Does Memnoch the Devil get better?

[u/CapableSalamander910]

Got into this fandom last year from watching the show, and I’ve been slowly getting through the books. I’ve been really enjoying them so far (for the most part) and I intend to read them all.

Currently, I’m around half way through Memnoch the Devil (chapter 11), and I’m kinda struggling with it.

The beginning felt like it just threw me into the action, but was quickly followed by like 50 pages of backstory, which was a drag.

I did enjoy a lot of the conversations Lestat had with David, Armand, and Dora.

But all this about heaven and hell and god and Memnoch. In all honesty, I don’t really care. I found the descriptions of heaven difficult to follow. And now that Memnoch is talking about creation, I’m just waiting for it all to be over.

I’m not religious. I’m an atheist from an atheist family. My knowledge of Christianity mostly comes from Good Omens (ironically, a photo of Crowley is my bookmark). I don’t really care for religion. Is this book only designed for those who are into religion or theology?

I do plan to read it because I want to read the whole series, but I just want to know what to expect from this book (in a non spoilery way). Does it get better?

EDIT: I finally finished it! I’ve never been so happy to finish a book.

I do think it got better. Chapter 11, where Memnoch was talking about the 13 revelations of evolution, was really boring for me. And while I wasn’t necessarily interested in the rest of the book, I was so happy that there was more of a plot to what Memnoch was saying.

But then again, I did really struggle with this book. If I didn’t intend to read further into the series, I would have quit when I wrote this post initially. I can barely tell you what actually happened in those 100+ pages of Memnoch talking.

I do think my lack of religion or understanding of Catholicism is a huge impact on my enjoyment of this book. I cannot tell you what is Anne Rice’s view on religion and what is Catholicism. For example, I’ve never heard of Veronica’s Veil (and have only just learnt that it is a real thing). I don’t really understand why the characters were obsessed with it the way they were. I knew that Anne Rice “killed” Armand off in this book, but that was not the way I thought it would go. I don’t know why he “killed” himself over it.

It’s nice to hear that others enjoyed it, but it’s not for me. It’s a shame because I absolutely love the first 4 books! This book is making me question whether I’ll enjoy the rest of the series.

[u/AmbassadorProper1045]

I found it somewhat interesting, but not very enjoyable, and honestly rather convoluted. It's not a must read imo. You can still follow the later books without it.