The Witching Hour

It was interesting with way more usless detail than it needed. I think it should be given a good edit until it is closer to half its size. And so many characters and more incest that I have ever seen in one book. I think Ms. Rice was trying to make a Tolstein-sized book. Many pages were well-written and I enjoyed parts but really, way too long. Oh yes, the ending is a leadin to book two and its more of the same old stuff.

...of course, that's just my opinion.:)I've been a long-time reader of Rice's books...since I was 14 and 'interview with the vampire' came out, in fact. (the movie)Anne Rice is a masterful storyteller. This is a lovely, twisted, haunting and at times romantic tale of a family who discovered power, wealth, pain and death through their association w/a 'nature spirit' called LASHER.The story really kicked off for me when we traveled back to the beginning of the tale. The year 1689. We learn of the first of the so-called 'witches': the well-meaning and kind-hearted but simple and naive Suzanne who conjured Lasher in the fields of Donnelaith with her young daughter Deborah -- only to burn from her inability to understand that the being had the ability to develop a will and purpose almost independent of her.Deborah never used Lasher with evil intent; she simply did NOT understand the being she dealt with (to wield and control him properly).Although he loved her -- loved all the Mayfair women -- he was not mindless. His actions were sometimes the result of what *HE thought* the witch desired in her heart and this led to Suzanne's demise at the hands of the townsfolk. Later generations (her granddaughter to be exact) would have a better grasp of this concept. Yet, the fam's methods vfor dealing with Lasher varied as some witches were inherently weaker than others.Overall...this was the crux of the entire problem. The fact that Lasher could 'learn'. The fact that he developed intent, knowledge of himSELF and -- later -- used his newly found knowledge and self-awareness to plot, manipulate and steer the family to suit *HIS* purpose.But--Rice provides GREAT insight into the character of Lasher through his talks with Rowan (present day) although his motives for attaching himself to the family are still somewhat obscure. We learn how the Lasher came to service the family. How he came into being -- or actually, that he always 'was'."The newly emerging intelligences of man, locked in matter, nevertheless perceived us, and thereby caused us to perceive ourselves. ...For millenia, these human spiritual intelligences developed; they grew stronger and stronger; they developed telepathic powers; they sensed our existence; they named us and talked to use and seduced us; if we took notice, we were changed; we thought of ourselves....(we learned) all things from you (humans). Self-consciousness, desire, ambition. You are dangerous teachers. And we are discontent."THEN-->"...Who am I? I am the one who wept for Suzanne when no one wept. I am the one who felt agony without end, when even Deborah stood numb, staring at the body of her mother's twisting in the fire. I am the one who saw the spirit of Suzanne leave the pain-wracked body. I saw it rise upwards, freed, and without care.Do I have a soul that it could know such joy -- that Suzanne would suffer no more?I reached out for her spirit, shaped still in the form of her body, for she did not know yet that such a form was not required of her, and I tried to penetrate and to gather, to take unto myself what was now like unto me.But the spirit of Suzanne went past me. It took no more notice of me than the burning husk in the fire.Upwards it went away from me and beyond me, and there was no more Suzanne......Who am I? I am Lasher, who came down to sit at the feet of Deborah and learn how to have purpose, to obtain ends, to do the will of Deborah in perfection so that Deborah would never suffer; Lasher, who tried and failed."He was the most interesting character in the book, imo. Rowan...Michael? Meh. I don't care about them. They're main characters but they might as well be in the background. Anyway, I'm a 'who/what/when/where/why' type person and I appreciate details. Insight...so I've no issue with the time flipflopping back in forth. Some posters are writing as though this was a time-travel book. LOLC'mon -- it's not THAT confusing.In honesty, it didn't flip that much. Goes something like this:-- Present day-- 1600's and beyond.(you review the history as depicted in the files by a secret order called the Talamasca who make it their business to keep watch over what they consider to be supernatural matters). Here you chronicle the journey of the Mayfairs through the centuries from a first-hand source, outsider perspective and witness accounts-- Present day.That's all.I suppose some folks were bored with the long drawn out story, started skipping ahead to get to the 'good part' and just plumb got lost in the blizzard of words and imagery. LOLI did the same in the beginning. So I understand. LOL I do it with most books. Yet, with a story like this -- you HAVE to backtrack. There must be a basis and you have to tell that history.Anyway, you can always count on Rice to provide plenty of rich details and depth.I read the rest of the books in the MayFair Witches' series and was really disappointed with the direction the story decided to take.The whole Morrigan-Talto's thing was pretty...anti-climactic. Just didn't like them.But I did like THIS book.

Love it

It's hard to find old hard cover books in good condition. I was happy to find this at a good price. Book was in good condition, even with original cover. Great classic book. My favorite Anne Rice

If you like family history with supernatural things mixed in, give this series a chance! The first ¼-⅓ of this book is a bit long, but it gets really good in the middle.It's a book that I enjoyed re-reading as much as my 16 yr old self enjoyed reading this the first time!

I think a lot of the reviews here miss the point of this book. American mythology of witches has typically focused on witches as women who have supernatural powers and how they use that power. There is a consistent nod to the idea that their power is gained through alliance with the devil.What Anne Rice does in this book is very refreshing for this genre: instead of crafting a horror story about a witch terrorizing people and using her powers in evil but entertaining ways, she focuses on how they get those powers in the first place. The complex relationship with the devil over generations of women, and how it ebbs and flows depending on each witch’s personality is deftly portrayed in this book. For Rice it’s not as simple as signing over your soul one day and having powers the next. It requires seduction and deception, and the powers are never as straightforward as waiving a wand or making a potion. Yes this book is long, but this kind of relationship, especially across generations, is complex.The other thing to remember is that she is going full gothic with this one. She has written a Victorian piece akin to Dickens, James, et al. Thus we get a story told in the style of a time when there was no television, no Internet, no movies, or recorded music. To really enjoy this book, give yourself over to it as your main source of entertainment for a few days.Lastly, for those complaining about Rowan’s character (I too find Michael to be annoyingly one-dimensional), remember that we’re talking about the devil here. Hers is not a chance encounter with him one day, but a plan put into place by a demon over centuries. Assuming how someone would act in that situation seems a bit presumptuous.

I love this series and Anne Rice never disappoints!

I really like mass paperback style books but they can be hard to find sometimes. My local BN didn’t have it would’ve taken WAY longer to have them order. Hoping to get the rest in this series soon because the Mayfair witches are coming to tv next year & you know there’ll be changes. This story is beautifully written & the one book she personally believed had the best ending of all her works.

Set primarily in New Orleans, this is a very atmospheric read. Of all the places in the US that I wouldn't mind visiting it is probably that city and this book plays no small part in it. Primarily about Rowan Mayfair, a neurosurgeon in San Francisco who was adopted at birth and starts to find out about her birth family after the death of her adoptive parents, and Michael Curry, a period house restorer who after a near death experience begins an interaction with Rowan and her Mayfair family.I don't think I would call this a horror novel, nothing particularly scary happens but it does build a rich atmosphere of danger, little and large hints that things are not quite right with the Mayfair family. Our two main characters are both fairly well drawn though there is more than a hint of Mary/Gary Stu about them. Both beautiful and rich and well educated with impeccable taste etc. The real selling point of this book is the history of the Mayfair family. I'd say a good third of this very large book is basically a written record of it, with some flashbacks thrown in as well. Some might find it boring but I thought it was the best bit. Anne Rice really invokes a sense of different times and places as the earliest bits go back to the seventeenth century. The ending felt somewhat rushed though which is surprising considering the length of the story. It also leaves on a bit of cliffhanger which I dislike.Be warned there is quite a lot of explicit sex scenes in the book, as well as references to rape and incest so if you dislike that probably stay away. However by and large I really enjoyed this, I was totally caught up in the story and seduced by the lifestyle portrayed. It is fairly melodramatic and overly long but in the right moment, as I was, this is a great read.PS If there is an organisation called The Talamasca, I would like to join, thanks.

This is a big Tome of a book at over 1000 pages which the writer uses to ramble on and on pointlessly about the same things over and over. Its slow as hell and resembles being cornered by your 60 year old neighbour who has decided to tell you about her life so far and assumes you have the next two or three weeks free to listen.I loved interview with a vampire and thought it had some very clever ideas. I gave up on this 300 pages in. What I read should have been condensed into 50 pages and still wouldn't have been very interesting. Only really two characters, both unlikable and poorly developed.This is self indulgent nonsense by Anne Rice that you won't regret never having read.

My rating is specifically in relation to the condition that this “new” book arrived in rather than the story itself (which ive read before and is great).All of the corners, spine and cover were scuffed. The back cover had printing errors all over it, splotches, missing colour, etc.Looking at other reviews my experience is clearly not an isolated incident.

This book is so inspiring to me, that I feel I must read it every 3-5 years, of course this also includes Lasher and Taltos all from the same trilogy. The way Anne rice tells her stories are so enchanting and imaginative, that you feel like you are experiencing the stories together with the main characters. For new readers I can promise you, this is something you experience in almost all her novels.The way she plays with words and make you fall in love with all her hero's and heroin's, I have never met in other novels.So I must admit, that I come back to the Anne Rice universe quite often, and follow her immensely satisfying and creative storytellingWhenever i have the time for it. I use her books as healing when I feel lonely, as inspiration when live feels dull and tasteless or when I just want enjoy a great story. The only bad thing I can say about her novels, is that they end. I get so immersed in them, that I certainly do not enjoy it when the final chapter comes nearer :-)Best regardsA admirer from the North.

Love a good book. Always looking for something new, absorbing and the bigger the book the better. I like a book to grab me within the first few chapters. It's a slog and I've only reached chapter 3. Going to keep going to see if I can get fully engrossed within the next couple of chapters. It doesn't look promising so far.