Free Downloads The Tale Of The Body Thief (Vampire Chronicles)
In a gripping feat of storytelling, Anne Rice continues the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles that began with the now-classic Interview with the Vampire. For centuries, Lestat—vampire-hero, enchanter, seducer of mortals—has been a courted prince in the dark and flourishing universe of the living dead. Now he is alone. And in his overwhelming need to destroy his doubts and his loneliness, Lestat embarks on the most dangerous enterprise he has undertaken in all the years of his haunted existence. Praise for The Tale of the Body Thief “Tinged with mystery, full of drama . . . The story is involving, the twists surprising.”—People “Rice is our modern messenger of the occult, whose nicely updated dark-side passion plays twist and turn in true Gothic form.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Fast-paced . . . . mesmerizing . . . silkenly sensuous . . . No one writing today matches her deftness with the erotic.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Hypnotic . . . masterful.”—Cosmopolitan
Series: Vampire Chronicles (Book 4)
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 034538475X
ISBN-13: 978-0345384751
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (313 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #169,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #178 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Vampires #1155 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult #2084 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Psychological Thrillers
I wonder why _The tale of the Body Thief_ didn't get the same success as _Interview_ or _The Vampire Lestat_. The story is strong and original: Lestat, bored of his immortal and static life, accepts to exchange his supernatural body with a rascal, named Raglan James. Thus Lestat can experience human life: food, drinks and, for the first time, sex. His love affair with the young waitress is an enchanting piece of literary skillness. We see Lestat enjoying sex with the reluctant girl -but his real problem is not the girl's unwillingness, it is the relation with his new mortal body! The romance with the nun is less convincing: Lestat could have chosen something less complicated for his spiritual evolution. But that doesn't matter: the immortal vampire experiences human life, he is attracted by it, but finally prefers to return to his originale condition. No sweat, no hunger, no bad smells, no problems.... Of course, Lestat will have to face the treacherous and unfaithful Raglan James for returning to his original state. But this is not very important: I think that in the seconda part of the book the most interesting scene is Lestat's visit to the waitress, to beg her pardon. Something very human and sweet, a very significant moment in Lestat's development from _Interview with the vampire_ Miss Roce's style is at its best, vivid and intriguing.
Of The Vampire Chronicles, this is my absolute favourite. They are all magnificent books, but this one is a bit different than the others. It focuses even more on Lestat, his mistakes which always leads him into great adventures, and on his friendship with David Talbot.When the story begins, Lestat is tired. He is not sure whether or not he wants to live. Infact, he tries to take his own life, but fails. This doesn't make him feel any better...Then this Raglan James comes forward, and gives Lestat an offer; he wants them to switch bodies... For three days, Lestat could be human again, if he agrees to the offer given by Raglan James. Of course, it would be irresponsible to let a human use a body as strong as his, Lestat thinks, but still he is tempted. Well, Lestat isn't known for always being responsible and thinking about the consequences, and so he accepts. And what happens? Raglan James escapes with his new vampire body, and Lestat is stuck inside a human body. Some way, he has to get his own body back... This book is truly brilliant, it has everything! As soon as you start reading, you're stuck. I read it in two days, almost without eating or sleeping during the time. You really fall in love with Lestat, and his neverending mistakes.... Read this book, you will not regret it!
This book is undeniably entertaining. The whole 'Lestat can't even handle everyday aspects of being a human' had me laughing out loud at times, and was a wonderful characterization on the part of Anne. However, I can't help but feel that this novel didn't drag me into its narrative so wonderfully as the first three books in this series. The writing seemed to have lost that...indescribably beautiful flow. The breathtaking mixture of gothic tragedy, horror and romance so notable in its predecessors remains, for the most part, aloof, and at times it feels like you are reading a well-written piece of fan-fiction rather than part of the Vampire Chronicles. I also had real problems with the character of David. Granted, he was mildly intriguing in 'Queen of the Damned', but now he just appears as yet another character in what had been a wonderful cross-section of characters created in the first few novels. He also annoyed me because the excellent love-hate relationship between Louis and Lestat, something that this series is infamous for, was often ousted for his ramblings on God. Enough! In fact, this character so bored me that I have to draw on points raised by some of the other reviewers-- you end up hoping desperatley that Louis, Armand or one of the others will show up again. And that's the thing; the scenes between Louis and Lestat are so entertaining, so insightful that when Lestat leaves to return to David, you just groan and think 'here we go again'. This novel is good for two things-- firstly, as an insight into the tragedy of growing old, of the waste of life, (so wonderfully linked to Yeats's 'Sailing to Byzantium') and also if you are just in the mood for a comic-book type of adventure. However, if the reason you read the first novels was for that blend of history, romance and gothic themes-- you will find it here, only not quite as much as you had hoped. Shame. In summary, all I can say is that perhaps this series should have ended with 'Queen of the Damned'. Memnoch was a travesty; this story, though entertaining, does not feel as 'tight' as the others in terms of narrative and characterization. I feel it should have simply ended with the scene where the other vampires have gone off to pursue their own adventures, and a furious Louis is stalking the streets of London with a grinning Lestat who howls, 'Tell me how bad I am! It makes me feel so good!' That's only because this story doesn't end quite so well, for all its excellent parts. Think of it as 'Ernest does necromancy'.
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