Servant of the Bones

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

In a new and major novel, the creator of fantastic universes of vampires and witches takes us now into the world of Isaiah and Jeremiah and the destruction of Solomon's Temple, to tell the story of Azriel, Servant of the Bones.

He is ghost, genii, demon, angel - pure spirit made visible. He pours his heart out to us as he journeys from an ancient Babylon of royal plottings and religious upheavals to Europe of the Black Death and on to the modern world. There he finds himself, amidst the towers of Manhattan, in confrontation with his own human origins and the dark forces that have sought to condemn him to a life of evil and destruction.

©1996 by Anne O'Brien Rice; Packaging Corporation Copyright ©1996 by Random House, Inc.

Narrator and audio quality ruins this story!

Having read this book I know the story is pretty interesting, albeit a tad bit wordy in descriptions. Sadly though the reader, Michael Prichard, and the audio quality of this audio book are both horrible. Mr. Pritchard gives nothing to the characters, he is just a dead pan reader. The audio quality is absolutely horrible too in many places. It's crackly and distant, very reminiscent of a 50's microphone. This reader just puts me to sleep! That makes me sad for this amazing writer.

Monotone performance

Hard to tell if the story is good as the reader is so monotonous in his delivery I was fighting to pay attention to it.

Awful narrator.

I love this book but this narrator makes it hard to listen to. Can we get another recording?

Prepare for

Not one of Anne Rice's best. It starts out interesting and begins to develop nicely. Then the spririt begins to wail...and moan... and pretty much annoy the heck out of the listener. It's bad enough having no real plot throughout the entire story, but to listen to this monotone drone about...well actually nothing...is too much to bear. But stick with it because in the end comes the great finale, then end of mystery that is simply...well...stupid. I'm sorry I didn't get the abridged version, unless of course the abridged version has the 'spirit's' dialoge. In either case, prepare for a long boring experience. This is one of the rare Anne Rice's that I would skip.
And I'll give the reader one more chance, but PLEASE try not to sound like you're bored with the whole experience too!

one of sacred

I first read this book myself and was profoundly moved. I then bought the audio for a reluctant reader I knew, but listened myself. The narration is masterful, and what can my unworthy words say about a piece of art such as this book? Please read and enjoyed the sacred story and masterful telling of Azreil. I love this book and will visit it often in my life, with reverence for a professor or a wiseman.

Unimpressed.

I happened to listen to this audio book (the abridged version) a little over 10 years ago and had enjoyed it, and upon seeing that there was now an unabridged version available, I jumped at the opportunity to listen to it in its entirety. I wasn't impressed. The reader is dry places, and too melodramatic in others. The idea behind this story had potential for greatness, but I found the main character to be very whiny and hard to stomach. At times he just seemed too dumb to have the wisdom of the centuries behind him. For most of the book he seemed utterly lacking for me to ever consider him a romantic hero. He started off well enough - brave and self-sacrificing, but he fizzled rather quickly for my tastes. The story behind his last "master of the bones" was over-the-top and unbelievable. Take from this review what you will.

Disappointing

All I can say is disappointing. Anne Rice normally does such a great job, but this book isn't the least bit interesting in my opinion. I love her Vampire Chronicles books, but not this one.

Boring

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone into historical demonology

What was most disappointing about Anne Rice’s story?

It was written without the vivid descriptions that Anne Rice embellishes all of her wonderful books with. It was one word after the other....and a topic that bothered me in an odd way. I simply could not get into it....follow it....or attach myself to it in anyway that could persuade me to finish it.

What didn’t you like about Michael Prichard’s performance?

Michael Prichard was monotone, with no clear distinctions between character that kept me confused and frustrated.

What character would you cut from Servant of the Bones?

I simply didn't care for the subject matter.

Any additional comments?

I am a hard core Anne Rice fan, but this book appeared to be written by someone else...totally out of her classic style.

Excellent reading of this tale!

This was an excellent reading. Michael Prichards voice is so soothing. It was narrated slowly but this gives the listeners more time to really absorb the story. Considering the weight of the tale, it's utterly appropriate. Would listen to this again.

Excellent Storytelling

A stand alone story that keeps your interest throughout. Sad and horrifying, and very Anne Rice.