nikivaszi:

Amel’s portrait from the book Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

“Now why the Hell do you want me, of all people,” he asked, “to come with you to France?” 

Vaguely, I was aware that Thorne wanted me, that moving about restlessly in the crowd beyond the café he was signaling to me, something important, something, please attend now. I shut him out. 

I looked squarely at Louis, who looked as splendidly human as he ever had. A rage of jealousy exploded in me against the blood in his veins that wasn’t mine. 

 “You know why,” I said turning my head and looking at the nearby crowds. Street performers were out there, dancing, singing, bringing big soft explosions of approval from the crowds. “You know damned good and well why. Because you were there when I was just Born to Darkness. You were there when I stumbled onto these shores and sought to find a companion, and found you; and you were there when we lived all those decades together, you and me and Claudia, and you are the only one living who remembers the sound of her happy voice, her young voice, or the ring of her laugh. 

And you were there when I almost died at her hands, and when the pair of you fought me again and left me in the flames. And you were there when I was humiliated and ruined at the Théâtre des Vampires, and they murdered her due to my crimes, my weakness, my blunder, my ignorance, my failure to steer one fragile little bark in the right direction, and you were there when I rose from the dead and had my shabby little moment of triumph on the rock music stage, my cheap little hour as Freddie Mercury before the footlights, you were there. You came. You were there. 

And you were there when I took the spirit of Amel into me, and when all around me were telling me I had to be the Prince whether I wanted to be or not, you were there. You were there when all these streets ran with mud and river water, and when you and I went to see Macbeth onstage, and I couldn’t stop dancing under the streetlamps afterwards reciting the words, ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,’ and Claudia thought I was so handsome and so witty and so clever, and we would all of us always be safe, you were there.” 

 (Lestat and Louis in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, Anne Rice)

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis - Final Considerations (Spoilers)

• Let’s start with the bad things to get it out of the way
  

- I admit that I enjoyed this book far more than I enjoyed Prince Lestat, but the plot is considerably weaker. It’s not the worst VC book ever, not even top 3 worst, but the plot is very loose. The cause is, of course, the fucking aliens

- The aliens. Welp. They turn this book in a story weird as hell. I have no problems with sci-fi - I’m a passionate and dedicated Trekker, I have been so for years and I love to spend my time reading sci-fi shit - but… I don’t like my sci-fi with my vampires? Crossovers are delicate things, and this one didn’t work for me, at all - the alien’s tale is actually pretty interesting, but it just look out of the place in this book. The crossover with the witches was still worse, but this one is by no means a step fowards. It just seems like two stories - the aliens’ story and the vampires’ story - were smashed together for convenience, with little thought about how well this could work.

- I am no squeamish person. I have no problem with gore, violent imagery or fucked up shit in general, be it in movies and TV shows (I thank Hannibal for that) or be it in books. BUT!!! THAT!!! THING!!! WITH!!! DEREK’S!!! ARM!!!

- !!!

- Seriously why did I had to read that. Why. I wish I could forget, but. *sigh*

- The vamps sort of… did nothing in this book? I mean, Louis and Lestat got shit done (power couple, yay), but they’re pretty much were the only ones who did useful stuff?? Everyone else is only sort of there, without really doing something relevant for the plot and this was pretty annoying

- WHY EVERYTHING IS SCIENCE NOW. WHY. I really don’t mind if the answer for some vampire things is just MAGIC or shhh don’t question it. I don’t. I would actually prefer if it was this way. All this bullshit science talk explaining every last thing about vampires and how their bodies work is soooo frustrating.

- WHY there’s so many chapters with Rhoshamandes. WHY there’s so many chapters with the new aliens. I don’t want them. Stop giving me chapters about them. I don’t care about them.

- Really, just give me some chapters about the old gang, I’ll be so happy

• But not everything is bad stuff; let’s talk a little about the good things.
  

- The characterization of the old characters is good here, far better than it has been in the last three books. My main complaint about Prince Lestat was how flat the old characters were. Armand spent the entire book agreeing with every word Lestat said and I was soo mad about that. Most of time no one had good characterization in Prince Lestat and it was annoying as hell. But things got better in this book, and everyone is written a little better. It’s still no perfect characterization but hey, baby steps. At least Armand is a lot more angrier in this book and this makes me feel better.

- I already thought this in Prince Lestat, but let’s reinforce it: Gabrielle and Sevraine are dating. Gabrielle has a girlfriend. Nothing you can say can convince me otherwise. Nothing.

- Lestat and Louis’ relationship in this book was actually well written. It was startling sweet and full of affection, but it was mindful of their story together. It was really good, and I loved every line about them. At first I thought it was slightly OOC how quickly Louis agreed to be with Lestat again, but then I remembered that Prince Lestat ends with a chapter in Louis’ POV - a pretty good chapter actually, where he ponders about his life and his immortality, and how he’s finally ready to be himself, to allow himself to be something else than just an evil creature. It’s a beautiful chapter, and it ends with the words “Beloved maker, beloved Prince, I will be with you soon.”. Thinking about that, then, it becomes clear why he accepted so quickly; he had already taken this decision, months before Lestat even asked him to be with him.

- Still on the subject, I really liked how Louis was written in this book. Anne didn’t write him too well after IWTV, but I really enjoyed how he was written here.

- Unlike in Prince Lestat, I didn’t had to read the sentence “Uncle Lestan”, not even once. I’ll thank Anne Rice for that, if for nothing else. And I’ll also thank her for including very few appearances by Rose and Viktor, because I really don’t care for them.

- I’m also happy to see more confirmations that the newish vampires aren’t straight, I’m happy to see that she is keeping this tradition

~~

Hmm. That’s all I can think about right now. It was far from perfect, but it could also be worse? Enjoyable anyway, because I love to encounter all my fav bisexual vampires again, even if the text occasionally makes me want to pull my hair out.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis Impressions - Pt. 11 [Final Part] (Spoilers)

[All the rest of the chapters are in Lestat’s POV]

Chapter 30 & 31

- Kapetria wants Lestat to meet her in Paris, wants to try to take Amel from his brain

[I’m just accepting the things as they come by now]

- Lestat is making very reasonable questions but Kapetria seems pretty annoyed when Lestat asks things like “But what if I die”

- Things are tense and Armand is SO upset

- I knew that you cared, you vindictive little minx :’)

- Lestat went to meet Kapetria. He then just GRABS her and goes flying with her and she’s terrified

- This is so entertaining, Lestat is not even noticing how nasty he is being and she’s terrified because he keep flying with her without warning lmao 

- I’m honestly loving it. Lestat already gave up and decided that he would do what she asked, but he’s being very difficult and showing off his powers and she’s terrified. I love when he’s this petty

- He stops fucking around with her and accepts it. But says he want to do it another night. Kapetria is VERY adamant that it has to happen THAT NIGHT, for some bizarre reason

- Lestat is ready to fuck off and return another night when Rhoshamandes helps to restrain him?? Welp. You really should have killed that dick when you could

- I’m so ??? about this part because they managed to force Lestat to do it when he had agreed? It reads as something really violent for me, it’s basically turning into non consensual something that should have been consensual. And Lestat could die for real in the process, and they didn’t even gave him the opportunity to say goodbye to his loved ones.  I felt very uncomfortable reading the cirurgical descriptions, this is awful

- But of course, he didn’t die and Amel was no longer inside him

- Lestat returns to his home, everyone is overjoyed to see him

- They made Louis cry :( Now I really don’t like this alien folk anymore

Chapter 32

- Lestat gave a whole emotional speech about love and how vampires are stardust and children of the universe as well and its meant to be beautiful and deep but I’m cracking up here

- Lestat is visiting Rhoshamandes?? Is making peace with him??

- Jesus christ just kill the fucker he can’t be trusted why are you always forgiving the people that fuck you over

- Total indifference is better than forgiveness, but I still wish you were a spiteful bitch, like Armand. I just know that Armand would have killed Rhoshamandes in the first chance he got, tbh

Chapter 33

- It’s been a few months, no one heard wtf happened with Amel, if he survived or not

- Lestat and Louis are having a honeymoon phase in Paris and I’m melting once again

- I was not kidding

- They don’t even EAT and they have a favorite coffee place. I’m just speechless at this point

- Louis goes to buy a newspaper and when Lestat is sitting alone Amel appears in an alien/humanoid body

- So he lives then

- They cry and kiss a lot and also drink each other’s blood, it’s kind of wild because they’re in public

- Even Amel also tells Lestat to. just kills Rhoshamandes

- I don’t like all this foreshadowing. If I’m not mistaken Anne says she’s writing other book, and I don’t worry about my fav because I know she would never do something permanent with Lestat, but if Rhoshamandes kills or harm one of my other four favorites [Louis, Gabrielle, Armand or David] I’m gonna be LIVID

- They spent some hours talkng until some aliens came to collect Amel. Amel already seems rebellious and frustrated by their controlling behavior, and is determinated to see Lestat no matter what

- I’m wondering if he plans in showing up in the court or what

- Louis returns to the table after Amel is gone and wtf, I can’t believe you let him awkwardly standing around for hours while you made out with Amel. jfc, Lestat, why are you like this

- They link arms and go out into the night <3

- Lestat tells the others about Amel and talks some more about love aaaand it ends

\o\

I’m going to write a proper review about this wild ride [but not today], but wow

w o w

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis Impressions - Pt. 10 (Spoilers)

 Chapter 25 - Lestat

- Everyone is tense and afraid of what the aliens are going to do

- They’re sort of afraid that they’re going to multiple themselves into an army so they can capture Lestat and forcefully remove his brain so they can set Amel free

- And this is Very Bad because it wouldn’t just kill Lestat, it would kill every single vampire in creation

- I mean, I understand the danger, partially agree… but you guys are vampires, you can literally look at someone and set them on fire. Or literally fly away, idk

- GEE Marius, I wonder WHY he has the savage and ignorant soul of a child? Maybe because some fucker turned him into a vampire when he was seventeen?

- Fucker

- And yes Armand, please fight him. Fight him some more for whateve reason, I’m cheering for you

- Lestat is kind of resigned that he’s going to die because of this sooner or later, which is pretty sad. Like, no my dude, go fight some more

Chapter 26 - Lestat

- Lestat is with Louis, pouring out his fears. Louis listens patiently

- Lestat put himself and Louis in the best rooms of the castle and decorated it to look like their New Orleans flat and I just… wow. He’s so adorably smitten with Louis in this book, I’m loving this

- Louis has some trippy theory about a silver cord [apparently is an invisible connection between body and soul when the body is travelling in the astral plane] and that the connection that the vampires have with Amel is similar. 

- Lestat isn’t buying this, but Louis is being insistent

-  😍

- He just prefers to fly while being into your arms, ya fool

- Louis is bossing Lestat around so much, telling him to call more people and make them meet with them in Paris. Is honestly adorable

- Protective!Lestat literally ready to fight anyone who dares to belittles Louis? Yes please, gimme some more 😍

- No one is believing Louis’s theory, but then he says that he wasn’t affected by any of Amel’s inflictions of pain in the entire coven, and that’s because he is Actually Dead  

- What

- Apparently because his suicidal attempt in Merrick? Because his heart stopped for hours?

- Ok, then… I guess I will just have to roll with it too

- Lestat is still keeping a close eye to see if anyone mistreats Louis :’)

- Well, I can see that Louis’s tendency to put people/vampire/things on fire is alive and well

- They stop Fareed’s heart for half an hour to make an experiment and it actually works, so they’ll try to it to Lestat so they can severe the link that all vampires have with Amel at once

Chapter 27 & 28 - Lestat

- Kapetria heards that they’re going to try something, offers to help. Lestat says no. She arrives in the castle (alone) anyway

- Begrudgingly, Lestat and the others accept her presence

- The next night they try the experiment

- Idek, at this point I’m just melting here. I’m not used to this much cuteness coming from them but I’m loving every line

- They stop Lestat’s heart, he has a very trippy hallucination [dream?] where he and Amel visit Atalantaya

- When he wakes up, he does a somewhat hardcore experiment to see if it worked

- Damn, that sounds painful af. Also love me some mama bear Gabrielle <3

- No one suffered any pain while his hand burned, so it worked

- Or better, partially worked; now Amel is stuck into Lestat, having more power than ever, and Kapetria is really disappointed. Uh-uh.

Chapter 29 - Fareed

- Things are still somewhat tense, at least to the ones closest to Lestat

- Lestat apparently went to see Rhoshamandes and I’m just wondering… why. Please, I’m so tired of reading and typing his name. Stop

- Damn, this sounds pretty bad :(

- I always found very endearing that Gabrielle only dresses up and let’s her hair loose when Lestat is feeling really down, because she knows it cheers him up to see her like this

- They’re barely back together and Lestat is already fucking up, smh

- I can’t say I don’t feel a lot of satisfaction knowing that Marius was dumped by Daniel (and Armand by extension) and Pandora at the same time lmao

- And it seems like Bianca wants to be with him but he’s ignoring Bianca? Wtf. She doesn’t deserve this shit

- Fareed was watching Lestat and Louis play chess with a medieval set and got so anxious with the possibility of bad shit happening that he had to excuse himself to his crypt

- And I always though he only had a professional relationship with the guys

Additional note: I’m almost finished with this wild, wild book, so the next liveblog post is more likely the last one, and if I finish the book today I’ll already post it ~~

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis Impressions - Pt. 9 (Spoilers)

Chapter 20 - Lestat

- Kind boring chapter

- Amel keeps trying to talk with the aliens by screaming into Lestat’s head and causing him excruciating pain

- He actually caused Lestat so much pain that he started to bleed through his eyes. damn

- He drinks from Kapetria’s blood [the alien lady] so they can communicate with more ease

- Ngl, IWTV references makes me so excited

- Fareed is kind of a dick lmao Lestat is writhing in pain in his coffin and the dude is sticking needles on him so he can take a sample of Kapetria’s blood

Chapter 21 - Lestat

- There’s some very bizarre thing about an alien substance extracted from Amel’s human brain? And that substance is what makes vampires immortal?

- This is weird as shit. I don’t like it

- Lestat is resting in his quarters with Rose and Viktor and Louis. Louis let himself be dressed up again, apparently

- They’re so adorably married in this book and I love every single moment like this one

- There’s also some kind of ball going on? In an aesthetic very 19th century vampires

- Lestat is drinking from a ghost now, the one who now is stuck in a corporeal form. Apparently he also has a lot of blood?

- I…. You know what? I’m not even questioning it anymore. I’m just rolling with it

Chapter 22 - Rhoshamandes

- A bunch of ancient vampires and Rhoshamandes’s fledglings are in his house, roasting him for his present and past actions lmao

 - Alessandra and Eleni are DRAGGING him for never coming save them when they were captured by the Children of Satan and I’m honestly loving it

- But you know, Marius did the same exactly fucking thing with Armand and we never saw Armand raging against him like this or something. Honestly I feel robbed

- The elders killed Roland, the dude who kept the Derek alien a prisioner for ten years right in front of Rhoshamandes and now they’re threatening him

- Benedict is being such a good boyfriend and refusing to back down

- They now have a deal that they’ll leave Rhoshamandes alone, but he’ll be killed at once if he ever harm another vampire or alien

- They left and now he’s cuddling up in the bed with Benedict

- Welp I sure hope it’s the last we see of you my pal, at least in this book

Chapter 23 - Derek

- He keeps thinking that Lestat and Marius looks like father and son

- Ew

- Blah blah, more alien talk. The aliens want to leave and stay alone for a while. The vampires don’t want that, but they don’t want to fight too

- Lestat is being so uncharacteristically nice in this book that I’m a little happy to see him getting a little cold here

Chapter 24 - Fareed

- I had no idea who the fuck Flannery was until they mentioned that she is Viktor (Lestat’s son) mother

- Try as much as you want, Flannery and Viktor will never ever be an awesome mother/son duo like Lestat & Gabrielle. Never

- Apparently Kapetria lied? She’s trying to make a body for Amel to live?

- I… ok, I’ll just roll with it. Again.

- But Amel told her that they can’t harm Lestat or the rest of the vampires, otherwise he won’t do anything

- Lestat is strangely pretty chill about the whole idea. Or maybe Fareed isn’t  picking up on his anxiety idk

Final note: Less than 100 pages to the end now! The next chapter is where starts the third and last section of the book. I looked up the summary and there’s eight chapters in Lestat’s POV and only one in Fareed’s POV. No more aliens chapters or Rhoshamandes chapters and honestly I’m so happy about it

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis Impressions - Pt. 8 (Spoilers)

Took me a couple of days but I finished the 100 pages long chapter telling the alien’s origin story, so, the more relevant parts

- They were created by an intelligent species that evolved from birds. They were sent to Earth twelve thousand years ago to destroy Amel and to destroy the planet, because apparently the aliens were angry that the mammals evolved to the be the dominant species on Earth, instead of reptiles or birds. Apparently they sent Amel to fulfill this task centuries before but he rebelled

- ok then

- The four aliens fell in love with Earth, didn’t want to destroy it. They arrived in the city of Atalantaya, the city where Amel lives. Apparently is a tecnological paradise with the kind of tecnology that we don’t have today

- Amel knows who they are and is pretty chill about it. He tells them that he wasn’t an alien, he was born human and was abducted to the planet of the Angry Alien Birds and modified there.

- He doesn’t believe the Angry Alien Birds wants to destroy the Earth, because he believes that they only want bloodshell and confusion. He believes that they feed on the suffering of humans, the four aliens agree with him

- This is actually a chilling idea, tho - advanced aliens making a less developed species suffers so they can feed on this suffering. Reminds me a little of the aliens from the third season of Torchwood [the ones who wanted children]

- They want to stay with Amel and desert the Angry Alien Birds plan, but the alien birds’s planet apparently explodes and the wreckage of the planet hits Atalantaya [and the rest of Earth of course] and triggers its destruction

- There’s also a strong implication that Memnoch is an alien??

- Wtf. Memnoch isn’t my favorite book, not by far, but I prefer him being Satan wannabe than an alien pawn

- All in all is not really a bad story, it’s well written and entertaining… but it looks SO out of place into a vampire’s book, positively cracky. This would work so much better if it was an independent book