Queen of the Damned (Anne Rice)

Akasha was once the queen of the Nile (she has a bit in common with the Egyptian goddess Isis), and it's unwise to rile her now that she's had 60 centuries of practice being undead. She is so peeved about male violence that she might just have to kill most of them. And she has her eye on handsome Lestat with other ideas as well.

If you felt that the previous books in the series weren't gory and erotic enough, this one should quench your thirst (though it may cause you to omit organ meats from your diet). It also boasts God's plenty of absorbing lore that enriches the tale that went before, including the back-story of the boy in Interview with the Vampire and the ancient fellowship of the Talamasca, which snoops on paranormal phenomena. Mostly, the book spins the complex yarn of Akasha's eerie, brooding brood and her nemeses, the terrifying sisters Maharet and Mekare. In one sense, Queen of the Damned is the ultimate multigenerational saga. --Tim Appelo

Book Description
2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by Kate Nelligan


Once again, as she did with Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice reveals the starling world of the undead.  

And now, this world of dark pleasures and glorious decadence comes to life in a tale that takes us back 6,000 years to the shacking creation of the first vampire - Akasha, Queen of the Damned.  Akasha's story unfolds across the ages and around the world - from the dawn of civilization to the present day, from Egypt to the Himalayas, to Paris Peru, and finally to California.  There Akasha faces her ancient, vengeful enemy, and the fate of all the living dead - and the living as well - id decided.

(Review copyright Amazon.co.uk)