Memnoch the Devil [Abridged] [Audible Audio Edition]

by Anne Rice (Author), Roger Rees (Narrator)

Product Details

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 4 hours and 12 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Abridged
• Publisher: Random House AudioBooks
• Audible.com Release Date: October 4, 2000
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00005476D
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (501 customer reviews)

Editorial Reviews

The Vampire Lestat - outsider, canny monster, hero-wanderer - is at last offered the chanced to be redeemed. He is brought into direct confrontation with both God and the Devil, and into the land of Death. We are in New York. The city is blanketed in snow. Through the whiteness Lestat is searching for Dora, the beautiful and charismatic daughter of a drug lord, the woman who arouses Lestat's tenderness as no mortal ever has. While torn between his vampire passions and his overwhelming love for Dora, Lestat is confronted by the most dangerous adversaries he has yet known. He is snatched from the world itself by the mysterious Memnoch, who claims to be the Devil. He is invited to be a witness at the Creation. He is taken like the ancient prophets into the heavenly realm; he is ushered into Purgatory. He must decide if he can believe in the Devil or in God. He must decide which, if either, to serve.

Memnoch the Devil is Volume 5 of The Vampire Chronicles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

204 of 229 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i think everyone missed the point, November 2, 1999

By 

c. piana ([e-mail]) (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles) (Mass Market Paperback)

while reading the various reviews of this book I realized that everyone, whether they hated or loved it, may have missed the point. this book is pure genius but not for the reasons many stated. anne rice is not trying to let us in on her personal religious beliefs or use the vampire chronicles as her personal soapbox as one review would suggest. The point isn't that god is bad or memnoch is bad or god is good. She does not contradict anything set forth in interview. she is not attempting to shock us with her visions of heaven and hell. not to say that the visions of these places were not magnificent and perfectly written, which they were and any intelligent and unbiased reader would have to admit that the visions of these places were at least intriguing. the purpose of this book was to show that it is impossible to ever know the real truth about these things (god, creation, the devil, etc.). lestat himself was there firsthand and presented directly with all the answers, all the visions, and then had them yanked out from under him and left to wonder if this was real or that was real or if the whole story was just a flat-out lie and some game the devil was playing to amuse himself or toy with what may be his only worthy adversary (did anybody realize that memnoch did not like the title "devil" yet he signed the note "memnoch the devil"). the purpose of this book was to show how eager we all are to believe in something, as was lestat, even if it's coming from the devils mouth. I'm sure I'm not the only one who found himself riveted by memnoch's story and believing in his words (even though I generally do not believe in religion and god). then at the end we are left wondering what is real and what is lies. the best line of the book is when maharet says "its not all lies, not all of it, that's the age old dilemma". In other words, even ones as old as these ancient vampires will never know the truth, rice is just reminding us. either way, the reader was presented with a tale of creation, god, and the devil, one that was presented as truth, and then was left at the end (by something as cheap and inarticulate as that note) saying to himself, "wait a second, this is a novel, this is anne rice, this isn't the truth, memnoch doesn't exist, this is fiction." that is the true genius of the book. at the end you feel betrayed by memnoch, you feel lied to and tricked, you feel stupid for almost believing his story. in other words, you feel exactly how lestat feels. you are the main character and your memnoch is anne rice and she tricked us all. I understand how some may be put off by that but I have never read a book where I knew exactly how the main character felt, exactly how he felt. that is the genius of the book, the emotion that it stirs, not all the religion. if you want religion read the bible, if you want an amazing story read memnoch the devil.

im eager to hear what you think of this.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the davinci code ain't got nothing on this book, June 29, 2006

By 

maya magea (melbourne, vic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles) (Mass Market Paperback)

i would give this book an A+++ if i had to give it a grade (but we work with stars here.) after reading the Queen of the Damned i thought i'd seen Anne rice's best work. apparently, i was wrong. though being registered under th vampire chronicles, Memnoch the devil is not as vampiric as it's predecessors...but it's oh so good. Lestat goes up against the two entities he has big agendas with, God and the Devil. and in here lies the most wonderful tale of Creation and reflections of good and evil. undeniably, this book is controvertial, in my opinion closer to profane than the Davinci code. Anne Rice holds nothing back on this story and for anyone who approaches the text with an open mind, anne rice has created a truly unforgettable story. sensual, romantic, gothic, erotic and bordering profane Rice has created what should be a modern day classic.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICE'S OWN 'WHAT DREAMS MAY COME', April 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles, Book 5) (Hardcover)

Here, Rice wanders off the well-beaten path of archetypical story-telling intermingling philosophy, psychology and history. The author explores the themes of Judeo-Christianity, life after death, purgatory, deities, angels, etc. In the end, I concluded that her theories (told through Lestat's journey into both the past and the afterlife) are remarkably insightful.

When compared to the Christian ritual of communion (pretending to eat Christ's body and drink his blood), I hardly think that Lestat's actions in the novel can be deemed controversial for religious folks...