Merrick ¦ Anne Rice ¦ Review 

Claudia wasn't the only vampire Louis made. He also made Madeline before Armand had her killed.

I love Merrick one of my favorite books. So happy I found your channel.

Merrick is such a fun Chronicle to read! even though it's supposed to be the opener of the crossover trilogy, I hella adore the aspects of it that leaned more into the Talamasca and it's mythos. it's nice to get a look behind that curtain. I really love that, once one reaches Blackwood Farm, it really does feel like Merrick parallels Tale of The Body Thief in the way it laid the groundwork for all we explore fully in Memnoch. a lot is started here that blossoms more deeply in Blackwood Farm. it's fascinating to have David as a narrator, particularly at this point in the series. Lestat is away, as narrator and direct influence, but David and Louis are still his fledglings and take after him in various ways. seeing that reflected in their respective relationships with Merrick was dead cool. it's thrilling to see those threads that we saw in The Vampire Armand be picked up as well. what the vampire world is like without Lestat entirely in it. how the characters around him carry on in his absence. it gives them room to come to the forefront. I hadn't noticed the parallels with Claudia, though! can't say I'm surprised 🤣. the exploration of what it is to love and what it is to prey as a vampire, and how the two can collide and become one, is something Rice explores in nearly every relationship in the Vampire Chronicles! it's follow up, Blood and Gold, is a fun read! a return to the narrative and feel of the Chronicles, instead of a direct sequel to the crossovers with the Mayfairs. you're with Marius, seeing him go from human to vampire, to the keeper of Akasha and Enkil, to existing the present day, while engaging with another vampire. a similarity with Merrick- and I'd reckon Armand and even The Wolf Gift Chronicles- is how the main sequence of events will find itself deeply affected, if not even interrupted, by past events. it's a recurring theme for Rice and very interesting see unfold in different ways. loved hearing your thoughts on this entry! can't wait to see what you make of the others!

As someone who has been reading vampire chronicles and Mayfair witches since 2000, I LOVE to see peoples first reactions. These series shaped me and are so palpable in my life. Love the review Josh :)

It’s always good to have Louie in the story 💯

I read this book when it came out when I was a teenager, so I just wanted to be Merrick. I wanted to go to the same places, to live in England (and I did!), to study family history, to wear the same clothes and wear Florida water perfume and Chanel. This book had so many wonderful descriptions.

I really liked Merrick. Complex, rich and powerful emotionally

After Lestat & Louie, Merrick is one of my favorite Anne Rice characters. Really loved this one. ✨✨📚

Being a fairly recent subscriber to your channel, I was tickled to see this review come up when it did. In the mid 1990s, I took a break from reading Anne Rice's work and only returned to it a couple of weeks ago. So Merrick is very fresh in my mind. I loved the book and have no complaints about any aspect of it. I loved David Talbot from him first appearance and was thrilled to have the chance to spend more time with him here. There were parts of this book that put me strongly in mind of Victorian adventure stories too, and I read through those pretty much nonstop. I felt it was a very solid entry in the series and it made me eager to continue and rather pleased that I had taken such a long break, since I won't have to wait for any books in this series for a while. Would I could say the same for A Song of Ice and Fire...

Great review. I feel like this novel kind of gets lost when people talk about the series but I definitely found it enjoyable and as you said fresh.

I love your reviews, they give me insight to these great books. Thank you for doing what you do.

I loved David in TOTBT❤ I think DT adds an interesting patina. David is a good Anne Rice fan fantasy. Works for talamasca Befriends vampires Does body thievery And becomes a vampire.

Cold Sandra! ❤

Claudia wasn’t made by Louis dear and he made Madeleine too

To really understand David Talbott, you have to read (The witching hour) I think it should be read before the vampire books.

When you say relationship I think more of a romantic one. You don't say friendship. So, I get confused as to what kind of relationships these characters have. Any large age gap in romantic relationships are gross to me regardless.