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'Prince Lestat' sells well, but many critics find the book confusing

Anne Rice's return to the world of vampires has been selling well, but some readers are finding the mythology of the book too complicated.

'Prince Lestat' is by Anne Rice.

November 17, 2014

Anne Rice鈥檚 latest novel about the world of vampires, 鈥淧rince Lestat,鈥 is selling well but has received mixed reviews from critics.聽

鈥淟estat鈥 was first published on Oct. 28, In it, Rice revisits the character of Lestat, who appeared in other Rice novels, including 鈥淚nterview with the Vampire.鈥 Rice had that her 2003 book 鈥淏lood Canticle鈥 would be the last book in her "Vampire Chronicles" series, but 鈥淟estat鈥 centers on a blood-sucking world where iPods are accessible.聽

The novel has been doing well in sales, ranking number nine on the print and e-book fiction bestseller list for the week of Nov. 23 and coming in at number four on the IndieBound bestseller list for the week of Nov. 13. And 鈥淟estat鈥 has received some praise from critics, with Amazon naming it as one of the best books of October and writing in its review that 鈥淧rince Lestat is no quiet swan song. It ripples with suspense and excitement.鈥 found it 鈥渢alky [and] inconsequential" but otherwise "good, old-fashioned fanged fun.鈥

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However, other reviewers have complained that it was too difficult to remember the various characters and plotlines, with critic Meredith Goldstein writing that 鈥渋t helps to have a laptop handy so that you can quickly Google characters and events鈥. Once caught up, it鈥檚 possible to roll with Rice鈥檚 sprawling story if you鈥檙e a longtime fan 鈥 less so if you鈥檙e not鈥. Louise Welsh of the noted that 鈥渆ven the brat prince鈥檚 superpowers cannot hinge its many plot strands and voices together鈥. [T]he reader [is] lost.鈥 also complained of the long passages of exposition, calling them 鈥渂one-dry.鈥

And critic Terrence Rafferty simply found the book 鈥渄readful.鈥澛

鈥淩ice鈥檚 queenly prose is unaltered,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淭ime cannot wither nor custom stale its infinite monotony鈥. [But] 鈥楶rince Lestat鈥 requires a ton of supplementary material even to be comprehensible." Rafferty did admit, however, that聽 "[I]t has to be said that the earnestness with which Rice continues to toil at her brand of pop sorcery has an odd, retro sort of charm.鈥