I've read all of the books in The Vampire Chronicles, so I had to finish this one. I enjoyed it up to Part II - Born In Atlantis, then I started skimming. I hate to do that but when Anne Rice starts getting into her description mode, it can be a bit much. Her idea of how the lost city of Atlantis was formed by Amel after being captured by aliens was as good a guess as anyone's, but not one to hold my attention. I did love the update on all my favorite vampires. Lestat, as Prince, is getting a little boring though. I think he needs to become the brat again. ( )

This could be a good place for the series to end ( )

This could be a good place for the series to end ( )

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice was a disappointing read for me in 2017, which has made the next in The Vampire Chronicles series - Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis - a real worrisome presence on my TBR. Given to me for Christmas in 2016, it even made my Intimidating Books on My Bookshelf post for Boomerang Books back in May 2018.

Reviewing this post recently, I realised I was yet to tackle any of the books from the list and decided Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis was the easiest and most accessible. And I'm so glad I did. Anne Rice has returned to form and the storyline has moved quickly on from the stagnancy of the previous novel. What a relief.

The history behind Amel's beginnings were unexpected and the revelations about Atlantis were engaging. The overall message about the creation of mankind as we know it allowed Rice a particular slant on things which didn't involve religion and was therefore a refreshing take on humanity as we know it.

Our favourite vampires were present in the novel and once again we heard from some of them in alternating chapters. I don't mind admitting I found the complex relationships between fledglings and makers and their overlapping histories a little difficult to keep up with at times, but fortunately Rice continually reminds us of their connections to one another.

I enjoyed hearing about Marius's efforts to create a constitution to govern the blood drinkers and I hope to learn more about the rules established for the court in future books. Speaking of the court, classical music was played - and mentioned - every night at the Chateau and the observations about dress were present on every page. That said, there did appear to be a little less description in favour of a tad more action this time around which was welcomed.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice cannot be read as a stand alone, but the good news is the next in this series was published in 2018 and is called Blood Communion (Book 13). I've decided to continue with the series and look forward to reading it. ( )

Received via Knopf and Edelweiss in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

Anne Rice has an interesting take on Atlantis and the vampire origin story in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. As a chronicle story, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis wasn't bad, but it deviates from what I expect from an Anne Rice novel. One part sci-fi, one part new age inspiration and finally a choppy, rambling narrative created a novel that was lackluster. Perhaps Rice has grown tired of her vampire tales hence the lack Ingenuity and character development in her latest (and last?) entry into the chronicle lore - I can't really say.

I remember in middle school picking up the chronicles and selecting a few of her earlier titles from the library shelves in high school when they stopped barring me from the adult section. The original vampire stories were dark, decadent and froth with inner demons: something a teenager could appreciate in the years of angst. Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with this series so plenty has changed: Lestat is now Prince, there is fire magic (if this is part of the original chronicles I don't remember) and Amel is now a sentient being recapturing memories of his past.

Without going much into the plot and therefore spoilers, there are Replimods of an undetermined genus, the revelation of why vampires have "thought speech" and the mythology of Atlantis has a fresh, new entry into its literature. I was nervous about the title of this book since it predominantly features Atlantis. Fortunately, Rice tackles the history and utopian tale of Atlantis is a realistic and respectful way. I am not entirely sure how I feel about this latest chronicle, but I can appreciate the uniqueness of the tale and the clever take on vampire history in relation to the cataclysm that destroyed Atlantis.

The concept of Replimods is an interesting addition to the Lestat Universe - mixing science and history to develop a worthy opponent for Rice's Vampire species. I am not certain if this is my favourite addition, but the characters themselves as complex and interesting. Having lived millions of years, the secret pre-history of humanity is slowly revealed through the character's own backstory. Also, the strange ability to replicate exact copies of oneself is a bit odd. The strangeness of the Replimod physiology, immortality and unknown reason for existence is merely written off by revealing the existence of another race of beings. Things get weird and I'm still not certain how I feel about that - or the obvious spiritless attempt to tie up all the loose ends.

The links between Amel and the Replimods is also an odd one: a mix of really great story telling, supreme creativity and weird mythologies to create an ancient relationship still playing out in the modern day era.

In the end, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis can be read as a stand alone or as part of the the chronicles without issue. I could understand the plot without reading much of the previous books and this edition also includes a brief history of the series in order to help the reader catch up on all the drama unfolded in the prior Lestat books. I am not certain if die hard Rice fans will be satisfied with this addition to the series, but story on its own is interesting. There is definite hints that Rice may be thinking about writing about aliens in her next books.

This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy novels that draw heavily on pre-history for inspiration, a reader who has love for a paranormal and vampire tales, new and old Lestat readers and those who are open to new takes on a very old story: Atlantis. ( )