The fifth of the Vampire Chronicles, Memnoch the Devil opens with the vampire Lestat up to his old tricks in New York - stalking, terrorising, having a little vampire fun - only to find that he is himself being stalked by, of all things, a horrifying monster. The central section of the book moves into hyperspace, zooming from the Fourth Crusade to an apocalyptic denouement in hell; and it's hardly giving too much away to reveal that God and the Devil play key roles in the plot, though not, naturally, as key a role as Lestat. Alas for his legions of fans, Lestat comes out of this one badly - indeed, there are those who say he may not come out of it at all, with Rice herself hinting that this may be Lestat's final fling. Nothing for it, therefore, but to join his fan club, which you can do by writing to: Vampire Lestat Fan Club, PO Box 58277, New Orleans, LA 70158-8277, USA.
