Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis: The Vampire Chronicles

I have been trying for several years to finish the Vampire Chroniclesand this is the last book that I have left. (I read some out of orderpreviously I read Blood Communion and Prince Lestat before this.)First off, I love the plot, but it took so long to get there. The chaptersseemed to drag on and I began to wonder if they would ever end! It tookso long for the established characters to do something even talk throughwhat they would do. I found that I liked the newer characters when theywere introduced and they seemed to act more even though it was fortheir own safety. Worth a read.

Took three times as long to receive than told and was u see the impression it was new but was actually from a library

The headline says it all. I put this one off for years but finally want to finish the series since Anne will be writing no more and didn’t want to be lost on the final book. Another review says the first half is good, a sequel to the previous book, but the second half was not that great, and I agree. What I didnt enjoy about the second half was all the repetition. I could scan paragraphs and still be on the same minor detail pages later. I do like the authors detail and some of her rambling but this one took me back to the origin story books, where I stopped following them years ago because of the amount of repetition. One last observation is that this story has some Taltos in it, if you read that book. Id like to expand on that but I dont want to give any spoilers. If you do like fanciful, really “out there” stories w/ an absolute ton of tiny detail, you should enjoy this book I believe.

I was really excited to read this book & there were things I was hoping for from it - deep insights, a cool new twist on Atlantis & seeing how Lestat would react to that, & most of all some tying up of loose threads from earlier stories. Although Anne’s writing is gorgeous for the most part (as always), there were some disconnects, disjointedness, & open questions left at the end of it. There were also some discontinuities from previous books & even within this story itself.I personally didn’t find the Atlantis storyline to be a good fit with her Vampire world & mythology. In many ways it took away from her previously established world. It also led to a weird, disjointed character arc for Amel. I think that the same aim re: this character, could’ve been achieved within the supernatural world of her Vampires/Ghosts/Spirits to even greater effect. The mystery of Atlantis & its people & various outcomes related to their unusual nature was what I found super weird. I was also disappointed that Lestat wasn’t involved in Atlantis, he was only told about it.I was also really disappointed in the references to Memnoch. I loved that character & had hoped for much more considering how fascinating, powerful, complex & sympathetic he was in his title story. In the appendices it’s written that there are still uncertainties related to who or what he is. I would’ve loved more Memnoch in this book, to explore his truth/fate/evolution. Tying that in with Amel somehow would’ve been super cool.I see & appreciate how Anne wanted to wrap up the Vampire Chronicles, putting those characters on a path to a positive future, where they have evolved to better coexist with one another & with humans & take care of one another, with old rivalries healed. It’s good that the vampires are more separate individuals now, gives them greater freedom of movement & safety. Brings her world to a nice closed-circle place, I guess.I agree with what a number of other reviewers have said, this story jumped the shark. On the positive side, I do love Anne’s exploration of life, existence, the existential crises her characters go through & the exploration of spirituality in her stories. That’s what’s most meaningful to me. I like stories that make me think & that have deep philosophical underpinnings. In fact, it’s only because of the beauty, complexity & fascinating world that Anne created in her Vampire Chronicles that I’m thinking & feeling so deeply about all of this. As always, her writing is lush & gorgeous & her stories complex & deep. I will always be a fan of her writing.Definitely read this if you’re a die-hard fan of her Vampire series and/or want an unusual take on the mystery of Atlantis.

As the title to this review suggests, there is a lot going on in this book. I forgot to mention a super special polymer is also involved.I can't think how to write much more without major spoilers, so I won't try.But, I will say this about the series. I think this is the12th of 13 books in the series. Some say the 13th will be the last, but I guess we will have to see.Things have come a long way since that first book. Personally, the second was my favorite. A few I didn't care for very much. Most were very good. This 12th book might be in my top 3 or 4 favorites.I actually learned about the series reading an article in the National Enquirer - had grandparents who loved reading the Enquire, and I was visiting when I saw the article. Well that is one reason I can say that I'm glad I read the Enquirer once in a while.Anyway, hope you enjoy the 12th book as much as I did.