In a new and major novel, the creator of fantastic universes o vampires and witches takes us now into the world of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the destruction of Solomon's Temple, to tell the story of Azriel, Servant of the Bones.
He is ghost, genii, demon, angel--pure spirit made visible. He pours his heart out to us as he journeys from an ancient Babylon of royal plottings and religious upheavals to Europe of the Black Death and on to the modern world. There he finds himself, amidst the towers of Manhattan, in confrontation with his own human origins and the dark forces that have sought to condemn him to a life of evil and destruction.
Her first book since Memnoch the Devil, Anne Rice takes us now into the world of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the destruction of Solomon's temple, to tell the story of Azriel, Servant of the Bones. He is ghost, genji, demon, angel--pure spirit made visible. He pours his heart out to us as he journeys from an ancient Babylon of royal plottings and religious upheavals to the Europe of the Black Death and to the modern world. There he finds himself, amidst the towers of Manhattan, in confrontation with his own human origins and the dark forces that have sought to condemn him to a life of evil and destruction.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Neither a vampire nor a witch nor a mummy, but a genie provides the focus of Rice's latest (after Memnoch the Devil). The queen of high-decadent gothic deviates from her formula of interlacing spirituality and carnality here: only in the novel's latter pages do lusty sensuousness and brisk pacing leaven a series of cerebral metaphysical struggles. This unusual approach arises from the central dilemma of the story. "Servant of the Bones" Azriel is a "genii" who, until his emergence in 1995 New York, is only a shell filled with spirit, not a corporeal presence ripe for Rice's usual dark eroticism. In the novel's first half, Azriel tells his tale: born a Hebrew in Babylon at the time of Cyrus, he is sacrificed in order to free his people, his body boiled down to golden bones. He then is cursed by a necromancer to be bound to the bones. Over the millennia, he is a spirit at the beck and call of a series of "Masters" who possess his casket. When Azriel calls himself into human form in the present day, he encounters plastic, airplanes?and the Temple of the Mind, a cult of computer-created creed that threatens to kill two-thirds of the earth's population. Azriel's emergence as a sensual being and the suspense generated by the Temple's Last Days project will help readers to forget the book's initial 300 pages, in which they must track Azriel from swirling particles to thickening flesh. Yet Rice's impeccable research into science, history and Jewish scholarship will probably leave readers impressed and entertained. 1,000,000 first printing; BOMC and QPB main selections. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science.
She is the author of over 30 books, most recently the Toby O'Dare novels Of Love and Evil, and Angel Time; the memoir, Called Out of Darkness;and her two novels about Jesus, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana,
Anne publicly broke with organized religion in July of 2010 on moral grounds, affirming her faith in God, but refusing any longer to be called "Christian." The story attracted surprising media attention, with Rice's remarks being quoted in stories all over the world.
Anne is very active on her FaceBook Fan Page and has over 550,000 followers. She answers questions every day on the page, and also posts on a variety of topics, including literature, film, music, politics, religion, and her own writings. She welcomes discussion there on numerous topics.
Her latest novel, The Wolf Gift, a werewolf story set in Northern California in the present time, will be published on February 14th, 2012. With this book, Anne returns to the classic monsters and themes of supernatural literature, similar to those she explored in her Vampire Chronicles, and tales of the Mayfair Witches.
Her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976 and has gone on to become one of the best-selling novels of all time. She continued her saga of the Vampire Lestat in a series of books, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles, which have had both great mainstream and cult followings.
Interview with the Vampire was made into a motion picture in 1994, starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas. Anne's novel, Feast of All Saints about the free people of color of ante-bellum New Orleans became a Showtime mini series in 2001.
Anne Rice is also the author of other novels, including The Witching Hour, Servant of the Bones, Merrick, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, Violin, and Cry to Heaven. She lives in Palm Desert, California.
I finished reading Servant of the Bones this morning after staying up as late as I could last night in an attempt to finish the book.
Reading over many of the reviews I can think of one thing that would have helped some of those that read the book: reading further.
At first I was almost put off by it being another interview book like Interview was, the only other book by Rice that I have read.
I was glad that I continued, however, because once she reached the interesting parts the story picked up tremendously. The interesting
parts to me would be everything to do with religion and history. I know this is in part because they are things I am currently hoping to
research. She made them vibrant, brought the old stories alive and for days I could not get the image of Azriel painted in poisonous gold
out of my mind. To me that is what a writer is supposed to do, create a living story, vivid images that haunt the reader day and night for a time before they can continue on with the tale.
That is what Anne Rice did in this book. Many said they could not get past the first 50 pages and first 100 pages and that skimming ahead provided nothing. Of course, it did not. One has to take the time to think with this book and that's another thing I love about it.
People may think the Belkin ideals and ideas were very contrived, but one never knows. We are very used to our safe and careful world where fights and cults are things that are distant from us. But who is to say what is out there and that this could not happen? In the mind of a madman
anything can happen.
I told my husband about this book as I read it since he rarely gets a chance to read anything this long. I would recommend it to others as well, but be prepared. The book doesn't think for you. To fully appreciate it, you have to think for yourself and take in what Azriel tells us,
take it deep inside and let it simmer like the gold that coated Azriel's bones. It is worth it.
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Vampires, mummies, and witches (oh my!) are all subjects that have received the star treatment from renowned author Anne Rice. The great otherworldly writer tackles another aspect of the supernatural plane when a genie stars in her latest novel. In doing this, Ms. Rice brilliantly provides vivid insight into the biblical culture of Babylon.
Frightening is the tale of Azriel, an exiled Jew living in Babylon, who has the misfortune to become the favorite one of the great god, Marduk. Azriel comes to the attention of the temple priests, who have hatched a plan for King Cyprus of Persia to claim Babylon without bloodshed. In order for this plan to work, Azriel's father hands him over to the priests in exchange for the promise that the Hebrews living in Babylon will be allowed to return to Jerusalem. In a ceremony, Azriel is to play the role of Marduk, a role that always ends in death.
Death is not quite what fate has in store for Azriel because a witch's spell separates his spirit from his body at the time of death. This turns him into a genie or Servant of the Bones. Through two millennia, Azriel is paged by many different masters, but it is not until the 1990s that fate provides Azriel an opportunity for redemption. Terrorist tele-evangelist Gregory Belkin has a diabolical plan to put himself in control of a new world order. He summons Azriel to help him put his plan in motion. Azriel knows what will happen to the world if Gregory succeeds. The genie forces his "master" into a confrontation that will decide humanity's destiny.
Readers will give Anne Rice much credit for being a very visual and challenging story teller who uses words as a magical means to mesmerize her audience. Her perception of a genie's psyche has its roots in her vampire mythos. Although this tale is not as esoteric as some of her previous works, Servant of the Bones is a brilliant piece of fiction. The author cleverly combines elements from the horror and techno-thriller genres into a unique and thought-provoking novel. Fans of The Mummy will definitely want to read this work.
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Anne Rice is a serious novelist. She does her homework, and incorporates important historical and philosophical elements. In Servant of the Bones, she ties together fascinating character studies with a supernatural "mystery thriller" flavor. Although she is clearly now a media figure, she does not shy away from poking fun at the fascination many people have with celebrities and pop culture. An intelligent work from an intelligent author. You won't be able to put it down during the final chapters.
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