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Book Review: Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (Spoiler Free)

Published

7 years ago

November 29, 2016

Every author extends an invitation to their readers. They beckon to us from from shelves in bookstores or, perhaps more often today, from online listings with titles and cover art that promise adventure, discovery of truths, and a new understanding of the world around us. The promises are always there, but only the best follow through completely. Such is the case with Anne Rice’s newest novel Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis.

When last we left Rice’s singular hero, Lestat had taken the spirit Amel, the very core and life force of the vampiric tribe, into his being and was proclaimed the Prince of Vampires. Amel has been one of the central mysteries of the author’s Vampire Chronicles.since we first learned of him in the fantastic Queen of the Damned. This powerful spirit once sought the favor of Maharet and Mekare, the powerful witches brought to Queen Akasha’s court when she learned of their abilities.

The twin witches offend Akasha and she orders her husband King Enkil to have them punished. He instructs his steward to rape the women in front of the entire court to prove that they have no real power and banish them from court. As they wander the desert toward home, Maharet discovers she is pregnant and Mekare, in a fit of rage, instructs Amel to fly back to the court to torment the King and Queen and he takes to the task with relish.

A group of conspirators corner and repeatedly stab Enkil and Akasha until they lie dying in pools of their own blood. Only then does Amel make his ultimate move. He fuses himself to the blood and flesh of King Enkil and Queen Akasha creating the very first vampires in all the world. From that moment on, whatever happens to the vampire who holds the core, can affect the entire tribe.

Now, you’re probably asking yourselves why I’m spending so much time talking about Amel, and the answer couldn’t be more simple. After 40 years of novels and a sprawling dynasty of vampires, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis is ultimately Amel’s story.

And it is a story for the ages. Rice offers her readers a bombshell wrapped in splendor that we never saw coming, and perhaps never even knew we wanted.

Everything that we have known of the vampires and of Amel up to this point, no matter how beautifully crafted and solidly formed, gives way to depths that this reader never thought possible. In fact, in Rice’s capable hands, I was almost left with the feeling that I should have thought of this before myself. The story grows organically from the themes Rice has infused in the Chronicles from the beginning.

Companionship, family, longing, crushing loneliness, a desperate need for love, a search for meaning in the chaos of the Savage Garden. In short, the things that we all search for are the very same that her vampires desire, and as it turns out, they are the things that Amel once sought himself.

As I promised in the title, there will be no spoilers here. What I will tell you is that as a longtime fan of Anne Rice’s vampires, witches, taltos, castrati, djinn, mummies,spirits, and even more recently werewolves, I was not let down in the least by this book. Rice is at her storytelling best when she allows her characters to reveal their origins in their own voices, and that’s exactly what we get in this book.

With each twist and turn in the story, a new truth is revealed about Rice’s beautiful world, a new layer is peeled back to reveal a new answer that immediately asks another question. In one swift movement in the last thirty pages of the novel, the world and undead life the vampires have known for millenia is completely and irrevocably changed. And the final question is simple.

“What now?”

The author is a tireless researcher and she delves deeply into the lore and legend of Atlantis in a way that expands the mythology of her vampires while honoring Plato and others who first wrote of the island that fell into the sea.

Rice has done what few writers could successfully pull off in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. After 40 years and fifteen novels, she completely changed the immortal game, and I, for one, am waiting to see just where the next game piece lands. I was exhausted in the best possible way as I closed the cover and sat back to ponder this powerful journey.

You can order Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or head to your local bookstore on November 29. You don’t want to miss this amazing story.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

18 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.