Lestat, the narrator, however, was as engaging as ever, daring us to hate him by flaunting his determination to pursue his desires whatever the cost to himself and others, but earning only our admiration despite himself. In his interaction with Louis, we see again the cruel and wilful Lestat of Interview of the Vampire; we see how Lestat as he describes himself converges with the figure described by Louis.

The text is full of long theological debates concerning the existence and nature of God, but the quality of Anne Rice's writing is shown by the extent to which these engage and stimulate the reader. As always, her work is embued with the language of the Catholic Church: these vampires are not soulless demons, but pensive, philosophical beings who give far more thought to the state of their soul than the average mortal.

The protagonist of this dark fantasy is the Vampire Lestat, a recurring figure in Rice's series "The Vampire Chronicles". To make a 435-page epic short, Lestat wants to be mortal again after centuries of being Undead. The old adage is "Be careful what you wish for." It's not surprising, then, that Lestat soon regrets a too hasty career move that he's talked into making by the Body Thief. And, in a subplot, his life is complicated by a relationship with a nun that would likely cause the Pope to issue an edict or two. As the frenetic storyline unfolds, Lestat is helped out of a desperate situation by his long-time human friend, David Talbot, the Superior General of the Talamasca, a semi-secret order of scholars dedicated to the study of the occult. (And what good pot-boiler doesn't benefit from an inscrutable organization?) In any case, after a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth, our anti-hero discovers perhaps a universal truth - that a man's and vampire's best friend is a big, shaggy dog. As a general rule, I prefer cats.

I'll never be one to appreciate blood-sucking demons or Anne Rice. Therefore, my three-star rating of THE TALE OF THE BODY THIEF is severely skewed and will undoubtedly cause fans to howl. Rice's prose is richly descriptive and a magnificent achievement. Lestat's first person testimony of his re-acquisition of human frailties was understatedly comic. ("But, if you eat, you know what will happen? You'll have to go back in that bathroom again ... The thought almost made me gag.") Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for a story that was, for me, excessively long and tortuous to the point that I just wanted to get to the end and move on. As a matter of fact, I wished Lestat would just move on. His angst and loneliness was tiresomely endless from start to finish no matter what form he took. And he's not the sort of character that inspires my sympathy or admiration - he's basically vicious, selfish and confused. (Where are a good, fire-sharpened stake and a sledgehammer when you need them?)

While I thank my friend for the opportunity to expand my pulp fiction horizon, I also hope she forgives me.