The fate of mankind lies in the hands of the dead, as Anne Rice unleashes the terrible evil of Akasha in “Queen of the Damned.”

A small group of ageless immortals are drawn together by a horrible nightmare of redheaded twins being tortured.

In another part of the world Akasha has risen from a 6,000-year sleep. She has enlisted the help of the vampire Lestat to take over the world. It is a struggle for control that could turn the human race into slaves or rid the world of the immortals.

Saying much more about the plot would give away too much of the book. This story is part of an ongoing series by Rice called “The Vampire Chronicles.”

“Queen of the Damned” falls third in the series, which is currently made up of six books. The premise of this series is that the vampire Lestat is retelling actual events to the reader through the book.

Lestat is breaking the code of silence by letting mortals know about the ways of vampires. He also talks about how the world sees him as an artist with a good gimmick.

Supposedly the actual world views Lestat’s actions as pure fiction, when in reality he is involved with events that could change the history of mankind.

Rice weaves a story that is very captivating and unique. Suspense and mystery play a large role in this novel.

Despite this, the style in which the story is related leaves the reader distracted. She begins with a helpful recap of the events that took place in the earlier novels. Then she starts telling background stories of characters that have little to do with the outcome.

The first half of the book plays out as unnecessary information that holds little consequence for the reader. The second half of the book is filled with action and powerful storytelling. Yet even this part of the book seems disjointed.

The ideal thing would be to present it in a more chronological flow and cut out much of the background information. Not only would the book read easier, it would also trim the 500-page book to around 350 pages. The main conflict in the book is resolved in a surprising manner. Rice has invented an interesting concept.

But getting to that concept is the hard part.

Don’t expect the book to tie up every loose end. After all, three more books have followed so far.

The first of the “Chronicles” is “Interview with the Vampire,” which was made into a feature film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

Now “Queen of the Damned” will be released as a movie Feb. 22. No Tom Cruise this time around, but the late R&B singer Aaliyah plays the title role. Much is being made of the fact that this movie was the last project Aaliyah worked on before she died.

Stuart Townsend has signed on to portray the character of Lestat, the same role played by Cruise in the earlier film.

Vampire buffs and Anne Rice fans should enjoy the book. For the rest of us, it may be enough to just see the movie.

Matthew Carlson is a senior in journalism from De Witt.