Servant of the Bones: A Novel

In a new and major novel, the creator of fantastic universes o 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.

From the Publisher

Who would you consider to be the perfect author with whom to spend Halloween? Anne Rice, right? Well, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to do just that two years ago for the publication of SERVANT OF THE BONES. We met in Miami, where she was doing a booksigning for several thousand fans at Books & Books, right in the heart of South Beach. The evening started with a grand parade, complete with a marching band and Anne as the leader of this procession, which ended in front of the store. Nevermind that it was 80-90 degrees outside, Anne dressed to the nines with a black crushed velvet vest and skirt, a long-sleeved poet's blouse, and a gold chain-link headpiece (This outfit was in keeping with the Babylonian mood of her book, SERVANT OF THE BONES). She was right in step with the rest of the crowd, all of whom were in full costume. People started waiting in line for the Anne Rice signing early in the morning, so you can imagine what the line looked like by the time we arrived around 6PM. The store provided entertainment and refreshments, so everyone was quite good-natured about the wait. In fact, many people forged new friendships while waiting to meet Anne. Others took the time in line to read her book. By the time they reached the front of the line, they were full of questions for her about her new novel.The costumes were amazing. One highlight was a male fan who dressed up as a futuristic super-vixon. He asked Anne if he could lie across the length of the booksigning table and have his picture taken with her. Being the great sport that she is, she said "sure." This bizarre moment was captured on the local news later that evening.I must say that after spending the evening with Anne, I admired her all the more. She spent over 7 hours signing books and didn't take one break during the entire time! Her only wants were a few cans of cold TAB, a plentiful supply of well-inked pens, and cough drops. She took the time to speak with every single person whose book she signed that night, and you could tell how much this meant to her fans. So, if you ever have the opportunity to attend an Anne Rice signing, GO! It's worth the wait, especially if you are lucky enough to catch her on Halloween.

From the Inside Flap

In a new and major novel, the creator of fantastic universes o 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.

From the Back Cover

In a new and major novel, the creator of fantastic universes o 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.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

This is Azriel's tale as he told it to me, as he begged me to hear witness and to record his words. Call me Jonathan as he did. That was the name he chose on the night he appeared in my open door and saved my life. Surely if he hadn't come to seek a scribe, I would have died before morning. Let me explain that I am well known in the fields of history, archaeology, Sumerian scholarship. And Jonathan is indeed one of the names given me at birth, but you won't find it on the jackets of my books, which the students study because they must, or because they love the mysteries of ancient lore as much as I do. Azriel knew this—the scholar, the teacher I was—when he came to me. Jonathan was a private name for me that we agreed upon together. He had plucked it from the string of three names on the copyright pages of my books. And I had answered to it. It became my name for him during all those hours as he told his tale—a tale I would never publish under my regular professional name, knowing full well, as he did, that this story would never be accepted alongside my histories. So I am Jonathan; I am the scribe; I tell the tale as Azriel told it. It doesn't really matter to him what name I use with you. It only mattered that one person wrote down what he had to say. The book of Azriel was dictated to Jonathan.

About the Author

Anne Rice is the author of thirty-seven books, including the Vampire Chronicles, the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, and the Wolf Gift book series. Rice was born in New Orleans in 1941 and grew up there and in Texas. She lived in San Francisco with her husband, the poet and painter, Stan Rice until 1988, when they returned to New Orleans to live with their son, Christopher. In 2006, Rice moved to Rancho Mirage, California. She died in 2021.

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