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The Witches' Companion
"The Mayfair family is a huge imaginative refuge for me; it is living and growing in my mind all the time."
--Anne Rice
In the spellbinding tradition of her bestselling The Vampire Chronicles, the prolific Anne Rice has created the sensuous saga of the Mayfair witches. Resonant with supernatural suspense, mesmerizing eroticism, and lush detail, The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos have bewitched the imaginations of readers everywhere. Now comes the definitive touchstone guide to the history and mystery of this magnificent dynasty of witches.
Just as she did with The Vampire Companion, biographer and Anne Rice authority Katherine Ramsland presents a fascinating A-to-Z encyclopedia of information, interpretation, and analysis--this time devoted to the characters and key events, places and symbols, historical and mythological themes of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels. Created with the full cooperation of Anne Rice, The Witches' Companion features detailed character breakdowns, from the present-day enchantress Rowan Mayfair to the lustful spirit Lasher; a complete genealogy of the Mayfair family; a chronology of events; a guide to geographical locations; the intriguing origins of the Mayfairs' extraordinary clan; revealing observations from Anne Rice herself; and much more.
Illustrated throughout with hundreds of photos, drawings, and maps, The Witches' Companion will be every Anne Rice fan's inseparable companion in traveling through the unforgettable world of the Mayfair witches and their legacy.
--Anne Rice
In the spellbinding tradition of her bestselling The Vampire Chronicles, the prolific Anne Rice has created the sensuous saga of the Mayfair witches. Resonant with supernatural suspense, mesmerizing eroticism, and lush detail, The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos have bewitched the imaginations of readers everywhere. Now comes the definitive touchstone guide to the history and mystery of this magnificent dynasty of witches.
Just as she did with The Vampire Companion, biographer and Anne Rice authority Katherine Ramsland presents a fascinating A-to-Z encyclopedia of information, interpretation, and analysis--this time devoted to the characters and key events, places and symbols, historical and mythological themes of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels. Created with the full cooperation of Anne Rice, The Witches' Companion features detailed character breakdowns, from the present-day enchantress Rowan Mayfair to the lustful spirit Lasher; a complete genealogy of the Mayfair family; a chronology of events; a guide to geographical locations; the intriguing origins of the Mayfairs' extraordinary clan; revealing observations from Anne Rice herself; and much more.
Illustrated throughout with hundreds of photos, drawings, and maps, The Witches' Companion will be every Anne Rice fan's inseparable companion in traveling through the unforgettable world of the Mayfair witches and their legacy.
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Katherine Ramsland
99 books527 followersI've loved books since I was 3, and the library was a highlight of my childhood. I've been fortunate to be able to find great joy in what others have written and sometimes to give this to readers. I follow my own muse, because it leads me on interesting adventures. I began my writing career with "Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice." I had a bestseller with "The Vampire Companion." Since then, I've published 69 books and over 2,500 articles, reviews and short stories. I have also been an executive producer for "Murder House Flip" and "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer." From ghosts to vampires to serial killers, I have taken on a variety of dark subjects, mostly in crime and forensics. I hold graduate degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, criminal justice, creative writing and philosophy. Currently, I teach forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University. My books include "I Scream Man," "How to Catch a Killer", "Confession of a Serial Killer", "The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds", "The Mind of a Murderer", "The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation", "Inside the Minds of Serial Killers", "Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators", and "Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers". My background in forensic studies positioned me to assist former FBI profiler John Douglas on his book, "The Cases that Haunt Us", and to co-write a book with former FBI profiler, Gregg McCrary, "The Unknown Darkness", as well as "Spree Killers" with Mark Safarik, "The Real Life of a Forensic Scientist" with Henry C. Lee, and "A Voice for the Dead" with James Starrs. I speak internationally about forensic psychology, forensic science, and serial murder, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, as well as such programs as The Today Show, 20/20, 48 Hours, NPR, Dr. Oz, Coast to Coast, Montel Williams, Larry King Live and E! True Hollywood. Currently, I'm working on a fiction series, The Nut Cracker Investigations, which features a female forensic psychologist who manages a PI agency. "I Scream Man" is the first one.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 18, 2014
Came in very useful during the reading of the Mayfair Witches series. In addition to a Family Tree showing the complex relation between the various Mayfair characters, there's a street map of New Orleans, showing where everything's located, as well as a glossary for nearly every character, location, and term encountered throughout the Mayfair Witches series.
June 24, 2007
It'll help you keep track of all those crazy Mayfairs!
May 26, 2010
it has the Mayfair Family Tree...
February 4, 2013
I have this book and Katherine Ramsland's The Vampire Companion and enjoyed reading through both. They're good reference books, and contain interesting information even beyond what you read in the series' themselves. I actually did my high school literature research project on Anne Rice, and both Ramsland's books were great resources. Fans of the series will love this companion book.
January 2, 2019
Meh. I skimmed it. Her old novels are the ones worth reading IMO
May 11, 2020
The Witches' Companion (Lives of the Mayfair Witches) by Katherine Ramsland (Ballantine Books 1994) (813.54). This is an encyclopedic gathering of facts, trivia, plots, and characters from Anne Rice's series on the Mayfair Witches. My rating: 7/10, finished 1997.
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February 23, 2012This is needed if you're going to read the chronicles!!
March 10, 2020
This is a fantastic read if you would like to investigate about how the historic places in Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches books were created.I enjoy seeing the real pictures of where First Street was based. The interior of it's carpets, antique chairs, drawing room doors, floor to ceiling windows, rod iron fences. The pictures help to solidify the locations in my mind without actually being present in New Orleans, but feeling as if I am.The pictures of exterior places such as Monteleone Hotel are in black and white and lend to the imagination of the reader. Not spoiling the picture with too many people or cars just a beautiful exterior for my imagination to fill in the blanks. I would definitely recommend this book to any lover of Anne Rice's books and wishes to give themselves an immersive experience while reading in companion with any of her Mayfair Witches books....
July 10, 2021
Perfect companion to the Mayfair Witches saga - definitely for devoted fans like me who want to know every detail including family trees, maps, houses, etc. I did not read it cover to cover since it's basically an encyclopedia, but I read dozens of entries and love having it has a useful reference for the series.
I just re-read the first three book again and having this book as reference was really cool.
I just re-read the first three book again and having this book as reference was really cool.
June 1, 2017
A Must have if you love The Mayfair Witches
July 14, 2020
Good as a quick reference to characters from the series
July 13, 2021
Quick read. I really liked the magnificent story line.
August 14, 2024
Covers the entire
Lives of The Mayfair Witches
(books 1-3) series
Actually quite useful because I did become incredibly frustrated by the book and did not pay as much attention to who certain characters were in relation to each other. Also, the Taltos (Ashlar & Lasher) backstories are much easier to follow when they're abridged.
Actually quite useful because I did become incredibly frustrated by the book and did not pay as much attention to who certain characters were in relation to each other. Also, the Taltos (Ashlar & Lasher) backstories are much easier to follow when they're abridged.
March 8, 2009
Thie is a total nurd book about the places and people in Anne Ricese books, Dustin got it for me, I havent read it all but it is a interesting reference...I found out that Anne Rice has a house in Destin Florida where I went last summer and some of her stories take place.
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May 10, 2013Sounds interesting
April 30, 2016
A bit repetitive, but good.
April 4, 2017
This is a comprehensive companion book for Anne Rice's Mayfair Witch trilogy.
It is a good resource catalog of names, places and events that happen throughout these three lengthy novels. Considering the immense size of the extended Mayfair family going back in history to the 15th century it does come in handy at times. The family tree is fascinating, confusing and oddly intricate; as would be expected in a family that does not import many outside bloodlines.
The features I liked best were the photographs; real places that Anne Rice used as her examples when she was writing. It was wonderful to see actual photos of the house on First Street; both exterior views and details from various rooms. One thing that always endeared me to AR is her love of architecture and talent for describing it in prose. I find out that we share a love of old houses and restoration projects; I would love to be able to do what she did and buy up old houses and return them to their original beauty.
Only recommended for anyone with the time and inclination to read the Mayfair Witches trilogy......otherwise there would be no point.
It is a good resource catalog of names, places and events that happen throughout these three lengthy novels. Considering the immense size of the extended Mayfair family going back in history to the 15th century it does come in handy at times. The family tree is fascinating, confusing and oddly intricate; as would be expected in a family that does not import many outside bloodlines.
The features I liked best were the photographs; real places that Anne Rice used as her examples when she was writing. It was wonderful to see actual photos of the house on First Street; both exterior views and details from various rooms. One thing that always endeared me to AR is her love of architecture and talent for describing it in prose. I find out that we share a love of old houses and restoration projects; I would love to be able to do what she did and buy up old houses and return them to their original beauty.
Only recommended for anyone with the time and inclination to read the Mayfair Witches trilogy......otherwise there would be no point.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews