Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

This is the 13th book of the Vampire Chronicles. A lot of time went by between the publication of this one and the previous installment. I thought Ms. Rice had moved on to other things, but one day I saw a copy of #13 on a foray through Walmart - that's a whole other story. :)

I have liked the Vampire Chronicles overall, but a few installments were better and some worse than others. The current one was a bit below average - I'm just being honest.

The book just had too many characters and not all their stories were connected all that well. The overarching story was OK, I guess. The dialogue/wording got a little repetitive - for example, the term "blood drinker" got a little irritating to read that many times. Some of my favorite characters played too small roles. I personally did not like how Lestat's ward and her boyfriend were "treated" towards the end.

I think the book would have been much better if it had been shortened by say 100 pages. Focus on fewer characters would have helped too - though more on Louis and a few other old favorites would have been nice. Maybe it had just been a long time since the last installment, and Ms. Rice will hit her stride once again in #14 which has now been published.

There are two appendices in the book. Take a look. They are very helpful in keeping track of all the characters and back stories.

For loyal fans, reading #13 is required, but it may be bit disappointing. Hoping #14 is better.