of chapters written by "Stan Rice" who I assume is Anne's husband? I just skipped over all of that.

There was a lot in the book that I thought was superfluous. Such as the story of Baby Jenks. It was merely an obstacle in my path to finding out about Akasha and the truth to the beginnings of all of Anne Rice's vampires.

I liked the stories that involved Jesse and I liked the stories that involv...more I liked it well enough.

There was a lot of skipping around. There was a lot of poetry in the beginnings of chapters written by "Stan Rice" who I assume is Anne's husband? I just skipped over all of that.

There was a lot in the book that I thought was superfluous. Such as the story of Baby Jenks. It was merely an obstacle in my path to finding out about Akasha and the truth to the beginnings of all of Anne Rice's vampires.

I liked the stories that involved Jesse and I liked the stories that involved Khayman. Khayman's story actually made me laugh as he sought to entertain himself by dressing up in the stereotypical outfits and such.

The best part of the whole book was The Legend of the Twins. Anne Rice provoked my interest with the dreams. At first I had no idea what they meant, but I knew they had to be about the beginning. She teased me with these dreams being shared by all of the vampires whose stories we read in Queen of the Damned. And finally she gave them to me. But she gave them to me in parts.

She interrupted the story of the Twins with Lestat and Akasha's adventures which were boring. Although I quite like how Akasha thinks. I like her grand design for the future and the reason she awoke. I was sad to see about her end, but I knew it was coming.

Overall it was enjoyable. I put it down several times and picked it back up within only a matter of days. It was by no means as good as the previous two books -- Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat... but it did give us more insight into the character of Lestat which was a driving force for me. I quite like the character of Lestat.

Do I recommend the book? If you like the series, if you liked the characters from the previous books... yes. It is an integral piece of the story and is an insight further into the minds of each of the vampires of Anne Rice's world. It is the story of how all vampires from this universe came to be and is therefore an important read if you loved this universe. But be aware that it has some serious downtime. (less)

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Sep 24, 2009 Shelbielou rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this book you go on an adventure with the vampire Lestat, while he is lost in finding the meaning of immortality. He wakes from a 200 year sleep to find the world he knew so much more develop from what it was. He finds a liking to rock music and from it creates the biggest rock band in history. in the music he is open about being a vampire, this goes against all codes from being a vampire and angers all others. This created a whole new meaning of Lestats life, and opens doors for the amazing...more

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Jul 24, 2011 dragonhelmuk rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Kindled for £4.67. Amazing book. The age, the minds and the personalities of all of the characters are among the best thought out I've ever read of. And there is definitely something compelling and likeable, even fascinating about each of them. Sadly though, there are some problems the vampires frequently get completely distracted, and even faint from the power of their own thoughts all the time, and they are all as queasy and fashion conscious as Victorians. Also either Anne Rice's own logic is...more Kindled for £4.67. Amazing book. The age, the minds and the personalities of all of the characters are among the best thought out I've ever read of. And there is definitely something compelling and likeable, even fascinating about each of them. Sadly though, there are some problems the vampires frequently get completely distracted, and even faint from the power of their own thoughts all the time, and they are all as queasy and fashion conscious as Victorians. Also either Anne Rice's own logic is childish, or all her characters are as easily bedazzled by pretty arguments and sparkly things as Greeks. Witness their complete acceptance of the misandric queen's argument that, essentially, the world would be a better place with no men. Two quotes...

(Meeting of the undead)
“How many?” … Armand again had the lost expression, the expression that belonged to deep concentration, as if what he saw before him meant nothing at all. “Thirty perhaps,” he whispered in Daniel’s ear, “no more than that, and one or two so old they could destroy the rest of us in an instant.”
…
The name had done it, as names so often do. The creature had felt himself known, recognized. And Khayman had recognized the name at once, connecting it with the Mael of Lestat’s pages. Undoubtedly they were one and the same—this was the Druid priest who had lured Marius into the sacred grove where the blood god had made him one of its own, and sent him off to Egypt to find the Mother and the Father. Yes, this was the same Mael. And the creature felt himself recognized and hated it. After the initial spasm of rage, all thought and emotion vanished. A rather dizzying display of strength, Khayman conceded. He relaxed in the chair. But the creature couldn’t find him. Two dozen other white faces he picked out of the crowd, but not Khayman.
…
Khayman spied another intriguing figure, much younger, yet almost as powerful in his own fashion as the Gaul, Mael. Khayman sought for the name, but the creature’s mind was a perfect blank; not so much as a glimmer of personality escaped from it. A boy he’d been when he died, with straight dark auburn hair, and eyes a little too big for his face. But it was easy, suddenly to filch the being’s name from his newborn fledgling who stood beside him. Armand… And this meant the he was no more than five hundred years old, yet he veiled himself completely. Shrewd, cold he seemed, yet without flair—a stance that required no room in which to display itself. And now, sensing infallibly that he was watched, he turned his large soft brown eyes upward and fixed instantly upon the remote figure of Khayman.

(About the Talamasca)
“Talamasca.” The word struck Daniel suddenly as beautiful. Talamasca. He broke it down from the Latin, understood its parts. Somewhere out of his memory bank it came: animal mask. Old word for witch or shaman.
…
there were museums beneath the building, rooms crammed with mysterious objects connected with paranormal occurrences. There were vaults to which no one was admitted except the senior members of the order. Delicious, the prospect of secrets revealed only over a period of time.
…
the dignified furnishings, the stone fireplaces, the gleaming oak floors. Even the quiet civil members of the order appealed to her, as they greeted her cheerfully, then returned to their discussions or the reading of the evening papers, as they sat about the vast, warmly lighted public rooms. The sheer wealth of the place was startling. It lent substance to Lightner’s claims. And the place felt good. Psychically good. People here were what they said they were.
…
Then the history of the Talamasca itself proved powerfully attractive. Was this man telling the truth? A secret order, which traced its existence back to the year 758, an order with records of witches, sorcerers, mediums, and seers of spirits going back to that remote period?
…
“That painting of yours, The Temptation of Amadeo, the one in the Talamasca crypt...” “Yes?” “Wouldn’t you like to have it back?” “Ye gods, no. It’s a dreary thing, really. My black period, you might say. But I do wish they’d take it out of the damned cellar. You know, hang it in the front hall? Some decent place.” I laughed. Suddenly he became serious. Suspicious. “Lestat!” he said sharply. “Yes, Marius.” “You leave the Talamasca alone!”

(Sadly none of Anne Rice’s characters are yet old or wise enough to argue against her own biases.)
“What if the women divide along principles of masculine/feminine, the way men so often divide if there are no females there?” “You know that’s a foolish objection. Such distinctions are never more than superficial. Women are women! Can you conceive of war made by women? Truly, answer me. Can you? Can you conceive of bands of roving women intent only on destruction? Or rape? Such a thing is preposterous. For the aberrant few justice will be immediate. But overall, something utterly unforeseen will take place. Don’t you see? The possibility of peace on earth has always existed, and there have always been people who could realize it, and preserve it, and those people are women. If one takes away the men.”
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Sep 17, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lisa by: Jade Brelsford

Shelves: 2009

...or why Lestat should have been careful what he'd wished for.

Another excellent book in the series, the world of the vampires is expanded once again (and then significantly decreased - spoiler!), and the mythology traced back into ancient history. I love how Rice mixes the historical and fantastical, and the story of how vampires were created gave me oodles of pleasure. The Queen is a fantastic character, and the mix of her absolute power along with her, at times, all too human thoughts and ide...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Austin James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

"The Queen of the Damned" is the third book in Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. Out of the three I read this was probably my least favorite. Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad book. It's just not as good as the previous two books.

The story starts off where the last book (The Vampire Lestat) ends. I find Rice's books to be the best when they are narrated from the first person. Much of this book isn't done in first person. The story jumps around from character to character. Also, the core of the st...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Daniel McGill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Much better then "Interview With the Vampire" This combined with "The Vampire Lestat" forms the best part of the Vampire Chronicles series and details the core mythos of Anne Rice’s vampires. In this book unlike the others in this series there are several narrators all with very interesting view points who each tell their own part of the story until the plot lines converge. If you intend to read any of Anne Rice’s Vampire novels (except possibly "Interview") make sure you read these first and ar...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Chipper rated it 3 of 5 stars

After thoroughly enjoying Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire and finding her follow-up The Vampire Lestat absolutely magical, I anxiously began Queen of the Damned. While the two former books subtly introduced and explored - through the lives and first-person storytelling of Louis Point du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt - ideas that I found fascinating, e.g., the pain and loneliness of immortality, Queen of the Damned failed, for me, to ignite the same types of wonder and internalized questions...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Queen of the Damned is strikingly different in both form and substance from the first two books of The Vampire Chronicles. Several new characters are introduced, a number of truly old vampires we have only heard of up until now become part of the action, and the story is woven together into a mosaic much wider in scope from what has come before. This is essentially Lestat's book, but he is not really the focus of the tale; while he narrates his own role in events, much of the book is written...more The Queen of the Damned is strikingly different in both form and substance from the first two books of The Vampire Chronicles. Several new characters are introduced, a number of truly old vampires we have only heard of up until now become part of the action, and the story is woven together into a mosaic much wider in scope from what has come before. This is essentially Lestat's book, but he is not really the focus of the tale; while he narrates his own role in events, much of the book is written in third person. This, plus the addition of so many new characters and the truly elaborate span that is covered, makes this novel much less cohesive than the first-person narratives of the first two books. The action is spread out over six thousand years from one end of the world to the other, with a lot of mythology and pondering taking the place of the thrilling energetic action of earlier novels.

The book begins a week or two before Lestat's legendary rock concert and the ensuing mayhem that erupted outside the auditorium that night. We follow the paths of other vampires in the days prior to this, including Armand and Daniel, the young man from Interview With the Vampire. We also learn that the immolation of vampires that Lestat, Louis, and Gabrielle saw that night had actually begun several days earlier, as a number of covens were destroyed by Akasha, the newly awakened Queen of the Damned. After the story of her awakening is told, the book takes a somewhat mystical air. Almost all vampires are dreaming of two red-haired young women preparing to feast upon their dead mother, only to be taken prisoner by soldiers while their village is being destroyed around them. The true significance of the red-haired twins does not become clear until the final hundred pages of the book, for their tale is an integral part of the story behind vampirism's very existence. We already knew that Enkil and Akasha, ancient rulers of Egypt, were the first vampires. Now, the whole history of the King and Queen is revealed, including the curse that accompanied their transformation. Anne Rice goes out of her way to explain the beginning of vampires in a unique way, although the facts of the matter seem a little too elaborate and far-fetched to me.

The only real weakness I find in the novel is Akasha's agenda. She is not exactly the altruistic type, and her mission to save mankind sounds ingenuous at best. It is also a rather laughable plan; having spent the past six thousand years in contemplative thought, I would have thought to expect a character of her strength and moxie to have come up with a plan much better than this one. The final conflict, one prefigured for hundreds of pages in the slow unveiling of The Legend of the Twins, ends so quickly I was forced to stop and make sure I hadn't somehow skipped a paragraph or two. Basically it's all over in one sentence. Even Lestat is not himself her; I actually enjoyed the stories of the other vampires and the history of the accidental birth of vampirism in Akash more than I enjoyed the action related first hand by Lestat. Certainly, Rice is to be commended for vastly expanding her vampire universe and having her characters deeply examine their lives and their purpose on earth, but I just could not fully connect with this novel. Still, it is an essential book for Anne Rice fans, as if offers up loads of information about the vampires who roam the world of her creation and explains the very origins of vampirism itself.(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Wendie Collins added it

This is my favorite Anne Rice book! Akasha, the goddess- my goddess! :) How can you not love a vampire queen gone mad and taken to killing all the men in the world??... ah yes save for one the brat prince! Sounds like a great plan to me! That was left out of the movie! Among many many other things! Speaking of the movie, although I thought it was a pretty good vampire flick and Aaliyah is perfect for Akasha, besides the names, there wasn't much resemblance to the book. I was disappointed with ho...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Amanda Hamilton rated it 2 of 5 stars

I get now why Lestat becomes a rock star, I guess it was just the "AND SUDDENLY!" shift that came so jarringly and I guess I understand why specifically a rock STAR and not a rock MUSICIAN given Lestat's love of being an actor and sort of assuming the 'role' of it. I get it NOW.

Um...that's about all else I have to say vis a vis that. I just...sigh. I don't know. It wasn't bad strictly but on the other hand I didn't come away thinking it was an amazing book. I don't have a problem with vampires...more

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May 20, 2012 Johnny Thief rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is the only book I've ever thrown against a wall. Repeatedly.

Within the first five minutes Rice tells us about LeStat becoming a MTV rock star in language like your grandma talking about Elvis' pelvis. Really, TV rock star vampire? BAM!

A week later, I pick it up while cleaning, & give it a second chance. Bam! Third chance. Bam!

The last time, the thing that did it for me, is the first & most powerful vampire, so powerful she's practically marble & never feeds, never moves for a...more

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Aug 22, 2011 M.J. Heiser rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If Ayn Rand had written her capitalist manifesto, "Atlas Shrugged," half this well, we'd have several second-world countries STILL trying to prove that she was a visionary, and that her system could work -- because never doubt that "The Queen of the Damned" is a philosophical screed, and the best of its kind.

For me, this is still the ultimate vampire novel. Anne Rice doesn't just have creepy-crawlies in her stories. She doesn't just animate corpses. She doesn't just give them heartbroken souls a...more If Ayn Rand had written her capitalist manifesto, "Atlas Shrugged," half this well, we'd have several second-world countries STILL trying to prove that she was a visionary, and that her system could work -- because never doubt that "The Queen of the Damned" is a philosophical screed, and the best of its kind.

For me, this is still the ultimate vampire novel. Anne Rice doesn't just have creepy-crawlies in her stories. She doesn't just animate corpses. She doesn't just give them heartbroken souls and immortal, wealthy flair. She doesn't just have a huge cast of characters, and flip between points of view with seeming ease and grace. No, Anne Rice has a MESSAGE, and she means to tell it here.

Through the prism of vampire magic, we're given a view of the vastness of time and the evolving role of Man in the world. We see through the veil all the way to ancient times, and we meet the representative of all ancient rulers in the person of Akasha, the so-called "Queen of the Damned." Akasha is cruel and self-serving; she strives always to find meaning in the world and despairs that there is none, so she takes it upon herself to become that meaning. She did it in old Egypt (called Kemet in this tale) by constantly rationalizing herself as blessed among mortals, all the while doubting that anything supernatural existed that could bestow such a blessing. When, through a misadventure in manipulation of Earth spirits, she becomes the world's first vampire (and subsequently makes her husband one as well), she spins the tale of Osiris and Iris to justify her existence as a goddess.

Fast forward to nearly-modern day, and the awakening of Akasha from her centuries-long slumber. After draining her ancient mate, she slays nearly all of the vampires on the planet, then abducts Lestat, the charming vampire rake who woke her, and unleashes her plan for vampires to rescue mankind by death to 90% of all males. After all, she blames the male sex for all the wars and rapes and subjugation in the world, and she takes it upon herself and her overwhelming strength to fix it. Lestat is employed as her death angel, but eventually she is forced to confront the vampires she spared from the fury that began the book. They try to reason with her, but as they observed, every vampire bears the mark of the time that produced them; she is ancient, and she is bound to ancient instincts and her ancient megalomania. She won't be turned. Fortunately, an old curse rises and she is killed, but the book left its mark.

Does mankind deserve a chance to get it all right on its own, or would it indeed be better if a supernatural force of some kind (any kind) intervened to show us the way? Would the world be a paradise if governed solely by women? Does violence justify the results?

It is for the sake of this book's ability to make me think, and to give me the room to decide for myself, that I love it so much. Yes, Rice offers her own opinion, sprinkled through the tale and especially weighty in the outcome, but that doesn't lessen the underlying message that in the end, we are ALL masters of our own fate and sovereigns over our own reality. Even if you decide to forfeit your right to decide for yourself, you're the one who turned over the control to another.(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 Ally Means rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: take-me-away

This is the first Anne Rice I ever read and I was in love. As a 16 year old who hated to read this book changed all of that. Her attention to detail and exquisite talent in building a whole other world, made me feel like I was in the world of the vampires. she created a history of vampires which I have never seen before, the side stories were just as amazing as the tale of the main Vampires.

Now don't get me wrong this is not the first book I ever read, it was just the first book I ever wanted t...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

To this day still my favorite Vampire fiction book. I may be biased as the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles novels were my introduction the genre. But it has stood the test of time for me. First off this is a long book, but I still couldn't put it down, despite my usual dislike of novels over about 200-300 pages. It just covers so much ground in Vampire Mythos and I think it was well worth the length. Anne Rice's crowning achievement in my estimation, it really gave life to the vampire fiction genre...more

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About Anne Rice

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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Books by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)

The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2)

The Witching Hour (Lives of the Mayfair Witches, #1)

The Tale of the Body Thief (The Vampire Chronicles, #4)

Memnoch the Devil (The Vampire Chronicles, #5)

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“Goddamn it, do it yourself. You’re five hundred years old and you can’t use a telephone? Read the directions. What are you, an immortal idiot?” — 246 people liked it

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