Lasher (novel)

For the character from the book series, see Lasher spirit.

Lasher

Publisher's info
Title:	Lasher
Author:	Anne Rice
1st printing:	September 12th, 1993
ISBN:	ISBN 0-679-41295-6
Page count:	592 (HC)
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Next:	Taltos

Lasher is an American novel of the witchcraft, generational lore, and supernatural thriller subgenres of horror. It is the second book in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches series and was written by author Anne Rice. It was published by Knopf and first released in hardcover edition on September 12th, 1993. The book has also been made available in paperback format, e-book, and audiobook.

At the center of Anne Rice's brilliant novel, the beautiful Rowan Mayfair, queen of the coven, must flee from the darkly brutal, yet irresistible demon known as Lasher. With a dreamlike power, this wickedly seductive entity draws us through twilight paths, telling a chillingly hypnotic story of spiritual aspirations and passion.

Synopsis[]

The novel begins shortly after the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Rowan Mayfair, recently married to contractor Micheal Curry. Michael, feeling betrayed by Rowan, has sunk into a depression helped along by the useless drugs prescribed to him after his close encounter with death.

Along comes the sexually adventurous Mona Mayfair, a precocious teenager and powerful witch and Rowan's cousin sharing lines of descent from Julien. She seduces Michael, causing him to snap out of his stupor and renew his vow to wife at all costs. He is now convinced that she has not gone willingly.

And though it was she who spirited her mutant child Lasher away from the house, she is now a prisoner of the monster she has spawned. His first two attempts at impregnating her are failures ending in miscarriage, but he is successful the third time around. As he accompanies her throughout Europe, Rowan manages to send off DNA samples to colleagues in San Francisco. They discover that Lasher is a completely different species, and that Rowan herself has a genetic abnormality, tetraploidy, or 92 chromosomes, which was probably what made Lasher's quasi-supernatural birth at all possible in the first place.

The duo returns to America where Lasher sets out to impregnate other female members of the Mayfair family. All attempts are unsuccessful as the women immediately miscarry and hemorrhage to death. Rowan manages to escape Lasher, and after hitchhiking to Louisiana she collapses in a field and gives birth to Emaleth, a female Taltos. Rowan's last words to Emaleth are to find Michael; thinking that Rowan has died, Emaleth sets off to carry out her mother's last wish.

Rowan is found and is rushed to a nearby hospital where she is diagnosed as being in a state of toxic stock. An emergency hysterectomy is performed to save her life, eliminating all chances of her ever giving birth again. She is taken home to Michael where she remains in deep coma.

Much of the book is set into four sections of "Julien's Story" which delineates the life of Julien Mayfair and what he has discovered of the entity known as Lasher.

Lasher returns to the house to tell Michael and Aaron the story of his past life. Born to Queen Anne Boleyn of England, the second wife of Henry VIII, and a man from Donnelaith, Lasher is believed to be the reincarnation of a saint known as Ashlar, and is quickly taken away by his father to Donnelaith. His father is the son of the Earl of Donnelaith, and he sends Lasher to Italy to become a priest. Lasher returns to Scotland after Elizabeth I takes the throne, and is killed there while performing Christmas Mass by followers of the protestant reformer John Knox. He knows nothing again until Suzanne calls him back into existence.

Michael patiently hears Lasher out, and when his story is complete, Michael wastes no time in killing him and buryng him under the great oak in the yard. Soon after, he discovers Emaleth in Rowan's room, feeding her the highly nutritious milk from her breasts. This resusciatates Rowan, but upon seeing Emaleth before her, she panics and screams at Michael to kill her. Micahel refuses to, so Rowan grabs a gun and shoots her daughter in the head. Rowan immediately realizes what she's done, and crying for her daughter, insists that she be the one to bury her alongisde Lasher under the oak tree there.

Characters[]

Locales[]

California

San Francisco

Europe

Scotland

Donnelaith

Louisiana

New Orleans

Garden District

1239 First Street

Organizations[]

Items[]

Handgun

Miscellaneous[]

Notes & Trivia[]

Lasher debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained in that position for three weeks, spanning a total of 17 weeks on the list.
The unabridged audiobook adaptation of Taltos is read by Kate Reading.

Lasher (novel)

Contents