by Valarie Thorpe

[Merrick will be released Oct. 18, 2000]
Merrick, the latest work from Anne Rice, combines her legendary vampires with the witches of Mayfair. It's not an epic-length crossover; rather it looks more like Rice is setting the table. The Tale of the Body Thief's David Talbot is our narrator, and we get a great deal more of his background with the Talamasca.

This novel can be appreciated without having followed all of the previous works. It covers a period of decades as opposed to some of the earlier books that many times span hundreds of years. But the impact of some of the moments is greater if you're familiar with the previous books.

The novel's namesake, Merrick, is a young woman who joined the Talamasca at an early age. And Talbot's story takes us through his relationship with Merrick, covering his time with the Talamasca and then what drives him to re-establish contact with her after his transformation in Tale of the Body Thief. Louis is present for a good deal of the story, with Lestat showing up in a lesser role, although an absolutely critical one.

This book reads like a diary entry; Talbot's thoughts and memories take up a large chunk of the book. It took a while for the novel to really find its pace, but it does and leads to a conflict-filled conclusion.

This story is actually more of a co-mingling of the vampires and witches. The wealthy witches of Mayfair are not really a part of this story. The crossover is more peripheral and not given a large focus, although I absolutely expect there are much larger things to come. The ending is complete, and there's no author betrayal -- but it's definitely setting the stage for future work. The vampires have been put in a precarious position by a very specific threat, but the source of the threat may have gotten in over their heads.

This one is a pretty quick read with Rice's signature soulful descriptions, although thankfully lacking in the vampire angst department. But don't despair; if you're into that sort of thing, Louis is still pretty maudlin and Talbot definitely picks up the mantle of misunderstood vampire.

We're given all the hints of a terrific follow-up to come, and if there is any drawback to the book, it's that the next book can't come too soon. Hopefully, the follow-up's treatment will read more along the lines of a Vampire Lestat epic. Reading Merrick is enjoyable time well spent, but it's difficult not to view it as a truly great appetizer to what you hope will be a full-on feast.