Monday, March 8, 2010

Blast from the Past...The Tale of the Body Thief (A review)

I have been listening to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles on audio over the past several months.  These are actually re-reads for me.  I'm revisiting them in preparation for picking the series back up with The Vampire Armand.  So far, I have listened to Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and now, I finished The Tale of the Body Thief (I reviewed Interview with the Vampire here, but did not manage to review The Vampire Lestat due to hectic times during the holidays).  Now, I am currently listening to The Queen of the Damned.  I had to go out of order because my library didn't have Queen on audio.

It has been at least 15 years since I first read The Tale of the Body Thief.  It is amazing to me how much a person can forget about what happens in a book after all those years.  That's why re-reads are never a waste of time...in my opinion! One thing I will say up front is that I did not remember the book being so funny.  I don't know if Rice intended this or if it is just my more mature sense of humor or even if it was just the way the audio book reader said certain things, but there were times as I was listening that I actually laughed out loud.  Anyone that reads my blog or knows me, knows that I love the vampire Lestat.  He is probably one of the most entertaining characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading.  In this book, what happens to him at times borders on the hilarious.  It is a total "fish out of water" tale and Lestat plays the part well.  I can't say too much without giving away the plot.  Suffice it to say that although Queen of the Damned is my favorite Anne Rice book, I have to say that this one is probably a close second.  It hones in on the plight of Lestat and his torment and really gives him a heart and soul in the eyes of the reader.  I think even Lestat learns some lessons in this book (if that's possible for him) and one of them is to be careful what you wish for.  Whether you're a fan of Anne Rice or not, this one is definitely worth a read...or two...or three!

Book synopsis:

Lestat, the vampire-hero, enchanter and seducer of mortals, speaks in the new book in the bestselling Vampire Chronicles that began with Interview with the Vampire and continued with The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. For centuries Lestat has been a courted prince in the dark universe of the living dead. But now he is alone, and everything he has come to believe in is called into question. Soon he will embark on the most dangerous enterprise he has ever undertaken.

Read for the following challenges:

Audio Book Challenge 2010
The 2nd Challenge
100+ Reading Challenge

Links will take you to my challenge blog where you can view my progress on all current challenges.  If you haven't already, follow me there as well.  When I reach 40 followers, I will be hosting a giveaway!

3 comments:

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. It means so much.

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  1. have you changed or updated your layout recently? cause it looks awesome!!!! i'm so jealous!!!! i know i've been a follower for awhile but i don't remember your blog having all of the scrolls and old books in the background....wow!!! and the header that scrolls across...that is so cool.

    so do you like the anne rice series? i've never been able to get into those for some reason. Maybe if i listen on audio that will work. for some reason audio books do have a different flavor and i can get into a book that way that i was not able to in print. i'll have to try it....i'll let you know after my friday trip to the library if they have the first one in the vampire series!

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  2. This was the book that started the decline of the series for me. I just never really enjoyed this one or Memnoch the Devil for some reason. Once these two books are out of the way I loved the series again. It is worth reading as part of the whole though.

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  3. Hey Stacy--Yes, I've made some changes. Thanks for noticing! I'm going with a more historical focus, hence the pic & quote below the header and the historical figure slide show. I just found this background the other day and I immediately snapped it up. It totally fits in with everything. I love it! Thanks again for the compliments. =O)

    Yes, I love the series. Anne Rice is my favorite author. This is my second reading (though on audio) of these books and my fourth of Queen of the Damned, which is my favorite of the series. I hope you can get into them better on audio because they are great books, imo!

    Ryan--Memnoch the Devil was the one I had difficulty with. I'll be listening to it again next on audio, after Queen of the Damned. I'm wondering if the second reading will be better for me. I'm hoping so!

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