The challenges with Queen of the Damned, the final book of the Interview with the Vampire trilogy, is similar to those faced by writers capping a long-running and much beloved television series: namely how to wrap up loose threads and tell a satisfying story in its own right? The best screenwriters often miss the mark entirely and for the first half of The Queen of the Damned, I was fearful that Anne Rice was not up to the task either. After having read the tight, first-person narratives of the first two novels, I was disoriented by the discursive nature of this one. The narrator was unclear and the perspective jumped from person to person. Some characters, like the trailer-trash Baby Jenks vampire were introduced then quickly dispatched with. Who was this new guy Khayman, and did we really need the introduction of a new immortal, Daniel, "the boy" who had interviewed Louis who later became Armand's companion. Pandora was superfluous, as were other minor characters such as Gabrielle, Mael, and Eric. Hell, even a new main character, Jesse, seemed unnecessary and lacked the charisma of her male predecessors. The recurring visions of the red haired twins were as baffling to the reader as they were perplexing to the vampires who dreamt them. The book was seemingly confusing and unfocused, which probably contributed to my picking it up and putting it down over the course of many long months if not an entire year. But then, starting around Part III, with Maharat's two-part Story of the Twins, it all started to jell. The reader goes back in time to the very beginning and learns the mysterious origins of Enkil and Akasha. Lestat returns with a greater voice, as does the favorite Marius. There's more action and a lengthy philosophical debate about good vs. evil, the true nature of mankind, rationality vs. religion, and whether the world's complex problems can be solved or not with simple solutions. There is even a love story. Two actually. One between two prominent vampire protagonists and the other between the undead and humankind. Because, despite their undying thirst and murderous quest to satisfy it, what this trilogy reveals is that these monsters who were once flesh and blood mortals never really relinquished their fascination with, envy of, and in the end, love for man. This coven, when push came to shove, were mankind's greatest defenders. The last chapter, in which Louis and Lestat spend some time together alone, something many readers have been craving, proves an extremely satisfying, even emotionally impactful, dénouement. The trilogy stands the test of time and is as good a read now as it was in the 1980s. It is packed with meaning and insight into the human condition and remains a relevant read, maybe now more than ever. ( )

Queen of the Damned in the third in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. I read the book, for the first time, many years ago, and only recently picked it back up as the 6th book in Chronicles (Prince Lestat) will soon be released. So, I'm gradually working my way through them.

Queen of the damned is different from all the other Vampire Chronicles in that it is predominently written in third person POV, rather than Lestat's POV. He is, as stated, the writer of the book, but in order to bring the story together with multiple characters, it didn't make sense to use first person.

I remember when I first read QOTD that I missed Lestat's voice; it didn't feel like The Vampire Lestat (the previous book in the Chronicles), but having re-read it, I think it works tremendously as a book written in third person. In fact, I would say, of all the Chronicles, this book impressed me the most.

Without giving too much away, the first part of the book introduces a number of characters and their stories leading up to the massive Vampire Lestat Concert that happened at the end of the previous book. We are introduced to Jesse, a member of a secret order called the Talamasca, who is drawn towards Lestat for reasons I best not go into. We also meet Daniel Malloy, the boy reporter from the first of the Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire). He was the person interviewing Louis. Other - much older - Vampires are introduced for the first time, and we realise that in the scheme of things, Lestat, Louis, and even Armand (who is also in this book) are mere fledgelings in comparison to some of the other Vampires. These vampires, were the first ever made. The direct decendants of the first ever vampires - Akasha and Enkil.

We learn of the Vampire mythology in this book; where they came from, how they came to be, and what drives them to drink blood. This is one of the things that makes this book so amazing.

I was also amazed by the structure of this book; it's long, and it has many new characters in it, and yet the book flowed well. It didn't feel disjointed or confusing. On the contrary, it was clear, very well written, and a terrific read.

I strongly recommend reading The Queen of the Damned. It's a terrific book; the best in the series (so far). ( )

Dare un voto definito a questo libro è stato più difficile del previsto. Rispetto ai due volumi precedenti della serie sembra che sia quello che mi è piaciuto meno. Insomma, se non fosse stato per "La leggenda delle gemelle", mi avrebbe terribilmente annoiato. Un sacco di parole inutili, un sacco di descrizioni tediose. Per quanto riguarda invece il finale...non so ancora se sia stato interessante o un capriccio dell'autrice. Saprò togliermi il dubbio solo leggendo il prossimo volume della saga (appena mi tornerà la voglia!). ( )

Book 3 of The Vampire Chronicles. I enjoyed this story more than the second one (The Vampire Lestat - TVL) and I like it just as much as I did the first book (Interview with the Vampire - IWTV). It picks right up where the second book left off. We learn about what happened before and after the concert to various vampires who has or will play a big part in Lestat’s life. The Legend of the Twins is very interesting, and we get snippets of it in the ‘dream’ from several points of views until the final explanation close to the end. Of all the characters, I would’ve liked to learn more about Khayman; Marius’s and Pandora’s romantic relationship as vampires (because, so far in the series, vampires are seen as nonsexual creatures so how did Marius and Pandora fall in love?); and I wanted Armand to feel regret for how he manipulated and terrified Daniel Malloy for over a decade but Armand never did.
As with the other books, the description is over-the-top and so vivid I skimmed the pages until I found quotation marks. I don’t understand why the author prefers to describe a couch or the shape of Lestat’s mouth for several paragraphs but she says very little about what’s actually important.
Though I’m interested in the characters and would like to know what will happen to them in the future, I will not read anymore books in this series. I just don’t like the style of writing, the format in which the chapters are laid out and the confusing timeline for each book. For example, in TVL, the concert starts in the spring but, in The Queen of the Damned, it starts on Halloween. Unless I misread something, this is a big timeline error.
I watched the movie, Queen of the Damned, after I read this book and now I no longer like the movie. They’re totally different from one another. The book is better and more detailed while the movie cuts major characters like Louis and Armand, and the movie gives Lestat a girlfriend. So wrong!
3 Stars

Disclaimer – I received this book as a gift from my grandmother-in-law. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
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Lestat merodea con avidez San Francisco en busca de sangre nueva. Su beso despierta a la Reina Akasha, una vez Reina del Nilo, de su sueño de 6.000 años. Furiosa por la violencia masculina, inmediatamente comienza una matanza masiva de la mayoría de los vampiros del mundo, salvando solo a un pequeño grupo, que espera que se unan a ella en una cruzada enloquecida contra los mortales masculinos.