Blood Communion

September 1, 2018
Of crunching bones, collapsing veins, and nicely coordinated outfits: Rice's Vampire Chronicles gets a fresh transfusion.Alas, poor Rhoshamandes: He was about the only character to breathe any new life, so to speak, into Rice's pallid vamp saga thanks to some stately if gory moments in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016). And now--well, like the series, old Rosh has seen better days. Meanwhile, the longtime ringmaster of the sharp-toothed show, Lestat, is consolidating his power while taking an increasingly evident interest in aesthetics that, in lesser hands, would likely translate into a barrage of product placement. As it is, a few brand names slip through: Wouldn't you just know it that a vampire wouldn't be seen dead with an Android? It's not just that, as Lestat observes, "Almost all vampires are beautiful," but that the good stuff gets called out, from "English Chippendale chairs" to "rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires everywhere that one looked, or ropes of pearls and barrettes and pins of gold and silver." And why so much attention to the things of the world? Perhaps because, as it seems, Lestat doesn't have much to occupy himself with apart from a literal rock-star moment and all that politicking with Rhoshamandes, who, it has to be said, had more than a shot or two at making things good with Lestat and company. The story takes some time to gather momentum, a shame for a book that's so short, especially as compared to others in the series. Still, while most of the proceedings seem a familiar footnote to the larger series as it's unfolded over the decades, there are some nicely icky passages that would give Stephen King pause: "I threw the headless body onto the coverlet, tossed the smashed and empty head on top of the body, then gathered up even the heart and what I'd vomited of the brain and the eyes, and flung them all together...."Just the bucket of blood for die-hard Rice fans.

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October 8, 2018
A furious battle with an implacable enemy of the vampire Lestat energizes the plot of this new episode in Rice’s sprawling Vampire Chronicles. Upon returning to his court in France, vampire Prince Lestat is informed that the ancient vampire Rhoshamandes, bound by a truce forged following his murder of the vampire matriarch Maharet, is once again antagonizing members of the vampire hierarchy. When Rhoshamandes begins picking off members of the court one by one to avenge the death of his lover, the stage is set for a grisly final face-off between him and Lestat. As in Rice’s previous books, this story is distinguished by the sensuality with which she describes her vampires and their way of life. This installment stands out in particular for showing the transformation of Lestat, over time, from the brash “Brat Prince” to a lover and protector of those whom he now thinks of as “my people, my tribe, my family.” Fans old and new will find this book an effusive celebration of a saga now more than 40 years in the making. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit.

August 1, 2018
The so-called Brat Prince returns to his kingdom after the events chronicled in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016), but all is not well. Lestat is riding high as a strong ruler of the court as his brood flourishes under his domain. But not everyone is happy with Lestat's control. An ancient vampire named Rhoshamandes has always despised the court and was only allowed to live through Lestat's mercy. When Rhoshamandes' life crumbles, he seeks to enact revenge on Lestat, kicking off a series of events that will terrorize the confident prince and shake up his rule. Rice's latest thrilling installment of the Vampire Chronicles, a memoir written by Lestat himself, shows a different side of the prince. The always-cocky vampire faces personal grief and tough decisions that will affect his court for decades. It's his queer-friendly family of advisors and friends that give him the strength to move on and rebuild his decadent empire. Readers will enjoy this new perspective on Rice's series and will talk about it well after the last page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 15, 2018

This 15th volume of the "Vampire Chronicles" opens with Lestat skeptically organizing the Court and the Council of Elders in France. As he's trying to determine the focus and sustainability of a ruling class of vampires, and the Court is debating whether to pursue the destruction of one of their own, the ancient and angry Rhoshamandes, they are fatally raided. Three founding vampires are casualties of this assault, forcing Lestat to decide as prince whether vampires can coexist peacefully with one another. As he debates this question and seeks creative solutions to restore order and peace to the Court, the history of the menacing vampires is revealed with Rice's epic storytelling flair. Each nugget of vampire history propels the action-filled scenes and positions the main characters for strong plot contributions later on. VERDICT A solid addition to the "Vampire Chronicles" full of blood-drinker mythology and complicated interpersonal relationships, this is Rice at her best. Devoted fans will devour this, as there are numerous nuggets about minor characters, and new readers can use this volume as a launching point to explore the series and characters. [See Prepub Alert, 4/30/18.]--Tina Panik, Avon Free P.L., CT

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018

Attention, fans of the "Vampire Chronicles": here Lestat explains how the Blood Communion was formed, how he became prince of vampires, and how he's had to battle some pretty dark forces as he sought to find a place for the undead in the wide, wide world. With a 250,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.