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MEMNOCH THE DEVIL: Vampire Chronicles, No.5
by Anne Rice
Ballantine, July 1997
434 pages
$7.99
ISBN: 0345409671


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

After having dealt with the incidents of THE TALE OF THE BODY THIEF, the Vampire Lestat is ready to move on with the world. For the last six months he has been tracking this man who aside from being a drug dealer, he also handles religious artifacts. Roger is devoted to his daughter Dora, a televangelist and Lestat is waiting for an opportune moment to kill him without hurting the daughter. Once he accomplishes that the Vampire is haunted by the ghost of Roger who has a story to tell regarding some of his acquisitions and a request to look after his daughter. Lestat feels an obligation to honor the dead man's request, but there is something else. He has been followed by an unknown entity that will later appear to him in the form of An Ordinary Man and makes him a tempting offer.

MEMNOCH THE DEVIL is a story inspired by the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The author of such great works like THE SCARLET LETTER and THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES wrote several short stories regarding man's hunt in divining the truth of good and evil. Anne Rice makes references to ETHAN BRAND, a story of a man in search of the Unpardonable Sin and the journey Lestat is about to take is quite similar to the one taken by Young Goodman Brown, the title character in a Hawthorne short story.

Memnoch claims to be the Devil and he would like Lestat to be his right-hand man. Lestat is skeptical knowing that the demon is supposed to be the Prince of Lies. Memnoch claims to just be misunderstood and offers the Vampire the opportunity to visit Heaven and Hell before he makes up his mind. Rice then takes the reader on a journey exploring philosophical, religious and humanitarian questions similar to those found in a Hawthorne tale.

This novel is not an easy read and one should take their time reading this impressive novel. It is not an attack to the things we are supposed to know, but it gives you an opportunity to think. If you are looking for lots of sex and violence, search elsewhere. This is not that kind of book.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, July 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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