Blood Canticle
Encyclopedia
Blood Canticle is a novel by Anne Rice
in which she combines the new characters from her novel Blackwood Farm
with those from her previous novels in The Vampire Chronicles
and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy.
The style of this book deviated immensely from Rice's other works, while the storyline also created a very strong (and much-publicised) split in fan opinion. Rice has stated this will be the last of her Vampire Chronicles series.
. The protagonist is a young Mayfair witch named Mona
. At the beginning of the novel Mona is wasting away, victim to a mysterious disease brought on by the birth of her daughter, a so-called Walking Baby
. As the novel plays out, Mona and her guardian, Rowan Mayfair
, the current designee of the Mayfair legacy, reveal more and more about the powerful genetic
plague that has haunted the Mayfairs for generations: the Taltos
.
In what she believes to be her dying hour, Mona - highly romantic in nature - buys quantities of roses and takes them to the house of her lover, Tarquin "Quinn" Blackwood
, who is a vampire and a dear companion to Lestat. She lays the roses on his bed, intending to spend her final moments here. So that she does not die from the massive decline that her body has undergone, Lestat makes her into a vampire. He does this largely to satisfy Quinn, who could never again hear the thoughts of Mona if he were to do it himself.
When trying to prevent Mona's family from discovering her transformation, Lestat falls in love with Rowan Mayfair. Secretly, she pines for him as well.
Lestat's blood is powerful; Mona learns this quickly and discovers that she can easily dispatch inferior vampires with the powerful gifts that Lestat's potent blood has bestowed upon her. Now her renewed vigor and her anger about her situation with Rowan and their shared secret of the Taltos causes her to lash out verbally at Rowan and Rowan's husband Michael. As she struggles with herself, Lestat and Quinn, she learns her place in her new world.
As she learns, Lestat pledges to find her Taltos child if it still lives. For this, Lestat enlists the help of Maharet. In a very short time, Maharet provides critical information for their search.
The story comes to a dramatic conclusion as Mona, journeying with Quinn and Lestat, comes to the remote island
where the Taltos live. But instead of finding a secluded paradise, the three vampires learn about years of intrigue and civil war
among this isolated race of beings. In the end, the remaining Taltos join the Mayfair clan at the medical center in New Orleans, where they can be safe, learn, and be together as a family.
Mona and Quinn are taken by Khayman to go and live with Maharet and Mekare to go and be instructed properly in the ways of vampirism, leaving Lestat alone.
Rowan Mayfair seeks out Lestat, half in love with him but still in love with Michael and exhausted by her life, requesting that he gives her the Dark Gift. Lestat declines, pained as he is, because she is a guiding force for the Mayfair family and he cannot take her away from it.
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...
in which she combines the new characters from her novel Blackwood Farm
Blackwood Farm
Blackwood Farm is one of the more recent books in The Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches series, written by Anne Rice.-Synopsis:...
with those from her previous novels in The Vampire Chronicles
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 Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy.
The style of this book deviated immensely from Rice's other works, while the storyline also created a very strong (and much-publicised) split in fan opinion. Rice has stated this will be the last of her Vampire Chronicles series.
Plot summary
Centered in New Orleans, Blood Canticle is narrated by LestatLestat 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:...
. The protagonist is a young Mayfair witch named Mona
Mona Mayfair
Mona Mayfair is a fictional character in several novels by Anne Rice, including Witching Hour, Lasher, Taltos, Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle. She is the fourteenth witch of the Mayfair clan, and also the Designée of the Mayfair Legacy.-Background:She was born around 1983. She has an obsession...
. At the beginning of the novel Mona is wasting away, victim to a mysterious disease brought on by the birth of her daughter, a so-called Walking Baby
Taltos
Taltos may refer to:* Táltos, in Hungarian tradition a human being similar to a shaman, or alternately the horse of such a person, called the Táltos Horse* Taltos , a 1988 novel by Steven Brust...
. As the novel plays out, Mona and her guardian, Rowan Mayfair
Rowan Mayfair
Rowan Mayfair is a fictional character in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series. She is first introduced in the novel The Witching Hour, which takes place in the series Lives of the Mayfair Witches...
, the current designee of the Mayfair legacy, reveal more and more about the powerful genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
plague that has haunted the Mayfairs for generations: the Taltos
Taltos
Taltos may refer to:* Táltos, in Hungarian tradition a human being similar to a shaman, or alternately the horse of such a person, called the Táltos Horse* Taltos , a 1988 novel by Steven Brust...
.
In what she believes to be her dying hour, Mona - highly romantic in nature - buys quantities of roses and takes them to the house of her lover, Tarquin "Quinn" Blackwood
Tarquin 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:...
, who is a vampire and a dear companion to Lestat. She lays the roses on his bed, intending to spend her final moments here. So that she does not die from the massive decline that her body has undergone, Lestat makes her into a vampire. He does this largely to satisfy Quinn, who could never again hear the thoughts of Mona if he were to do it himself.
When trying to prevent Mona's family from discovering her transformation, Lestat falls in love with Rowan Mayfair. Secretly, she pines for him as well.
Lestat's blood is powerful; Mona learns this quickly and discovers that she can easily dispatch inferior vampires with the powerful gifts that Lestat's potent blood has bestowed upon her. Now her renewed vigor and her anger about her situation with Rowan and their shared secret of the Taltos causes her to lash out verbally at Rowan and Rowan's husband Michael. As she struggles with herself, Lestat and Quinn, she learns her place in her new world.
As she learns, Lestat pledges to find her Taltos child if it still lives. For this, Lestat enlists the help of Maharet. In a very short time, Maharet provides critical information for their search.
The story comes to a dramatic conclusion as Mona, journeying with Quinn and Lestat, comes to the remote island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
where the Taltos live. But instead of finding a secluded paradise, the three vampires learn about years of intrigue and civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
among this isolated race of beings. In the end, the remaining Taltos join the Mayfair clan at the medical center in New Orleans, where they can be safe, learn, and be together as a family.
Mona and Quinn are taken by Khayman to go and live with Maharet and Mekare to go and be instructed properly in the ways of vampirism, leaving Lestat alone.
Rowan Mayfair seeks out Lestat, half in love with him but still in love with Michael and exhausted by her life, requesting that he gives her the Dark Gift. Lestat declines, pained as he is, because she is a guiding force for the Mayfair family and he cannot take her away from it.