What is Rice to do for her 7th installment in her long running and quite popular "Vampire Chronicles" series? She goes back to the beginning, which would be her first novel, the memorable "Interview with the Vampire". Merrick, which is yes, the 7th book in the series, also mixes in the Mayfair Witches from "The Witching Hour" series. The two go very well together as this novel is refreshing for it contains an all new tale, and references to former novels are kept to the bare minimum. But there is an abundant richness to the characters, the ones we have grown to love, and those we hope to see much more of in the future.

Rice treads some new ground here, and she also treads so old and worn ones as well. This contains a mix of sex and blood, witches and voodoo, New Orleans and Guatamalan jungles, and even a relatively brief appearance of the famous Vampire Lestat and his companion Louis. Although Rice has written much about these characters in the past, she has written a brand new story for them to inhabit, and this is one of her most thrilling and vivid novels in years because she leans of the first 6 novels much less this time out, which I could say is a good thing.

After 6 novels in which her vampires have confronted grief, love, loss, life and the sun, destroyed Akasha, mother of all vampires, switched bodies, and gone to Heaven and Hell with Memnoch, a being claiming to be nothing less than the Devil himself, what could possibly be left? A lot as a matter of fact, as Rice so deftly proves with this moving and highly energetic story of voodoo and vampires.

"Merrick" opens as vampire David Talbot confronts Merrick, a woman from his past who happens to be a powerful voodoo priestess known to be able to raise spirits. He carries with him a request on the behalf of Louis de Pointe du Lac. Raise the spirit of murdered vampired child Claudia so that Louis can finally know that she is at peace, or is she is not, that Merrick may urge her into the "light".

That form the fulcrum of the tale, but there is more. As the story goes on, David recollects about being the former Superior General of the Talamasca, and how Merrick came to be a member. He remembers her life before he met her and how they went deep into the Guatamalan jungle to recover sacred artifacts, and how they were once lovers.

The story then rushes forward to the night Merrick attempts to raise Claudia's ghost, and all Hell, quite literally, breaks loose. This is indeed the most interesting and fascinating part of the story, and our tale rushes into a slam bang ending involving the vampires and Talamasca.

After "The Vampire Armand", which was a good novel, Rice's writing style looked like in might be getting a bit long in the tooth, so to speak, for it's own good. Thankfully that problem is gone with "Merrick". Her prose is lush and soft and erotic at just the right spots, and her dialogue for her characters is better than usual.

I liked how Rice brought back some famous characters like Lestat, who was A.W.O.L. through much of "Armand" and Louis who we don't see much of lately. David Talbot continues to evolve as a character and as a vampire, and Merrick is one of the most fascinatingly complex creations that is desired more of her, and I hope that she is in more of Rice's future "Vampire" novels.

Meshing the "Vampire Chronicles" with her epic trilogy of the "Mayfair Witches" makes this a joining of two fantasy worlds. I thought Rice's Witches were fantastic, and then came to love her vampires, and now we have the best of both worlds.

One thing I must mention is the ending. Many readers and reviewers have remarked that it is too abrupt and left them unsatisfied. Yes the ending is quick. Yes it is too quick and should have been longer. And yes it is supposed to leave you wanting just another page. You just have to wait for the next novel to come out.

All in all "Merrick" is a fantastic read and I plowed right through it, although it is a slim 307 pages or so. I highly recommend all Rice and vampires fans, or fans of horror take note and pick up his interesting story. It is well worth the money and is one of the better vampire novels from Anne.

"Merrick" contains strong vampire violence and gore, and for descriptions of sex and some scary moments. Children under 17 should not read this novel.

Recommended: Yes