Movies - The Queen of the Damned

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The Queen of the Damned is a novel by Anne Rice. It is the third book of The Vampire Chronicles series, following Interview with the Vampire
and The Vampire Lestat. This novel is a continuation of the story that ends in a cliffhanger in The Vampire Lestat and explores the rich history and mythology of the origin of the vampires, which dates back to Ancient Egypt.

Like Interview, The Queen of the Damned was made into a film. The Queen of the Damned movie was released in 2002, featuring Aaliyah and directed by Michael Rymer. Most film critics were less than impressed by the film. Aaliyah, who played the undead Queen, had died in a plane crash before the film could be completed, and some people argue that the only reason that the film was released in theaters (instead of going direct to video, as had previously been intended) was to capitalize on her much-publicized death. The film featured a contemporary soundtrack with original songs written by Jonathan Davis and Richard Gibbs, performed by Wayne Static, David Draiman, Chester Bennington, Jay Gordon and Marilyn Manson. The soundtrack also featured previously released material from other bands.

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The plot of Queen of the Damned is extensive and complex. The first part of the book tracks several different people over the same period of several days. We are introduced to several new mortals and vampires who will become part of the so-called Coven of the Articulate: Pandora, Jesse, Maharet, Khayman, David Talbot, and Eric. We also see several characters from the earlier books: Armand, Daniel (the "boy reporter" of Interview with the Vampire
), Marius, and Santino. Each of the six chapters of the first part tells a different story about a different person or group of people. Two things unify these chapters: a series of dreams about red-haired twin sisters who live in ancient times and are witches, and the fact that some powerful being is killing vampires around the world by making them spontaneously combust.

Pandora and Santino go to rescue Marius, who has been telepathically calling for help and trying to warn others of some great approaching danger. As they arrive at his home in the far north, they find him buried under ice. They learn that Akasha has been awakened by Lestat's music. She has destroyed her husband Enkil and hatched a plot to rule the world. It is Akasha who has been killing the other vampires, trying to reduce the undead to a small number of vampires totally loyal to her.

The second part of the book takes place at Lestat's concert. Jesse is mortally injured and is taken to Maharet's Sonoma compound, where she is made into a vampire and where the rest of the vampires from the first part congregate. The only missing ones are Akasha and Lestat. She has kidnapped him and takes him on a whirlwind tour of the world, inciting women to rise up and kill the men who have oppressed them and trying to convince him to be her consort.

In the third part of the book, Akasha confronts the gathering of vampires at Maharet's compound. There she lays down her plans and offers the gathering of vampires a chance to be her 'angels' in her New World Order. If they refuse, she says, she will kill them. The others state that they will not join her, and before she can make good on her promise to destroy them, Mekare bursts in and kills her. The vampires begin to die, as they are all connected to Akasha, but Mekare then devours Akasha's brain and heart, effectively becoming the new Queen of the vampires and destroying Akasha for good.

Shaken, the vampires leave Maharet's compound to gather at Armand's "Night Island" in Florida and recover. Over time they disband, various vampires going their separate ways. At the end of the book, Lestat takes Louis to see David Talbot in London. After a brief visit they take off into the night, an incensed Louis and his angry words filling Lestat with glee.

The 2002 film deviated from much of this storyline and killed off some of the characters, including Mael, Pandora, and nearly Armand. but none of those gathered at Sonoma died apart from Akasha in the novel. It also provided some of the backstory that in the books is given in The Vampire Lestat, for instance Lestat's meeting of Marius and discovery of Those Who Must Be Kept. However, this backstory is also significantly altered. For instance, Marius, not Magnus, is Lestat's maker in the movie.

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Movies - The Queen of the Damned

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