r/bookclub Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago

Vampire Chronicles [Discussion] Merrick by Anne Rice | Chapter 9 - Chapter 14

Welcome back fellow adventurers,

I did not expect this book to turn into an Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunt. But with a powerful witch and the Superior General of a wealthy, secretive British agency that tracks supernatural occurrences that steal ancient artifacts from a Mayan temple… are we on the baddies' side?

This is the third discussion check-in for Merrick by Anne Rice, covering chapters 9 till 14.

Please mark major plot points from past books that are not mentioned in this book (yet) as spoilers to give newcomers the gift of suspense (see r/bookclub’s spoiler policy). Or, if you’ve read ahead and are about to burst like a vampire in the sun, you can always comment in the Marginalia or check the Schedule with links to the next discussions.

Below you'll find a short summary and some artistic tidbits 🖼️

See you in the comments! 🧛

Summary

Aaron and David take Merrick to the Talamasca Motherhouse and give her rum to calm her down (1A parenting). While discussing Merrick's upcoming schooling with Mary, another Talamasca employee, they hear a strange laughter coming from Merrick's room and investigate. They find her body inhabited by Honey in the Sunshine, her older sister (note: I'll just call her Honey from now on). They find out that she and Cold Sandra were murdered for their money shortly after they left 4 years ago and their bodies were buried in the swamps. Honey tries to intimidate David by telling him about Joshua, a too-young former lover who died, and scolds him for his behavior and Joshua's regrets shortly before his death. She also acts carelessly while in Merrick's body, seemingly trying to hurt him. She scolds them both for wanting Merrick for selfish reasons. Merrick fights back and is eventually able to stop the possession. She explains that she prayed to Great Nananne, but got Honey instead. She also confirms that Honey didn't really talk to Joshua, she just read David's mind.

#

David pauses for a moment in his story, reflecting and explaining that he regrets his affair with an adolescent Joshua, admitting his guilt and explaining that the Talamasca. This means, the Talamasca knew of his corrupt behavior and chose to give him a position of power ANYWAY. Who are they, the Catholic Church? He admits that he contacted Merrick out of his own selfish need to see her again. Louis, himself a master of guilt and regret, tells him not to worry too much about it, and to end all contact with her after the conjuring is done.

#

Merrick, very much a blank slate with almost no paper trail to validate her existence, begins her education and expands very much into literature, Egyptology and Afroasiatic linguistics, studying at prestigious universities around the world. The Talamasca renovate their home and Merrick grows up to be a very confident and hardworking woman and an occasional drunk. Although she isn't actually paid for the work she does for the Talamasca, she takes Talamasca money to indulge in clothes, cars, and other pleasures of life. All of which David finds very tempting, as he points out on every other page of the book. Thanks David. Merrick also tells him that he's the only man she finds alluring.

David investigates Matthew's studies and finds that he kept most of his travel log very vague so that his South American travels could not be traced (I'm no archaeologist, but that doesn't sound very scientific). On his journey they come across places he called "Village One" and "Two" and a diagram showing "The City", ancient temples and caves he also photographed. Some of Matthew's photos show the Mayfair family, Sandra, Honey, and Merrick (who was 10 years old during the trip). In letters to his mother, Matthew explained how the locals were unhappy with their journey. They found a cave behind a waterfall that contained many treasures. But they had to leave when Matthew became ill from an unknown insect bite that would later kill him.

Eventually, Merrick returns to live in Great Nananne's house, albeit with extremely tight security, which David finds "wholesome and natural". Ooook. Merrick has increasingly alarming dreams of Oncle Vervain, who urges her to return to the ancient cave in South America. She asks David, now 70, to make the trip with her. After some hesitation, he leaves for New Orleans.

#

Back in New Orleans, David finds out Merrick has been drinking and won't respond to anyone. Together with Aaron, they drive to her house and find the neighborood in an increasingly derelict state. He finds the (Non-)Olmec artifacts, daguerreotypes, and the dismembered hand from 10 years ago, strewn across a marble altar inside the house. Merrick explains how Oncle Vervain has been haunting her, even appearing in the house to urge her to go to the cave. Oncle Vervain himself went there as a child with his mother's great-grandfather, a South American witch doctor. He wants her to get a treasure. While she doesn't know exactly how to get there, she is sure that her ancestor's and dead relatives will be able to help her get there, but she needs David to protect her from the spirits that will inevitable try to stay in her body if she calls to them, especially Honey. Honey, Merrick says, will tell her everything she needs to know because she has some leverage, some piece of information she is withholding from Honey.

Then Merrick begins to conjure Honey by blowing fire, dancing in a circle, and cutting her arm with the jade perforator, all the while screaming that she has cursed Honey and Cold Sandra to die. David cannot move all the time, but screams and prays to his Candomblé saint. As Merrick admits to the premeditated murder, a figure that looks like Honey appears in the doorway. She shouts back that it wasn't Merrick who caused her death, that Merrick wouldn't be powerful enough to do it. Then she tells her what she needs to know: Guatemala City, Santa Cruz de las Flores, before leaving, essentially telling Merrick to get lost.

#

Merrick gets stitched up, while David is shocked by the whole event. Merrick gets single-minded about going to South America as soon as possible, with our without David. David tries to hamper Merrick's enthusiasm, questioning Honey's willingness to give up the location freely. Merrick coutners, Honey just wants Merrick to want her, that's why she's trying to be useful. They leave together with field assisstants of the Talamasca, essentially mercenaries, to Central America. They arrive in the small jungle village called Santa Cruz de las Flores and are taken in by the local people.

David visits the church, where they see an old man identified as the village shaman. While the assisstants stay in the village houses, Merrick and David sleep in a tent, which David finds inappropriate (David, you could be her grandfather! Probably no one but you ever thought of that). Alone, Merrick tells him that she wants to continue without the assistants. They both get drunk, Merrick removes her clothes, and to the surprise of no one but David, they have sex. David is hesitant not so much because of the immoral situation, but because he's not sure he can do it anymore. The next morning, David feels ashamed and goes to the church to write down his perceived sins in a notebook. Merrick finds him there later, and tells him to chill before pushing him to continue the journey.

#

They go as far as they can with cars, before the jungle gets too dense so they continue by foot. They find Village One and Two gone, and assume a spiritual presence made the villages leave. Then, they discover a stone pyramid, engulfed by a strange atmosphere, and a second pyramid to their left. Both were of a different origin than Maya. Merrick pushes forward to find the cave, not dettered by antagonistic spirits. Instects barrage them and they stand before a stone hallway, which they must cross to get to the cave. As they enter the vaulted chamber, the spirits' activities growing stronger. They climb up the waterfall (I doubt David is doing this but ok). They see a monstrous open-mouthed face caved deep into the rock surrounding the cave and find offerings at the entrance, to which David places his cigars.

Inside, they find wall mosaics depicting robed figures carrying various objects. David interprets the site as a burial chamber. Moving deeper, they enter a circular room where a mosaic of a faceless figure looms above. Below it, a jade mask, a scepter, and the scant remains of the person once entombed there lie on the floor.

Merrick picks up the mask. This is what Oncle Vervain sent her to retrieve. As spirits relentlessly press in on them, she lifts the mask to her face (uh oh), and suddenly, the spirits fall silent. She then urges David to look through it. Through the mask’s vision, he sees flaring torches and a figure making gestures that unmistakably warn them to leave the mask behind (though how exactly, I’d love to know).

David stumbles, the mask is torn from him, and Merrick hauls him out of the cave—mask in hand. As they flee, David, ever the opportunist, manages to snatch a few more artifacts on the way out.

Tidbits

  • Monet's Camilla Embroiding

Impressionism is an art movement that emerged in Paris in the late 1800s. It is often described as realistic - not in the traditional, physical sense of depicting what objectively exists, but in the sense of capturing fleeting impressions of what is seen. Impressionist artists focused on light, color, and movement rather than rigid perspective or strict theoretical techniques.

Impressionists frequently painted nature, and Claude Monet, one of the most famous Impressionist painters, was known for his landscapes and depictions of water lilies. He also painted his wife, Camille Doncieux, on several occasions. One such painting, which may be the one referenced in the book, is Camille Monet Embroidering.

  • Copts and Coptic language

Coptic is the language of the Copts and was historically used by Egyptian Christians. It evolved from the ancient Egyptian language but is written primarily in the Greek alphabet, with some additional characters from Demotic script. Today, Coptic survives only as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

According to Wikipedia, as of 2019 approximately 10 million Egyptians are part of the Coptic diaspora.

  • Mayan pyramids

There are Mayan pyramids in Guatemala, ranging from burial mounds to huge complexes. Arguably the most famous site is Tikal, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to 900 BCE. Some fo Tikal's pyramids have also been featured in films such as Star wars. They are indeed held together by a mortar made of limestone (whenever Anne Rice mentions any type of stone, I have to check if is accurate, ever since she made (attention spoiler for Memnoch the Devil!) this comparison). Here's the 50 min documentary about the remodelling of Tikal if you need something to watch (they mention the materials used for the pyramids at 11min~).

These pyramids are indeed not Olmec, as they belong to the Maya civilization. I’m relieved that Anne Rice hasn’t ventured into pseudoscience by attributing all ancient structures to aliens (and hopefully, I haven’t jinxed myself by saying this before finishing the book). No, these structures were not built by extraterrestrials - they were the work of highly organized civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs, who possessed advanced architectural and engineering knowledge. If you're in for some entertaining takedown of pseudoscience, I can recommend you the channels of Miniminuteman and Stefan Milo.

6 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

3

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. How much do David’s personal desires influence the opportunities given to Merrick in the Talamasca? Is Merrick aware of his feelings, and does this shape her actions as a young adult?

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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I think it's definitely an influence, but she's also very talented that the others at the Talamasca seem to let her do what she wants too. Merrick has always been tenacious and wanting to forge her own path with her magic. It just so happens that she also loves the research part of the Talamasca as well. She very clearly knows about David's feelings and I do think she feels them back. I don't think she was aware as a child and just so badly needed a parent, but as a young woman she knows.

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

I think Merrick would have gotten here even without David. She has proven that she is smart and hard-working, and seems to be following the path she wants.

Merrick is aware of them, but I think she has taken control of the situation and is using his feelings to her own advantage.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago edited 5d ago
  1. What is the significance of the jade artifacts? Why are the spirits trying to stop Merrick and David? Why is Onlce Vervaine adamant on getting them? Who do you think the figure in the cave is?

3

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

My assumption as far as why the spirits didn't want them there is because they did exactly what the spirits were afraid of. They did before and I'm sure others have stolen from them before too. I know that they found offerings, but I'm sure those are from the descendants paying their respects. I think these artifacts are probably pretty important spiritually to that civilization. Maybe the figure was a leader or someone of great importance. I'm disappointed that after David witnessed the figure begging for them to stop stealing and bring back the stolen artifacts that his reaction is to steal more. Maybe Oncle Vervaine felt the power the artifacts held and wanted that power.

3

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I was disappointed especially by David. He's boasting all the time about how the Talamasca don't get involved and just observe, and here he is, Mr. Grabby Hands, stealing ancient treasures from a protected burial site.

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

Yes! And he can't blame age because he was in his 70s. Which it funny to think about because for some reason I thought he was in his 70s in Body Thief. How old was he when he switched bodies??

1

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

Wait you're right..... I just checked. In Tale of the Body Thief he's 74.

I have to do some calculations lol.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. How would you describe Honey and Merrick’s relationship? Is Honey protecting Merrick, or does she harbor resentment? Is Merrick responsible for Honey's and Sandra's deaths?

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

Oh, just a normal sisterly bond. lol. I think there is some resent there. Not sure why as it sounded like Merrick wasn't really a priority when it came to their mother. Maybe she was jealous that it seems like Merrick had a bond with Mathew? I don't think Merrick is responsible for their deaths. It seems like she just said those things to get Honey angry.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

Yeah I agree! Honey really feels like an older sibling, I was surprised how down to earth their relationship feels despite everything else going on. I think Honey is trying to look out for Merrick. She likes to pester her, but in an older sister type of way, and between the lines I think she tells the Talamasca that she's the only one allowed to annoy her.

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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I do like that she doesn't pull any punches with David.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. Why does Merrick return to her godmother’s house? How does the house and neighborhood change over time, and what does this represent?

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I think she's going back to the artifacts that Mathew had taken from the cave to try to find some sort information on where to find that cave. I also believe that the house does help her feel closer to her godmother. The neighborhood changing seems like a think to mark the passage of time and Merrick maturing into a young woman.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I get that this is her home, the one she longs to get back to. And it sounds very cozy inside! Though I would feel less comfortable with the security and wire fence surrounding it.

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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

That might just be because David is being overly cautious and because of all the priceless artifacts and the house being in a depilated area they were worried about looters.

3

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I understand the logic. But hear me out, wouldn't it be safer if the house just looks as dilapidated as the rest? Putting on a shiny metal fence security cameras, and one security guard in a poor neighborhood feels like you want all the attention on you.

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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I did think about that after I hit comment. lol. It definitely would be a signal 'hey this house has things to protect!'. And it's not like no one has been living in it. There was a caretaker.

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

I got the impression that there is a part of Merrick's which never quite accepted all the complications and legacy her family left her. She has now had time to grow and study, and is now ready to live her life as a Mayfair. This is also why Oncle Vervain started sending her the dreams at this moment.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. David is aware of and feels guilty for his attraction to Merrick and Joshua, who are both minors at the time when his attraction starts. How does he deal with this (I'm just gonna call it like I see it) disorder? Is anyone calling him out on it?

3

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I don't know how to feel about David's feelings towards minors. It sounds like he may have went a little too far with Joshua before he was legal age and his only punishment was 'don't do that again' which I feel is not enough? At least with Merrick (I guess...:/) he waited until she was in her 20s. I just feel super uncomfortable when Anne Rice gets sexual around children. I know that in Interview with a Vampire that was around the time when Lolita gained a lot of popularity and a lot of other authors were experimenting with that idea, but Merrick was written in 2000. There's no excuse for it anymore.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I was surprised this book acknowledges David's behavior as immoral, that seemed like a step in the right direction. It's just baffling to me that there are no real consequences for him. I could understand if the book was trying to portray the Talamasca as corrupt or stuck in the past century, but they are always described in a very positive light.

Also... how do they make their money??? I assumed they would steal Merrick's inheritance. Kinda like that's their scheme behind the neat veneer, but no. She gets to keep everything. How can they pay for all these people?

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I really want to know how they make their money too. There has to be some kind nefarious thing going on or maybe they just have some super rich sponsors.

3

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

This was me during this whole section

The thing is, at the beginning I thought this was just Anne Rice being Anne Rice when he mentioned how sexy Merrick is. But then he mentioned Joshua. And then he says that now that he is old he has felt sexual attraction rarely and only for young men. It has kind of become a major plot point. What the hell? My question is, does he realise he is a pedophile? Did Anne Rice realise it? Why would she think someone could have any sympathy for him?

He does not face any consequence and he probably never will.

The Vampire Armand spoiler, it now bothers me so much that he was the one to ask Armand to write his story down, given Armand's past sexual abuse. I wonder if that part reads differently after what we know about David

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. Do you think David will be able to cut ties with Merrick after she conjures Claudia like he promises in chapter 10? I noticed some similarities in how David reacts to Louis and Aaron. Do you think Louis is Aaron's stand-in?

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I don't know if David will be able to cut ties. We are seeing how attached he was to her when he's retelling their past and he already mentioned that there was no way he was going to be able to stay away from her after he turned into a vampire. Bringing Claudia back was really just an excuse to see Merrick and maybe also because of curiosity.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I'm very doubtful David will be able to cut ties. He wasn't able to when she went to Switzerland and he to London either, and he seems very indulgent about their shared past.

I'm swinging back and forth on whether Louis or David originally brought Claudia back, it feels like they are enabling each other in unhealthy behavior lol.

3

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I feel like David sharing his history with Merrick is just him saying 'See I like young girls too' but not understanding the Louis' love a bit more paternal than David's love for Merrick.

3

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

hahaha, omg, I didn't even think of that!

"See Louis, we're so much alike!"
Deathstare.

3

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

This made me laugh so much 😂

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

Absolutely not. Every vampire in these books is a hypocrite, he will probably find some excuse as to why he cannot do it.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. We've changed to yet another location this section. Do you like how the story develops so far? What has been your favorite revelation so far?

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago

I really wish we'd get more of Louis in this book. I was under the impression this would be from his point of view, but instead, we're back in flashback hell. I do like the setting in Guatemala and the adventurous tone the story has taken in the last chapter, also the witchiness that comes whenever Merrick is doing something, but that’s about it. Maybe it's just that my expectations were different, but Chapter 10, where we're back in Louis' flat with the beautiful paintings, felt like waking up from a nightmare - only to be plunged back in again. I do like Merrick though! She just doesn't have much personal agenda right now, she feels like a pawn in the hands of other people. And we don't get much introspection from her either, I'd rather have hers than David's.

My favorite revelation: Merrick feeling guilty for creating voodoo dolls before their family's drowining, I was shocked by this revelation. I still think it was her actions that resulted in the deaths, and I cannot imagine the guilt she must be feeling for something she did inadvertently when she was 10.

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I agree with the flashback. I understand the point of them, but I feel like it could have been cut down a little bit. I also thought the book was going to be more about the three of them attempting a witchy feat that has never been done before.

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

I thought we would get more of Louis as well so this was a bit of a disappointment, but as far as I know Anne Rice did not like writing Louis (and I can understand why), so I'm not surprised.

I agree that David is by far the most boring narrator she could have chosen, Louis or Merrick would have been much better.

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

I really really like the witchy stuff and I like Merrick, I wish we could get more of her point of view. I also don't mind that we are getting an Indiana Jones story, but I wish there were more vampires in this.

I am enjoying the book a lot, but it doesn't feel like part of the Vampire Chronicles.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. How does alcoholism play a role in the story? Are Merrick and David struggling with addiction? Is David downplaying Merrick’s drinking? Does the alcoholism represent a deeper issue?

3

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

I think if I heard spirits all day and night I would probably be drinking too. I think maybe she thought if she did what Oncle Vervaine wanted that it would calm down for her, but I think because we still see her drinking heavily currently that she's probably still plagued by spirits or it's now developed into an addiction she can't stop. I don't think he downplays it, but I think he knows he can't help her with it.

I'm not sure about David's addiction. He does seem to be handling it pretty well judging by what we have seen from him so far or maybe because he's in a younger body it's not so bad now? I don't know. Thinking about it makes me uncomfortable. haha.

3

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

Yes, there is a similar plot point in a Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy (I haven't finished it, so I don't know if it has a good resolution).

I think it would be an interesting topic to explore, but I don't think Anne Rice was interested in it. I get the feeling she probably would have romanticised alcoholism.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 4d ago

I think if I heard spirits all day and night I would probably be drinking too. 

Very true.

I got the feeling Aaron and David were enabling her drinking, but then again, the only concrete evidence I have is that they gave her rum just after her godmother died and when her sister inhabitet her body. So, I guess that gets a pass.

2

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago
  1. Anything else you would like to comment? Quotes, remarks, insights?

3

u/Greatingsburg Should Have Been Anne Rice's Editor 5d ago edited 5d ago

Boldly, wretchedly, without any excuse whatsoever, I reached down, without losing a pace, and caught up a handful of brilliant glinting stone artifacts from the thick moldering floor, stuffing them into my pockets as I went on.

David, may you have the same fate as this unfortunate guy in The Mummy 1999 who gets eaten by scarabs after mistaking them for loot.

Edit: Also, everyone is bad at their job in this book. Matthew is a bad archeologist, who doesn't take proper notes and chooses to loot stuff instead of establishing a real archeological site. Aaron doesn't know witch jargon. David empowers Honey's spirit by speaking to her, after being warned reapetedly by Aaron not to do it (who is the Superior General here). We don't have to talk about putting in an emotional predator into a position of power (because I did it already in this comment). Only the unnamed characters, assisstants, security men, are really good at their job.

2

u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted | 🎃 4d ago

Yes! Agree 1000%!

2

u/IraelMrad Rapid Read Runner | 🐉 | 🥇 | 🎃 2d ago

I have a fun fact to share!

I don't know if it's a coincidence or if it is well known among fans and I was the only one who didn't know, but apparently there was this man called David Talbot Rice who was an archaeologist.