Not For The Weak In Faith (Memnoch The Devil - Ann Rice)

Member Name:

Product:	Memnoch The Devil - Ann Rice
Date:	12/05/02 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Absolutely Brilliant Plot, Religious Context Is Dealt With Wonderfully, The Absence Of Lestat Allows Other Characters To Develop

Disadvantages: Shook The Very Foundations Of My Faith

This is a novel, which shall have you questioning the very foundations of your religion, full stop. Although Anne Rice's favourite antagonist is not a major player in the novel, this surprisingly is not a downfall of the novel and I believe readers shall event thrive from this fact as Anne Rice continues to grow as an author?


It was always going to be a hard and treacherous road when undertaking the desire to describe and challenge various religious beliefs to which the very foundation of our society is built upon. I don't know how but Anne Rice tackles the challenge set with class and sophistication.


The plot of the novel is one which I shall prefer to leave very much uncovered because it, in my opinion is such a challenging one for any author to tackle and to some it up in a couple of sentences would be the greatest injustice to this groundbreaking novel. All I shall say is that Anne Rice has woven a cloth of literature, incorporating the history and desires of vampire with religious supers God and The Devil. Lestat, playing a relatively small part is just there to add to the authenticity of Anne Rice literature, do not be put off by this fact, you will find more than enough to submerge yourself in with this captivating storyline. Read on as the devils and God battle in the skies over the planes of human civilization.


There is no doubt, Memnoch The Devil is definitely not light reading but with all the juice it contains it is worth it. For light readers, think of yourself being plunged into the fiery depths of Anne Rice's dark haunted mind rather than engaging in a long read. Self admittedly, I am a fast reader but even with this quality I found that after closing the final chapter I started from the beginning again. That is just how much content and inspiration there is imbedded within the numerous pages.


Readers and lovers of Anne Rice's previous novels The Body Thief and The Vampire Lestat
will no doubt notice a remarkable transformation in Anne Rice's style of literature. In her early novels, Anne Rice's descriptions were very vague and she focused as an author more on the development of the plot that the characters or the surroundings to which the reader is expected to explore. But as I have said before, Anne Rice has flourished as an author; her descriptions are beautiful and dark as well when necessary. In Memnoch The Devil there is a lot of analysis of the surroundings and the religious context which although has been criticised of slowing the pace of the novel down, I felt that it made the images in my head all the more realistic and thus terrifying.


This is neither the first nor the last in the vampire series. Anne Rice has created a unique style, which truly feeds the hunger of the vampire parable. Why should she desert this style? With the aid of the famous Lestat antagonist I believe Anne Rice's talents will shine on for many more novels. Frightening us, thrusting us violently away but then luring us back with intriguing storylines and deep characters.

Summary: