Customer Reviews

Blackwood Farm: The Vampire Chronicles (Anne Rice)

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(76)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

I've been increasingly disappointed in Anne Rice's books. It seems that she, like many authors, is wonderful at starting an engrossing series and less able to continue with it. _Blackwood Farm_, however, harkens back to some of her eariler work lends fresh blood (heh heh) to the Vampire Chronicles.

Quinn Blackwood, a young (both in human age and in terms of his "change") vampire, has a problem. As long as he can remember, he's been haunted by a sometimes loving and sometimes malicious spirit whom he calls Goblin. Since Quinn's change, Goblin has become more sinister and more powerful. Quinn seeks out the most famous and powerful vampire he knows of -- Lestat, in quite a good cameo role -- to help him put an end to the spirit who is threatening Quinn's mortal friends and relations.

What I liked best about this book is that it's essentially Quinn's tale of growing up among the people and ghosts of a rich southern family -- a family with its own mysteries and legends. The characterization of people, spirits and place is deftly handled. In fact, this is one of the things I think Anne Rice does best: weaving character and setting together into a specific atmosphere, and I was glad to see her get back to it after neglecting the practice in her last few novels.

I also liked the way she brought together her two major New Orleans mythologies -- the Vampires and the Mayfairs (although it still seems a bit contrived to me, the way that everyone seems to be a member of one or the other group.) I was glad to see what became of Mona Mayfair, as well as Rowan and Michael. I think, however, that it would be difficult to understand everything that was going on without having read the three Mayfair Witches books; a lot of reference was made to the events in those and I know I would have been confused and distracted had I not read them.

Another thing I liked was that in _Blackwood Farm_, Rice relies a lot less on the same old tired vampiric events to move the story along. Not only is Quinn a new vampire completely unrelated to and even (for the most part) unaware of the vampires we know from former books, but also his transformation doesn't take place until relatively late in the story. So there's quite a bit less of the Blood-Hunt-Identity Crisis-Yikes I'm Immortal! flavour of some of the more recent vampire chronicles.

We still have the requisite Scholarly Tweedy Englishman of a Certain Age to represent the Talamasca. And we're still dealing with people who, even as mortals, have more money than God, which sometimes makes the story hard to swallow. (I wish sometimes we could follow the adventures of a working class vampire who was not so ready to give up his culture of origin.)The predictable ending gets points for getting rid of a character who never should have existed in the first place but loses some points for transforming yet another interesting mortal.

On the whole, though, I liked _Blackwood Farm_. It actually reminded me of _Interview with a Vampire_ more than any of the other books. I think most people who like Anne Rice will enjoy it.

Long ago, after reading "The Tale of the Body Thief" I pooh-poohed my disappointment with that work by reasoning that every author has her bad novel. I optimistically hoped that book had been the one and only. Alas, her later works have shown me that "Thief" was proof that all Ms. Rice's best tales had already been told and that she is now a dry well.

Like another reviewer admitted before me, I was drawn by the first pages of this novel. This powerful fledgling vampire seeks out Lestat for his help, hoping that the Brat Prince won't obliterate him on the spot for his audacity. "Sounds great," I thought. "Will Lestat glower at him, making him fear for his preternatural life? Will he toy with Quinn, allowing him to tell his tale with the promise to spare him if it moves him sufficiently?"

No, nothing so interesting occurs. Lestat is instantly drawn to this young creature, declaring himself in love. (As does every other stinkin' character of hers do regarding every other character. Lestat loves Quinn; Lestat loves Aunt Queen; Quinn loves Stirling; Quinn loves Mona; Mona loves Quinn. Doesn't anyone in Rice world ever take an instant dislike to people?!)

We are then "treated" to pages and PAGES of Quinn's spoiled brat life story, only to get the sense that Ms. Rice herself got bored with her own tale and slapped a hurried ending onto it to get to the publisher's in time. Whereupon the editors must not have had time to do any cutting, because that had to have been the biggest look-how-many-words-I-can-spew fest she has indulged in to date.

So spare yourself the heartbreak. Cling tightly to those early Rice vampire novels and pretend she never wrote anything else. That's my plan.

Okay. Come on people. Don't be blinded by the fact that this book was written by Anne Rice. Not everything she lays her hand to is golden. If anything, this book should prove that she does not have the "Midas Touch." It's obvious by this attempt that Rice believes she has a magic formula, into which she can plug any story, any character, and get positive results

This book was a paltry attempt to bring a new character into the realm of the beautiful undead. Quinn is the typical Rice vampire - handsome and beautiful, androgynous in both appearance and sexual preference, educated, loves art, classical music, literature, and culture ... wait a second. Does this sound familiar? Why, Quinn is the modern-day version of Lestat, and Marius, and Armand, ... shall I go on? In short, if you are reading this book to catch a glimpse of a new vampire, you'll be sorely disappointed. He is the same vampire as all of them, with a different name. Obviously Rice has run out of ideas.

The main character aside, the story is a great disappointment. Ninety percent of the book is wasted on covering the background of Quinn, which could have been covered in 100 pages or so. It is absolute drudgery through Rice's boring concept of elegance. The story's climax and "resolution" are finally reached in the last 30 pages of the book, but quite honestly even these were a flash in the pan, an absolute waste of energy. I had hoped that "Blood and Gold" was Rice's last failure, but apparently it wasn't.

"Blackwood Farm" could have been a great novel. It has much promise and the idea of the novel seemed actually intriguing. Of course that was until I actually read the book. Flat, lifeless, boring, predictable... the adjectives could go on and on. The skilled hand of a good editor would have been the saving grace for "Blackwood Farm". By the same token, if it were edited what was actually interesting in the novel, there would be about 250 pages left out of the entire novel. Again, we are subjected to another vampire sitting down and recounting their life story. We've seen this in too many of Mrs. Rice's novels and the each time the device that she uses to get her overblown and longwinded vampires to lull us into stupor gets more strained (even in the year 2002, her newly created vampires speak in the most ridiculously overwrought purple prose). Most of the Blackwood Family history has little to do with the "Goblin" storyline, but it takes up most of the novel. Nothing ever really amounts to anything and when we do find out all of the "secrets", we are left rolling our eyes and wishing we hadn't even bothered. Combining the Mayfair witches with the vampires is an excellent idea, but, unfortunately, everyone seems to have forgotten who they were in the previous novels. But, character assassination seems to be Mrs. Rice's goal lately in all of her novels (especially with Mona Mayfair! When did she become so stupid?) Two new and very interesting vampires are introduced but they get the least amount of attention, and even their reasoning and objectives don't make a bit of sense. Instead, we are subjected to endless descriptions of the swamp and the family lineage, and cameos and hermaphroditic creatures ... the list goes on and on. If you are a fan of the Vampire Chronicles or the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, do yourself a favor and follow the lead of one of the vampires in the novel -- jump into a fire, and put an end to it before you subject yourself to "Blackwood Farm".

How else to explain the effusive enthusiasm for "Blackwood Farm," save through a spell cast by Rice upon her adoring fans? The good news is that "BF" is a better book than "Memnoch The Devil" (this is faint praise, as it applies to virtually every book ever written). The bad news is that, with one exception (see below), there is no more good news. The characters are the usual assortment of manic-depressives: They Love! They Hate! They're Ecstatic! They're Devastated! and so on. One might argue that the Immortals, by their nature, are prone to extremes, but this does not apply to Quinn, who, as a mortal, remains a child in a 6'4" body (his references to the "Tasks of Manhood" are, in this context, hilarious). That Lestat, who plays the role of the Ear for Quinn's Voice, confesses to be in love with Quinn diminishes his former grandeur. Quinn of course falls in love with Mona Mayfair, a self-described "raving slut" who has slept with half of her cousins and intends to marry her first cousin...good catch. Queen Anne has profound activities and interests, including spending her time on a chaise loung in a negligee and high heels while drinking champagne and eating ice cream, and endlessly examining her cameo collection. But, of course, everyone just adores her. Structurally, the book is mind-numbing: Quinn's monologue (during which Lestat says absolutely nothing) runs over 400 pages, a feat of exposition that would make Fidel Castro envious. These are increasingly heavy pages to turn. There is also careless writing galore; to cite just two of many examples, when Arion and Manfred play chess (page 470), a Queen is put in check, which cannot happen in chess. And for another, Quinn is able to obtain a passport for Tommy "on demand." Sorry, just can't be done, even by an Immortal. This may seem like nitpicking, but it is indicative of an inattentive writer and editor (it is worth noting that Nash's PhD dissertation speculates upon how the work of Dickens would have suffered through editing: Is this Rice's defense of her own bloated style?). Rice has always included philosophical and theological musings in her work (reconcilliation of the Blood Hunter with God), and, in moderation, these have made her vampire mythology stronger and more compelling. But in "BF" there is no moderation, and the result is tedious and mush-minded ("Memnoch," again, being the most singular example of this). Now, to the exception: from the "making" of Quinn (page 430) through the end of the novel, Rice excels, and reminds us why we have thought so highly of past works ("Queen," "Blood and Gold," "Armand," "Pandora") and why we will continue to anticipate her future work. When Rice hits her stride and finds her rhythm (details of the Dark Blood, the hunt, the rituals and the rules), she is unmatched. These final 100+ pages are compelling and satisfying. Alas, the preceding 400 pages are not. In "BF," Rice is not just resting on her laurels: she is snoozing on them.

Used to be, Rice's books had narrative, thrills, and even some decent writing. Now, she is in thrall to a sort of materialistic version of porn, and a view of the South that - if it ever existed as she writes it (and I'm a Southerner) - died out 72 years ago. Am I the only one troubled that, when the narrator is grieving over the death of his dearest friend, he takes pains to mention that he rode to her funeral in the deceased's "luxurious limousine?" Welcome to "Lifestyles of the Rich and Undead." Oh, and by the way, the story is awful, and no character is real.

I hate to say this, but this book proved to me that the Vampire Chronicles have expired. Many will hate me for saying this I know, but I also know deep down many will agree when they read this book. This book had to be the most boring novel Anne has ever written besides the Blood Canticle, which is the book after this one as well as the last of the Vampire Chronicles that was a major disappointment as well. This book was centered on a swampland down in Louisiana (where else?), and all Anne could talk of was the irrelevent description of this large mansion the main character, Quinn, lived in, and his Aunt's boots. I mean, who cares about boots! Fashion is one of the last things I pay attention to in a novel. And I think Anne was trying to make some sort of symbol out of the cameos that his Aunt had a plethora of, but I didn't catch on because the explanation of them was so long that I just skipped those paragraphs. I love Anne's descriptions, but not when they center on silly things such as jewelry and clothing, which is what half the words in this book are used for. I mean, who cares? And Anne needs to understand that many don't know of the expensive furnishings in this mansion she just merely labels (not all of us can be as rich as all her characters automatically are), so she needs to elaborate in some places and diminish in other places. Besides this, there's also the problems with the characters, I just didn't get in tune with Quinn, the main character, nor any of the others for that matter. Anne's characters are just growing strangely vague all of a sudden. I could feel no sympathy for Quinn, although I could tell Anne was trying in strained wording to make us feel this way for him. The only good part I found throughout this entire book where I didn't yawn was when Quinn at last got captured by the vampire he was destined to meet(I was waiting for this moment for forever, because it takes more than halfway through the book when the vampire at last comes!) and he's locked in this cage and the vampire tortures him for awhile. But even that gets weird after awhile.
Mainly this book I find a little perverted. I mean, Quinn is a sexually frustrated man throughout this entire book. Anne makes him go through a series of moments that are just too funny, especially when he sleeps with a ghost, although I can't even see how that's possible. And overall the book is dry. Like I said, nothing truly happens. The main storyline is that it's about a rich boy who grows up with his exact twin, except- and here's the twist- no one can SEE him. Scary. Fascinating. Really. And he grows up with this ghost, and the ghost does too, and suddenly Quinn wants him gone as he grows to be a man (both physcially and mentally), and while he's struggling with this spirit, he goes through a series of quests to this old mansion a little away from his own where his deceased grandfather went a long time ago to be by himself, and a lot of ho- hum clues lead to a mystery of his grandfather. Then at the end Lestat, the famous star of the Vampire Chronicles, who sits there listening to this story Quinn tells him like Malloy did with the vampire Louis in Interview with the Vampire, Lestat, with the just as vague character Merrick Mayfair who's supposed to be half witch half vampire, takes hand in trying to get rid of Quinn's twin ghost. It may sound interesting, but trust me, it's not. Book jackets can fool you, and this one does as well.
I give it two stars instead of one just because I loved the memory of the past novels of the Vampire Chronicles that I adored, and also because Lestat came back. But that's the only reason, which makes it a sad extra star. Sorry Rice fans, I think this is the end of Anne's reign, because her next and supposedly last Vampire Chronicles book Blood Canticle is no better. If you're a lover of Anne Rice's literature, then go on and read it just to read it, but don't be too surprised if you finish the book and feel utterly empty like I did. I believe the Chronicles have begun to exhale their final breaths.

I've always found Anne Rice's initial novels much more engaging than her sequels so I looked forward to reading the saga of her latest New Orleans characters, the Blackwood family.

Unfortunately this bridge between her two main storylines is a shaky one. Blackwood Farm suffers from having far too much in some aspects and far too little in others. What's lacking are the suspense, mystery and great storytelling of "Interview with the Vampire" and "The Witching Hour". What's over-indulgent are the many characters from other Anne Rice novels awkwardly thrust in. (Even the most fascinating characters can become annoying when they water down the main story and force the author into convoluted explanations of their backgrounds.) Unless you're greatly impressed with the gimmick of piecing all the details together, Lestat and the Mayfairs detract from Blackwood Farm more than they contribute.

Another problem is the narrator, Quinn, whose flowery dialog makes him seem out of place even in his own story, which is set in the modern world of email and AIDs. The character and the setting just don't match up. Neither do his actions. Halfway through the novel he makes some extremely bizarre choices that really shattered my belief in the entire story.

Set back a few decades, the story of Quinn and Goblin might have been a good one, but it seems to have been abandoned midway through in favor of cameo appearances by more famous Rice characters and an ending designed to set up another book. Blackwood Farm reads like an unintended parody of Anne Rice's better novels.

I have been reading Anne Rice novels since 1986/1987 and have followed her work faithfully over the years. Blackwood Farm was a disappoint. Not only has Anne Rice not developed as a writer, but she doesn't develop her characters anymore. She brings in new ones, then kills them off. Merrick is one of the best female characters that Rice has created. She is a powerful witch, a powerful vampire, intelligent, ... beautiful and controls her own destiny bu choosing to become a vampire. Then, she dies at the end of Blackwood Farm. Where are the strong,... intelligent women in contemporary novels!

The story itself slowly progresses and the best portion of the book was the last 100 pages or so. And while I realize that suspension of belief is at times integral to reading fiction (and some non-fiction), in order for a novel to seem timely, the author needs to remember what year the story is taking place. Why is Quinn allowed to never go to school and why doesn't his family get beyond their own issues enough to acknowledge that Goblin is not only real, but a detriment to Quinn. When does the State of Louisiana step in? The story takes place in 2002, not 1802. Then there is Mona. She's 15, and her family has no control over her (not unlike real life). But they don't make an issue of her promiscuity except to say that risking pregnancy is bad for her health...I find it hard to believe the behavior of these characters for the period of this novel.

To be a good writer one needs to take risks in order to expand both writing styles and characters...Unfortunately, the magic is gone and all that's left is formula. After almost 20 years, not only should characters develop if they are still around, but so should an author's writing.

This was such a frustrating read. I bought it because I had read that this particular book read much more like the old Anne Rice and not like the drivel she's been churning out the last few years. It started promising, when a young Vampire, Quinn Blackwood seeks out Lestat for assistance in getting rid of an evil doppelganger named Goblin.Quinn begins to recount his history, and suddenly Anne Rice turns into a bodice ripping Harlequin romance novel complete with people falling hopelessly in love at first glance and fifteen year old girls quoting Shakespeare, and being tragically ill. Ugh. All of a sudden Quinn becomes annoying and frankly ridiculous,falling in lust and love with every manner of man, woman, and ghost. Lestat and Rowan Mayfair meanwhile are wasted cameo players in a melodramatic mess of southern low class complete with a drunken country singer mother, and a sexy African American maid. The book slightly redeemed itself in the last fifty pages or so once it was back to the present, and it's clear Rice is setting this story up for a whole new group of blood drinkers. I just wish it would've stayed with the vampires, and been less Gothic romance.