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New Tales of the Vampires #1
Pandora
Anne Rice, creator of the Vampire Lestat, the Mayfair witches and the amazing worlds they inhabit, now gives us the first in a new series of novels linked together by the fledgling vampire David Talbot, who has set out to become a chronicler of his fellow Undead.
The novel opens in present-day Paris in a crowded café, where David meets Pandora. She is two thousand years old, a Child of the Millennia, the first vampire ever made by the great Marius. David persuades her to tell the story of her life.
Pandora begins, reluctantly at first and then with increasing passion, to recount her mesmerizing tale, which takes us through the ages, from Imperial Rome to eighteenth-century France to twentieth-century Paris and New Orleans. She carries us back to her mortal girlhood in the world of Caesar Augustus, a world chronicled by Ovid and Petronius. This is where Pandora meets and falls in love with the handsome, charismatic, lighthearted, still-mortal Marius. This is the Rome she is forced to flee in fear of assassination by conspirators plotting to take over the city. And we follow her to the exotic port of Antioch, where she is destined to be reunited with Marius, now immortal and haunted by his vampire nature, who will bestow on her the Dark Gift as they set out on the fraught and fantastic adventure of their two turbulent centuries together.
The novel opens in present-day Paris in a crowded café, where David meets Pandora. She is two thousand years old, a Child of the Millennia, the first vampire ever made by the great Marius. David persuades her to tell the story of her life.
Pandora begins, reluctantly at first and then with increasing passion, to recount her mesmerizing tale, which takes us through the ages, from Imperial Rome to eighteenth-century France to twentieth-century Paris and New Orleans. She carries us back to her mortal girlhood in the world of Caesar Augustus, a world chronicled by Ovid and Petronius. This is where Pandora meets and falls in love with the handsome, charismatic, lighthearted, still-mortal Marius. This is the Rome she is forced to flee in fear of assassination by conspirators plotting to take over the city. And we follow her to the exotic port of Antioch, where she is destined to be reunited with Marius, now immortal and haunted by his vampire nature, who will bestow on her the Dark Gift as they set out on the fraught and fantastic adventure of their two turbulent centuries together.
383 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Anne Rice
267 books24.4k 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 14, 2022
The finest thing under the sun and moon is the human soul. I marvel at the small miracles of kindness that pass between humans, I marvel at the growth of conscience, at the persistence of reason in the face of all superstition or despair. I marvel at human endurance.
Pandora ~~ Anne Rice
Anne Rice is dead ~~ this makes me incredibly sad. I first read Anne Rice at 13 ~~ soon I devoured everything of hers she had written. Rice shaped me not only as a reader, but as a person. She unlocked an entirely new world for me as I traveled with Lestat and Amadeo. Rice put into words how I secretly felt.
I read the Vampire Chronicles in order ~~ Lives of the Mayfair Witches too. Interspersed among these reads, I read Rice’s stand alone novels. The best of these was Cry to Heaven, now a lesser known work of Rice’s. In fact, it may be Rice’s best work.
Later, when she turned her back on horror and made her highly publicized return to Catholicism, I tried to read Rice’s The Songs of the Seraphim series, but they were terrible. The magic was gone. The writing had become preachy. And just like that she abandoned Christianity and returned to horror. I read Prince Lestat but sadly, Rice was simply repeating herself.
Then, Rice began to harass her critics, encouraging her fans to publicly attack those who poorly reviewed her books. Her fans terrorized her detractors ~~ in fact, it was Kayleigh Herbertson's review of Pandora that first sent Rice and her fans into a tailspin. Herbertson's review received over 300 comments from Rice's followers; she was called a hag, a bitch and one commenter event threatened to infect her with herpes. Rice refused to take responsibility for the attack and instead used her followers to unleash her anger on other reviewers.
Lastly, she began to focus more and more on promoting her son's inferior work as she slowly withdrew from the world. I had now outgrown Anne Rice. Despite all this, I feel like a part of my youth has been taken from me with her passing.
And now, back to Pandora
When Pandora was first published, Booklist said of it: SEDUCTIVE . . . [RICE] HAS RETURNED TO THE SOURCE OF HER BEST WORK, her sexy and invincible vampires. . . . Pandora is a superheroine: beautiful, of course, but also smart, fearless, independent, lusty, resourceful, and so pumped up at the end of her breathless narrative, she takes off for New Orleans, hot on the trail of Lestat and Marius. I concur with their take on Pandora.
Too many readers are dependent on plot when reading fiction. To quote my friend, Spenky, I prefer writing over plot. Anne Rice is not a writer to be read for plot ~~ when reading Rice you're there to delve into her vampire mythology and to experience the vivid richness of her written word. Rice is at her best when writing sensually of the horrific.
Pandora is a standalone novel ~~ it was part of the short lived New Tales of the Vampires series. But I do believe that reading the first three books of The Vampire Chronicles will help to put Pandora into better perspective for the reader.
As is often the case in her vampire books, Rice delves into religion ~~ exploring here both the Cult of Isis and the origins of Christianity that so fascinated her.
What made Pandora unique is this story was told from the woman’s perspective. The Vampire Chronicles are very male-centric. But here we have a strong female as the lead. Pandora herself is a match for Marius, Amadeo and Lestat Pandora’s experiences with The Queen, Akasha are written superbly. Also enthralling is the vivid look Rice provides of the ancient worlds of Rome and Antioch. I was transported to this time and place thru the beauty of the writing.
If you desire to return after an absence, to Anne Rice’s world then this book is an excellent place to reacquaint yourself with Rice’s style and the world of vampires she has so wonderfully created.
Pandora ~~ Anne Rice
Anne Rice is dead ~~ this makes me incredibly sad. I first read Anne Rice at 13 ~~ soon I devoured everything of hers she had written. Rice shaped me not only as a reader, but as a person. She unlocked an entirely new world for me as I traveled with Lestat and Amadeo. Rice put into words how I secretly felt.
I read the Vampire Chronicles in order ~~ Lives of the Mayfair Witches too. Interspersed among these reads, I read Rice’s stand alone novels. The best of these was Cry to Heaven, now a lesser known work of Rice’s. In fact, it may be Rice’s best work.
Later, when she turned her back on horror and made her highly publicized return to Catholicism, I tried to read Rice’s The Songs of the Seraphim series, but they were terrible. The magic was gone. The writing had become preachy. And just like that she abandoned Christianity and returned to horror. I read Prince Lestat but sadly, Rice was simply repeating herself.
Then, Rice began to harass her critics, encouraging her fans to publicly attack those who poorly reviewed her books. Her fans terrorized her detractors ~~ in fact, it was Kayleigh Herbertson's review of Pandora that first sent Rice and her fans into a tailspin. Herbertson's review received over 300 comments from Rice's followers; she was called a hag, a bitch and one commenter event threatened to infect her with herpes. Rice refused to take responsibility for the attack and instead used her followers to unleash her anger on other reviewers.
Lastly, she began to focus more and more on promoting her son's inferior work as she slowly withdrew from the world. I had now outgrown Anne Rice. Despite all this, I feel like a part of my youth has been taken from me with her passing.
And now, back to Pandora
When Pandora was first published, Booklist said of it: SEDUCTIVE . . . [RICE] HAS RETURNED TO THE SOURCE OF HER BEST WORK, her sexy and invincible vampires. . . . Pandora is a superheroine: beautiful, of course, but also smart, fearless, independent, lusty, resourceful, and so pumped up at the end of her breathless narrative, she takes off for New Orleans, hot on the trail of Lestat and Marius. I concur with their take on Pandora.
Too many readers are dependent on plot when reading fiction. To quote my friend, Spenky, I prefer writing over plot. Anne Rice is not a writer to be read for plot ~~ when reading Rice you're there to delve into her vampire mythology and to experience the vivid richness of her written word. Rice is at her best when writing sensually of the horrific.
Pandora is a standalone novel ~~ it was part of the short lived New Tales of the Vampires series. But I do believe that reading the first three books of The Vampire Chronicles will help to put Pandora into better perspective for the reader.
As is often the case in her vampire books, Rice delves into religion ~~ exploring here both the Cult of Isis and the origins of Christianity that so fascinated her.
What made Pandora unique is this story was told from the woman’s perspective. The Vampire Chronicles are very male-centric. But here we have a strong female as the lead. Pandora herself is a match for Marius, Amadeo and Lestat Pandora’s experiences with The Queen, Akasha are written superbly. Also enthralling is the vivid look Rice provides of the ancient worlds of Rome and Antioch. I was transported to this time and place thru the beauty of the writing.
If you desire to return after an absence, to Anne Rice’s world then this book is an excellent place to reacquaint yourself with Rice’s style and the world of vampires she has so wonderfully created.
March 22, 2011
Let me start off by saying, I love the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (I'm reading them in the order they were published). And I have to say Pandora was different than the others - not in a bad way (I quite liked the book). And it was more than just the lack of Lestat in the story (although he is discussed) or the fact that it's set during Ancient Rome (which was well researched, as always, by Anne Rice), No... this story is different because it's Pandora's story, and she's not like a character we've encountered before.
I generally don't like the female characters Anne Rice creates as much as the men (they don't seem to have that same pizazz or edge), but Pandora changed this for me. She has that fire (that edge) and her story doesn't disappoint.
I didn't find the story to be as soul searching as the others... but it still dives into new territory. For one thing, Pandora is mortal most of the story (that's what really makes this story different)... and it makes this book different from the others (deserving of the title "New Tales").
One last thing about the book... is the writing. I thought the writing style in this book was the best of what I've read so far... It's not as overwritten as her other books - and the result is this book is easier to read, easier to understand, and less repetitive than her earlier books.
I give the book 4 out of 5 because I enjoyed every bit of the book (I read it in one day) - I still think "The Vampire Lestat" is the best book in the series, but this one holds up well too.
- Austin James (http://www.AustinJamesHere.blogspot.com)
I generally don't like the female characters Anne Rice creates as much as the men (they don't seem to have that same pizazz or edge), but Pandora changed this for me. She has that fire (that edge) and her story doesn't disappoint.
I didn't find the story to be as soul searching as the others... but it still dives into new territory. For one thing, Pandora is mortal most of the story (that's what really makes this story different)... and it makes this book different from the others (deserving of the title "New Tales").
One last thing about the book... is the writing. I thought the writing style in this book was the best of what I've read so far... It's not as overwritten as her other books - and the result is this book is easier to read, easier to understand, and less repetitive than her earlier books.
I give the book 4 out of 5 because I enjoyed every bit of the book (I read it in one day) - I still think "The Vampire Lestat" is the best book in the series, but this one holds up well too.
- Austin James (http://www.AustinJamesHere.blogspot.com)
September 5, 2016
Although Pandora is part of the "secondary characters" of the famous saga of the Vampire Chronicles, for me is one of my favorite books of Anne Rice. With Pandora, Rice tells us the biography of this enigmatic vampire born in the ancient Roman Empire. Her story is a mixture of hope, tragedy, adventure and above all, love. A great book for all those who want to discover Anne Rice and love the mysterious and romantic side of the vampire. It's a fast reading with a great narrative rhythm.
Spanish version:
Aunque Pandora forme parte de los "hermanos secundarios" de la famosa saga de las crónicas vampíricas, para mí es uno de mis libros favoritos de Anne Rice. Con Pandora, Rice nos relata la biografía de esta enigmática vampira nacida en el antiguo imperio romano. Su historia es una mezcla de esperanza, tragedia, aventura y sobretodo amor. Un gran libro para todos aquellos que quieran leer algo de Anne Rice, de rápida lectura y de ritmo ágil.
Spanish version:
Aunque Pandora forme parte de los "hermanos secundarios" de la famosa saga de las crónicas vampíricas, para mí es uno de mis libros favoritos de Anne Rice. Con Pandora, Rice nos relata la biografía de esta enigmática vampira nacida en el antiguo imperio romano. Su historia es una mezcla de esperanza, tragedia, aventura y sobretodo amor. Un gran libro para todos aquellos que quieran leer algo de Anne Rice, de rápida lectura y de ritmo ágil.
March 3, 2010
• Oct. 22, 2006: This is really an outstanding story overall. There were very few things that took away from it, and even those didn’t bother me that much. Yeah, Pandora is another rich vampire from an aristocratic family. Yeah, Anne Rice said differently when she first mentioned Pandora. Again, that still didn’t take away from the story. This book also reinforced my belief that Anne Rice is really at her best when she is writing historical fiction. The way she brought ancient Rome to life was fascinating. The way she made things seem so normal, yet so interesting was outstanding. I look forward to reading more.
January 12, 2021
Si esperas encontrarte con una nueva historia de Vampiros, lamento decepcionarte, sin ser malo el libro, sí resulta algo lento e insatisfactorio.
Comienza muy bien, no lo puedo negar, pero la narración de la vida mortal de Pandora se va dilatando durante mucho tiempo a lo largo del libro, de forma que su transformación vampírica llega cuando el libro está llegando casi a su último cuarto.
Si quieres una historia de vampiros, te recomendaría cualquiera de los primeros de las Crónicas vampíricas, como Entrevista con el vampiro o Lestat El Vampiro.
Lo que sí hace este libro y hace muy bien y de manera breve y concisa es permitirnos echar un vistazo a la forma de vida y a las costumbres de la Roma antes de Cristo. Hay varias escenas que valen mucho la pena respecto a este punto, que están muy bien narradas y son muy disfrutables, pero en cuanto a escenas vampíricas notables, esta vez brillaron por su ausencia.
Dejo video donde hablo más a detalle sobre este libro:
[https://youtu.be/8ZWG457XzfA]
Comienza muy bien, no lo puedo negar, pero la narración de la vida mortal de Pandora se va dilatando durante mucho tiempo a lo largo del libro, de forma que su transformación vampírica llega cuando el libro está llegando casi a su último cuarto.
Si quieres una historia de vampiros, te recomendaría cualquiera de los primeros de las Crónicas vampíricas, como Entrevista con el vampiro o Lestat El Vampiro.
Lo que sí hace este libro y hace muy bien y de manera breve y concisa es permitirnos echar un vistazo a la forma de vida y a las costumbres de la Roma antes de Cristo. Hay varias escenas que valen mucho la pena respecto a este punto, que están muy bien narradas y son muy disfrutables, pero en cuanto a escenas vampíricas notables, esta vez brillaron por su ausencia.
Dejo video donde hablo más a detalle sobre este libro:
[https://youtu.be/8ZWG457XzfA]
December 16, 2008
This was a discarded library book and I picked it up because the price was right and I thoroughly enjoyed the vampire trilogy that started with Interview and ended with Queen of the Damned.
Pandora's story was mildly interesting at points but mostly irritating. I don't love Rice's style of writing and it's really the plot that enticed my interest in the first 3. I didn't like Pandora, the character, and I couldn't care less about any of the other characters. Half the time that I was reading it I was deciding to just quit when something piqued my interest, and then the cycle would begin again.
Pandora's story was mildly interesting at points but mostly irritating. I don't love Rice's style of writing and it's really the plot that enticed my interest in the first 3. I didn't like Pandora, the character, and I couldn't care less about any of the other characters. Half the time that I was reading it I was deciding to just quit when something piqued my interest, and then the cycle would begin again.
November 25, 2014
"Look, the stars have all but faded. What is it like to be one of them? To be admired only in the darkness, when men and women live with candles and lamps. To be known and described, only in the heaviness of the night, when all the business of the day has ended!"
February 11, 2018
Pandora, by Anne Rice, was written in 1998 and it is the first book in The New Tales of The Vampires series. This is the first Anne Rice book I have read since 2000, where I read Interview With The Vampire and part of The Vampire Lestat. I am so glad I have been finding near-mint conditions of her books at library book sales and started adding them to my collection over the last year. Her writing is on another level of gorgeousness. She writes with such poise, elegance, and mystique. And, from what I remember about her previous book(s) I read, Pandora is no exception to the wonders of her writing style.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about Pandora was all the history woven into the story. The story of Pandora's past begins around 15 BC in the times of the Roman Republic. This story, however, is being told in writing as Pandora (in the "present" time) is writing her story in a letter. Pandora tells us of her travels and her weird dreams/nightmares about blood drinkers and whatnot. Like many vampires we know, Pandora is "a morose, despairing immortal who initially wanted immortality but soon regretted her choice and turns into a dark, indifferent cynic." In this book, we get to learn more about Roman times and religions, about Queen Isis, Osiris, and we get to learn a little more about some other vampires famous in Rice's world like Akasha and Lestat.
If you are a fan of Anne Rice's works, this is a no-brainer to pick up and continue your journey. If you are new to her world or returning after a long absence, then this book is quite nice to pick up and use to reacquaint yourself with her style and the world of vampires she has so wonderfully crafted. This one gets a 4 out of 5 stars from me and I am ready to add this woman to a list of authors whose complete bibliography I want to read!
One of the things I enjoyed so much about Pandora was all the history woven into the story. The story of Pandora's past begins around 15 BC in the times of the Roman Republic. This story, however, is being told in writing as Pandora (in the "present" time) is writing her story in a letter. Pandora tells us of her travels and her weird dreams/nightmares about blood drinkers and whatnot. Like many vampires we know, Pandora is "a morose, despairing immortal who initially wanted immortality but soon regretted her choice and turns into a dark, indifferent cynic." In this book, we get to learn more about Roman times and religions, about Queen Isis, Osiris, and we get to learn a little more about some other vampires famous in Rice's world like Akasha and Lestat.
If you are a fan of Anne Rice's works, this is a no-brainer to pick up and continue your journey. If you are new to her world or returning after a long absence, then this book is quite nice to pick up and use to reacquaint yourself with her style and the world of vampires she has so wonderfully crafted. This one gets a 4 out of 5 stars from me and I am ready to add this woman to a list of authors whose complete bibliography I want to read!
May 23, 2012
Pandora wanted to set the record straight about Lestat's version of what Marius said about her. She does so, but not much more was revealed to us about her thousand-year life than the beginning and her transformation into a vampire. She wandered Europe for centuries, but chooses to spend 400 pages on the first 35 years of her life. It was still interesting to read about, but I was hoping for more than a rehash of things we pretty much already knew.
December 4, 2022
Content Warning: pedophilia, grooming, death, violence.
Born in Caesar Augustus's Rome, Pandora grows up with an adoring father who is a Senator, and is educated freely as many women of her time. She is ten years old when she first meets the then-mortal Marius, an encounter that will irreversibly alter her fate. Now, in a café in 1990s Paris, Pandora meets David Talbot, who is eager for her to finally tell her story in her own words.
Pandora is a fascinating, complex figure in Rice's world of vampires. Although she has been criminally underdeveloped, she has the promise of a truly interesting backstory, one of the vampires from the ancient world. Although her character is, obviously, more expanded here, I had the odd feeling the entire time that she was still acting as little more than window-dressing for the complex backgrounds and characters of the men in this series.
Although she's a young woman in one of the most fascinating times and places on earth, Rice mostly glosses over this section of her life. There's a bit of intrigue when she is a little girl, with discussions of Ovid and some of Augustus's court politics, but it never becomes fully fleshed out. Her affiliation with the temple of Isis is another interesting element, but again, it somehow feels almost... boring, or perfunctory. I love how the legend of Isis ties in with Akasha and Enkil; that's probably my favorite part of this book. But as a whole, it's disjointed, a little awkward and fumbling.
I was also disappointed by how few other characters play a part in Pandora's life. Once again, we are stuck with Marius, who is as creepy and inappropriate in this book as he is in all the others, and for the millionth time, I found myself questioning why Rice was so keen to make him such a central figure. His complicated, rather fiery relationship with Pandora is interesting enough, but their first meeting -- when she is a little girl and he is a man of twenty-five -- is uncomfortable, strange, and leaves a distasteful film over the rest of the novel. I won't go into too much discussion of it here, as I've already mentioned it several times previously in my other reviews, but regardless, it negatively impacted my opinion yet again.
The worst part is that through it all, Pandora still feels underdeveloped. She's intelligent, beautiful, and spirited, but really, that's about it. Her innerworkings come across as simple, especially when compared to others in the series. That being said, the portion of the book that takes place in Antioch paints a wonderfully fascinating picture of that ancient place, and I loved her interactions with Flavius, an Athenian slave who has a beautiful, gentle relationship with her. It wasn't awful by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly isn't the greatest Rice I've ever read.
Recommended if you are interested in Pandora, or some of the lesser known characters in the Chronicles.
Born in Caesar Augustus's Rome, Pandora grows up with an adoring father who is a Senator, and is educated freely as many women of her time. She is ten years old when she first meets the then-mortal Marius, an encounter that will irreversibly alter her fate. Now, in a café in 1990s Paris, Pandora meets David Talbot, who is eager for her to finally tell her story in her own words.
Pandora is a fascinating, complex figure in Rice's world of vampires. Although she has been criminally underdeveloped, she has the promise of a truly interesting backstory, one of the vampires from the ancient world. Although her character is, obviously, more expanded here, I had the odd feeling the entire time that she was still acting as little more than window-dressing for the complex backgrounds and characters of the men in this series.
Although she's a young woman in one of the most fascinating times and places on earth, Rice mostly glosses over this section of her life. There's a bit of intrigue when she is a little girl, with discussions of Ovid and some of Augustus's court politics, but it never becomes fully fleshed out. Her affiliation with the temple of Isis is another interesting element, but again, it somehow feels almost... boring, or perfunctory. I love how the legend of Isis ties in with Akasha and Enkil; that's probably my favorite part of this book. But as a whole, it's disjointed, a little awkward and fumbling.
I was also disappointed by how few other characters play a part in Pandora's life. Once again, we are stuck with Marius, who is as creepy and inappropriate in this book as he is in all the others, and for the millionth time, I found myself questioning why Rice was so keen to make him such a central figure. His complicated, rather fiery relationship with Pandora is interesting enough, but their first meeting -- when she is a little girl and he is a man of twenty-five -- is uncomfortable, strange, and leaves a distasteful film over the rest of the novel. I won't go into too much discussion of it here, as I've already mentioned it several times previously in my other reviews, but regardless, it negatively impacted my opinion yet again.
The worst part is that through it all, Pandora still feels underdeveloped. She's intelligent, beautiful, and spirited, but really, that's about it. Her innerworkings come across as simple, especially when compared to others in the series. That being said, the portion of the book that takes place in Antioch paints a wonderfully fascinating picture of that ancient place, and I loved her interactions with Flavius, an Athenian slave who has a beautiful, gentle relationship with her. It wasn't awful by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly isn't the greatest Rice I've ever read.
Recommended if you are interested in Pandora, or some of the lesser known characters in the Chronicles.
February 9, 2011
Wow! I love reading stories about vampires and Anne Rice has it going on! I've had this book sitting on my bookcase back home since 8th grade and for some reason I never read it! Well luckily for me, I found this gem the other weekend while I was visiting my parents and am so happy that I finally read it.
In short, this book is about a 2,000 year old vampire named Lydia (aka Pandora) who lived during the height of the Roman Empire (15 B.C.) She is approached by a young vampire named David in the streets of Paris to write down her mortal days leading up to her immortal change. Pandora is reluctant to disclose her past life with this stranger but his charms talk her into complying. This novel read as she is writing her story for David.
Pandora is a strong female lead character who is not only smart and witty, but years before her time in the areas of women's rights and feminism. She approaches religion with such curiosity yet skepticism that I find myself trying to absorb her words straight from the page (or screen he he).
I honestly can't wait to read more of her works on vampires!
In short, this book is about a 2,000 year old vampire named Lydia (aka Pandora) who lived during the height of the Roman Empire (15 B.C.) She is approached by a young vampire named David in the streets of Paris to write down her mortal days leading up to her immortal change. Pandora is reluctant to disclose her past life with this stranger but his charms talk her into complying. This novel read as she is writing her story for David.
Pandora is a strong female lead character who is not only smart and witty, but years before her time in the areas of women's rights and feminism. She approaches religion with such curiosity yet skepticism that I find myself trying to absorb her words straight from the page (or screen he he).
I honestly can't wait to read more of her works on vampires!
March 1, 2011
I actually don't read vampire book. Well, I guess that's the risk (or good thing) of working in a bookshop. I've got curious about this book because of our loyal customer is so totally into this vampire things. When we got 'Pandora' on our list, we called her and she told that she got the book. So I put the book on the shelf to be sold. After a week, no one seem to buy the book and every time I check on the shelf I've grown overly curious about this book, so I end up borrowing the book from the shop and read it before going to bed. To my surprise this book has caught me!
What makes this vampire book interesting is main character, I've always fallin' in love with this strong woman character, plus the setting is in ancient Roman empire. I just love it!
What makes this vampire book interesting is main character, I've always fallin' in love with this strong woman character, plus the setting is in ancient Roman empire. I just love it!
July 27, 2017
Beautiful description and depictions of Ancient Rome and the Mediterreanean. Bonus: Most excellent love story between Marius and Pandora. Some of Rice's finest work!
On a side note, while it's considered Book 1 of the New Tales, I don't really consider this one as separate from the Vampire Chronicles, like I would with Vittorio.
On a side note, while it's considered Book 1 of the New Tales, I don't really consider this one as separate from the Vampire Chronicles, like I would with Vittorio.
October 6, 2020
I did not find this book engaging as I did so many other of Rice’s books. I found it often confusing and downright boring. A lot of it seemed like a jumbled mess of words, with the meaning lost to me, or rather they were without meaning, I’m sorry to say. It’s not one of her best.
January 17, 2015
I read The Vampire Chronicles and a bunch of other Anne Rice books a couple of years ago and to be honest, I overdosed. It took me around 6-7 years to start another one of her books.
I can never be sure weather I like her style or not. Her ideas are almost always very good, but her writing is lacking. It is a bit over the top and wayyy too melodramatic for me. But nevertheless, there are a few books of hers that I really like, most of all Queen of the Damned, which was so, so inspired. To this day I remember Maharet, Akasha, Rock!Lestat and the rest of the bunch like I have read it yesterday.
Pandora was never one of the characters that I cared much about, she has always been background noise for me. I think the reason behind this might be the fact that before ever starting the books, I watched the QofD movie where she was a weird old lady, not very like her actual description in the books.
But, ultimately, I liked much of the story in Pandora. I have always been a die-hard fan of Ancient Greece, Egypt and the Roman Empire, so it was quite interesting for me, in comparison to Lestat's origin story, which was set much, much later, at a less interesting period. What was it, Classicism? I could be wrong.
Despite liking the story, there was one thing I found extremely annoying, and that was the fact that if you haven't read the Vampire Chronicles, you would be completely in the dark about this. Now, as I pointed out, I read them a while back and by now I have forgotten much of the details from books like Memnoch the Devil, although I remember liking that one in particular. I have no recollection, however, of Armand's story beyond his role in the first three books from the Chronicles. Which means that Pandora felt like another companion book, not like the beginning of another series. It just explains another side of the same story which is part of the Vampire Chronicles. Not to mention the fact that. Pandora is first introduced by Lestat as an ex-courtesan who caught Marius' eye. In the Pandora book though, she explains that Marius was what, trying to keep her virtue by explaining that bitch used to be a hooker? I'm not buying it. I have this nagging suspicion that Rice was simply not planning on writing a book about Pandora so she just came up with a random story. And then, a couple of years later, she was like 'There is still money in our Pandora'. So she wrote an entire book with a completely different backstory under the excuse that Marius, for reasons unknown, made the courtesan thing up. Stop milking it, Rice. Come up with some new characters, why don't you?
Also, the melodrama was at top notch. I mean... Rice's over-the-top love and sex conversations can be a little overwhelming, right?
*** I am once again at crossroads. Maybe I should rate it with three stars. Realistically, I think it is 2.5 stars, but somehow I don't feel right overrating it. ***
I can never be sure weather I like her style or not. Her ideas are almost always very good, but her writing is lacking. It is a bit over the top and wayyy too melodramatic for me. But nevertheless, there are a few books of hers that I really like, most of all Queen of the Damned, which was so, so inspired. To this day I remember Maharet, Akasha, Rock!Lestat and the rest of the bunch like I have read it yesterday.
Pandora was never one of the characters that I cared much about, she has always been background noise for me. I think the reason behind this might be the fact that before ever starting the books, I watched the QofD movie where she was a weird old lady, not very like her actual description in the books.
But, ultimately, I liked much of the story in Pandora. I have always been a die-hard fan of Ancient Greece, Egypt and the Roman Empire, so it was quite interesting for me, in comparison to Lestat's origin story, which was set much, much later, at a less interesting period. What was it, Classicism? I could be wrong.
Despite liking the story, there was one thing I found extremely annoying, and that was the fact that if you haven't read the Vampire Chronicles, you would be completely in the dark about this. Now, as I pointed out, I read them a while back and by now I have forgotten much of the details from books like Memnoch the Devil, although I remember liking that one in particular. I have no recollection, however, of Armand's story beyond his role in the first three books from the Chronicles. Which means that Pandora felt like another companion book, not like the beginning of another series. It just explains another side of the same story which is part of the Vampire Chronicles. Not to mention the fact that. Pandora is first introduced by Lestat as an ex-courtesan who caught Marius' eye. In the Pandora book though, she explains that Marius was what, trying to keep her virtue by explaining that bitch used to be a hooker? I'm not buying it. I have this nagging suspicion that Rice was simply not planning on writing a book about Pandora so she just came up with a random story. And then, a couple of years later, she was like 'There is still money in our Pandora'. So she wrote an entire book with a completely different backstory under the excuse that Marius, for reasons unknown, made the courtesan thing up. Stop milking it, Rice. Come up with some new characters, why don't you?
Also, the melodrama was at top notch. I mean... Rice's over-the-top love and sex conversations can be a little overwhelming, right?
*** I am once again at crossroads. Maybe I should rate it with three stars. Realistically, I think it is 2.5 stars, but somehow I don't feel right overrating it. ***
January 22, 2013
I haven't read Anne Rice for almost a decade. We parted unfavourably after my third attempt to read Armand, and I haven't returned since. Pandora reminded of why I both loved her earlier works and why I found Armand impenetrable.
The negatives, unfortunately, dominate the first three quarters of the novel. Much as I remember Armand, Pandora spends significant chunks of time locked in her own head. As a fan of first person narrative, this should represent a positive. But the way this is incorporated during the first 150 pages, is drastically different to the earlier Vampire Chronicles. Instead of using the device to gain access to the protagonist's reactions to characters or situations. The narrative seems more like riding a rail car, taking in the sights and sounds of the world but remaining disconnected. When interaction does occur, I simply found both the dialogue and internal monologue, more often than not, irritating. Around page 105 Pandora says:
"This was very rude and irreverent, but I was in a full state of alarm"
For the majority of the book this seems to be her character. Exclamation marks are used gratuitously and consequently everything appears overly dramatised. I suspect this was all done to best imitate translation from the romantic languages and show how Pandora has changed over the centuries. But, personally, I was more interested in learning of Pandora throughout her life, not just the early off shoot where her brash impulsivity seemed alien to what I remember of her character.
The positive aspects of the story and the author's writing, appear once she has received the Dark Gift. At this point the story turns back to the vampire's mythology and this reminded me why Anne Rice's version of vampire lore remains my favourite. It was particularly interesting to witness the fall of Rome and the rise of Christianity through Pandora's eyes. These sections highlight Anne Rice's ability to integrate historical events into a fictional word and I was impressed at her understanding of how and why Christianity took over as it did. It just seems a waste that we spent so much time one minute part of history when there was the potential of a sweeping narrative and intense character study. An opportunity that is unique to character who has lived for 2000 years.
2.5 stars
Ultimately disappointing, but I do still feel the desire to spend further time in this mythology. Hopefully an increase to my age will allow me to enjoy Armand (the next book) in the way I always hoped I would.
The negatives, unfortunately, dominate the first three quarters of the novel. Much as I remember Armand, Pandora spends significant chunks of time locked in her own head. As a fan of first person narrative, this should represent a positive. But the way this is incorporated during the first 150 pages, is drastically different to the earlier Vampire Chronicles. Instead of using the device to gain access to the protagonist's reactions to characters or situations. The narrative seems more like riding a rail car, taking in the sights and sounds of the world but remaining disconnected. When interaction does occur, I simply found both the dialogue and internal monologue, more often than not, irritating. Around page 105 Pandora says:
"This was very rude and irreverent, but I was in a full state of alarm"
For the majority of the book this seems to be her character. Exclamation marks are used gratuitously and consequently everything appears overly dramatised. I suspect this was all done to best imitate translation from the romantic languages and show how Pandora has changed over the centuries. But, personally, I was more interested in learning of Pandora throughout her life, not just the early off shoot where her brash impulsivity seemed alien to what I remember of her character.
The positive aspects of the story and the author's writing, appear once she has received the Dark Gift. At this point the story turns back to the vampire's mythology and this reminded me why Anne Rice's version of vampire lore remains my favourite. It was particularly interesting to witness the fall of Rome and the rise of Christianity through Pandora's eyes. These sections highlight Anne Rice's ability to integrate historical events into a fictional word and I was impressed at her understanding of how and why Christianity took over as it did. It just seems a waste that we spent so much time one minute part of history when there was the potential of a sweeping narrative and intense character study. An opportunity that is unique to character who has lived for 2000 years.
2.5 stars
Ultimately disappointing, but I do still feel the desire to spend further time in this mythology. Hopefully an increase to my age will allow me to enjoy Armand (the next book) in the way I always hoped I would.
December 7, 2007
Pandora is the first of the two New Tales of the Vampires, the second being Vittorio. We've met Pandora in the Vampire Chronicles as one of the ancients, and alas, this is her story.
Pandora is a patrician from ancient Rome during the time of Augustus. Her father is a Senator, and she is well educated and literate. Rice brings her laudable talent of recreating distant times and places to bear on this wonderful addition to her vampire catalogue. Pre-Christian Rome operated under an entirely different value system then what came after. Whether one is Christian or not, the Western paradigm is rooted in Christian values, and we rarely realize how these color our lens. Rice is really able do delve into and analyze some of these disparities in Pandora, and I must admit she does quite an admirable job of this. An ancient Roman protagonist that rides the ages up to the modern day allows for an epic contrast and commentary that is rare in a work of fiction. One does not have to read all the Vampire chronicles to enjoy and grasp Pandora, as she can be thought of as a type of Prequel to them. However, I would suggest beginning with Interview and following them chronologically. If you enjoy reading, it is rare to have a quality series that spans 12 books. Savor them.
Pandora is a patrician from ancient Rome during the time of Augustus. Her father is a Senator, and she is well educated and literate. Rice brings her laudable talent of recreating distant times and places to bear on this wonderful addition to her vampire catalogue. Pre-Christian Rome operated under an entirely different value system then what came after. Whether one is Christian or not, the Western paradigm is rooted in Christian values, and we rarely realize how these color our lens. Rice is really able do delve into and analyze some of these disparities in Pandora, and I must admit she does quite an admirable job of this. An ancient Roman protagonist that rides the ages up to the modern day allows for an epic contrast and commentary that is rare in a work of fiction. One does not have to read all the Vampire chronicles to enjoy and grasp Pandora, as she can be thought of as a type of Prequel to them. However, I would suggest beginning with Interview and following them chronologically. If you enjoy reading, it is rare to have a quality series that spans 12 books. Savor them.
May 10, 2018
There were many strong areas of this story but the ending was not one of them. It kind of petered out. Pandora was my first Anne Rice novel. I can see why she is popular and it has nothing to do with vampires. She understands the craft of storytelling and uses history to her advantage. She is mindful of the forces that shape history and her story portrays how cities & Empires evolve with time being their great enemy. Philosophy, religion, myth, paganism & superstition are all explored in this book in the very human search for the mysteries of the universe.
4 and a half stars.
4 and a half stars.
December 8, 2020
Trata sobre Lydia, una joven patricia inquieta, impaciente, siempre algunos pasos por delante de su época y conversación de turno ... muy lejos aún de Pandora, la vieja vampira milenaria que participa en La reina de los condenados. Aunque técnicamente pertenece a otra serie, es una crónica más.
De hecho, el principio de la novela enlaza directamente con la devastadora conclusión de Memnoch el diablo. Hace un instructivo y fantástico trazo de la sociedad romana y su periodo histórico así como de algún otro lugar que no quiero desvelar.
Por otro lado, hay más mitología vampírica egipcia. Aparecen "clásicos" de Crónicas como Marius, en esta ocasión para mostrar esa unión legendaria con tanta química explosiva; y nuevos como Flavius, otro de tantos buenos personajes que ha alumbrado la indefinible, melancólica, abismal pluma de Rice.
Tengo que decir que hubo un par de diálogos importantes en que Pandora me descolocó por contestaciones afiladas, algo desproporcionadas a la situación. Pero igualmente ha sido una gran historia que, como he dicho, no desmerece a las crónicas.
De hecho, el principio de la novela enlaza directamente con la devastadora conclusión de Memnoch el diablo. Hace un instructivo y fantástico trazo de la sociedad romana y su periodo histórico así como de algún otro lugar que no quiero desvelar.
Por otro lado, hay más mitología vampírica egipcia. Aparecen "clásicos" de Crónicas como Marius, en esta ocasión para mostrar esa unión legendaria con tanta química explosiva; y nuevos como Flavius, otro de tantos buenos personajes que ha alumbrado la indefinible, melancólica, abismal pluma de Rice.
Tengo que decir que hubo un par de diálogos importantes en que Pandora me descolocó por contestaciones afiladas, algo desproporcionadas a la situación. Pero igualmente ha sido una gran historia que, como he dicho, no desmerece a las crónicas.
June 12, 2014
Reseñado en mi blog Nanny Books
Tenía entendido que la saga Nuevas historias de vampiros era posterior a la saga principal de la autora, Crónicas vampíricas, pero resulta que no es así. ¡Atención! Esto es muy importante para todos los que estén siguiendo libro por libro de Rice (como yo). El orden ideal para leer estos tomos sería así:
° Crónicas Vampíricas #5: Memnoch el diablo
- Nuevas Historias de Vampiros #1: Pandora
° Crónicas Vampíricas #6: Armand el vampiro
- Nuevas Historias de Vampiros #2: Vittorio el vampiro
° Crónicas Vampíricas #7: Merrick y demás tomos.
¿Se ha entendido? Eso espero, jajaja. Además de las sagas de vampiros, también se debería intercalar la lectura con la saga Las brujas de Mayfair, pero esto sería a partir del séptimo tomo de las Crónicas. Y ya es un terreno más opcional.
Como siempre ocurre conmigo, he leído la saga en mal orden. Se suponía que no debía leer Armand el vampiro hasta que terminara con Pandora, pero lo hice totalmente al revés... Bueno, de todas formas no es que el personaje del vampiro con rostro de angelito me guste mucho, como ya saben...
La historia de esta novela, inicio de una saga paralela a las Crónicas que la autora abandonó prontamente, comienza justo al final de Memnoch el diablo y nos encontramos con un peculiar David Talbot que busca recolectar las historias de los vampiros antiguos. No avanza para nada en el hilo argumental de las Crónicas, por lo tanto es un spin off en toda regla.
Es algo extraño y resulta muy increíble que el inglés David vaya a conocer a los vampiros ancianos, que son más fuertes y antiguos (por algo se llaman Los Hijos del Milenio) que todos los demás, debido a que, en primera instancia, es super peligroso; en segunda instancia, él es una creación de Lestat, y no todo el mundo quiero a nuestro héroe; en tercero, ¿para qué?, ¡está loco!. Si logramos superar nuestro escepticismo al respecto, resulta grandiosa la historia que se nos contará:
Pandora es una protagonista excepcional, una mujer que de humana ya era fuerte y controvertida... de vampira promete muchos dolores de cabeza, para nuestro querido Marius especialmente. Por primera vez en mucho tiempo, Rice nos concede a una narrador femenino. Sin embargo, como suele suceder con todos sus personajes, termina siendo un tanto ambiguo.
La novela, narrada en primera persona a estilo de diario, pronto nos sorprenderá con sus descripciones históricas y paisajistas realmente documentadas hasta el dedillo. Y esto se los puedo confirmar, Rice se esmeró muchísimo con su trabajo de investigación.
Lo romántico se mezcla con lo histórico, con lo sobrenatural y con el thriller. Oh, sí, aquí hay de todo, incluso se hace lugar para hablar de religión (una vez más). Veremos el lado masculino de Marius, ¡lo veremos incluso humano! Sabremos de los enredos amatorios de Pandora, tanto como vampira como humana. Y en medio de todo eso, tendremos un par de detalles acerca de nuestra antigua reina caída, Akasha.
El libro es realmente corto, al menos para lo que nos ha acostumbrado Rice. No llega a las trescientas páginas, y la mayoría del contenido es acerca de la vida humana de Pandora. Y ahí se encuentra el fallo único que tiene: deja varias cosas inconclusas y otras tantas las apura.
En fin, me ha gustado, pero no es lo mejor que he leído de Rice. Es de rápida lectura, más breve que otros tomos, igual de interesante. Se los recomiendo solo a aquellos que vienen siguiendo la saga.
Tenía entendido que la saga Nuevas historias de vampiros era posterior a la saga principal de la autora, Crónicas vampíricas, pero resulta que no es así. ¡Atención! Esto es muy importante para todos los que estén siguiendo libro por libro de Rice (como yo). El orden ideal para leer estos tomos sería así:
° Crónicas Vampíricas #5: Memnoch el diablo
- Nuevas Historias de Vampiros #1: Pandora
° Crónicas Vampíricas #6: Armand el vampiro
- Nuevas Historias de Vampiros #2: Vittorio el vampiro
° Crónicas Vampíricas #7: Merrick y demás tomos.
¿Se ha entendido? Eso espero, jajaja. Además de las sagas de vampiros, también se debería intercalar la lectura con la saga Las brujas de Mayfair, pero esto sería a partir del séptimo tomo de las Crónicas. Y ya es un terreno más opcional.
Como siempre ocurre conmigo, he leído la saga en mal orden. Se suponía que no debía leer Armand el vampiro hasta que terminara con Pandora, pero lo hice totalmente al revés... Bueno, de todas formas no es que el personaje del vampiro con rostro de angelito me guste mucho, como ya saben...
La historia de esta novela, inicio de una saga paralela a las Crónicas que la autora abandonó prontamente, comienza justo al final de Memnoch el diablo y nos encontramos con un peculiar David Talbot que busca recolectar las historias de los vampiros antiguos. No avanza para nada en el hilo argumental de las Crónicas, por lo tanto es un spin off en toda regla.
Es algo extraño y resulta muy increíble que el inglés David vaya a conocer a los vampiros ancianos, que son más fuertes y antiguos (por algo se llaman Los Hijos del Milenio) que todos los demás, debido a que, en primera instancia, es super peligroso; en segunda instancia, él es una creación de Lestat, y no todo el mundo quiero a nuestro héroe; en tercero, ¿para qué?, ¡está loco!. Si logramos superar nuestro escepticismo al respecto, resulta grandiosa la historia que se nos contará:
Pandora es una protagonista excepcional, una mujer que de humana ya era fuerte y controvertida... de vampira promete muchos dolores de cabeza, para nuestro querido Marius especialmente. Por primera vez en mucho tiempo, Rice nos concede a una narrador femenino. Sin embargo, como suele suceder con todos sus personajes, termina siendo un tanto ambiguo.
La novela, narrada en primera persona a estilo de diario, pronto nos sorprenderá con sus descripciones históricas y paisajistas realmente documentadas hasta el dedillo. Y esto se los puedo confirmar, Rice se esmeró muchísimo con su trabajo de investigación.
Lo romántico se mezcla con lo histórico, con lo sobrenatural y con el thriller. Oh, sí, aquí hay de todo, incluso se hace lugar para hablar de religión (una vez más). Veremos el lado masculino de Marius, ¡lo veremos incluso humano! Sabremos de los enredos amatorios de Pandora, tanto como vampira como humana. Y en medio de todo eso, tendremos un par de detalles acerca de nuestra antigua reina caída, Akasha.
El libro es realmente corto, al menos para lo que nos ha acostumbrado Rice. No llega a las trescientas páginas, y la mayoría del contenido es acerca de la vida humana de Pandora. Y ahí se encuentra el fallo único que tiene: deja varias cosas inconclusas y otras tantas las apura.
En fin, me ha gustado, pero no es lo mejor que he leído de Rice. Es de rápida lectura, más breve que otros tomos, igual de interesante. Se los recomiendo solo a aquellos que vienen siguiendo la saga.
March 27, 2020
So I finished reading this book. That's good old Anne Rice style.
I imagined Pandora as some cold woman. But in her story I saw she was a strong Roman woman, who was well-educated, always told her opinion, loved to read books and maybe was even smarter than any man. I just love her feministic side mixed with her passionate side. Maybe Pandora fell too deep into religious things and I think Marius had all rights to argue with her telling what nonsences all cults are.
The whole storyline was great in my opinion. I liked many historical persons, philosophy and so many feelings. But the book ended so fast. I think it was an amazing story if I started to feel emptiness after reading it and thinking why it ended so fast.
And this book gave me so many feelings... Pandora reminded me of my beloved one whom I called my beloved Pandora as in the last pages of book. It was some personal feelings I found in this story. And love scenes made me shiver. I saw how Marius and Pandora were bonded to each other. A true love bond.
So in conclusion I shall say that this book was amazing, touching my heart and giving me so many feelings, so much "food for mybrains".
I imagined Pandora as some cold woman. But in her story I saw she was a strong Roman woman, who was well-educated, always told her opinion, loved to read books and maybe was even smarter than any man. I just love her feministic side mixed with her passionate side. Maybe Pandora fell too deep into religious things and I think Marius had all rights to argue with her telling what nonsences all cults are.
The whole storyline was great in my opinion. I liked many historical persons, philosophy and so many feelings. But the book ended so fast. I think it was an amazing story if I started to feel emptiness after reading it and thinking why it ended so fast.
And this book gave me so many feelings... Pandora reminded me of my beloved one whom I called my beloved Pandora as in the last pages of book. It was some personal feelings I found in this story. And love scenes made me shiver. I saw how Marius and Pandora were bonded to each other. A true love bond.
So in conclusion I shall say that this book was amazing, touching my heart and giving me so many feelings, so much "food for mybrains".
January 14, 2010
I loved this book with a passion! It is an amazing story that hooks you from the first chapter. The way it is written is amazing. Anne Rice is an amazing novelist. I love her books. The brother book to this, "Blood and Gold", Marius's story, is heartbreaking and exciting.
Both books have so much in them its like reading three books in one, but it isn't overwhelming. The plotline carries very smoothly. I loved these books so much and would recommend this to anyone with a stomach for death and a heart for love.
Both books have so much in them its like reading three books in one, but it isn't overwhelming. The plotline carries very smoothly. I loved these books so much and would recommend this to anyone with a stomach for death and a heart for love.
June 21, 2021
I really liked reading a book about Pandora, a vampire who is very mysterious and not as involved with Lestat as others (atleast from what I’ve read in the main series so far). After reading this book, Pandora is probably my favourite female character written by Anne Rice. Shes cunning and her strong will is shown throughout the book in interesting ways.
Pandora is actually human for a large portion of this book. It was cool to see into her human life leading up to her becoming a vampire, but I would have liked to see more of her stories that came in the centuries that passed. It was great seeing more of Marius again of course, and David, every character adores David and I love that lol (how can they not?), the new character Flavius was a favourite as well.
I prefer reading from Lestat’s perspective, but this was still very enjoyable. It was nice to see another vampires story.
Pandora is actually human for a large portion of this book. It was cool to see into her human life leading up to her becoming a vampire, but I would have liked to see more of her stories that came in the centuries that passed. It was great seeing more of Marius again of course, and David, every character adores David and I love that lol (how can they not?), the new character Flavius was a favourite as well.
I prefer reading from Lestat’s perspective, but this was still very enjoyable. It was nice to see another vampires story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2022
Well...truly a product of the 90s. I didn't care for the mystery/visions from an ancient Goddess plot at all, I hope the next books focus more on the interpersonal drama, that was fun and also a different time period, I hate the Romans
January 25, 2009
Because Anne Rice has been writing vampire books for years, I have to assume that Stephenie Meyer got some of her vampire characteristics from her work. Rice does a better job of describing the exquisite beauty of her vampires - like comparing their eyes to jewels while Meyer gets repetitive with vague words like "perfect" or "godlike" or describing the physiological reaction to such beauty. I noticed that Rice also used the word "dazzle" once which is a huge Twilight reference now. Both have vampires concerned about the morality of killing humans in order to live.
Rice's work is more serious and is heavily researched since her characters are placed in the real world, and real history - the vampires in this story are Romans. And maybe that contributes to the dramatic quality to the way they speak and think. I was a bit confused at the main characters' hostility towards each other, seemingly without provocation and because they love each other so. It was kind of like guessing the meaning of a word by the surrounding words and context... you kind of get it, but not entirely. I kind of like that, though, and don't mind having to come up with my own conclusions without the author leading me by the hand.
There were a lot of references to other characters from other stories, so I think I may have ruined the outcome of some of the earlier books, but I'll probably forget by the time I read them. There are a LOT of them, though, so maybe I'll just keep going with this series. It's obvious that Rice had to give it up to her fans by creating chronicle after chronicle of new vampires. Interview With the Vampire was her first book, so maybe I'll just read that one and then go on from Pandora.
I liked the book for the way history was portrayed - as seen through the eyes of a Roman. I got a little sucked in when Pandora had to leave Rome. The story picked up and I wanted to see how she comes across Marius again. I think, in the end, that I had more questions than understanding and the book ended up just being OK.
Rice's work is more serious and is heavily researched since her characters are placed in the real world, and real history - the vampires in this story are Romans. And maybe that contributes to the dramatic quality to the way they speak and think. I was a bit confused at the main characters' hostility towards each other, seemingly without provocation and because they love each other so. It was kind of like guessing the meaning of a word by the surrounding words and context... you kind of get it, but not entirely. I kind of like that, though, and don't mind having to come up with my own conclusions without the author leading me by the hand.
There were a lot of references to other characters from other stories, so I think I may have ruined the outcome of some of the earlier books, but I'll probably forget by the time I read them. There are a LOT of them, though, so maybe I'll just keep going with this series. It's obvious that Rice had to give it up to her fans by creating chronicle after chronicle of new vampires. Interview With the Vampire was her first book, so maybe I'll just read that one and then go on from Pandora.
I liked the book for the way history was portrayed - as seen through the eyes of a Roman. I got a little sucked in when Pandora had to leave Rome. The story picked up and I wanted to see how she comes across Marius again. I think, in the end, that I had more questions than understanding and the book ended up just being OK.
February 13, 2022
I romanzi di Anne Rice sono sempre affascinanti, specialmente quando si perdono in racconti di tempi andati. La descrizione di Roma è bellissima e inoltre ci fa entrare nella vita mondana dei nobili dell’epoca: cene e banchetti, orge e competizioni di oratoria. E in più i culti misterici, che all’epoca si stavano diffondendo a Roma partendo dall’Oriente: Cibele, il cristianesimo… e poi il culto di Iside, quello a cui Pandora si lega e che viene esplorato soprattutto nei suoi aspetti umani. Pandora è figlia di Roma, figlia della sua grande storiografia e della filosofia greca. Guarda alla religione con sguardo disincantato, ma allo stesso tempo ne nota gli effetti positivi: la grande partecipazione, la solidarietà, l’uguaglianza… tutte quelle piccole cose che danno conforto all’individuo, che lo fanno sentire meno solo.
Certo, Pandora non è cieca di fronte alla violenza, ai tradimenti della vita, di cui lei stessa è vittima. Eppure non cede e quando anche è in difficoltà ricorre alla sua maggiore arma: l’eloquenza. Mi ha affascinato molto il ritratto di questa donna antica molto moderna. Nel momento in cui lei viene trasformata in vampiro, invece di disperarsi, è contenta! (ps: finalmente qualcuno che apprezza l’immortalità e se la gode invece di essere triste e frignare!). E subito vuole uscire, vedere il mondo, non ha alcuna paura:
"Le parole che hai pronunciato prima, “ragazza” e “donna”, hanno sempre circoscritto la mia vita. Ora voglio semplicemente camminare senza paura, a braccia nude e coi capelli sciolti sulle spalle, in qualsiasi antro pericoloso io scelga di entrare."
Mi è piaciuto questa visione della trasformazione non come costrizione, non come condanna o maledizione, ma come opportunità: Pandora è sempre stata intrappolata dal suo ruolo e dal suo essere donna. Ora che è diventata vampira, sente che tutti i limiti che il mondo, la società o la famiglia le avevano imposto non vogliono dire più niente.
Recensione completa:
https://www.madeforbooks.net/post/un-...
Certo, Pandora non è cieca di fronte alla violenza, ai tradimenti della vita, di cui lei stessa è vittima. Eppure non cede e quando anche è in difficoltà ricorre alla sua maggiore arma: l’eloquenza. Mi ha affascinato molto il ritratto di questa donna antica molto moderna. Nel momento in cui lei viene trasformata in vampiro, invece di disperarsi, è contenta! (ps: finalmente qualcuno che apprezza l’immortalità e se la gode invece di essere triste e frignare!). E subito vuole uscire, vedere il mondo, non ha alcuna paura:
"Le parole che hai pronunciato prima, “ragazza” e “donna”, hanno sempre circoscritto la mia vita. Ora voglio semplicemente camminare senza paura, a braccia nude e coi capelli sciolti sulle spalle, in qualsiasi antro pericoloso io scelga di entrare."
Mi è piaciuto questa visione della trasformazione non come costrizione, non come condanna o maledizione, ma come opportunità: Pandora è sempre stata intrappolata dal suo ruolo e dal suo essere donna. Ora che è diventata vampira, sente che tutti i limiti che il mondo, la società o la famiglia le avevano imposto non vogliono dire più niente.
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January 25, 2018
Hmmm... I kinda really liked this!
Anne Rice is a great historical fiction writer. Telling it through the various voices of her immortals allows reflection and grief as they witness the simultaneous progress/decline of humanity and civilization. Although it's worth mentioning that Pandora doesn't really have a definite conclusion in terms of the on-going search for meaning that tends to exist in all of this author's works. Oh and as always it's absolutely bat-shit crazy but I love it.
While maybe not essential reading, this is still a nice addition to The Vampire Chronicles. If you're a fan of earlier installments, and generally enjoy Rice's writing, then it's worthwhile giving Pandora a shot! Nothing quite compares the initial trilogy as far as I'm concerned but if you don't expect it to then you won't be disappointed. It's still a good story on it's own merit.
For the sake of comparison here's how I've rated her other works:
Interview... - 5*
The Vampire Lestat - 5*
Queen of the Damned - 5*
The Tale of The Body Thief - 3*
The Mummy - 5*
Anne Rice is a great historical fiction writer. Telling it through the various voices of her immortals allows reflection and grief as they witness the simultaneous progress/decline of humanity and civilization. Although it's worth mentioning that Pandora doesn't really have a definite conclusion in terms of the on-going search for meaning that tends to exist in all of this author's works. Oh and as always it's absolutely bat-shit crazy but I love it.
While maybe not essential reading, this is still a nice addition to The Vampire Chronicles. If you're a fan of earlier installments, and generally enjoy Rice's writing, then it's worthwhile giving Pandora a shot! Nothing quite compares the initial trilogy as far as I'm concerned but if you don't expect it to then you won't be disappointed. It's still a good story on it's own merit.
For the sake of comparison here's how I've rated her other works:
Interview... - 5*
The Vampire Lestat - 5*
Queen of the Damned - 5*
The Tale of The Body Thief - 3*
The Mummy - 5*
December 16, 2008
Pandora is one of my favorites in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.
May 16, 2022
2.5*
Mi primer libro de Anne Rice y es una experiencia agridulce.
“Si siembras por doquier las semillas de la desconfianza, acabas sepultado en un campo cubierto de maleza”
Nada más empezar el libro, el capítulo 1 me confundió mucho. Yo suponía que no tenía que leer Crónicas Vampíricas antes, pues por algo ésta serie tiene su propio nombre y numeración, pero me encontré con un montón de personajes y referencias de la ficción de Anne Rice imposibles de seguir.
Por su parte, el último capítulo es aburridísimo. No solo no aporta absolutamente nada a la trama, sino que es otro montón de personas históricas y referencias también imposibles de seguir. Es que, ¿Quiénes son esas personas? Y no me juzguen, simplemente es un periodo histórico que no me interesa mucho, y sobretodo, nada de eso es importante narrarlo en un “libro de vampiros”
Pero bien, lo que hay en medio de esos dos capítulos es otra cosa. Les ha pasado que leen libros de ficción y piensan “esto podría ser real” (?). Pandora tiene mucho de eso.
Si bien, la prosa es bellísima sin llegar a ser artificiosa, el mayor problema es que la mayor parte del libro es aburrida y, cada vez que piensas que toma fuerza, vuelve a decaer en descripciones y referencias poco atractivas.
Honestamente, no entendí al cien por ciento todo lo relativo al vampirismo y la mitología presentada por la autora, e incluso me parece innecesario y más un pretexto para amarrar una historia sobre una mujer empoderada a su saga Best Seller y, por consiguiente, vender más.
Y es que, la parte “no vampírica” de Pandora es excelente. Todo lo relativo a su personaje y sus tratos con la sociedad de entonces, su carácter y sus decisiones son lo que sostiene ésta historia. Pero que, como ya dije, decae cada vez que creemos que toma fuerza.
“No te aferres a la razón en un mundo donde existen tal numerosas y horrendas contradicciones”
Lo Mejor: Pudo ser una gran novela histórica.
Lo Peor: Parece que Anne Rice se obligó a conectarla a Crónicas Vampíricas, aunque eso supusiera sacrificar lo que pudo ser el libro.
Mi primer libro de Anne Rice y es una experiencia agridulce.
“Si siembras por doquier las semillas de la desconfianza, acabas sepultado en un campo cubierto de maleza”
Nada más empezar el libro, el capítulo 1 me confundió mucho. Yo suponía que no tenía que leer Crónicas Vampíricas antes, pues por algo ésta serie tiene su propio nombre y numeración, pero me encontré con un montón de personajes y referencias de la ficción de Anne Rice imposibles de seguir.
Por su parte, el último capítulo es aburridísimo. No solo no aporta absolutamente nada a la trama, sino que es otro montón de personas históricas y referencias también imposibles de seguir. Es que, ¿Quiénes son esas personas? Y no me juzguen, simplemente es un periodo histórico que no me interesa mucho, y sobretodo, nada de eso es importante narrarlo en un “libro de vampiros”
Pero bien, lo que hay en medio de esos dos capítulos es otra cosa. Les ha pasado que leen libros de ficción y piensan “esto podría ser real” (?). Pandora tiene mucho de eso.
Si bien, la prosa es bellísima sin llegar a ser artificiosa, el mayor problema es que la mayor parte del libro es aburrida y, cada vez que piensas que toma fuerza, vuelve a decaer en descripciones y referencias poco atractivas.
Honestamente, no entendí al cien por ciento todo lo relativo al vampirismo y la mitología presentada por la autora, e incluso me parece innecesario y más un pretexto para amarrar una historia sobre una mujer empoderada a su saga Best Seller y, por consiguiente, vender más.
Y es que, la parte “no vampírica” de Pandora es excelente. Todo lo relativo a su personaje y sus tratos con la sociedad de entonces, su carácter y sus decisiones son lo que sostiene ésta historia. Pero que, como ya dije, decae cada vez que creemos que toma fuerza.
“No te aferres a la razón en un mundo donde existen tal numerosas y horrendas contradicciones”
Lo Mejor: Pudo ser una gran novela histórica.
Lo Peor: Parece que Anne Rice se obligó a conectarla a Crónicas Vampíricas, aunque eso supusiera sacrificar lo que pudo ser el libro.
November 13, 2015
Way, way back in the Nineties, when I fell in love with Interview with a Vampire, this was one of the very few of Anne Rice's offerings that I failed to devour (yes, sorry, I know, bad pun) so when I came across it recently I was pleased to pick it up and recover some of the joys of the original books.
Well, obviously that failed in a big way. I remember Pandora from my original readings, she appeared aloof, detached and a potentially very interesting character in a very evocative series. Sadly I had forgotten that the creativity and freshness of the Vampire series had declined sharply after a while and that was why I stopped reading them in the first place.
Pandora is a travesty of those early books. The rich, visual and visceral descriptiveness that made Interview, Lestat and Queen so addictive is entirely lacking in this novel. Occasionally Rice remembers she is meant to do descriptions, she cobbles a quick paragraph or two together, very much insipid replicas of previous novels and then gets on with it.
What exactly is 'it'? Good question.
In the first chapter 'it' is a bland stream-of-consciousness, egocentric, introspection on the part of modern Pandora. This segment is so incredibly lazy that not only does it fail to describe any characters or scenes but it refers, in full italicised titles to all the other books Rice wrote that are her source books for this one and the characters herein. Memmnoch the devil, Body Thief, Queen of the Damned.... All used instead of any attempt to set the scene or it's characters. Rice is not even superficially trying to make these characters in their own right. The introduction is also quite dull, I bore with it in hopes of an improvement when we went back in time.
The 'historical settings' that helped lure me in are minimal. The Rome setting might have been interesting if we had looked at t much, Antioch was completely ignored as a potentially interesting setting.
Instead of historical detail we get Pandora in Rome she is presented as an amazing learned oracle of education and learning. One gets a bit sick of Rice name dropping ovid on every single page and that is about the extent to which it is historical. The mangled attempt to describe the political succession of Rome completely befuddled me. I had thought I had a reasonable understanding of the succession from previous books, but this was impossible to follow.
The attempts to set the historical scene were laughable; yes, we all know Romans used Garum, fish sauce. No, for goodness sake, it was NOTHING like ketchup (pgs 46-47).
It gets worse.
Pandora decamps to Antioch as a rich widow in hiding (btw Pandora is NOTHING to do with the original myth, that could have worked so well too) Antioch as a historical city has such promise for creating a setting, but no, instead we get a mindlessly insane Pandora, raging and bouncing around the place like a deranged pinball machine ball for no apparent reason, without advancing the plot.
Finally she gets the dark trick, made a Vampire. How incredibly tedious and anticlimactic that scene was.
After that, our prodigy of learning a reason suddenly metamorphoses into a whiny needy female who is all about religion and emotions while Marius (Yes, we do get there eventually, and he is about as interesting as a cardboard cut-out) is the new prodigy of reason. They fight a lot. Pages and pages of whiny, repetitive rhetoric.
By the end I was skim reading a lot. While doing so I tried to figure out if the books were all as bad as this one and I had just been carried away by the newness of it all: I don't think so however, reading just a few pages of 'Lestat' the visually rich writing is still there. But it is wholly absent in Pandora. I glanced through my copy of 'Interview'. Louis was a whiny bitch, for sure, but his introspective self analysis was convincing in a way that nothing, NOTHING about Pandora even approached.
I wanted to like it, I really did but there was just nothing to like at all. For the first two third of the book it scrapped its way into a two stars but the end was pure monotony and idiocy and it slid right down to a single star. It might even deserve less.
DO yourselves a favour, skip this one.
Well, obviously that failed in a big way. I remember Pandora from my original readings, she appeared aloof, detached and a potentially very interesting character in a very evocative series. Sadly I had forgotten that the creativity and freshness of the Vampire series had declined sharply after a while and that was why I stopped reading them in the first place.
Pandora is a travesty of those early books. The rich, visual and visceral descriptiveness that made Interview, Lestat and Queen so addictive is entirely lacking in this novel. Occasionally Rice remembers she is meant to do descriptions, she cobbles a quick paragraph or two together, very much insipid replicas of previous novels and then gets on with it.
What exactly is 'it'? Good question.
In the first chapter 'it' is a bland stream-of-consciousness, egocentric, introspection on the part of modern Pandora. This segment is so incredibly lazy that not only does it fail to describe any characters or scenes but it refers, in full italicised titles to all the other books Rice wrote that are her source books for this one and the characters herein. Memmnoch the devil, Body Thief, Queen of the Damned.... All used instead of any attempt to set the scene or it's characters. Rice is not even superficially trying to make these characters in their own right. The introduction is also quite dull, I bore with it in hopes of an improvement when we went back in time.
The 'historical settings' that helped lure me in are minimal. The Rome setting might have been interesting if we had looked at t much, Antioch was completely ignored as a potentially interesting setting.
Instead of historical detail we get Pandora in Rome she is presented as an amazing learned oracle of education and learning. One gets a bit sick of Rice name dropping ovid on every single page and that is about the extent to which it is historical. The mangled attempt to describe the political succession of Rome completely befuddled me. I had thought I had a reasonable understanding of the succession from previous books, but this was impossible to follow.
The attempts to set the historical scene were laughable; yes, we all know Romans used Garum, fish sauce. No, for goodness sake, it was NOTHING like ketchup (pgs 46-47).
It gets worse.
Pandora decamps to Antioch as a rich widow in hiding (btw Pandora is NOTHING to do with the original myth, that could have worked so well too) Antioch as a historical city has such promise for creating a setting, but no, instead we get a mindlessly insane Pandora, raging and bouncing around the place like a deranged pinball machine ball for no apparent reason, without advancing the plot.
Finally she gets the dark trick, made a Vampire. How incredibly tedious and anticlimactic that scene was.
After that, our prodigy of learning a reason suddenly metamorphoses into a whiny needy female who is all about religion and emotions while Marius (Yes, we do get there eventually, and he is about as interesting as a cardboard cut-out) is the new prodigy of reason. They fight a lot. Pages and pages of whiny, repetitive rhetoric.
By the end I was skim reading a lot. While doing so I tried to figure out if the books were all as bad as this one and I had just been carried away by the newness of it all: I don't think so however, reading just a few pages of 'Lestat' the visually rich writing is still there. But it is wholly absent in Pandora. I glanced through my copy of 'Interview'. Louis was a whiny bitch, for sure, but his introspective self analysis was convincing in a way that nothing, NOTHING about Pandora even approached.
I wanted to like it, I really did but there was just nothing to like at all. For the first two third of the book it scrapped its way into a two stars but the end was pure monotony and idiocy and it slid right down to a single star. It might even deserve less.
DO yourselves a favour, skip this one.
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