In a feat of virtuoso storytelling, Anne Rice unleashes Akasha, the queen of the damned, who has risen from a six-thousand-year sleep to let loose the powers of the night. Akasha has a marvelously devious plan to “save” mankind and destroy the vampire Lestat—in this extraordinarily sensual novel of the complex, erotic, electrifying world of the undead. Look for a special preview of Anne Rice’s Prince Lestat in the back of the book. The Vampire Chronicles continue in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, available for pre-order now. Praise for The Queen of the Damned “Mesmerizing . . . a wonderful web of dark-side mythology.”—San Francisco Chronicle “With The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice has created universes within universes, traveling back in time as far as ancient, pre-pyramidic Egypt and journeying from the frozen mountain peaks of Nepal to the crowded, sweating streets of southern Florida.”—Los Angeles Times “Imaginative . . . intelligently written . . . This is popular fiction of the highest order.”—USA Today “A tour de force.”—The Boston Globe