Blackwood Farm
Encyclopedia
Blackwood Farm is one of the more recent books in The Vampire Chronicles
and The Mayfair Witches
series, written by Anne Rice
.
, a child of the Blackwood clan, which is a powerful and old family in New Orleans. Tarquin is haunted by a mysterious spirit named Goblin
, who is attached to him spiritually. He realizes that he is unable to defeat this creature alone. Risking his life, Quinn embarks upon a quest to enlist the aid of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt
. Lestat, after a fashion, agrees to help Quinn.
The novel develops as Tarquin recounts tales of his growing up, his youth, his family, and even his forced conversion and acceptance of the Dark Gift by the hermaphrodite
Petronia. His stories allow Lestat to better understand the reach and power of Goblin, who continues to haunt Tarquin. Lestat also discovers that Tarquin is connected to the Mayfair clan of witches, which also makes New Orleans its home. This information, combined with his failure to defeat Goblin, forces Lestat to request aid from Merrick
. Merrick, a powerful Mayfair witch-turned-vampire, agrees to help.
It is revealed that the now-bloodthirsty Goblin, who looks exactly like Tarquin, is in fact a baby boy's spirit — the spirit of Tarquin's twin brother, who died only days after being born. The child did not leave this world; he is bound to Tarquin and is relentlessly jealous to experience what Tarquin does.
Merrick fashions a ritual, using the corpse of the dead twin, to exorcise
Goblin. During the ceremony, Merrick joins herself with the flame and the corpse. She carries her spirit and that of the child to the Light and perishes. Lestat is bereft of Merrick, whom he adored; but he now has Quinn, a new vampire
to cherish.
The Vampire Chronicles
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century....
and The Mayfair Witches
The Mayfair Witches
The Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a series of novels written by the horror author Anne Rice. They feature the Mayfairs, a New Orleans family of witches and their connection to a spirit named Lasher, spanning several generations...
series, written by Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
.
Synopsis
The main character is Tarquin "Quinn" BlackwoodTarquin Blackwood
Tarquin Anthony "Quinn" Blackwood is a fictional character from The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. He initially featured in the novel Blackwood Farm and later in Blood Canticle.-Description:...
, a child of the Blackwood clan, which is a powerful and old family in New Orleans. Tarquin is haunted by a mysterious spirit named Goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
, who is attached to him spiritually. He realizes that he is unable to defeat this creature alone. Risking his life, Quinn embarks upon a quest to enlist the aid of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person.-Publication history:...
. Lestat, after a fashion, agrees to help Quinn.
The novel develops as Tarquin recounts tales of his growing up, his youth, his family, and even his forced conversion and acceptance of the Dark Gift by the hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
Petronia. His stories allow Lestat to better understand the reach and power of Goblin, who continues to haunt Tarquin. Lestat also discovers that Tarquin is connected to the Mayfair clan of witches, which also makes New Orleans its home. This information, combined with his failure to defeat Goblin, forces Lestat to request aid from Merrick
Merrick Mayfair
Merrick Mayfair is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles written by Anne Rice. She appears in the sixth book of the series, Merrick. She is a member of The Talamasca and is acquainted with David Talbot....
. Merrick, a powerful Mayfair witch-turned-vampire, agrees to help.
It is revealed that the now-bloodthirsty Goblin, who looks exactly like Tarquin, is in fact a baby boy's spirit — the spirit of Tarquin's twin brother, who died only days after being born. The child did not leave this world; he is bound to Tarquin and is relentlessly jealous to experience what Tarquin does.
Merrick fashions a ritual, using the corpse of the dead twin, to exorcise
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
Goblin. During the ceremony, Merrick joins herself with the flame and the corpse. She carries her spirit and that of the child to the Light and perishes. Lestat is bereft of Merrick, whom he adored; but he now has Quinn, a new vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
to cherish.