Memnoch the Devil
First edition
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| Author | Anne Rice |
|---|---|
| Cover artist |
Chip Kidd (designer) Road to Calvary with Veronica's Veil (1523-1525) by Giovanni Cariani |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Vampire Chronicles |
| Genre | Gothic fiction |
| Published | July 3, 1995 |
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) & audio book |
| Pages | 354 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 32683203 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3568.I265 M46 1995 |
| Preceded by | The Tale of the Body Thief |
| Followed by | The Vampire Armand |
Memnoch the Devil (1995) is the fifth novel in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series, following The Tale of the Body Thief. Many of the themes of this novel and in large part the title are re-borrowed from the 19th Century gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer by Irish author Charles Maturin. In this story, Lestat is approached by the Devil and offered a job at his side.
After stalking and killing Roger, a ruthless but enthrallingly passionate mobster, Lestat is approached by Roger's ghost. Roger's ghost asks him to take care of his daughter Dora, a devout and popular television evangelist, whom he wants to spare from embarrassment. At the same time, Lestat has become increasingly paranoid that he's being stalked by a powerful force.
Eventually, Lestat meets the Devil, who calls himself Memnoch. He takes Lestat on a whirlwind tour of Heaven, Hell and retells of the entirety of history from his own point of view in an effort to convince Lestat to join him as God's adversary. In his journey, Memnoch claims he is not evil, but merely working for God by ushering lost souls into Heaven. Lestat is left in confusion, unable to decide whether or not to cast his lot with the Devil.
After the tour, Lestat believes himself to have had a major revelation. Among other things, he believes that he has seen Christ's crucifixion and that he has received Saint Veronica's Veil. He has also lost an eye in Hell. Even though Lestat suspects the entire experience was some kind of deception, he tells his story to Armand, David Talbot and Dora, who have joined him in New York City. When Lestat produces the veil as proof of his experience, Dora and Armand are deeply moved upon seeing it. Dora takes it and reveals it to the world, triggering a religious movement. Armand goes into the sunlight and immolates himself in order to convince people that a miracle has occurred.
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Wikipedia