Tag Archives: merrick

So, I’ve actually stopped reading the VC after “The Vampire Armand” (of course I picked up again at “Prince Lestat) – what do you think, should I read “Merrick”?

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Yes, READ THE BOOK!

Idk, I would always advocate reading the books, as cracky as some of them can be, bc there are always moments that are really great! Single lines worth digging up, some phrasing that hits you #Right in the Feels. Don’t you want to know what happened to Louis, David, and Lestat, before PL? You don’t have to agree with it but the ride is always at the very least stimulating… you can always just skim it for plot points if reading it is too much of an investment.

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[^bookwormmykitty from here X]

If you like Louis, especially yes! This is a story he gets a starring role in. It’s cracky but heartbreaking, and it changes the dynamics of the relationship between Louis and David, and between Louis and Lestat, and also there’s a strong FEMALE character?! Who is NOT a Mary Sue (ok she has some Mary Sue elements but whatever I liked her)? Woah. 

It also changes Louis physically, gives him the powers we see him use in PL, and it also allows him to experience a new level of intimacy with Lestat (and others potentially) that he refused to have before. It changes him emotionally, but we don’t get too deep into the specifics on that, but I think we’re starting to see those effects in PL. 

My main issue with it is that it would have been SO MUCH MORE fun from Merrick’s (or Louis’!) own POV, rather than David’s. David was largely a third wheel and I didn’t really care about his youth in the jungles. More interested in the voodoo that Merrick could do, and especially how she used it on Louis ;A; <—Hopefully not really spoiling anything there bc I’m being really general in that statement.

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[^Melodie Monrose as Merrick and Jackson Rado as Louis de Pointe du Lac]

antoineandthepiano made this lovely aesthetic pic set and description about Merrick, but there ARE spoilers there, FYI. antoineandthepiano’s description is gr9 tho and worth being spoiled for. YOU MAKE THAT CHOICE YERSELF THO.

I don’t remember if Merrick spoils any other major plot points from books that come before it, I don’t think so. I recall it as being almost a standalone novel. 

If the book Merrick were to ever be made into a movie what do you think of Sherri Saum playing the part for Merrick Mayfair?

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Innnnteresting choice, I don’t know her work, only just googled her, but I’d screen test Sherri Saum! She does NOT look like she’s 40. I don’t remember how old Merrick was supposed to be, but I like the idea of her as a Real Adult Woman since she has to seduce Louis, and he was turned at 24, IIRC, so that could be very hawt, a slightly older lady, not yet a cougar, bewitching a younger man. We don’t see enough of that.

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^She has some solid sass in the vids and gifs I saw, that’s for sure, which is a necessary component to Merrick. Superficially she is gorgeous and I love her hair! Such great volume.

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^Great smile, too *u* She can already wrap you around her finger w/o resorting to Voo Doo, probably.

Hi^^ I just finished Merrick and I have a question only you can answer, my dear! The character reactions at the end had me a bit confused, namely Louis and Lestat’s reaction to Merrick’s little love spell. Does Louis just not care that she put a “fix” on him or does he still not believe her? Is that spell still there? And why does Lestat react so nonchalantly to it, as if it was funny rather than a bad thing? Shouldn’t he be a bit more…I dunno, jealous and pissed? I guess? Help!

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A question only I can answer?! Pffffft, that would be true only if I was Anne Rice herself. Although really she ought to deputize me as one of her fandom spokespeople, my VC obsession has made me such a great resource for the fandom!

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[art by Thomas Blackshear, very Gustav Klimt, oui?]

Spoilers under the cut.

1. Does Louis just not care that she put a “fix” on him or does he still not believe her?

In his letter, Louis says that she admitted to bewitching him:

“No talk from Merrick of her potent spells can excuse my actions, though in fact, she does indeed claim to have brought me to her with magic I cannot understand. What I understand is that I love her…” – Louis de Pointe du Lac, Merrick

I think that as he writes this, he feels love for her, but he knows it can’t be real love. He must feel tricked at some level, why else commit suicide right after making a loved one into a vampire? If he really loved her, he would want to stay alive and be with her. I think he’s chosen death because he knows what he did was wrong and rather than just adding another vampire to the world, he’s taking himself out, so there’s no change in the number of vampires ;A;

2. Is that spell still there?

I think Louis is still bewitched as he writes his letter, but it’s probably worn off to some extent in the process of his resuscitation. It has definitely worn off by the time he is himself again, but I think at that point he has to consider Merrick with some natural love, because she is his fledgling and there will always be a bond there. The Dark Gift is probably the most intimate experience a vampire can give/receive. 

3. And why does Lestat react so nonchalantly to it, as if it was funny rather than a bad thing? Shouldn’t he be a bit more…I dunno, jealous and pissed? 

Lestat has just woken up again, cut him some slack! He’s disoriented! “With an awkward step, as though his body, so long unused, revolted against him, he made his way closer to Merrick,”

Lestat also often goes into a kind of emotional and physical paralysis when such devastating things happen. It happened when he was mortal, too. The humor that follows is also a defense mechanism against feeling the pain of the situation.

He knows that there will be an opportunity much later to get jealous and pissed, but in the immediate aftermath his thoughts are narrowed to the emergency and how to save Louis ;A;

I’m not sure why he insists on sharing his blood with Merrick, though. That seemed to condone her trickery too far for my tastes, but I suppose he did it because he saw that Louis still loved her. Making Merrick more of an equal was a gift to Louis.

Or, perhaps he wanted to drink from her to experience her side of the story, without any of her witchery, and sharing blood with her was an excuse to do that.

Hi! I love your blog, and I have a question for you! My favorite character is Louis, and I’ve heard that he features more prominently as a character in Merrick. I’ve heard good and bad about Merrick, but I’ve never read it myself. Is it worth a read? (I’m getting back into the VC after a long time away, and I only read a handful of the books.)

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Thank you I love my blog tooooo *u* heh so humble, too 

Yes, READ THE BOOK!

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antoineandthepiano made this lovely aesthetic pic set and description about Merrick for a Merrick RPer, forgotten-mayfair. You might want to ask them both about the book for more detail, any Children of Darkness (that’s what VC Fandom ppl are calling oureselves now) can also feel free to reblog this and add comments. I didn’t want to steal antoineandthepiano’s description from their post, go check that out!

Basically, if you love Louis, this is definitely a novel with alot of him in it, doing alot of serious stuff. It will hit you right in the feels. You might need to take breaks while reading it. 

I don’t remember if it spoils any other major plot points from books that come before it, but I seem to recall it as being almost a standalone novel. It does spoil the fact that certain characters in the novel were not vampires in previous novels.