What’s a bored vampire to do but become a glam metal superstar? The frame device of The Vampire Lestat continues in The Queen of the Damned, but this third volume of the series marks a major leap forward: Here, Rice’s detailed vampire mythos comes into view. When the 6,000-year-old mother of all vampires, Akasha, is awakened by Lestat’s dulcet tones, she mobilizes her plan to “save” mankind, unleash global carnage, and destroy Lestat. The novel reaches deep into ancient Egypt, with Rice unspooling a spellbinding origin story for Akasha and all of vampire-kind. She also introduces the Talamasca, a secret society of “psychic detectives” who watch over the world’s paranormal creatures, as well as their leader, David Talbot. For some readers, the journey can end here, as it’s widely acknowledged that the first three volumes are the series’ best. But for those who are motivated to continue, the lore only gets deeper and richer from here.
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