The Queen of the Damned

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Kate Nelligan

Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Three brilliantly colored narrative threads intertwine as the story unfolds:

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

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

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

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

©1988 by Anne O'Brien Rice (P)1988 by Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Mesmerizing . . . a wonderful web of dark-side mythology.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“With The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice has created universes within universes, traveling back in time as far as ancient, pre-pyramidic Egypt and journeying from the frozen mountain peaks of Nepal to the crowded, sweating streets of southern Florida.”—Los Angeles Times

“Imaginative . . . intelligently written . . . This is popular fiction of the highest order.”—USA Today

Great book, poor audio quality

I love this book. In fact it's one of my favorites of the series. However, the recording quality is terrible. It has a lot of static and distortion and is hard to hear escpecially when the violins are playing.

Excellent

I just think Anne Rice has an incredible way to describe vampire world and make it believebable for all. This book in particular hooked me from start to finish and as a history lover I just think she did an amazing job this is my favorite book of the vampire chronicles.

Not enjoyable

I read this book once before but I was not interested in it this time. the reader did not capture my attention and I did not care for the violin playing in the reading.

Audible cut short book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

NO. Audible cut this short and missed most of the story. I just jumps ove most of the book

Any additional comments?

BIook is bad. Download shows complette, but most of book is missing.

What is this

I did not understand what was happening like at all like fr this was a good book tho

Beautiful but hard to follow

As a long time fan of Anne Rice and her Vampire books, I delved quickly into Queen of the Damned. While I enjoyed the story, I found it at times very difficult to follow. The ABRIDGED recording seemed to jump at innoportune places and left me wondering what I had missed. Those seeking more insight into the lives of certain vampires, such as Pandora, Louis or Maruis, will find that there place has largely been cut from the story. Fans may want to wait for an unabridged recording to come out. Or read the book.

Best of the series

If you could sum up The Queen of the Damned in three words, what would they be?

Best in series

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Queen of the Damned?

When the queen confronted the mountain top vampire in India

Have you listened to any of Kate Nelligan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

n/a

Who was the most memorable character of The Queen of the Damned and why?

The queen herself because as evil as she was, you could understand her thoughts and reasoning.

Any additional comments?

I know the die-hard Ann Rice fans, at the time of this book's release, hated it, but I thought she'd topped herself.

Abridged

Too much is cut out of the original story. I've read every book and 2 hours does not do this story justice. I bought a version that was unabridged. This is a waste.

If you've seen the movie(s) then read the books...

Writing a review for the entire series

... but not in reverse. I found some of the series to really stick with and really not gel with one another. I'm only giving this harsh criticism because it was marketed as a series, I truly think each book should stand on its own. Some of the stories, for me, were fantastic, others were just plain dull. If you are a truly Anne Rice fan then I'm assuming you will love all of these.

Enchanting

I did not want it to end! Anne Rice never disappoints me LOVED IT!