梅瑞克 (2000)

《梅瑞克》（英语：Merrick）是美国作家安妮·赖斯的系列小说“吸血鬼编年史”第七部，于2000年10月17日出版。从这部小说开始，吸血鬼与梅菲尔女巫有了交集，以此结合了“吸血鬼编年史”和“梅菲尔女巫生涯”两个系列的故事。

内容概述

于此作中再次登场的三位吸血鬼：路易·德·庞特、莱斯特·德·莱昂柯特和大卫·塔柏特，以及一名美丽的女巫梅瑞克·梅菲尔。大卫还是人类时在泰拉玛斯卡结社工作，也是在那时他就结识了梅瑞克，因此路易希望通过大卫让梅瑞克帮助自己召唤已故吸血鬼克劳蒂亚的灵魂。

反响

《纽约时报》的评论家马修·佛莱蒙认为此作与“吸血鬼编年史”系列的其他小说在情节上几乎毫无关联，他说“赖斯如今似乎专为她的粉丝写作。”《娱乐周刊》的瑞贝卡·艾希-威尔士给小说3星的评分并针对小说的写作用语尖锐的写道：“赖斯的行文如同一位来自数个世纪以前的英文教师。”在以5为满分的亚马逊网站上，小说获得4.3分的评级。此作于2001年获朗姆达文学奖提名最佳LGBT奇幻小说。

Merrick is a 2000 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the seventh book in her The Vampire Chronicles series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994). Elements of the novel were incorporated in the episode "Montreal" of The Vampire Lestat.

Plot summary

Louis de Pointe du Lac is being haunted by the spirit of Claudia, his adopted daughter, a child who, like Louis, had been turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt but was destroyed long ago. With the help of former Talamasca leader-turned-vampire David Talbot, Louis asks the beautiful witch Merrick Mayfair to use her spiritual powers to contact Claudia's ghost.

Merrick is also a former agent of the Talamasca, and shared many adventures with David in the past. Flashbacks introduce Merrick's malevolent sister, Honey Isabella or Honey in the Sunshine; Merrick's mother, Cold Sandra; and the Great Nananne, a powerful witch whose very presence is enough to frighten and instill respect in David. Merrick and David recall their journey to a cave in Central America which contained malevolent spirits protecting an ancient jade mask, which allows people to see spirits as if they were corporeal.

Merrick retrieves Claudia's diary from the Talamasca vaults, and makes it possible for Louis to speak with Claudia. The spirit's harsh words confirm the negative feelings for Louis that Claudia expressed in her diary, and a despairing Louis attempts suicide by exposing himself to the sun. Made a vampire by Lestat, Louis is too powerful to be destroyed in this manner, and his burned body is restored with vampiric blood bestowed by Lestat, David, and new vampire Merrick. She reveals that from the beginning, she used her magic to lure David and Louis to her in hopes of receiving the Dark Gift of vampirism. The turning of Merrick into a vampire infuriates the Talamasca, but in a letter David advises that they not wage war against the vampires because Lestat is too formidable a foe.

Crossovers

Some characters from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994) appear in Merrick, and later Blackwood Farm (2002) and Blood Canticle (2003).

Audiobooks

In 2000, Penguin Random House Audio released an abridged audiobook adaptation of Merrick, narrated by Derek Jacobi, as well as an unabridged version, narrated by Graeme Malcolm.

Critical reception

Merrick debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained in that position for two weeks, spending a total of 10 weeks on the list. Publishers Weekly wrote, "This volume merges several long-running plots; the first chapters sag with the weight of their exposition, and the prose seems overheated even for Rice ... Displaying her imaginative talents for atmosphere and suspense, Rice creates a riveting scene that shows Merrick's awesome magic at work."