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The Vampire Chronicles #9
Blackwood Farm
SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SHOW, FROM THE NETWORK BEHIND THE WALKING DEAD'[W]hen I found Rice's work I absolutely loved how she took that genre and (...) made [it] feel so contemporary and relevant' Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes'[Rice wrote] in the great tradition of the gothic' Ramsey Campbell, bestselling author of The Hungry MoonThe 9th novel in Anne Rice's bestselling Vampire Chronicles. Mystery and magic combine in this masterpiece from the mistress of the vampire genreA terrifying drama of bloodlust and betrayal is unravelling within the Blackwood Farm family. Their grand Southern mansion, set among dark cypress swamps in Louisiana, harbours terrible, blood-stained secrets.Heir to them all is the young, rash and beautiful Quinn Blackwood. But he is being controlled an evil spirit, a demon who could destroy him and others. Only the unearthly power of the vampire Lestat, combined with the earthly powers of the ubiquitous Mayfair witch clan can save Quinn from himself, and rescue the doomed girl he loves from her own mortality.Shocking, savage and richly erotic, this novel brings us Anne Rice at her most powerfully disturbing. Here are vampire and witches, men and women, demons and doppelgangers, caught up in a maelstrom of death and destruction, blood and fire, cruelty and fate.
784 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
614 people are currently reading
27172 people want to read
About the author
Anne Rice
352 books27.2k followersAnne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien) was a best-selling American author of gothic, supernatural, historical, erotica, and later religious themed books. Best known for The Vampire Chronicles, her prevailing thematic 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 nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.
Anne Rice passed on December 11, 2021 due to complications from a stroke. She was eighty years old at the time of her death.
She uses the pseudonym Anne Rampling for adult-themed fiction (i.e., erotica) and A.N. Roquelaure for fiction featuring sexually explicit sado-masochism.
Anne Rice passed on December 11, 2021 due to complications from a stroke. She was eighty years old at the time of her death.
She uses the pseudonym Anne Rampling for adult-themed fiction (i.e., erotica) and A.N. Roquelaure for fiction featuring sexually explicit sado-masochism.
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October 28, 2018
This 3-star score I’m giving to Blackwood Farm is by far the hardest rating I’ve ever given, and I feel I should explain all my thoughts. Warning: this will be long!
This is a 9th book in a series, so the review is mainly targeted at people at least somewhat familiar with the Vampire Chronicles. Still, I’m keeping it spoiler-free.
While reading this book, my opinion was constantly jumping between 1 and 5 stars. In spite of all its flaws, Blackwood Farm is a much better book than many books out there, and at the same time, it’s so much worse.
First, a quick background – I started the Vampire Chronicles quite late, when the first 11 books were already out and waiting for me to binge read them. And I nearly did! From page one, I fell into a deep hole of obsession. Seeing the world through the eyes of Rice’s vampires is pure magic – everything is new, enticing, beautiful, alluring!
I flew through the first eight books at neck-breaking speed. While a few things did piss me off (e.g. David’s creepiness in Merrick, the portrayal of Eastern Europe in Interview with the Vampire, etc), I mostly loved every bit of it. And then, I got to Blackwood Farm. I started reading, abandoned the book for a few months, started again, and abandoned again. At the third go, I finally fully got into it and managed to find much of the beauty I’ve seen in the earlier books.
Let’s start with the plot. A young vampire, Tarquin "Quinn" Blackwood, has a problem. He’s had a ghost companion, Goblin, even since his birth. Unfortunately, now that Quinn is a vampire, Goblin has become violent and dangerous, and Quinn decides to seek Lestat’s help in destroying him. And, because this is Anne Rice, this “seeking help” involves Quinn retelling the entire history of his family, up to his great great ancestors, in maddening detail. And the history of his servants’ families. And his tutors’ families. And the families of random people he meets on the street. And, because this is Anne Rice, it still somehow works.
The good:
- So atmospheric! Just like all other books in the series, it makes me want to visit New Orleans!
- Things really start to pick up after Rebecca’s ghost appears. I haven’t read many ghost stories and wasn’t sure if it’s my thing, but now I’m ready for more!
- Petronia and her companions. I wish we had seen more of them. I’m always fascinated by ancient immortals who’ve lived through different times.
- Revealing Manfred’s and the family’s epic past bit by bit. It had this air of nostalgia and sorrow hanging all over it. Beautiful writing.
The bad:
- I think it was a mistake to make this book a part of the Vampire Chronicles. Lestat is a framing device, just standing there, listening, and inexplicably fawning over Quinn. He isn’t acting like himself or contributing anything, and it feels like he’s there only to lure in old readers. Don’t get me wrong, I love my golden-haired brat prince, but I really think this book would have fared better without him. Any connection with the rest of the Vampire Chronicles is so negligible, and the novel could easily stand on its own.
- Everybody loves Quinn for reasons I don’t entirely understand. The few who refuse to fall in love with him are presented as horrible people. That’s one of the defining traits of a Gary Stu, isn’t it? Which brings me to...
- The treatment of Patsy. She suffers a terrible tragedy when she is young, yet no one has any sympathy for her mostly because she seems to be the only person in the world not completely fawning over Quinn. She’s presented as a terrible being for wanting to use family money to invest in her music career. At the same time, Quinn uses obscene amounts of family money on excessive trips or rebuilding an island in the middle of a swamp, and no one criticizes him. And no one calls him out on what he does to Patsy at the end.
- Oh, and one of the main reasons everyone hates Patsy is because she chooses to pursue a career in music in the first place instead of staying home and being a proper debutante. Debutante, really? Is that still a thing? And that is why people dislike her??
- The Rebecca storyline led nowhere. She kept asking for a death for her death, and both people who wronged her are still alive / undead. They would have been perfect targets for her revenge, then at the end she doesn’t get it and doesn’t even try. Or is she satisfied with the innocent blood spilled (trying to avoid spoilers here)?
- The Goblin reveal wasn’t really a surprise.
- Most of the other newly made vamps are presented as trash that Lestat has no trouble destroying by the thousands. Suddenly, Quinn comes along and for some reason gets special treatment. Fine, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard for me to believe no one else does. Also, it takes Lestat centuries and Akasha’s blood to gain control over all the advanced abilities – the Fire Gift, the Cloud Gift, etc, and suddenly brand new Quinn possesses everything just because his Maker was ancient. It felt like a cheap shortcut.
- Quinn sees 15-year-old Mona for the first time and runs to her to propose marriage. Overall, their romance was more creepy than sweet.
- Quinn went on and on about how he’s never going to turn Mona and bring her into his darkness. He even makes the promise to Julien’s ghost. And then... yeah.
- There’s this weird idea of aristocracy and of people coming from “good” families being inherently “better.” Terry Sue has many children, and the one fathered by a rich guy is magically interested in art, while none of his brothers and sisters are, even though they’ve been raised the same way. Then Quinn treats Terry Sue in a very patronizing way, choosing a house for her and hiring servants to supervise her, without asking her if she wants any of those things.
- What Merrick does at the end (I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve read the book, you know what I’m, talking about). It went against everything she fought for in Merrick, and, while it’s completely possible that her mind changed, not that much time has passed, so it would have been good to see her motivation. Or is this explained somewhere in Lives of the Mayfair Witches? I haven’t read it yet.
- Okay, I understand style is important to Aunt Queen and I respect that, but, but, BUT! A woman in her 80s doing a Europe tour in stilettos? And then complaining she’s not in perfect health anymore?! No matter how used one might be to stilettos, the feet will start hurting after walking for a sufficient amount of time, and traveling and going to museums is a very walking-intense activity!
- CAMEOS! Fine, I can accept that there is a person in the world completely obsessed with cameos. I can even accept there are ten such people. But having all of them in the same room at the same time for unrelated reasons? How likely is it that everyone in this book will end up independently cameo-obsessed? I thought at least the cameo storyline would lead to something big, but it went nowhere.
Final verdict: I think it’s Quinn that broke it for me. I don’t mind flawed protagonists at all (my own book has one!) But if a protagonist is flawed, they should be aware of it or they should be called out on it. Here, Quinn is a spoiled brat, and the text presents him as the most intelligent, interesting, amazing creature deserving of all the love. Take a look at previous narrators in the series – Louis, Lestat, Armand, Marius, David. All of them are far far away from being perfect people, but they are aware of their flaws and their friends never shy away from criticizing them. And it works really well!
I know this book made some readers break up with the Vampire Chronicles for good, but that’s not the case with me. While not perfect, Blackwood Farm has some of the beautiful, atmospheric writing of previous books in the series. I’ll read the following books. I’m even excited about them! But I first need a long break and read something else. My binge-read ends here.
This is a 9th book in a series, so the review is mainly targeted at people at least somewhat familiar with the Vampire Chronicles. Still, I’m keeping it spoiler-free.
While reading this book, my opinion was constantly jumping between 1 and 5 stars. In spite of all its flaws, Blackwood Farm is a much better book than many books out there, and at the same time, it’s so much worse.
First, a quick background – I started the Vampire Chronicles quite late, when the first 11 books were already out and waiting for me to binge read them. And I nearly did! From page one, I fell into a deep hole of obsession. Seeing the world through the eyes of Rice’s vampires is pure magic – everything is new, enticing, beautiful, alluring!
I flew through the first eight books at neck-breaking speed. While a few things did piss me off (e.g. David’s creepiness in Merrick, the portrayal of Eastern Europe in Interview with the Vampire, etc), I mostly loved every bit of it. And then, I got to Blackwood Farm. I started reading, abandoned the book for a few months, started again, and abandoned again. At the third go, I finally fully got into it and managed to find much of the beauty I’ve seen in the earlier books.
Let’s start with the plot. A young vampire, Tarquin "Quinn" Blackwood, has a problem. He’s had a ghost companion, Goblin, even since his birth. Unfortunately, now that Quinn is a vampire, Goblin has become violent and dangerous, and Quinn decides to seek Lestat’s help in destroying him. And, because this is Anne Rice, this “seeking help” involves Quinn retelling the entire history of his family, up to his great great ancestors, in maddening detail. And the history of his servants’ families. And his tutors’ families. And the families of random people he meets on the street. And, because this is Anne Rice, it still somehow works.
The good:
- So atmospheric! Just like all other books in the series, it makes me want to visit New Orleans!
- Things really start to pick up after Rebecca’s ghost appears. I haven’t read many ghost stories and wasn’t sure if it’s my thing, but now I’m ready for more!
- Petronia and her companions. I wish we had seen more of them. I’m always fascinated by ancient immortals who’ve lived through different times.
- Revealing Manfred’s and the family’s epic past bit by bit. It had this air of nostalgia and sorrow hanging all over it. Beautiful writing.
The bad:
- I think it was a mistake to make this book a part of the Vampire Chronicles. Lestat is a framing device, just standing there, listening, and inexplicably fawning over Quinn. He isn’t acting like himself or contributing anything, and it feels like he’s there only to lure in old readers. Don’t get me wrong, I love my golden-haired brat prince, but I really think this book would have fared better without him. Any connection with the rest of the Vampire Chronicles is so negligible, and the novel could easily stand on its own.
- Everybody loves Quinn for reasons I don’t entirely understand. The few who refuse to fall in love with him are presented as horrible people. That’s one of the defining traits of a Gary Stu, isn’t it? Which brings me to...
- The treatment of Patsy. She suffers a terrible tragedy when she is young, yet no one has any sympathy for her mostly because she seems to be the only person in the world not completely fawning over Quinn. She’s presented as a terrible being for wanting to use family money to invest in her music career. At the same time, Quinn uses obscene amounts of family money on excessive trips or rebuilding an island in the middle of a swamp, and no one criticizes him. And no one calls him out on what he does to Patsy at the end.
- Oh, and one of the main reasons everyone hates Patsy is because she chooses to pursue a career in music in the first place instead of staying home and being a proper debutante. Debutante, really? Is that still a thing? And that is why people dislike her??
- The Rebecca storyline led nowhere. She kept asking for a death for her death, and both people who wronged her are still alive / undead. They would have been perfect targets for her revenge, then at the end she doesn’t get it and doesn’t even try. Or is she satisfied with the innocent blood spilled (trying to avoid spoilers here)?
- The Goblin reveal wasn’t really a surprise.
- Most of the other newly made vamps are presented as trash that Lestat has no trouble destroying by the thousands. Suddenly, Quinn comes along and for some reason gets special treatment. Fine, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard for me to believe no one else does. Also, it takes Lestat centuries and Akasha’s blood to gain control over all the advanced abilities – the Fire Gift, the Cloud Gift, etc, and suddenly brand new Quinn possesses everything just because his Maker was ancient. It felt like a cheap shortcut.
- Quinn sees 15-year-old Mona for the first time and runs to her to propose marriage. Overall, their romance was more creepy than sweet.
- Quinn went on and on about how he’s never going to turn Mona and bring her into his darkness. He even makes the promise to Julien’s ghost. And then... yeah.
- There’s this weird idea of aristocracy and of people coming from “good” families being inherently “better.” Terry Sue has many children, and the one fathered by a rich guy is magically interested in art, while none of his brothers and sisters are, even though they’ve been raised the same way. Then Quinn treats Terry Sue in a very patronizing way, choosing a house for her and hiring servants to supervise her, without asking her if she wants any of those things.
- What Merrick does at the end (I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve read the book, you know what I’m, talking about). It went against everything she fought for in Merrick, and, while it’s completely possible that her mind changed, not that much time has passed, so it would have been good to see her motivation. Or is this explained somewhere in Lives of the Mayfair Witches? I haven’t read it yet.
- Okay, I understand style is important to Aunt Queen and I respect that, but, but, BUT! A woman in her 80s doing a Europe tour in stilettos? And then complaining she’s not in perfect health anymore?! No matter how used one might be to stilettos, the feet will start hurting after walking for a sufficient amount of time, and traveling and going to museums is a very walking-intense activity!
- CAMEOS! Fine, I can accept that there is a person in the world completely obsessed with cameos. I can even accept there are ten such people. But having all of them in the same room at the same time for unrelated reasons? How likely is it that everyone in this book will end up independently cameo-obsessed? I thought at least the cameo storyline would lead to something big, but it went nowhere.
Final verdict: I think it’s Quinn that broke it for me. I don’t mind flawed protagonists at all (my own book has one!) But if a protagonist is flawed, they should be aware of it or they should be called out on it. Here, Quinn is a spoiled brat, and the text presents him as the most intelligent, interesting, amazing creature deserving of all the love. Take a look at previous narrators in the series – Louis, Lestat, Armand, Marius, David. All of them are far far away from being perfect people, but they are aware of their flaws and their friends never shy away from criticizing them. And it works really well!
I know this book made some readers break up with the Vampire Chronicles for good, but that’s not the case with me. While not perfect, Blackwood Farm has some of the beautiful, atmospheric writing of previous books in the series. I’ll read the following books. I’m even excited about them! But I first need a long break and read something else. My binge-read ends here.
April 1, 2009
This was the last straw in my decade long relationship with Anne Rice. We had some good times but mutually decided to end our relationship. I loved her three witch books but the vampire stuff had been going downhill since Body Thief.
I hate this book. After years of okay to disappointing novels, this one was all I could stand. I didn't care about Quin and I hated that Rice felt the need to shoehorn Mona Mayfair into the vampire mythos. I found this book so uninteresting I actually stopped halfway through and read a biography of Hulk Hogan my dad got from someone he worked with before finishing it.
I hate this book. After years of okay to disappointing novels, this one was all I could stand. I didn't care about Quin and I hated that Rice felt the need to shoehorn Mona Mayfair into the vampire mythos. I found this book so uninteresting I actually stopped halfway through and read a biography of Hulk Hogan my dad got from someone he worked with before finishing it.
September 27, 2018
Better than some of the others.
Quinn Blackwood is a newly made fledgling vampire. He is trying to learn the ropes and rules of the covens. But he also has a terrible demon on his back... literally! He seeks out the Vampire Lestat for help to rid himself of this otherworldly presence that has been with him since childhood and has no become more powerful and menacing. Lestat calls in the help of a powerful witch in vampire named Merrick. Can their combined powers help Quinn to finally be free?
Vampires and witches combine in this tale. Very well written (as usual). The tale of The Vampire Quinn Blackwood is both captivating and horrifying.
I enjoyed this book very much but as with a few of her previous books the majority of the book is Quinn telling Lestat his story from beginning to end. I think it was literally the last three chapters that were the ending to the story at hand instead of backstory material. As with all of her books the backstory is extremely detailed and full of information that you can either take or leave. The roller coaster ups and downs are masterfully written but that is normal for an Anne Rice book. this is definitely a come back from her last couple of books in the chronicles series however, which was a nice relief for me.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires, paranormal, witches, dark fantasy, or someone who is simply finishing the chronicle series. This is one of the better ones for sure.
Quinn Blackwood is a newly made fledgling vampire. He is trying to learn the ropes and rules of the covens. But he also has a terrible demon on his back... literally! He seeks out the Vampire Lestat for help to rid himself of this otherworldly presence that has been with him since childhood and has no become more powerful and menacing. Lestat calls in the help of a powerful witch in vampire named Merrick. Can their combined powers help Quinn to finally be free?
Vampires and witches combine in this tale. Very well written (as usual). The tale of The Vampire Quinn Blackwood is both captivating and horrifying.
I enjoyed this book very much but as with a few of her previous books the majority of the book is Quinn telling Lestat his story from beginning to end. I think it was literally the last three chapters that were the ending to the story at hand instead of backstory material. As with all of her books the backstory is extremely detailed and full of information that you can either take or leave. The roller coaster ups and downs are masterfully written but that is normal for an Anne Rice book. this is definitely a come back from her last couple of books in the chronicles series however, which was a nice relief for me.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires, paranormal, witches, dark fantasy, or someone who is simply finishing the chronicle series. This is one of the better ones for sure.
September 27, 2014
Quinn can see ghosts and has been haunted his whole life by a particular tenacious spirit. Now he has become a vampire, that spirit has turned violent and he turns to Lestat for guidance, after telling Lestat his life history. At length and in great great detail.
This book is labelled as a Vampire Chronicles novel. It has also been faintly labelled as a Mayfair Witches novel. I’ve heard it discussed as something of a cross over novel. Personally I’d call it a Mayfair Witches novel into which Lestat and Merrick have been crowbarred in with extreme force and zero elegance. If I were being less kind (yes, that was kind) I’d say it was a vast waffle of not very much with little hints of both series randomly thrown in but really not much about anything
Because like every single book in both series this book is rammed with a truly ridiculous amount of minutiae that is grossly unnecessary for anything resembling a plot. New vampire Quinn seeks to tell his story to Lestat. In that telling he covers his genealogy back 5 generations. No, really. He covers the genealogy of his servants back the same length of time as well. He even tells the genealogy of the vampires who made him who, almost immediately, decided to tell Quinn the same thing in ridiculous detail. He tells every last tiny detail about his life, so much of which is utterly irrelevant – Pops (his grandfather) having an illegitimate son? Meaningless. The bed and breakfast and the soprano he cries over that we were told about three separate times (ye gods why?) irrelevant. The fact he constantly shares a bed with elderly Black servants (ye gods why?) irrelevant. Every sexual encounter he’s ever had (why would you tell a stranger this? Why?) His first teacher and how very good she was? Really really really irrelevant. Why is this all here?
Why is this story which should have been about the ghosts that were plaguing Quinn and, perhaps, the vampires that made him and maybe the people who can see Goblin (and Rebecca – though, again, Rebecca ghost was another storyline that did nothing, went absolutely nowhere and was resolved in pointless seconds) so clogged with this much completely and utterly random backstory? Why would Quinn tell Lestat so many utterly personal secrets about himself?
And can everyone stop falling in love! I’m not even talking about Quinn seeing Mona across a restaurant and moseying over to declare that he intends to marry her (but, really? He sees a 15 year old girl across the room and wanders over to make marriage plans? What the hell? Why? Who? Where’s the damn restraining order?!) But Lestat, after hearing Quinn’s horrendous monologue declares how much he is in love with Quinn. Of course. After meeting Merrick for 5 seconds Quinn decides he loves her. Merrick probably loves him, I forget because everyone loves everyone else. Quinn loves Arion, random Greek vampire who is just kind of there because why not. They use the word “love” so often it no longer has any real meaning. I know it’s a running joke with this series but it’s actually a problem – because all of this overwrought, appallingly purple, melodramatic declarations of emotion are meaningless. All his excessive adoration of Aunt Queen and Mona means nothing because he’d use exactly the same language to describe someone he happened to be passing in the street. All of the emotional connections in this book – in this series – fall apart because they mean nothing, there is nothing special about them. True love is described in the same terms as casual acquaintance.
The characterisation is also just awful. I grudgingly accepted the ridiculously flowery, anachronistic and pure dubious language that the vampires were using as some kind of nod to their age. I even accepted it with David though there was no damn excuse. Quinn is 22. 22. Why is he calling Merrick “precious darling?” (even if she wasn’t a complete stranger?). Why is his voice exactly the same as vampires who are centuries older than him? And that voice itself is terrible, archaic and ludicrous?
And not just his voice – he kneels and kisses his great-aunt’s foot. I… I… why? He insists that some of his elderly Black servants sleep with him (not sex, just sleep). His behaviour, his choices over and over make no sense at all. And he seems to live in a weird time warp – this book was written in the 21st century, it reads like it would be old in the 80s!
It’s not just Quinn – no-one behaves in a way that makes even the remotest sense for a person. The one who stands out most for me is Patsy – the worst woman in the world. Seriously, she’s so utterly awful that it defies any description. She loathes her son on a level that would make comic book villains gasp in shock. She is slut shamed mercilessly, seriously every character may as well have just screamed “HUSSSY!” and pointed at her every time she appeared (bonus anti-choice moments with her not being able to have any children because she’d got rid of so many her “womb was weak”). It also has an added bonus of some kind of weird class shaming her for asking for money for her music career (and they even admit she’s talented! So it’s not like she’s chasing some unimaginable dream. But her music is pop and country, not classical so she’s so beneath them) And this shaming happens while the whole family is so damn rich that Aunt Queen takes a stretch limo to the shops and collects jewelled cameos… wait..
…Interrupting for a rant about the thrice damned CAMEOS. Oh dear gods I don’t believe anyone in the world, anywhere even remotely cares this much about cameos. There back to where I as…
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This book is labelled as a Vampire Chronicles novel. It has also been faintly labelled as a Mayfair Witches novel. I’ve heard it discussed as something of a cross over novel. Personally I’d call it a Mayfair Witches novel into which Lestat and Merrick have been crowbarred in with extreme force and zero elegance. If I were being less kind (yes, that was kind) I’d say it was a vast waffle of not very much with little hints of both series randomly thrown in but really not much about anything
Because like every single book in both series this book is rammed with a truly ridiculous amount of minutiae that is grossly unnecessary for anything resembling a plot. New vampire Quinn seeks to tell his story to Lestat. In that telling he covers his genealogy back 5 generations. No, really. He covers the genealogy of his servants back the same length of time as well. He even tells the genealogy of the vampires who made him who, almost immediately, decided to tell Quinn the same thing in ridiculous detail. He tells every last tiny detail about his life, so much of which is utterly irrelevant – Pops (his grandfather) having an illegitimate son? Meaningless. The bed and breakfast and the soprano he cries over that we were told about three separate times (ye gods why?) irrelevant. The fact he constantly shares a bed with elderly Black servants (ye gods why?) irrelevant. Every sexual encounter he’s ever had (why would you tell a stranger this? Why?) His first teacher and how very good she was? Really really really irrelevant. Why is this all here?
Why is this story which should have been about the ghosts that were plaguing Quinn and, perhaps, the vampires that made him and maybe the people who can see Goblin (and Rebecca – though, again, Rebecca ghost was another storyline that did nothing, went absolutely nowhere and was resolved in pointless seconds) so clogged with this much completely and utterly random backstory? Why would Quinn tell Lestat so many utterly personal secrets about himself?
And can everyone stop falling in love! I’m not even talking about Quinn seeing Mona across a restaurant and moseying over to declare that he intends to marry her (but, really? He sees a 15 year old girl across the room and wanders over to make marriage plans? What the hell? Why? Who? Where’s the damn restraining order?!) But Lestat, after hearing Quinn’s horrendous monologue declares how much he is in love with Quinn. Of course. After meeting Merrick for 5 seconds Quinn decides he loves her. Merrick probably loves him, I forget because everyone loves everyone else. Quinn loves Arion, random Greek vampire who is just kind of there because why not. They use the word “love” so often it no longer has any real meaning. I know it’s a running joke with this series but it’s actually a problem – because all of this overwrought, appallingly purple, melodramatic declarations of emotion are meaningless. All his excessive adoration of Aunt Queen and Mona means nothing because he’d use exactly the same language to describe someone he happened to be passing in the street. All of the emotional connections in this book – in this series – fall apart because they mean nothing, there is nothing special about them. True love is described in the same terms as casual acquaintance.
The characterisation is also just awful. I grudgingly accepted the ridiculously flowery, anachronistic and pure dubious language that the vampires were using as some kind of nod to their age. I even accepted it with David though there was no damn excuse. Quinn is 22. 22. Why is he calling Merrick “precious darling?” (even if she wasn’t a complete stranger?). Why is his voice exactly the same as vampires who are centuries older than him? And that voice itself is terrible, archaic and ludicrous?
And not just his voice – he kneels and kisses his great-aunt’s foot. I… I… why? He insists that some of his elderly Black servants sleep with him (not sex, just sleep). His behaviour, his choices over and over make no sense at all. And he seems to live in a weird time warp – this book was written in the 21st century, it reads like it would be old in the 80s!
It’s not just Quinn – no-one behaves in a way that makes even the remotest sense for a person. The one who stands out most for me is Patsy – the worst woman in the world. Seriously, she’s so utterly awful that it defies any description. She loathes her son on a level that would make comic book villains gasp in shock. She is slut shamed mercilessly, seriously every character may as well have just screamed “HUSSSY!” and pointed at her every time she appeared (bonus anti-choice moments with her not being able to have any children because she’d got rid of so many her “womb was weak”). It also has an added bonus of some kind of weird class shaming her for asking for money for her music career (and they even admit she’s talented! So it’s not like she’s chasing some unimaginable dream. But her music is pop and country, not classical so she’s so beneath them) And this shaming happens while the whole family is so damn rich that Aunt Queen takes a stretch limo to the shops and collects jewelled cameos… wait..
…Interrupting for a rant about the thrice damned CAMEOS. Oh dear gods I don’t believe anyone in the world, anywhere even remotely cares this much about cameos. There back to where I as…
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July 9, 2010
This book...(sigh)...I have to say broke Anne Rice's spell over me. Before this book I found all of her normal plot devices (strange bedfellows, supernatural creatures, really long flashbacks, narcissism) beguiling and entertaining. But usually she chooses one or two of these things and shapes a really awesome story around it. In Blackwood Farm she just decided to take everything she had EVER written about, mix it up together, and then multiply it by 1000. I mean, really?! Vampires, witches, AND ghosts? And they are all sleeping together? Oh, I turned the pages quickly enough. But when I finished, I looked at the book (and myself) in disgust and asked one question: Did I really just read that? This book made me feel used.
November 25, 2017
Me encantó Quinn, y pasó a convertirse en otro de mis personajes predilectos de por vida. Su historia es muy interesante, llena de misterios, fantasmas que al mismo tiempo se mezclan con los momentos más cotidianos que ha vivido cualquier ser humano.
El toque sobrenatural está presente en todo el libro, desde los pantanos hasta sus viajes por Europa tanto en el presente como en el pasado y esa presencia sobrenatural que nos mantiene en ascuas hasta saber el porque de todo.
Muy recomendable, incluso si es el primer libro que te atrevas a tomar de la saga, por que te explica todo el concepto a grandes rasgos e incluso te presentan a los personajes de su otra increíble saga "Las Brujas de Mayfair".
El toque sobrenatural está presente en todo el libro, desde los pantanos hasta sus viajes por Europa tanto en el presente como en el pasado y esa presencia sobrenatural que nos mantiene en ascuas hasta saber el porque de todo.
Muy recomendable, incluso si es el primer libro que te atrevas a tomar de la saga, por que te explica todo el concepto a grandes rasgos e incluso te presentan a los personajes de su otra increíble saga "Las Brujas de Mayfair".
March 14, 2018
I just can't and I won't. This is full of every possible Anne Rice pathology to boot, to the extent when it feels like over-the-top fan fiction, including multiple instances of very questionable sexual/racial/class politics. It has the charm of a train crash, but it ultimately proved too much.
July 29, 2012
Anne Rice is as brilliant and clever as ever,proving why she is the reigning Queen of vampire novels. As an avid lover of all things vampire,I am extremely critical of stories of them. Blackwood Farm is a wonderful addition to the Vampire Chronicles,which I felt suffered with Memnock the Devil.The story flows along with a dialogue that is both picturesque and poignant in its telling,reminiscent of Interview with The Vampire.Quinn's villainous maker is highly impressive as a character,managing to be creepily seductive and dangerously abusive,at the same time. Our beloved Brat Prince,Lestat,is only present in spirit through most of the book,making appearances at the beginning and end,as the hero and hopeful-to-be mentor Quinn is wanting and seeking aid from.
Intelligent and sensitive,Anne Rice gives us a vampire that is strong in both mind and spirit with Quinn Blackwood. A completely refreshing change from all the Twilight wanna-be vampires out there. Thank you,Anne,for reminding us that vampires die in the sunlight,not sparkle.
Intelligent and sensitive,Anne Rice gives us a vampire that is strong in both mind and spirit with Quinn Blackwood. A completely refreshing change from all the Twilight wanna-be vampires out there. Thank you,Anne,for reminding us that vampires die in the sunlight,not sparkle.
September 22, 2024
didn’t like the mayfair witches stuff but the vampire stuff was GOOD
also my babygirl lestat woke up from his coma 😘
also my babygirl lestat woke up from his coma 😘
August 25, 2012
I did it wrong, all wrong!
This was the first Anne Rice book I read, not long after it came out. But part of the wonder that is Anne Rice, is that you can almost jump in on this series at any point and still be in for a rip-roaring and intense ride!
There were some things I didn't quite get until I read the rest, like some of the smaller details, especially regarding Lestat.
But after reading the rest of the series, I think this is one of the best. It's fresh and current and brings forht a whole new barrage of questions about the morals of 'immortality' etc etc.
The Good Bits
Characterisation - Lestat and Quinn fight for centre stage, but you can't outshine Lestat. Ever.
Plot - Such a capturing weave of intrigue and horror and that intense passion this series is known for.
Setting - I think by now the 'historical' or 'ancient' vampire has been done to death (pun!!) and it's a releif to be put into a contemporary world.
The not-so Good Bits
There is little in the way of criticism I can give for this book.
I suppose, if you haven't read any of the series before, there is less excitement surrounding cameos from previous characters.
~~~
I still love this book, even now. I've read many of the series over and over, and I will continue to do so!
5 by 5!
^.^
This was the first Anne Rice book I read, not long after it came out. But part of the wonder that is Anne Rice, is that you can almost jump in on this series at any point and still be in for a rip-roaring and intense ride!
There were some things I didn't quite get until I read the rest, like some of the smaller details, especially regarding Lestat.
But after reading the rest of the series, I think this is one of the best. It's fresh and current and brings forht a whole new barrage of questions about the morals of 'immortality' etc etc.
The Good Bits
Characterisation - Lestat and Quinn fight for centre stage, but you can't outshine Lestat. Ever.
Plot - Such a capturing weave of intrigue and horror and that intense passion this series is known for.
Setting - I think by now the 'historical' or 'ancient' vampire has been done to death (pun!!) and it's a releif to be put into a contemporary world.
The not-so Good Bits
There is little in the way of criticism I can give for this book.
I suppose, if you haven't read any of the series before, there is less excitement surrounding cameos from previous characters.
~~~
I still love this book, even now. I've read many of the series over and over, and I will continue to do so!
5 by 5!
^.^
May 30, 2012
Refreshingly, a new story set almost entirely in the recent past, a new (well, slightly related) family with paranormal secrets to explore, and a new lovable vampire hero. Tarquin Blackwood seeks out Lestat to tell his story and ask for help in banishing his lifelong companion, the spirit Goblin. Tarquin's narrative meanders with Rice's usual rapt attention to the details of architecture, clothing, and decor, which stretches the book to more than six hundred pages. Truthfully, my hand hurt from holding the book, but that's because I really couldn't put it down. I was fascinated, and really pleased, particularly since I just read Blood and Gold and Pandora which were basically the same story for the third and fourth time, from a slightly different perspective with slightly more detail. I am excited to finish out this series by reading Blood Canticle next.
December 6, 2022
Wow this was long took me a couple of days to read it. So much going on in this book from spirits to murders and a background story on Quinn
February 2, 2016
Si no leyeron libros anteriores, no conviene que lean la reseña. De todas formas, no me extenderé demasiado.
Coincido con muchas reseñas de este libro: fue mi último viaje a las sórdidas aventuras de Lestat y sus amigos colmilludos. Se evidencia demasiado la agonía de la saga (que extrañamente decidió resucitar) y de las ideas que la alimentan. Se vampirizó a sí misma y quedó esto, es decir, un texto que tiene más fantasmas que vampiros, más autobiografía de un niño consentido que una crónica, más mortalidad que inmortalidad.
Tarquin Blackwood es el flamante narrador de esta nueva entrega. Su historia comienza con un pedido de ayuda, porque quiere liberarse de un espíritu que se presenta como su doble y al que llama Goblin. Y por supuesto, ¿quién mejor para ayudar que Lestat, que tiene contactos y conocimientos de varios aspectos sobrenaturales? Entonces Tarquin le contará su historia y le mostrará Blackwood Farm, una finca que está más llena de secretos que de gente (y eso que se usa como hotel…). Además de estar habitada por espíritus de antepasados que él puede ver, Tarquin está rodeado de familiares y criados que conforman un grupo muy disfuncional.
El planteo de un doble como Goblin es interesante y hasta llega a enganchar. En cierto punto se vuelve denso porque no evoluciona a lo largo de la historia, por más que parezca que sí lo hace. Son cambios mínimos que le dan una excusa a Tarquin para seguir narrando su historia, la cual carece de pocas interrupciones y de pocas apelaciones al oyente. En la mayoría de los capítulos no sucede nada llamativo, salvo todo aquello que se relaciona con la casa del pantano que está prohibida. En la otra mínima parte que queda, se intentan atar todos los cabos y no de la mejor manera. El resultado es un libro raro y desequilibrado que, además, empieza a perder la calidad de la escritura después de los primeros capítulos.
Pero la resignación de la calidad narrativa no es lo único. También pone en juego su propia credibilidad: los personajes nuevos son acartonados (el niño rico que es muy inteligente, la tía excéntrica y maternal, los profesores particulares, la jovencita promiscua), los viejos se comportan de una manera diferente a la que conocíamos, hay escenas que parecen calcadas de una telenovela (o de un libro juvenil malo) y podría mencionar un par de cosas más.
Le falta espectacularidad y le sobran diálogos y hechos que, desde mi perspectiva, no aportan nada. Incluso en escenas claves se nota que la historia está desgastada y no llegan a surtir ningún efecto en el lector, ya que son predecibles. Lo único que rescato de cierto momento importante es la locación, ya que me gustaría conocerla (eso es personal) y porque ahí parece retomar su originalidad. Tal vez se hubiera salvado si sus personajes se esforzaran menos para caer bien, pero ni eso pudieron lograr. Hay ideas que se deslizan sobre ciertos temas que resaltan la profundidad casi nula del libro.
En fin, El santuario es olvidable. Me hubiera gustado que al menos mi última incursión en estas crónicas tuviera algo de agradable, pero falló casi desde el comienzo. Y decidí que no dispongo de más tiempo (y paciencia) para averiguar si mejora en los libros que quedan.
Coincido con muchas reseñas de este libro: fue mi último viaje a las sórdidas aventuras de Lestat y sus amigos colmilludos. Se evidencia demasiado la agonía de la saga (que extrañamente decidió resucitar) y de las ideas que la alimentan. Se vampirizó a sí misma y quedó esto, es decir, un texto que tiene más fantasmas que vampiros, más autobiografía de un niño consentido que una crónica, más mortalidad que inmortalidad.
Tarquin Blackwood es el flamante narrador de esta nueva entrega. Su historia comienza con un pedido de ayuda, porque quiere liberarse de un espíritu que se presenta como su doble y al que llama Goblin. Y por supuesto, ¿quién mejor para ayudar que Lestat, que tiene contactos y conocimientos de varios aspectos sobrenaturales? Entonces Tarquin le contará su historia y le mostrará Blackwood Farm, una finca que está más llena de secretos que de gente (y eso que se usa como hotel…). Además de estar habitada por espíritus de antepasados que él puede ver, Tarquin está rodeado de familiares y criados que conforman un grupo muy disfuncional.
El planteo de un doble como Goblin es interesante y hasta llega a enganchar. En cierto punto se vuelve denso porque no evoluciona a lo largo de la historia, por más que parezca que sí lo hace. Son cambios mínimos que le dan una excusa a Tarquin para seguir narrando su historia, la cual carece de pocas interrupciones y de pocas apelaciones al oyente. En la mayoría de los capítulos no sucede nada llamativo, salvo todo aquello que se relaciona con la casa del pantano que está prohibida. En la otra mínima parte que queda, se intentan atar todos los cabos y no de la mejor manera. El resultado es un libro raro y desequilibrado que, además, empieza a perder la calidad de la escritura después de los primeros capítulos.
Pero la resignación de la calidad narrativa no es lo único. También pone en juego su propia credibilidad: los personajes nuevos son acartonados (el niño rico que es muy inteligente, la tía excéntrica y maternal, los profesores particulares, la jovencita promiscua), los viejos se comportan de una manera diferente a la que conocíamos, hay escenas que parecen calcadas de una telenovela (o de un libro juvenil malo) y podría mencionar un par de cosas más.
Le falta espectacularidad y le sobran diálogos y hechos que, desde mi perspectiva, no aportan nada. Incluso en escenas claves se nota que la historia está desgastada y no llegan a surtir ningún efecto en el lector, ya que son predecibles. Lo único que rescato de cierto momento importante es la locación, ya que me gustaría conocerla (eso es personal) y porque ahí parece retomar su originalidad. Tal vez se hubiera salvado si sus personajes se esforzaran menos para caer bien, pero ni eso pudieron lograr. Hay ideas que se deslizan sobre ciertos temas que resaltan la profundidad casi nula del libro.
En fin, El santuario es olvidable. Me hubiera gustado que al menos mi última incursión en estas crónicas tuviera algo de agradable, pero falló casi desde el comienzo. Y decidí que no dispongo de más tiempo (y paciencia) para averiguar si mejora en los libros que quedan.
August 1, 2009
And the plunge downhill begins in earnest. Lestat is empty; the writing is horrible. Only a waning sense of loyalty to Ms. Rice kept me reading.
September 6, 2022
no ha sido el mejor libro en cuanto a acción de la trama... pero, las revelaciones y algunas cosas que me dejaron con el ojo cuadrado, en especial el final y una muerta que no diré cual :( me destrozo...
Quinn es simpático y literalmente pasa caliente cada segundo jajajaja XD
a ver que me trae el siguiente libro, Quinn + Lestat O.0 Dios ! jaja
Quinn es simpático y literalmente pasa caliente cada segundo jajajaja XD
a ver que me trae el siguiente libro, Quinn + Lestat O.0 Dios ! jaja
April 4, 2023
This was pretty good. Until it wasn't.
The premise of the book was good enough, it promised a Southern Gothic story (which I deeply love) with all the elements a reader might ask for: the mysterious family manor, big family, big legacy and secrets that have been buried over time, ghosts and spirits and complex relationships. And Blackwood Farm offers all that and makes it entertaining, until Anne Rice decided that she had to add other aspects that had nothing to do with the original premise and these new elements needed more weight in the narrative than the first ones.
It was all developing fairly well considering this is an Anne Rice book - I'm already used to the dramatics, the ridiculously unrealistic intense characters and the strange way they act with each other (to say it lightly). And she makes it work! Sometimes. She does, she is capable of constructing a weird but entertaining story, and this is why I was enjoying it until she lost the plot. I do think this story could have performed much better if it was written differently. I feel like Rice mixed up all the elements and themes that, artfully sprinkled in previous books, made her vampire narratives stand out from the rest. But this was too much.
I think it's fair to say that the Mayfairs ruin The Vampire Chronicles with their presence. Merrick wasn't that bad as she is a Mayfair that wasn't too close to the 'main line' of the family, and the book was... fine. In this one, the setting, the characters, and the storylines introduced with the ghost Rebecca, the spirit doppelgänger Goblin and their connection to the soon-to-be vampire Quinn were incredibly interesting, but it is all dismissed when the Mayfairs come into the picture. You were promised a Gothic book, and then you get an immature, exaggerated insta-romance between a human boy and a witch girl that doesn’t make sense even for a second but still Rice felt it was important enough to give it a good chunk of the book.
Suddenly, everything revolves around Quinn, Mona and her family; all that had been established up until the 50% of the book is relegated to the background. And I wonder why this is a TVC book, when the Mayfairs have more weight and presence than any vampire. Not even Lestat’s presence saves this one, as he is a mere listener until the last 10% of the book, and Quinn remains human for most of the story. The mystery and tense atmosphere are entirely broken and then forgotten when Mona Mayfair appears and the plot becomes non-existent (when it was already difficult to grasp in the first place and it is very much vague), but Quinn is given an absurd amount of pages to describe his undying, pure, mad love every two sentences for a girl he meets in the morning and plans to marry at night. I'm not going to dwell much on the fact that Mona is 15 and Quinn is 17-18 when the 'romance' starts, I don't have the energy for that and other controversial aspects like race and how the character Petronia is portrayed, I’m sure someone can articulate better arguments. It's Anne Rice, at the end of the day. Some aspects got better with time, others didn't. You do with that information what you will, but I'll never forget the main character spotting the 'love interest' at a restaurant, going to her and starting their first conversation ever by saying "I want to marry you".
How disappointed I was when I found out that such a Gothic device like Goblin, a spirit linked to the soul of a human and who slowly appears to become more corrupted, evil and demanding, almost making Quinn a Jekyll and Hyde-esque character, is completely disregarded and literally disappears from the story for a considerable part of it. There was so much potential; instead, I got almost nothing.
This rant, like the book, is all over the place. I can say this was fun and it wasn't a dull, hard chore to read it (like Memnoch) but, as I kept reading, it became more stupid, more pointless, more annoying. At the end, it was too long and flowery dense when it wasn’t telling or conveying anything that was that serious.
The premise of the book was good enough, it promised a Southern Gothic story (which I deeply love) with all the elements a reader might ask for: the mysterious family manor, big family, big legacy and secrets that have been buried over time, ghosts and spirits and complex relationships. And Blackwood Farm offers all that and makes it entertaining, until Anne Rice decided that she had to add other aspects that had nothing to do with the original premise and these new elements needed more weight in the narrative than the first ones.
It was all developing fairly well considering this is an Anne Rice book - I'm already used to the dramatics, the ridiculously unrealistic intense characters and the strange way they act with each other (to say it lightly). And she makes it work! Sometimes. She does, she is capable of constructing a weird but entertaining story, and this is why I was enjoying it until she lost the plot. I do think this story could have performed much better if it was written differently. I feel like Rice mixed up all the elements and themes that, artfully sprinkled in previous books, made her vampire narratives stand out from the rest. But this was too much.
I think it's fair to say that the Mayfairs ruin The Vampire Chronicles with their presence. Merrick wasn't that bad as she is a Mayfair that wasn't too close to the 'main line' of the family, and the book was... fine. In this one, the setting, the characters, and the storylines introduced with the ghost Rebecca, the spirit doppelgänger Goblin and their connection to the soon-to-be vampire Quinn were incredibly interesting, but it is all dismissed when the Mayfairs come into the picture. You were promised a Gothic book, and then you get an immature, exaggerated insta-romance between a human boy and a witch girl that doesn’t make sense even for a second but still Rice felt it was important enough to give it a good chunk of the book.
Suddenly, everything revolves around Quinn, Mona and her family; all that had been established up until the 50% of the book is relegated to the background. And I wonder why this is a TVC book, when the Mayfairs have more weight and presence than any vampire. Not even Lestat’s presence saves this one, as he is a mere listener until the last 10% of the book, and Quinn remains human for most of the story. The mystery and tense atmosphere are entirely broken and then forgotten when Mona Mayfair appears and the plot becomes non-existent (when it was already difficult to grasp in the first place and it is very much vague), but Quinn is given an absurd amount of pages to describe his undying, pure, mad love every two sentences for a girl he meets in the morning and plans to marry at night. I'm not going to dwell much on the fact that Mona is 15 and Quinn is 17-18 when the 'romance' starts, I don't have the energy for that and other controversial aspects like race and how the character Petronia is portrayed, I’m sure someone can articulate better arguments. It's Anne Rice, at the end of the day. Some aspects got better with time, others didn't. You do with that information what you will, but I'll never forget the main character spotting the 'love interest' at a restaurant, going to her and starting their first conversation ever by saying "I want to marry you".
How disappointed I was when I found out that such a Gothic device like Goblin, a spirit linked to the soul of a human and who slowly appears to become more corrupted, evil and demanding, almost making Quinn a Jekyll and Hyde-esque character, is completely disregarded and literally disappears from the story for a considerable part of it. There was so much potential; instead, I got almost nothing.
This rant, like the book, is all over the place. I can say this was fun and it wasn't a dull, hard chore to read it (like Memnoch) but, as I kept reading, it became more stupid, more pointless, more annoying. At the end, it was too long and flowery dense when it wasn’t telling or conveying anything that was that serious.
April 18, 2014
It's hard to put into words what I feel about this book. It was fun. It was interesting. It certainly wasn't a bad book, I'm just not really sure it was exactly good.
There was too much going on, for one thing. You've got a vengeful spirit, a poltergeist/doppleganger, the return of the Mayfair witches, and a fantastically wealthy Louisiana family, with all the dark family secrets and Anne Rice's constant daydreams about renovating houses and showering money on poorer relations. There are vampires, of course, but they show up in about a third of the story, maybe as little as a quarter. It's as if Rice couldn't decide what she wanted the book to be, so she tried to cram everything that fans might have been asking for into one book. Between the family histories, and the fabulous amounts of money, and the wondering about what the main character's spirit companion was all about, and then Quinn having sex with every-damn-body and falling desperately in love with the dying Mona Mayfair OUT OF NOWHERE (not kidding, he proposes to her in a hospital restaurant before he's even been introduced), I didn't know where to turn.
And that's a shame, because there's a section towards the end of the book that deals entirely with the vampire characters, and it's really good. Excellent writing, with fascinating characters and beautifully described scenes. There's a section that takes place by candlelight in a grand impossible palace in the middle of a swamp. I got a nice chill from reading that, seeing the marble floors and Roman furniture and high ceilings, and total blackness just outside the room. The Maker vampire was a completely unexpected character with a backstory I enjoyed reading (I've got a new fascination with cameo jewelry now, thank you very much, Rice). But the whole vampire section maybe lasted sixty pages, and then it's back to Quinn and his wealth and his family and how EVERYBODY loves him, except the people who don't, and they're not likable so they don't count. I wish Rice had used a little more focus and maybe written this as three or four different books, rather than making this mess of a plot with one.
There was too much going on, for one thing. You've got a vengeful spirit, a poltergeist/doppleganger, the return of the Mayfair witches, and a fantastically wealthy Louisiana family, with all the dark family secrets and Anne Rice's constant daydreams about renovating houses and showering money on poorer relations. There are vampires, of course, but they show up in about a third of the story, maybe as little as a quarter. It's as if Rice couldn't decide what she wanted the book to be, so she tried to cram everything that fans might have been asking for into one book. Between the family histories, and the fabulous amounts of money, and the wondering about what the main character's spirit companion was all about, and then Quinn having sex with every-damn-body and falling desperately in love with the dying Mona Mayfair OUT OF NOWHERE (not kidding, he proposes to her in a hospital restaurant before he's even been introduced), I didn't know where to turn.
And that's a shame, because there's a section towards the end of the book that deals entirely with the vampire characters, and it's really good. Excellent writing, with fascinating characters and beautifully described scenes. There's a section that takes place by candlelight in a grand impossible palace in the middle of a swamp. I got a nice chill from reading that, seeing the marble floors and Roman furniture and high ceilings, and total blackness just outside the room. The Maker vampire was a completely unexpected character with a backstory I enjoyed reading (I've got a new fascination with cameo jewelry now, thank you very much, Rice). But the whole vampire section maybe lasted sixty pages, and then it's back to Quinn and his wealth and his family and how EVERYBODY loves him, except the people who don't, and they're not likable so they don't count. I wish Rice had used a little more focus and maybe written this as three or four different books, rather than making this mess of a plot with one.
May 19, 2010
This book broke my heart. It is my least favorite of all the novels from the Vampire series. The character of Quinn was just too whiny and self indulgent for me to connect with and care for. And non of the other characters stepped up either. Even the presence of fictional character icon Lestat de Lioncourt couldn't save this story.
August 10, 2009
Trying to squeeze the last possible drop of blood from what has been an extraordinary series of books, Anne Rice comes up with Blackwood Farm. Halfway through the book, I still can't bring myself to care for any of the characters. Big letdown in my not so humble opinion.
August 30, 2017
I don't know... a book is written marvelous, all the adventures, story of Quinn, action, not a single boring sentence...but I simply didn't like how Quinn's life turned on. And Lestat's... but I don't like Quinn with Mona and Lestat with Rowan (which will happen in last book). I will never accept these relationships. Besides... Lestat TWICE said HE LOVES QUINN. And Quinn like a puppy runs to that Mona. Who needs mortal family when you are a vampire? Just go, hunt, visit countries, have money, do whatever you wish, but that silly boy sits with mortals. More pathetic than Louis.
Oh well. It is a book. It is supposed to make you feel something and get an opinion on it. I know because I'm a writer myself and I know I make same dramas, same revenges, same relationships that my readers gonna hate and love. But this is life, I know nobody would read a book where everybody would be happy and live forever same as every day. So in the story there must be different characters, different life stories, different things to make a book colorful and splendid. Well, if I read this book in A MONTH, it means it was good. Usually I read such thick books for half year because of so many pages. But this one I just "ate". It simply had the magic inside to call me home from work and make me read it. It had magic to make me live without food for hours because I simply couldn't put it down. Who needs food when you have more secrets to reveal? I think I need more of such books to help me lose more weight.
So in conclusion, I was amazed by this book. I think it was best of all I read from this serie. It had enough action and secrets not to feel bored. It was enough interesting for me. I think it is first time in my life that I sit now and look on this closed book and think: "God, why you had to end so fast? Why you couldn't last forever?". And I am always glad to finish a book and take a new, but this one.... It has magic inside that you cannot stop reading it. I really wouldn't mind if "Blackwood Farm" would be 700 pages more longer. I always get bored of books which have more than 400 pages, but not this one. No. I will miss it dearly... Oh well. I better should start "Blood Canticle". Maybe it will great too.
Oh well. It is a book. It is supposed to make you feel something and get an opinion on it. I know because I'm a writer myself and I know I make same dramas, same revenges, same relationships that my readers gonna hate and love. But this is life, I know nobody would read a book where everybody would be happy and live forever same as every day. So in the story there must be different characters, different life stories, different things to make a book colorful and splendid. Well, if I read this book in A MONTH, it means it was good. Usually I read such thick books for half year because of so many pages. But this one I just "ate". It simply had the magic inside to call me home from work and make me read it. It had magic to make me live without food for hours because I simply couldn't put it down. Who needs food when you have more secrets to reveal? I think I need more of such books to help me lose more weight.
So in conclusion, I was amazed by this book. I think it was best of all I read from this serie. It had enough action and secrets not to feel bored. It was enough interesting for me. I think it is first time in my life that I sit now and look on this closed book and think: "God, why you had to end so fast? Why you couldn't last forever?". And I am always glad to finish a book and take a new, but this one.... It has magic inside that you cannot stop reading it. I really wouldn't mind if "Blackwood Farm" would be 700 pages more longer. I always get bored of books which have more than 400 pages, but not this one. No. I will miss it dearly... Oh well. I better should start "Blood Canticle". Maybe it will great too.
December 17, 2014
Tarquin Blackwood, young vampire and heir to the impossibly rich Blackwood estate in Louisiana, recounts his life story to the vampire Lestat. He has spent his life haunted by a spirit named Goblin - a spirit who looks remarkably like himself - and would now be rid of it.
This book is primarily told in flashback style, with the only current action at the beginning and end of the book. I felt that it detracted from the intensity of the novel. Telling a story in the past tense gives a different mood to the novel and I would have preferred a current, what-is-happening-now type of story. I was also disappointed that Lestat did not play a bigger role in this book. Quinn, for me, was not that likable of a character. There was nothing wrong with him per se (well, he was a bit weird but it's Anne Rice and he's a vampire, so that goes without saying) but he did not strike me as someone I would want to hang out with. Too emotional, perhaps? Too impetuous? Too haunted and strange?
I have read Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and I started The Witching Hour but did not finish it. I was happy about the mingling of the Mayfair witches with this story. I did not really care for the Goblin story. Goblin is creepy. Goblin is supposed to be creepy. I, however, found I liked the story better when Goblin was in the background or out of the picture.
Overall, this novel failed to "wow" me. It was an okay story with special guest appearances by our favorite vampire and our favorite witch family, but as for Quinn Blackwood - well, I just don't really care what happens to him after this. I am interested enough to try reading some of the other books in this vampire series.
This book is primarily told in flashback style, with the only current action at the beginning and end of the book. I felt that it detracted from the intensity of the novel. Telling a story in the past tense gives a different mood to the novel and I would have preferred a current, what-is-happening-now type of story. I was also disappointed that Lestat did not play a bigger role in this book. Quinn, for me, was not that likable of a character. There was nothing wrong with him per se (well, he was a bit weird but it's Anne Rice and he's a vampire, so that goes without saying) but he did not strike me as someone I would want to hang out with. Too emotional, perhaps? Too impetuous? Too haunted and strange?
I have read Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and I started The Witching Hour but did not finish it. I was happy about the mingling of the Mayfair witches with this story. I did not really care for the Goblin story. Goblin is creepy. Goblin is supposed to be creepy. I, however, found I liked the story better when Goblin was in the background or out of the picture.
Overall, this novel failed to "wow" me. It was an okay story with special guest appearances by our favorite vampire and our favorite witch family, but as for Quinn Blackwood - well, I just don't really care what happens to him after this. I am interested enough to try reading some of the other books in this vampire series.
September 26, 2023
Typical Anne Rice, but I like typical Anne Rice. Again, like the last in this series, this story that took me weeks to read was told by one vampire to another in one sitting. Speed talking and listenting must be one of the untold powers of these vampires. They can read minds, so maybe that has something to do with it. When I read this, the author has passed and so the series is done. What is left is us to enjoy them or not, as opposed to critiquing them, as no improvement can be made. So with that in mind, I really enjoyed the story. It was chocked full of the standard Anne Rice tropes: vampires (of course); witches; spirits, both evil and good; supernatural scholars; wealthy Louisianaians; plantations; New Orleans mansions; ancient European adventures; and allusions and portrayals of a myriad of examples of sex and sexuality. It appears the author tried to tie in all of her writings somehow to this story, and as part of a series, that makes sense. Focusing on a new type of spirit, this novel breaks a tiny bit of new ground but that was enough to keep me interested. Looking forward to the next in the series.
October 25, 2017
So, I know - rating an Anne Rice book with five stars hardly surprises anyone who knows me, since I love her stuff/she's my favorite author. But to celebrate Halloween, I re-read this one, which has long been one of my favorites. Because it came later, it does not get talked about as often or recognized. Lestat is here, and still it is relatively unknown. But I find it to be one of the most haunting and enchanting of all her stories. It leaves me spent, invigorated, and longing to know more about Quinn. In fact, second to Armand, Quinn might be my favorite character in the vampire chronicles. I'm so glad I spent more time with this one!!!
December 20, 2022
This is a Southern Gothic ghost story. It’s full of mansions, large dysfunctional families, generational curses, fortunes, haints, not to mention a vampire or two.
I absolutely love it, but those going in should know it really doesn’t fit in with the rest of The Vampire Chronicles series. It is really more of a Coda to Anne Rice’s Mayfair series.
There is no Louis, no Claudia, no Marius, and no Armand. Lestat does make an appearance, but serves to bookend the book and is not a main player in the story.
I absolutely love it, but those going in should know it really doesn’t fit in with the rest of The Vampire Chronicles series. It is really more of a Coda to Anne Rice’s Mayfair series.
There is no Louis, no Claudia, no Marius, and no Armand. Lestat does make an appearance, but serves to bookend the book and is not a main player in the story.
July 29, 2022
The long-awaited return of Lestat, only for him to be a side character in someone else's story.
Read
April 3, 2024I mean it’s kind of impressive how awful this was?
June 1, 2016
Ever since Memnoch the Devil, I've become disenchanted with Anne Rice, and I stopped reading her books after the dull Vampire Armand. But rave reviews of this one persuaded me to give it a try.
Rice has regained the page-turning pace of her earlier novels. I was mesmerized by the main protagonist, Tarquinn Blackwood, and his story, and I had to restrain myself from finishing the book in one night. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointment. The tense relationships that were cultivated during most of the novel were resolved in a way that seemed anti-climatic and unsatisfactory. Instead of concluding with a more mature character (I truly hoped that Tarquinn Blackwood would grow up and learn from his errors), the point of the book seems to be something like: "It's great to be a multi-billionaire immortal with powers to read minds and fly. Then you can do whatever you'd like." (That was not a spoiler, by the way; it's told within the first chapter, and one can surmise it from the back cover blurb.)
At least Rice took a huge leap forward, and instead of merely hinting that her vampires are bisexual or gay, she's finally allowed one to come out of the closet. Even more of a leap forward (in my humble opinion): This book features some genuine antagonists. Yes, bad guys. In an Anne Rice novel. We haven't seen one of those since, oh, say, Tale of the Body Thief, which was incidentally the most recently published Rice book I truly enjoyed. The antagonists in Blackwood Farm are painted in a sympathetic light--their motives make their actions almost condonable--but they're cruel enough so that I was rooting for them to die. One thing I've always liked about Rice is her talent for blurring the line between good and evil, and she did that beautifully here. Tarquinn Blackwood has a few rather severe personality flaws, and that makes him all the more human, and interesting, and I liked him in spite of his tendency to act like a spoiled little girl with the vocabulary of an English lord.
In closing, I'm going to gripe about the tone of the novel, which seemed to idealize and condone matters such as murder, incest, bribery, and sexual libido in children. At the same time, the tone was mildly squirmish about matters pertaining to masturbation and homosexuality. Some readers admire Rice for so boldly calling our modern ethics into question and for potentially taking us outside our comfort zones, but I feel that she has repeated these themes too often in her books, and my respect for her protagonists has deteriotated because of their cloned morality. The distinction between the personalities of Tarquinn, Goblin, Lestat, Merrick, Aunt Queen, Mona, Tommy, and Nash vary only slightly. They all have vastly different backgrounds, yet they view the world through similar eyes. I feel that the novel would have been stronger if they did not all stand on the same blurry piece of moral ground.
This review was originally published on my website.
Rice has regained the page-turning pace of her earlier novels. I was mesmerized by the main protagonist, Tarquinn Blackwood, and his story, and I had to restrain myself from finishing the book in one night. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointment. The tense relationships that were cultivated during most of the novel were resolved in a way that seemed anti-climatic and unsatisfactory. Instead of concluding with a more mature character (I truly hoped that Tarquinn Blackwood would grow up and learn from his errors), the point of the book seems to be something like: "It's great to be a multi-billionaire immortal with powers to read minds and fly. Then you can do whatever you'd like." (That was not a spoiler, by the way; it's told within the first chapter, and one can surmise it from the back cover blurb.)
At least Rice took a huge leap forward, and instead of merely hinting that her vampires are bisexual or gay, she's finally allowed one to come out of the closet. Even more of a leap forward (in my humble opinion): This book features some genuine antagonists. Yes, bad guys. In an Anne Rice novel. We haven't seen one of those since, oh, say, Tale of the Body Thief, which was incidentally the most recently published Rice book I truly enjoyed. The antagonists in Blackwood Farm are painted in a sympathetic light--their motives make their actions almost condonable--but they're cruel enough so that I was rooting for them to die. One thing I've always liked about Rice is her talent for blurring the line between good and evil, and she did that beautifully here. Tarquinn Blackwood has a few rather severe personality flaws, and that makes him all the more human, and interesting, and I liked him in spite of his tendency to act like a spoiled little girl with the vocabulary of an English lord.
In closing, I'm going to gripe about the tone of the novel, which seemed to idealize and condone matters such as murder, incest, bribery, and sexual libido in children. At the same time, the tone was mildly squirmish about matters pertaining to masturbation and homosexuality. Some readers admire Rice for so boldly calling our modern ethics into question and for potentially taking us outside our comfort zones, but I feel that she has repeated these themes too often in her books, and my respect for her protagonists has deteriotated because of their cloned morality. The distinction between the personalities of Tarquinn, Goblin, Lestat, Merrick, Aunt Queen, Mona, Tommy, and Nash vary only slightly. They all have vastly different backgrounds, yet they view the world through similar eyes. I feel that the novel would have been stronger if they did not all stand on the same blurry piece of moral ground.
This review was originally published on my website.
July 13, 2022
This review contains spoilers
Just a bunch of random thoughts I had while relistening to the audiobook. Warning, this is very silly and frankly just for my personal amusement. I love this book.
1.Props to Quinn for ending a letter to Lestat with: I´m young, dumb and pretty, please help<3
2.I half expected Lestat to kick Quinn in the shins for being taller than him.
3.I want an Aunt Queen, where do I request one?
4.If you look up the definition of chaotic bisexual in your average dictionary, you finde a picture of Tarquin Blackwood.
5.Goblin is back, someone call the Ghostbusters.
6.I hate Patsy.
7.Quinn lives Narcissus´s wildest dreams.
8.Ok, sirously, what is it with this boy and sleeping with ghosts?
9.You heard of love at first sight, now get ready for proposition at first glimps.
10. Mona is fifteen, has a monster child, is completly nuts, is a witch, keeps a "cousin list" and her biggest dream is to drown in a river sourounded by flowers like Ophelia. Quinn: That one, I want that one!<3
11. It´s not an Anne Rice novel unless there´s tons of desturbing religious imagery (Rebecca)...........
........ and also not unless something is going up in flames (Greetings from Rebecca).
12.If a very angry, very dangerous creature attacks you at night and tells you to stay away from their lair, you should probably... uhm, STAY AWAY from it Quinn?!
13.Did he just drink blood from a... ok, never mind. It’s an Anne Rice novel, what did I expect?
14. Aunt Queen:(
15. Quinn seems way to sweet and innocent to be a main character in an Anne Rice novel, he´s so cute and caring and... he just broke his mother´s neck. Never mind. Forget what I said.
16. I guess Merrick had outlived her purpose in the series.
17. Mona really knows how to make a dramatic first (last?) impression.
18. I bought a cameo necklace because of this damn book.
19. Suggar Devil Swamp sounds like a Goth Club.
20.Someone give Quinn Blackwood a hug, please.
21.I´m impressed if you have made it that far, thanks for reading!
Just a bunch of random thoughts I had while relistening to the audiobook. Warning, this is very silly and frankly just for my personal amusement. I love this book.
1.Props to Quinn for ending a letter to Lestat with: I´m young, dumb and pretty, please help<3
2.I half expected Lestat to kick Quinn in the shins for being taller than him.
3.I want an Aunt Queen, where do I request one?
4.If you look up the definition of chaotic bisexual in your average dictionary, you finde a picture of Tarquin Blackwood.
5.Goblin is back, someone call the Ghostbusters.
6.I hate Patsy.
7.Quinn lives Narcissus´s wildest dreams.
8.Ok, sirously, what is it with this boy and sleeping with ghosts?
9.You heard of love at first sight, now get ready for proposition at first glimps.
10. Mona is fifteen, has a monster child, is completly nuts, is a witch, keeps a "cousin list" and her biggest dream is to drown in a river sourounded by flowers like Ophelia. Quinn: That one, I want that one!<3
11. It´s not an Anne Rice novel unless there´s tons of desturbing religious imagery (Rebecca)...........
........ and also not unless something is going up in flames (Greetings from Rebecca).
12.If a very angry, very dangerous creature attacks you at night and tells you to stay away from their lair, you should probably... uhm, STAY AWAY from it Quinn?!
13.Did he just drink blood from a... ok, never mind. It’s an Anne Rice novel, what did I expect?
14. Aunt Queen:(
15. Quinn seems way to sweet and innocent to be a main character in an Anne Rice novel, he´s so cute and caring and... he just broke his mother´s neck. Never mind. Forget what I said.
16. I guess Merrick had outlived her purpose in the series.
17. Mona really knows how to make a dramatic first (last?) impression.
18. I bought a cameo necklace because of this damn book.
19. Suggar Devil Swamp sounds like a Goth Club.
20.Someone give Quinn Blackwood a hug, please.
21.I´m impressed if you have made it that far, thanks for reading!
September 25, 2014
I loved this book. Once again i am completely hooked by Anne Rice. The history on armand and marius was great but i felt almost too much. i appreciate the history of the character's. I usually love this for a series. In this circumstance, i love the brisk and in depth story.
Blackwood Farm introduced Tarquin Blackwood, the prodigy son. Tarquin can see spirits and has a doppelganger himself. The story advances as Quinn life grows and grows. He feels the typical guilt of who do i love and why do i love them. Quinn becomes a generous and caring man.
The story interweaves Mrs. Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches. Quinn meets Mona Mayfair and falls madly in love. I do find this, personally, very far fetched. He experienced a ghost sexual situation and lost his virginity. He had a same sex experience with his doppelganger later revealed to be his donor twin, his mirror twin. Tarquin still loves Mona Mayfair with all his crazy heart.
Quinn finds a hidden hermitage with a mosoleum. He finds the mysterious and lost place of a so callec decendant of Manfred Blackwood. Tarquin uncovers a mysterious vistor who resides on the island of sugar devil swamp home to the hermitage. The creature of the night proves hard to handle and in later strikes a deal that later faulters. This leads to a major turn of events.
Anne Rice, please continue stories that weave like this. i highly recommend reading the chronicles. At least pick this novel up and be mesmerized.
Blackwood Farm introduced Tarquin Blackwood, the prodigy son. Tarquin can see spirits and has a doppelganger himself. The story advances as Quinn life grows and grows. He feels the typical guilt of who do i love and why do i love them. Quinn becomes a generous and caring man.
The story interweaves Mrs. Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches. Quinn meets Mona Mayfair and falls madly in love. I do find this, personally, very far fetched. He experienced a ghost sexual situation and lost his virginity. He had a same sex experience with his doppelganger later revealed to be his donor twin, his mirror twin. Tarquin still loves Mona Mayfair with all his crazy heart.
Quinn finds a hidden hermitage with a mosoleum. He finds the mysterious and lost place of a so callec decendant of Manfred Blackwood. Tarquin uncovers a mysterious vistor who resides on the island of sugar devil swamp home to the hermitage. The creature of the night proves hard to handle and in later strikes a deal that later faulters. This leads to a major turn of events.
Anne Rice, please continue stories that weave like this. i highly recommend reading the chronicles. At least pick this novel up and be mesmerized.
July 2, 2020
I don’t often write reviews for books, but this was one of the worst books I’ve read. Typically I’m very generous in my ratings, and that is probably the case here. I should have given this 1 star, except that there were small portions which captured my attention somewhat and I felt I was being too harsh. This was the first Anne Rice book I’ve read, without having realized this had been part of a lengthy series. That being said, you can still read this book on its own if you do minor research on the series and have seen Interview With A Vampire.
The story itself: Quite bland for a ~500 page book. If you can’t believe that within 500 pages almost nothing exciting happens, read this book to be proven wrong
The characters: Almost unbearably annoying, whiny and bratty. Next to no character development or truly any pressing conflicts to be dealt with.
Story/plot/writing style: It felt like a giant mishmash of stories thrown together. Sort of like a patchwork quilt with mismatched and poorly sewn squares. The climax of the story was the most uneventful one I’ve ever encountered after the incredibly long and unnecessary buildup. The language was at times pretentious and annoying. If I had to read the word ‘egregious’ one more time I probably would have completely stopped reading the book.
The story itself: Quite bland for a ~500 page book. If you can’t believe that within 500 pages almost nothing exciting happens, read this book to be proven wrong
The characters: Almost unbearably annoying, whiny and bratty. Next to no character development or truly any pressing conflicts to be dealt with.
Story/plot/writing style: It felt like a giant mishmash of stories thrown together. Sort of like a patchwork quilt with mismatched and poorly sewn squares. The climax of the story was the most uneventful one I’ve ever encountered after the incredibly long and unnecessary buildup. The language was at times pretentious and annoying. If I had to read the word ‘egregious’ one more time I probably would have completely stopped reading the book.
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