Customer Reviews

Pandora

5 star:		(141)
4 star:		(125)
3 star:		(54)
2 star:		(46)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Don't get me wrong. I love Anne Rice, and the Vampire Chronicles are among my favorite books ever. However, in reading the other vampire books, one is ever re-reading things we already knew. When you read Lestat, Armand, Marius, and Louis, the tales are so intertwined that sometimes, it gets a little redundant. Pandora is a nice change. We don't know much about Pandora from the other books aside from the fact that she is old, and she is Marius' fledgling. When she recounts her life story for David Talbot in this book, it is refreshing in that sense, because it is entirely new, but it is also refreshing in the sense that Pandora is not as wimpy as her male counterparts. No, no, not the homoerotic thing. The weeping thing. How often do the male vampires weep at the sight of a Botticelli, or at the sound of a musical piece? They cry and lament over everything! Not Pandora. Pandora is made of tougher stuff. She has a backbone. Sure, she has a sensitive side. A very sensitive side. However, we know that she is not going to stain her dress with blood tears because she is lost in artwork or music. As usual, Rice makes you feel as though you are living in Ancient Rome, and her grip on historical accuracy is forever impressive to me. The story is not focused on how Pandora became a vampire so much as the events leading up to it, which is also a nice change because that story has been told before a number of times. The only reason that Pandora gets a 4 in my review is because it just seems that more could have been said. This is rarely a complaint I have about Anne Rice, but I wanted to know more details about her life between Marius and the modern era.

When someone coined the phrase "Get a life" they may have been referring to us Rice fans. Or, maybe it's an "afterlife"....At any rate, I started the series backwards, first off. I was recommended Blackwood Farm here, on AMAZON . That was great,so I moved to the others in the series, paying no mind to the order they were to be read in. Guess what ? It really didnt matter. Any one could could pick up anywhere in the series and still love these tales. Pandora, one of the few really strong women of the night, takes us from our modern times, to the love of her human life, Marius (of Blood and Gold) You get a history of an age long gone, of Romans, pagen beliefs, the constrictions placed and freedoms allowed women of that era. The imagery is wonderful, descriptions lush without becoming boring. Pandora looses all she loves to start all over again, in a strange city, followed by a strange male figure, who is both her protector and maker. We meet Flavius, her servant, love ,and future fledgling. This book, I had it read in 3 nights, did not want to put it down. Unlike Vittorio, this is a story worth telling.

The "autobiography" of the Vampire Pandora, who has appeared in "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" as a minor character, is a fascinating look at the life of a woman in ancient Rome. It bears some stylistic similarities, and some similarities of plot and character, to the "Cynthia, Witch of Syracuse" stories of Dorothy J. Heydt that appear in Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Sword and Sorceress" series, but it is hardly derivative. There are also some similarities between the character of Pandora and that of Olivia, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's vampiric "childe" of Saint Germain. This book is delightfully well-written, and is a pleasure to read on many levels: powerfully moving story, interesting historical perspective, compelling philosophical insights, and fascinating characters. One of Anne Rice's best-written vampire novels.

My grandmother handed me this book and told me to read it. She said she didn't like it, but thought I might. I was skeptical at first, for I had never read anything by Anne Rice before. Let's just say this book is perfectly told with a voice that pulls you in. You can see what Pandora sees as you read. I am now on the hunt for anything by Anne Rice. ^_^

Read it, relish it & kiss Anne Rice's talent & abulity to stay in character bon voyage.

This one's spiffy for those who like both fantasy & History, she even did some good research in this one^.^

This ranks as one of my favorite novels from the Vampire Chronicles. Pandora was an intriguing character from the moment Marius mentioned her in The Vampire Lestat. We read more of her in Queen of the Damned, and now she has her own stand-alone story to tell. Ms. Rice has certainly done her homework when it comes to ancient Rome and Antioch -- it's like she had a time machine and went back to learn the most minute of details. My only regret with the book is that we didn't learn more of what happened to Pandora after she left Marius, got rid of her mean, Eastern vampire lover, and before the events of Queen of the Damned. She deserved a book the size of The Vampie Armand and Blood & Gold. Ms. Rice's Vampire Chronicles are pretty much hit and miss since The Tale of the Body Thief, but Pandora shines as an example of Ms. Rice's great storytelling talents.

Pandora is another well written vampire novel by Anne Rice. This book takes a diffrent turn then her vampire chronicles by not being a continuation to the series, but instead being the description of a vague character only mentioned in the rest of the series. Pandora is about the life of a strong woman who starts life in ancient Rome and then goes on to live through to our century because she received "the dark gift" from the one she loves most. If the beautiful imagery and characters arent enough to enrapture a reader, the intriguing story line should do it. This tale explores the mortal and immortal life of a young woman who refuses to conform, and shows her inner struggle to validate a lifestyle which requires the taking of human life. This short story is told to David Talbot (from the other vampire chgronicles) and is not only a history of her life (told by her) but also a personal reflection on time and life. This short tale only made me want to know more on the life and future of the inriguing character that is Pandora.

i absolutely love this book and recomend it to anyone and everyone!

I found this book endlessly intoxicating and one of my absolute favorites from Anne Rice. I have just finished Blood Canticle and I am about to start reading all of Anne's books AGAIN from the beginning starting with Interview.
Her ability to fully describe every detail accurately allows the reader to literally become that character (particularly Pandora) and live out a life so enriched in beauty of all senses that it takes your breath away. It left me with such a feeling of familiarity of this person and so much more enriched, historically, I could not possibly have asked for more. To walk through life with this woman and experience eveything the way she did/does, feel all she has been through is truly a dream to be repected and revered. Thank you Anne Rice for writing such an outstanding novel.

A Review by Alex

Pandora takes us back to her modern childhood in ancient Rome. This is where she met and fell in love with the really good-looking mortal Marius. She is forced to leave her home or be killed by the soldiers plotting to take over the city. The story begins in a café in present day Paris, David Talbot a scholar and recently made vampire convinces her to write her life story. Her story is about the survival of the highly educated and independent women born in the time of Augustus Caesar. It is about how she is attracted to mysticism and finally vampirism. And how she must fight for her soul.

I really enjoyed how this book takes you from ancient Rome into modern times. I also liked that the differences between people back then and now are not really extreme. The only "slow" part of this book was when the author would get almost too detailed with descriptions, of even the tiniest things like smells from the city and clothes. But it all seemed to make it easier to imagine and feel what was happening to the characters. The most interesting thing about this book is that vampires or any other weird people could live among us, because we really don't pay attention to anyone but ourselves.

I would suggest this book and the other vampire books to people who like history and fantasy from a personal point of view. I would not recommend this book to the people who are looking for the satanic vampire-killing sprees. The book is much too romantic for them.