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Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of four centuries of witches - a family given to poetry and incest, murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being called Lasher who haunts the Mayfair women....
In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood. Anne Rice's compulsively readable novel is arguably the most celebrated work of vampire fiction since Bram Stoker's Dracula which was published in 1897.
Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life.
Seventeenth-century England, and a plough uncovers a grisly skull in the furrows of a farmer's field. The skull disappears, but its malefic influence begins to work in insidious ways upon the nearby village of Hexbridge. First, the cows stop milking and the fruit turns rotten on the trees. Then, an insolent ungodliness takes hold of the local children, mysterious fur patches appear on limbs and people start disappearing.... Something evil is stirring in the woods.
When 17-year-old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town itself. In spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
At the novel's centre: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has taken possession of his undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history and insidious reach of the unknowable universe.
Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of four centuries of witches - a family given to poetry and incest, murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being called Lasher who haunts the Mayfair women....
In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood. Anne Rice's compulsively readable novel is arguably the most celebrated work of vampire fiction since Bram Stoker's Dracula which was published in 1897.
Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life.
Seventeenth-century England, and a plough uncovers a grisly skull in the furrows of a farmer's field. The skull disappears, but its malefic influence begins to work in insidious ways upon the nearby village of Hexbridge. First, the cows stop milking and the fruit turns rotten on the trees. Then, an insolent ungodliness takes hold of the local children, mysterious fur patches appear on limbs and people start disappearing.... Something evil is stirring in the woods.
When 17-year-old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town itself. In spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
At the novel's centre: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has taken possession of his undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history and insidious reach of the unknowable universe.
When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires.
On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. She is kidnapped to The Shade, an enchanted island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
A star-studded cast of readers presents unabridged tales of horror and suspense from master storyteller Stephen King. The Stephen King Amusement Park - an unnerving experience, with rides every which way to hell...and a few to glory. A solitary finger pokes out of a drain. Novelty teeth turn predatory. The Nevada desert swallows a Cadillac. Meanwhile, the legend of Castle Rock returns...and grows on you. What does it all mean? What else could it mean?
In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep: they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent, and while they sleep they go to another place....
Anne Rice, best selling author of The Vampire Chronicles, delves into the mysterious legend of the mummy in this original and poetic tale of romance and horror. It begins in the early 1900s when archaeologist Lawrence Stratford discovers a perfectly preserved mummy in a tomb in Cairo. Little does he know that the mummy has consumed an extraordinary potion that makes him immortal; only the powerful rays of the sun are needed to bring him to life.
A Vampire Chronicles novella from the internationally best-selling Anne Rice. In a cafe in modern-day Paris, in the aftermath of a fresh kill, the fearless and beautiful Pandora begins to tell her tale of treachery, vengeance and love stretching across two millennia. As a young mortal in Imperial Rome in the time of Caesar Augustus, Pandora was first introduced to the blood-tainted cult of Isis. Later, in exile in Antioch, she was drawn even further into the dark, ancient rites. Now, looking back across the centuries, Pandora decides to return once more to New Orleans.
When Lee and his daemon, Hester, land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, they quickly become embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. So when Iorek offers to help, Lee is only too happy to accept. Together they take on a slippery politician, his monstrous gas-powered gun and a murderous gunfighter. And so begins a friendship that will continue throughout their lives.
A collection of BBC radio full-cast dramatisations of Jane Austen's six major novels. Jane Austen is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this volume includes all six of her classic novels. Mansfield Park: on a quest to find a position in society, Fanny Price goes to live with her rich aunt and uncle. Northanger Abbey: young, naïve Catherine Morland receives an invitation to stay at the isolated Gothic mansion Northanger Abbey.
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit--we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to--and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May.
It is the beginning of December and it is cold and grey outside. In the stately flickering hearths of the grand mansion of Nideck Point, oak fires are burning. The Morphenkinder are busy getting ready for the ancient pagan feast of midwinter. Everyone is invited, including some of their own who do not wish them well... Reuben Golding, the newest of the Morphenkinder, is struggling with his new existence as a Man Wolf, struggling to learn to control his desires and bloodthirsty urges.
Man or Monster? Anne Rice reinvented the vampire legend. Discover what she's done with the werewolf myth. After a brutal attack Reuben finds himself changing. His hair is longer, his skin is more sensitive and he can hear things he never could before.
A Vampire Chronicles novella from the internationally best-selling Anne Rice. A vampire in the Italian age of gold... Sixteen years old, Vittorio is the sole survivor of a bizarre and violent massacre at his father's Tuscan palazzo. Escaping to the Florence of Cosimo de' Medici, he seeks vengeance and retribution. But though he has been saved from death by a mysterious woman, he finds himself at the mercy of demonic, bloody nightmares, war and political intrigue.
You'll love this collection of three Anne Rice favorites at a bargain price.
The Witching Hour: Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real a family of witches - a family given to poetry and incest, to murder and philosophy, a family that is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous and seductive being.
Lasher: Now, Anne Rice brings us again - even more magically - into the midst of the dynasty of witches she introduced in The Witching Hour.
At the center of Lasher: the brilliant and beautiful Rowan Mayfair, queen of the coven, and Lasher, the darkly compelling demon whom she finds irresistible and from whose evil spell and vision she must now flee. She takes with her their terrifying and exquisite child, one of "a brood of children born knowing, able to stand and talk on the first day."
Rowan's attempt to escape Lasher and his pursuit of her and their child are at the heart of this extraordinary saga. It is a novel that moves around the globe, backward and forward through time, and between the human and demonic worlds. Its many voices - of women, of men, of demons and angels, present and past - haunt and enchant us. With a dreamlike power, the novel draws us through twilight paths, telling a chillingly hypnotic story of occult and spiritual aspirations and passion.
Taltos: What can I confess? I'm Ashlar. I'm a Taltos.
When Ashlar learns that another Taltos has been seen, he is suddenly propelled into the haunting world of the Mayfair family, the New Orleans dynasty of witches forever besieged by ghosts, spirits, and their own dizzying powers. For Ashlar knows this powerful clan is intimately linked to the heritage of the Taltos.In a swirling universe filled with death and life, corruption and innocence, this mesmerizing novel takes us on a wondrous journey back through the centuries to a civilization half-human, of wholly mysterious origin, at odds with mortality and immortality, justice and guilt. It is an enchanted, hypnotic world that could only come from the imagination of Anne Rice....
this was my first experience of audio books I've actually read the 3 books about 20 years ago and was looking forward to hearing them. the first one had a rather boring narrator and half the book was missing like the best parts of the book I was gutted. the other 2 books were better read by both narrator's but again major parts were missing. I'm quite disappointed and wonder if all audio books are missing out major parts of the storyline now??
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
What disappointed you about The Witching Hour, Lasher, Taltos?
The stories don't make sense, they move to quickly and are just terrible overall. I absolutely love Anne Rice but this was awful.
What could Anne Rice have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Nothing. It was abridged, I should have known better.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The narrators were fine.
30 of 30 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Depends on the friend - if they enjoy simple quick reads then yes. Friends who like the details and a meatier book - no
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
First the books are out of order - Mayfair Witches is the first book. Second I'm currently reading the kindle version of the Mayfair Witches and the abridged parts leave out way too much for my comfort. I feel like it changes the story a bit too much, while you get the general gist you're missing a lot of the good stuff - it the movies version
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
Yes the narrators did well but I thought the guy in abridged parts was little dull
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Anne Rice and/or the narrators?
Why on earth is Lasher the first story in this collection? The Witching Hour should be the first story, Lasher is a followup to the Witching Hour. I fail to understand why the order was chosen.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
There may be a market for abridged books, but I personally do not get the appeal.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I disliked all the characters, not sure if it is because of the narration or the loss in characterization due to the abridgement, but I could not relate to them or understand their motivations half the time.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
I absolutly hated the narrations, in my opinion they get in the way of the good writing and misrepresent the emotion I imagine the characters are having way too many times. The lady narrator in the first story is not as bad, but here too the general tone of the narrating feels wrong to me. I wonder if Anne Rice would like it.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
One can glimpse the powerful writing style and the interesting story that is behind this unfortunate version.
Any additional comments?
I did not realize these were abridged versions when I bought the collection, and have been wondering how Anne Rice could have written a book like this one all the time I have been listening LOL I had been forcing myself to listen to it until the end but now I've realized it is abridged there's no point for me in continuing.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
The Mayfair Chronicles are exciting and terrifying because of the DETAILS. This crappy abridgment skips everything that makes the stories wonderful and instead gives you the bare bones of the outline. Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad product.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
What disappointed you about The Witching Hour, Lasher, Taltos?
These were abridged versions of the books.
What was most disappointing about Anne Rice’s story?
Most of the stories were missing.
What aspect of the narrators’s performance would you have changed?
It did not include the story.
What character would you cut from The Witching Hour, Lasher, Taltos?
The weak female taltos.
Any additional comments?
I wish there were a way to get this purchase out of my audible library... like a delete forever button.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
No one
What could Anne Rice have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Anne rice is great but this book is abridged and done poorly.
Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?
No
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I read the witching hour many years ago and loved the thick richness of the story. Very detailed with lots of character development with entangled storyline.
This audio was a narrative in many areas. That was Very disappointing.
Lasher & Taltos were just silly in the audio version. Too bad
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Absolute disappointment! And I'm a little mad at how theses books were packaged and bridged. The Witching Hour is the first book but for some reason it's packaged here in the recordings as second! So you start off with the audio-cast already lost.
Also the way the books are bridged, or shortened, is a serious wrongdoing to the story and author. The part that is most important-family history-is bridged and frankly rushed thru like your at a fast-food drive thru!
Any additional comments?
The ONLY reason why I continued to listen to this massacre of a production was to get to Tim Curry's performance (a master of voice and character invocation - the Lon Chaney of our time). I give the performance 5 stars for Tim and ONLY Tim Curry. Joe Morton is a 3.5 and Lindsay...we'll she is just annoying.
If you are interested in this book series, then just read the books. This 'packaging' is an otiosity.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I had to listen to certain parts more than once the first two books were out of place the witching hour should have been the first book it starts the three books.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
The ending was satisfying
Was Anne Rice Value Collection worth the listening time?
It was worth listening to I had to relisten to Lasher after the witching hour
Any additional comments?
I really liked the performance of the narrator
5 of 6 people found this review helpful