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 Lestatin this extraordinarily sensual novel of the complex, erotic, electrifying world of the undead.The Vampire Chronicles continue in Prince Lestat. Look for a special preview in the back of the book.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 GlobeFrom the Trade Paperback edition.