From the author of the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles comes a huge mesmerizing novel of witchcraft and the occult through four centuries. Two people with special powers are drwan together and set out in a passionate alliance to unlock the mystery of her past and his unwelcome gift. As the strane saga is played out, a world of witches is created that will fascinate readers for years to come. nDemonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding stoyrtelling, Anne Rice makes real a family of witches--a family given to poetry and incest, to murder and philsophy, a family that is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous and seductive being. nUnfolds like a poisonous lotus blossom redolent with luxurious evil. nTHE LOS ANGELES TIMES