Servant Of The Bones

by Anne Rice

Servant Of The Bones [Paperback] Anne Rice (Author)

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampires, Historical Fiction

419 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien) was a best-selling American author of gothic, supernatural, historical, erotica, and later religious themed books. Best known for The Vampire Chronicles, her prevailing thematic focus is on love, death, immortality, existentialism, and the human condition. She was married to poet Stan Rice for 41 years until his death in 2002. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.

Anne Rice passed on December 11, 2021 due to complications from a stroke. She was eighty years old at the time of her death.

She uses the pseudonym Anne Rampling for adult-themed fiction (i.e., erotica) and A.N. Roquelaure for fiction featuring sexually explicit sado-masochism.

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most of Anne Rice's later work, this book is written in a loose, breathy semisoftcore, purple overwrought style and is sprinkled with too many one sentence paragraphs. The premise of the story isn't bad and I didn't have a hard time getting through it, but it does give one that creepy squirrely feeling of having unintentionally intruded upon someone else's sexual fantasies about Antonio Banderas.

[Khalid Abdul-Mumin · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Due for a reread soon!
A standalone Sci-Fi/Fantasy from a magnificent author that weaves an intricate tapestry of storytelling spanning thousands of years right from ancient Babylonia to modern day America.

A yarn of black magic, ancient gods, coming of age and indentured servitude full of the Philosophy of Ethics, Mythology, Theology, the Supernatural and Paranormal, Science Fiction and Historical Fantasy at it's best.
I highly highly recommend it.

Read II: 2017

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The basic idea of this story seemed to come out of left field: A charming, fairly spiritual Babylonian sacrifices himself in a beautiful ceremony for the sake of his people. He dies (very, VERY horribly), and becomes a powerful spirit in the control of whoever owns his gold-plated skeleton. It's quite strange, and I haven't been able to find which myth it's based on (seems to be a combination of the vampire and golem myths, but that's not really descriptive of the result). 99.9% of it is told in flashbacks, which is great since for some reason flashbacks and history lessons are usually my favorite parts of Anne Rice's books. And of course, since it's Anne Rice we're talking about, the story is beautiful and tragic, with an immortal main character who has to cope with the fact that he doesn't ever get to die and go to heaven like everybody else.

[J. Aleksandr Wootton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of the book feels very similar to "Interview with the Vampire" - sweeping historical narrative from the perspective of someone long-lived enough to remember glittering detail, someone who was present but detached and transient because of his unchosen immortality - combined with a strong contemporary cult crisis. Fun reading, if you enjoy classic Anne Rice.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Azriel was an interesting one. I am more used to Anne Rice's vampires, and the occasional mummy, than I am with her other works. Servant of the Bones was a solid introduction to the other supernatural works she has written. The book shines when it focuses on Azriel's past in Babylon and amongst the Jews of Strasbourg. It's the "current" time frame and it's story where the tale struggles a bit. The messianic lunatic that he fights against isn't a terrible character and the "plan" is actually interesting, but falls short of the quality of the rest of the "historical" story.

In the "current" timeline Azriel is helping the wife of the messianic lunatic solve her daughter's death, allegedly at the hands of members of the cult/religion. So I am supposed to feel some measure of sympathy for these two but, as usual, in the empathy/sympathy department I find myself at a loss. Take Rachel, the daughter, who "stands up for herself" by arguing with her step-father. Um ok I can see why this current generation would equate talk with action. But I'm a "deeds" kind of guy. This special snowflake goes shopping for diamonds on Fifth Ave on a weekly basis. From where does this income come? Is she a Yale grad? Does he have a job? Nope. The money comes from her "evil" step-dad. A bit rich to be funded by the very thing you decry, nu? Who knows? I'm not a hypocrite and thus am not a liberal. Also the mother- Mrs. Belkin, who for all her tragic emotions can be summed up in this one sentence- "Stupid woman marries megalomaniac, rich, prick with messianic tendencies and realizes that he is a megalomaniac, rich, prick with messianic tendencies. Huh. Amazing. Who would have thunk it? Oh well-at least he's worth billions so we will deal with "character" after I am done shopping at Yves St. Laurent. Yeah my sympathy is barely registering. In decimal points.

But other than that? The historical background tale does indeed save the book from itself. Oh and if you are wondering-yes there is an nearly-obligatory weird, uncomfortable sex scene. It IS Anne Rice, get over it.

So- a nice little read about something other than Vampires. If you are a Rice fan you'll like this.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first Anne Rice book that I've read, so I can't say for sure if this is a typical Rice book or not. Either way, I'll give my impressions of it.

The book is written in first person, and therefore comes with the limitations of that type of narration. I didn't perticularly like the narrator's style - it often felt elaborate but too descriptive when I simply wanted to know what was going to happen. I was rather bored on occations too, especially at the start because I felt that it took way too long to get interesting.

The story itself was ok but not especially thrilling. Part of the problem here was that it was too long, and the tedious story of the narrator wasn't that interesting and took up too much of the book. The actual storyline which ends the book only really develops halfway through, by which time I was really staring to get bored.

Overall, this could have been half as long and wouldn't have lost any great detail. In fact, I could have even been two separate books, imho.

Whether or not this is a typical Rice book, I don't know, but it hasn't really inspired me to read any more of hers sadly.

[Michael Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading all of Anne Rice's vampire books, then started with the Mayfair Witches, which for the most part, enjoyed thoroughly. After a while, however, I was wanting something more. After all, how many times can you re spin books with the same central theme? Then I found Servant of the Bones. I have always loved historical epics, and beginning the story in Babylon, during the Jewish captivity there, was not only brilliant, but very well written. Miss Rice has always, not only done much research for her books--including this one--but she is then able to tell a story, making the reader feel as if he is really there with the main characters. Being a Christian, when I first realized she had ventured into the land and time of Daniel, I was wondering if she would rewrite history, but she did not. Miss Rice tells the story of Azriel, a young Jew, who is there during the conquest by Cyrus the Persian. He is then betrayed by his own people for a perceived greater good, and suffers a horrible death. A Jewish witch commands his spirit to go into the bones, and from then until the present, he can only be summoned from the bones by powerful magic. This may seem like a simple story, but the central theme is can Azriel' soul ever go to heaven, since he was made this powerful spirit against his will? I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historically beautiful times, and someone who roots for the underdog.

[Tassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with Anne Rice. I love her when she moves stories along. Her skills are wonderful and drive the characters and the situations beautifully.

Then she lapses into feelings and souls and a bunch of mumbo-jumbo blah blah blah that I couldn't care less about.

This was the latter rather than the former.

Really, the book could have been 100 pages long, but instead takes you through a thousand years that mean nothing and twenty pages of meaningful stuff at the end.

Blah.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 11%

I thought I'd give Anne Rice another try. I read enough of this to remember how much her style bugs me. Plus, this is yet another novel about an ancient supernatural being recounting his life story to a scribe. I read that already in Interview with the Vampire.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Admittedly, I didn't finish this book. I read 60 of 360 pages and found it torturously boring and overly descriptive. I think it was laced with a sleep aid.

[Montserrat Esteban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro que me ha gustado bastante, sigue en la misma línea de los demás de esta colección y hace que quiera leer más

[laurenpie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bones of a truly fascinating literary novel, but regrettably fleshed out into a light and mediocre quick-read

I find the topic fascinating to contemplate: a millenia-old spirit, incredibly powerful, yet confused regarding his own provenance, and unsure even what he is: Angel of Wrath? Demon?

Knowing that he is brimming with hate and violence, yet catching fleeting glimpses of a way he once learned from a forgotten master he once loved, a way dedicated to goodness.

With a more diligent author, we could have taken advantage of this brilliant and unique idea for a main character. We could have traveled through time with Azriel as he slowly recovered his memories of various masters throughout cultures and centuries, from ancient to modern day. The few chapters dedicated to this were by far the best in the novel. I would have relished experiencing the varying attitudes and philosophies through the ages, deliberating on their effect and values.

I also wish we had spent more time delving into Azriel breaking his own bonds: coming to the realization that he didn't have to answer to any "master" that called him, that in fact he could wreak destruction on any who even made the attempt; eventually finding the power to call and command himself of his own free will. And finally, at long last, starting to wonder if he might, ironically, find true fulfillment and redemption in submitting himself and his hard-won freedom in service to the one true God.

I don't mean to hint that this is a religious novel... it's NOT. It's fiction, not Biblical-based at all, and not intended to be so.

Interesting side-characters too: Cyrus, Zurvan, Samuel, the Rebbe. Though, I didn't care for Jonathan; I felt he unwarrantably intruded a little too much into the story. The complex relationship (especially that last conversation) between Samuel and Azriel was great! The plot-line behind the Temple of the Mind of God was fairly interesting. And, a small thing: it was fun reading about the compilation of warnings and safeguards that successive generations had added to the casket of bones. Right down to iron chains! LOL!

On the downside: the constant sophomoric obsession with looks was silly (from Jonathan to Azriel to Gregory Belkin), as though Ms Rice was having trouble remembering to switch gears from writing erotica or romance. I do respect Ann Rice for her wonderful-written vampire series, and boy can she think up some interesting plots and details. However, I'm afraid she could have done better here.

[Michael Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had it's problems, but it was a fast and easy read with an interesting premise. I really enjoyed the main character, and his struggle with his own identity. I also enjoyed all the historical bits, and I liked the author's take on the concept of spirits. The ending was somewhat predictable, but there were elements to it I didn't see coming. Overall, a fun read!

[Darth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than expected - after struggling through the VIOLIN and that awful one about the castrated singer - I did not expect much from this - but it had most of the best elements of Rice - and fewer of the worst.

The prose was less in the way of trying to be epic poetry, and although the characters were clunky and badly written - the pseudo-historical parts were interesting enough to keep me in there.

Seems like this was the second straight book of Anne Rice that had the line, "I was amazed, but not surprised" Just hits the ear wrong, and then to see it in back to back books was almost comical - but not funny.

Overall the story of the 2500 year old disembodied spirit and his pointless quest was pretty mediocre.

[A.R. Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was reading Anne Rice's "Servant of the Bones" last year, I could not decide if I cared much for her style or the story. It was not until I finished the book that I began thinking about both the story and the writing style. It took another three months before I realized how thought provoking her book had been for me. And that to me is the sign of a true artist. Since then I have enjoyed a few of her books and just finished "Interview with the Vampire" (Which I always thought was called "Interview with a Vampire".) I've learned to love her style and looking forward to reading many more of her books.

[No · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty boring. He mostly talked.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The star system isn't working on the Goodreads app at this time, so I wanted to confirm that this is indeed a 4-star read.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Azriel is a twenty year-old scholar of ancient languages in Babylon. He and his family copy important texts and books of the day. They sell gemstones, sculptures, and other finery. Although they are Jewish hostages, kept from their home in Jerusalem, they live well and seem happy. And then one day it all goes wrong. Azriel is chosen as a human sacrifice. He takes part in a great procession, a parade of sorts, with much fanfare. He is the center of attention and gleams. Azriel makes a deal with King Cyrus, but he is not told of the catch. He learns this last minute to his horror. A great curse is placed on Azriel, but is it also a gift? Azriel becomes something else and it is incorrect to call him a genie, which really is a jinn, the Arabic word for demon. No, Azriel was a man, who is now a spirit, but no ordinary spirit. It is hard to describe a story like this, so I would say it is a historical occult. It is overly wordy, but it is original. In the end, Azriel becomes more alive than ever to stop death.

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book: Servant of the bones
Read By: Ebook
Author: Anne Rice
Genre: Horror Fantasy
Recommend: Yes
Spice:🌶️️
< b>Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:


If there is anyone who deserves a medal for fantasy, horror and Smut it's Anne Rice. She started the cult. And she will forever remain the queen.
I will admit that some of her books are lacking and could have been written better, and some were so top shelf that they make the rest of her writing look bad.
This one was one I felt was lacking but I also loved it. I felt like I was rushed a little but also super entertaining at the same time.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes a lot of poor choices that turn an epic tale of an undead scholar from ancient Babylon into an eye-roll-worthy yawnfest. Taking a cue from Interview with a Vampire (which I adore), this book is a story within a story, where a paranormal creature relates the story of its life to another person, who is tasked with telling the world. The problem with this iteration is that the man who receives the tale is a boring and unrelatable old professor. He meets the ghostly Servant of the Bones, Azriel, while deathly ill after having inadvertently stranded himself at his snowy mountain retreat while finishing his latest history book. He is prone to fits of overindulgent description, and he goes on constantly about how attractive Azriel is despite the fact that HE IS NOT GAY NO SIR. Yeah, tell it to the judge, mister.

I found the tale of Azriel’s relationship with his patron Babylonian god, Marduk, fairly compelling, and I would have liked to have heard more. Instead, we hear about the Jews who are exiled to Babylon, and they’re frankly all asshats. If I had been Azriel, I would have left my Jewish family, who clearly don’t love me if they’re willing to offer me as a human sacrifice in return for getting into Cyrus’s good graces. If anyone tells you getting coated in poison-laced gold and being pitched into a boiling cauldron is love, run—do not walk!—the opposite direction.

The story happening in the present time (mid-1990’s) involving the Temple of the Mind is uninventive. Paranormal murder mystery? Been there, done that. And though I accept the possibility that the ideas were fresh when this book was published, man-made epidemics and religious cults are really played out. Given Azriel’s ability to change his appearance that he demonstrates at the beginning of the book, it was easy to figure out how the book was going to end. His subsequent, Interview-with-a-Vampire-esque Louis-and-Armand-style destinationless wanderings were a letdown.

And one more thing: what’s with the sex with the cult leader’s dying wife ? I mean, she has end-stage cancer or something, and is just about ready to keel over on the spot , and the reaction is to bone her? Seriously unnecessary and frankly a little gross. I honestly couldn’t read it. The part about how the doctors doing the autopsy found his semen inside her made me gag. Massive DO NOT WANT.

[Shawna McKinnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Servant of the Bones falls into the Crunchy Vegetable category. It took me quite a while to really get into the story. In my quest to own and read everything Anne Rice, however, I endured and interspersed my stints of reading Servant with nice helpings of Ice Cream books.
In the Servant of the Bones you meet the spirit Azriel as he tells his tale to the Professor and Author Jonathan. Azriel’s tale is one of great sorrow, fear, and in the end, love. You look at the human condition on a scale of an individual heart as well as on a global basis. Azriel’s tale spans thousands of years, but the culmination of his understanding is a modern thing with an intense climax. I hate spoilers, so I won’t give away too much, and I am sure you can find a more thorough review elsewhere on the web if that is what you crave.
I am very glad I persevered. When I was about halfway through, I began to fall in love with the spirit Azriel, and plowed though the rest of the book rather quickly. Rice has such a talent for character development- by the time you are through the book you feel you have truly known the people you have read. While her books on the Mayfair Witches are still my favorites, I look forward to continuing my journey though the books of Anne Rice.

[EmpressKoh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was amazing. It had everything I am particularly fond of in Rices writing, namely beautiful writing and prose, as well as a flair for the dramatic. My favorite characters are usually also dramatic and a bit eccentric, which is why I suppose I loved this book for the first half. However, the second half got a little to weirdly intimate; Azriel fell in love with everybody he had an interaction with, which was a number of people and felt as if I was infringing on someone's erotic fantasy. Then, the whole modern plot line was just rushed and honestly felt confusing because of it- not to mention I did not enjoy any of the side characters in the modern story besides Jonathan- and I absolutely did not find Gregory to be a compelling villain. This should have been Rices priority in the story as he supposedly in the most charismatic person in the world at the moment since he was able to market himself a huge following for his cultist church. Of course I can't also forget that I felt the lesson at the end was abrupt and did not seem to be the goal of this book to teach it at times.

[J Jahir · Rating 3 out of 5]

el libro me ha gustado a medias. Tiene un formato bastante parecido a Kvothe de la saga de crónica del asesino de reyes pero con la diferencia que aquí pasan apenas cosas relevantes en el presente de Jonathan, y con apenas acción (o podría decir que es nula), pues el libro es, en su totalidad, toda la historia de Azriel. Y bueno, ese era el objetivo, relatar una historia dentro de un libro. Y eso puede que le haya quitado un poco de fuerza, además de que se llegara a tornar denso en unas partes del mismo, y todo el libro es una comunicación bilateral dialogada entre jonathan y Azriel. lo destacable podría ser la descripción de la magia, los distintos tipos de espíritus y todo lo referente a lo que significaba ser el sirviente de los huesos. primera parte fue para mí algo densa una vez entrando a la historia; la segunda me fue más llevadera; la tercera fue densa hasta que llega al presente con Gregory (un hdp por cierto), y la última es el capítulo de cierre. regularcita tirando a bueno. recomendable? medianamente sí, pero sólo hay que tener algo de paciencia nada más.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it has been a few years since I have read this book, it still stays with me. Anne Rice has an amazing attention to detail and the ability to really put the reader into her characters' heads. She uses flashbacks and backstory to develop her characters and give them personality. She even gives personality to characters that most others would have ignored. This layers the story and gives it life. In this book she goes into mythology and intertwines religions to create a unique story. The main character is torn between religious views and suffers the consequences of his choices. Rice's imagination comes through in "high definition" in her writing and it makes you want to continue reading. She influences my writing because I want to be capable of creating a "high definition" story like hers.

[Lizann Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Rice tells the story slowly; A demon or god recalling his past while a temporary recluse writer transcribes the story for him is a unique story line. Rice tells the story with such care that you come to find yourself attached to this man who is now neither living or dead, no longer a man but not quite an all-powerful god. I enjoyed this strange tale of how a god is created where usually gods simply exist, they are not given a human element at all. I would like to re-read this text because I feel there is so much more to the human side of the god presented in the writing. As for my own writing the ability of telling a story within a story would be a skill of interest. The way Rice relates it to the reader, with such smooth transitions,one has no difficulty with telling if they are in the present or the past.

[C.S. Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Rice’s Violin, there are story elements so intriguing they almost overshadow its weaknesses. Almost.
Playing to her tried and true trope, Rice tells the story much like Interview with a Vampire.
There are many very visually compelling scenes, and Azriel is a likable character.
Rice’s lyrical prose lacks some of its sensuality in Servant of the Bones, and Azriel’s character arc meanders off course - or rather doesn’t have a clear path to its conclusion. There is no defining moment, at least not for me, where the protagonist defines himself as no longer a servant to become a master of his own free will. His affections toward other characters seem misplaced or random and therefore lack emotional connection. I think during this period of Rice’s career she became unencumbered with expectations and her storytelling lacked in comparison.

[Hien · Rating 1 out of 5]

Run, do not walk to the nearest trashcan and deposit it at the bottom. Don't put it on top of the trash because some homeless person might accidentally read it. His life is already pretty sad. We don't need to make it worse.

It's about a genie locked inside a pile of bones. The story is told in the same interview format as "Interview with a Vampire". There's a homoerotic undertone throughout the book which I found quite tedious.

[Pablo Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with Anne Rice. I love her when she moves stories along. Her skills are wonderful and drive the characters and the situations beautifully. But sometimes she lapses into agonizingly long conversations to the point where the build up lasts so long the end gets anti-climatic.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this one autographed at a signing in Little Rock, Arkansas. I could barely speak as Anne signed it and had to go lay down on the floor between some bookshelves. HA!

[F.C. Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the majority of Anne Rice’s vampire books, and knocking out the saga of the Mayfair witches, I picked up SERVANT OF THE BONES, a seeming change of pace for the legendary Mistress of the Gothic, as there is nary a blood sucker or a witch to be found in its pages. The supernatural creature this time is a Djinn, who in Rice’s universe is an immortal spirit who can make itself physical by pulling atoms out of the atmosphere at will while possessing the ability to teleport across vast spaces and distances. This protagonist is named Azriel, who was once a young Hebrew man in ancient Babylon at the time it was conquered by Cyrus the Great. Young Azriel, who, as a mortal, can see other spirits, is betrayed by his own people in a scheme that would result in their return to ancient Palestine. In a deliberately botched ceremony where Azriel was to impersonate the statue of a deity come to life, he is transformed into an earth bound entity, bound to his gold encrusted skeleton and forced to do the bidding of whoever possesses them—hence the title, SERVANT OF THE BONES. The book takes Azriel from ancient Babylon through history to modern times, where he becomes embroiled in the deadly plans of a genocidal cult leader in New York City.

This book, published in 1996, feels like Rice wanted to try a change of pace after writing all those books about vampires and witches and New Orleans. A brief stopover in Miami is as close as the story gets to the exotic Deep South, with most of the action taking place in the ancient Middle East, Medieval Europe, and modern NYC. Of course, the story unfolds in Rice’s typical fashion as a tale related by one character to another, in this case Azriel to a contemporary scholar after all to the book’s events have occurred, and this allows for a good use of the first person POV, another aspect of Rice’s writing she did very well. Through Azriel’s eyes, the ancient world and its sometimes obscure history come vividly to life, a testament to an awesome amount of historical research. Nobody ever accused Anne Rice of not doing her homework. As usual, the author can’t resist a detailed description or pass by an adjective, which is a strength or a weakness of hers depending on the reader. I think the strongest and most compelling parts of the book are the sections dealing with ancient times with its rich world building along with a deep dive into the arcane beliefs of Hebrews and pagan Babylonians. When Azriel wakes up in ‘90s New York City, the story looses momentum with the introduction of some incredibly verbose characters, though when Gregory Belkin, the Messianic leader of the Temple of the Mind of God and the story’s Big Bad, reveals his big plan to remake modern civilization in the manner of a latter day Alexander the Great, the story kicks into a higher gear. It’s a subplot that could have been the main focus of another book. And there is a gratuitous sex scene that reminds the reader that if Anne Rice had written nothing but erotica, she would still have been a success. I found what Rice had to say about faith and God and the mystery of death to be an interesting take and food for thought. Yet, there were times where I didn’t wonder if this story hadn’t started out as another tale of Lestat before Rice decided to switch out her famous vampire for a djinn and go in another direction. Though I prefer her tales of blood suckers, as it is, she wrote a decent standalone historical/fantasy/horror novel that certainly left her fans wanting more.