The Tale of the Body Thief

The Vampire Chronicles, Book 4

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

In another feat of hypnotic storytelling, Anne Rice continues the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles that began with the now-classic Interview with the Vampire and continued with The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned.

Lestat speaks. Vampire-hero, enchanter, seducer of mortals - for centuries he has been a courted prince in the dark and flourishing universe of the living dead. Lestat is alone. And suddenly, all his vampire rationale - everything he has come to believe and feel safe with - is called into question. In his overwhelming need to destroy his doubts and his loneliness, Lestat embarks on the most dangerous enterprise he has undertaken in all the danger-haunted years of his long existence.

The Tale of the Body Thief is told with the unique - and mesmerizing - passion, power, color, and invention that distinguish the novels of Anne Rice.

©2010 Anne Rice (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Tinged with mystery, full of drama.... The story is involving, the twists surprising. " (People)

“Hypnotic...masterful.” (Cosmopolitan)

Rice Turns Toward What It Is To Be Human

In the 4th in the Vampire Chronicle series, Rice returns to the search for meaning that was such a strong theme in the first, Interview with a Vampire. It has always struck me that Rice uses Vampires as metaphor for angels. With all their gifts, they are not the reflection of God capable of creation that humans are. For blood sucking fiends, Rice's vampires spend a great deal of time discussing God, the meaning of their own existence and spirituality.

In the first book, we learn the early story in a dark 18th century New Orleans. In the second we meet Lestat as a sympathetic character. In the 3rd, Lestat is a rock star adventuring in the modern mortal world. In this, the 4th installment, he actually becomes a mortal man. The adventure allows Rice to explores what it means to be human, angel and devil.

I'll confess, I've read ahead in the series, but had skipped this one. I can tell you that this one is not as fast moving or gripping as the first three, but it's still a great story, mystery, adventure... Later books in the series wax very philosophical. It is clear that Rice begins her turn toward the more philosophical in The Tale of the Body Thief. Good book, no foul language or explicitly obscene content, but this is a book for adults.

Finally!! An Unabridged Version!!

Be still my beating heart! Finally, this unabridged version was released two days ago. I've always loved the book and was bitterly disappointed that only an abridged version was available. I never buy abridged versions.

Simon Vance returns as narrator and is as good as ever. I now have five of my favorite Vampire Chronicles audiobooks; from Interview With A Vampire to Tale of the Body Thief and her most recent one, Prince Lestat.

Happy Happy!!

By far the most frustrating for me....

I LOVE Anne Rice. I have read the Mayfair Witches as well as the Vampire Diaries all the way through countless times. Except for the newest one, released fall of 2016 I believe, I have read that one only once. But now going through again I will be there soon! I own the set on Google Read, and in a mixture of well worn and lovely smelling paperback and hardbound physical books and now I am HAPPILY purchasing them again one by one here on Audible! (I like them read to ME at times lol.) I believe that should tell how good this series really is imo.

May I say the narrator is absolutely fantastic! I wasn't convinced at first (mostly because of the way he pronounces 'sensual') If you have only seen the movies, you have done yourself a great disservice. (Tom Cruise???.......really!? bah!)

Still I always cringe when I get to The Tale of The Body Thief because although I am oftentimes frustrated by the actions of Lestat the "Spoiled Prince" (so true) I am never truly angry at his hasty actions met with no forethought as I am in this book. Many times I want to just throw the thing across the room. I speak of course of the physical book and not my phones Audible copy. He has a talent for flighty "whimming" through life without a care in an airheaded way that makes even an Aquarius like me nervous but I can still appreciate, USUALLY! That said, in this book his egotistical actions eclipse even that of the body thief at times! It makes me angry and then anxious unfailingly EVERY TIME I read it! I think this speaks a testament to good writing and a good storyline as well as a real and inescapable fear in me when I see someone take this kind of thing too far. Yes I have burned myself many times.

As I said I am an Aquarius and we tend toward what others deem to be flighty behaviors, especially at a younger age. As I get older and re-read these tales my frustration with his total lack of forethought only grows, but is NEVER more prevalent than in THIS book! As for what I said about the writing being exemplary...... Even though I know vampires do not exist, I cannot seem to get the thought out of my head that if I make a sojourn to good ole 'Nawlins I might run into him or one of his friends there. Louis perhaps? (Brad Pitt? better casting that!)
So I can see what people say about Anne's tendency to be wordy and I agree to a point, but her flair for the descriptive is what makes this phenomenon possible that they COULD exist in our world. It brings fans from all over to New Orleans EVERY year to leave gifts at his so-called estate. That my friends is the power of the written word..... albeit a lot of them. lol.

Enjoy this book (or be nervous for our seemingly brainless prince) and get through it, for it is necessary in the scheme of understanding how his character becomes him and the real personal growth occurs. (about time am I right?) The next only gets better, and shows a lot of that growth already... which **SPOILER ALERT
~
~
~
~ I believe IS due to what happens in the last chapter. The one that he warns you to skip if you want to not get angry at him all over.
That (once AGAIN) quick decision fostered in fear and ego, has some consequences even if only in his mind. Hereby causing some changes in Lestat. Go and see!

Narrator

Simon Vance is an absolutely fabulous narrator. I could listen to him any day. For audiobooks, having a talented narrator is a must. I’ve returned books that I’ve later read and enjoyed because I just couldn’t listen to the narrator.

A little slow to start but better as it continued

I thought the beginning dragged a bit, however it did improve as it continued. I think Anne got lost in writing a lot of unnecessary memoire style chapters, however once the main story began, it flowed much better. The narrator performance made the slower parts more tolerable. The ending was very good.

Fantastic exciting from start to finish

Would you listen to The Tale of the Body Thief again? Why?

Yes action from start to finish

What did you like best about this story?

First of all the narrator is out standing not a dual moment

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He was able to capture and separate each person

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Lestat is so sensitive

Any additional comments?

Great book worth every minute

Awesome story and continued piece

Locked in and reminded me how much I enjoy the series. Lestat is truly an amazingly wild character in this book. Non-stop action throughout the book. A must have for Ann Rice fans.

loved

I enjoyed every second. On top the next book. Narrator rocks! I was bummed when it ended.

Underestimated Jewel

The story is a lot of things at the same time. You can find in it a detective noir novel, a theological treaty, poetry, comedy and more.
The actor/narrator is very good in previous books, but in this one he just shines as a master of his craft.

An unusual experience

The book was beautifully written and amazed me in so far as the different experiences were presented with unbelievable detail.

A Guilty Pleasure

Some people think that The Vampire Chronicles are not "real literature", whatever that is, and are only one step removed from Fifty Shades -which in my own defence, I have not read. But I like them for the same reason I like eating ice cream alone in front of a horror movie: it's chilling and delicious. The Chronicles portray being a vampire as being a bit like a Caesar: you can kill as many people as you want, live gorgeously, look and dress like a god, but after a while, it's all sooooooooo boring, and you'll try almost anything for a bit of entertainment. The larks to which Lestat gets up to in this novel are so daft (as when, in the horror movie, someone goes down into the cellar with a dodgy flashlight to see what's making that moaning noise) that only chronic, soul crushing boredom can explain it. This leads to a series of adventures and encounters so wonderful that only a Scheherazade like Rice could have conjured them. How does she do it? How does she get us on side with such a selfish, self-centred, spoiled and entitled creature? Who cares: pass the ice cream.

Did not disappoint!

Oh, Lestat... *Facepalm*. What is he thinking? Actually, I don't think he really is thinking! But again, there never is a dull moment when Lestat is around. He seems to always make the wrong decisions which usually leaves him in some sticky situations, and this story was no different. Now I can't decide whether this one or The Vampire Lestat is my favourite so far!

Another Great Anne Rice book!

I read the vampire trilogy when they first came out. Now in 2016 they continue to thrill me. I only wish that the other books in the vampire chronicles were in audio format. Very enjoyable having the books read to you, allows your imagination free reign, therefore I enjoyed the books in a fuller way.

Brilliant

Anne Rice has done it again. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it really had it's humorous moments. I became fully immersed into the story which Simon Vance narrated absolutely perfectly, giving every character their own unique sound and accent. I won't give any spoilers but the particular part towards the end was written so perfectly I could picture what was happening so clearly in my head it sparked such emotion of rage it was untrue. This book is a whirlwind of emotions full of plots and twists. Brilliant.

Exciting

Loved every minute of the book and couldn't stop listening, i was there picturing everything and can't wait to start no 5 of the vampire chronicles

Poor

Nothing really happens here. What a disapointment for the series... The narration is very good, Simon Vance preforms high as ever.

Great book

Loved it keeping it to listen to again recommend it to anyone who loves Ann Rice

Typical Anne Rice Perfection!!!

The story itself was truly spellbinding, the use of double negatives held your concentration! The story conteny was perfect bringing precious books together! Anne brings a story to life that no move ever could, your imagination is held to the last chapter! As always never predictable, always surprising! jenious!!!

Really good adventure

Really nice and entertaining story.
Didn't feel bored at all, enjoyed every moment of the book.

6 th listen so far!

This is by far my favourite book of the chronicles-
Simon Vance is an excellent reader-
Fabulous story line, excellent cast of characters and a total escape.
Thoroughly recommended