From vampires to Jesus

A coworker told me this morning that Anne Rice's new book, published today by Alfred A. Knopf, won't be about vampires, ghouls, or the undead, but instead about Jesus Christ.

And sure enough, her new book is about Jesus according to this article from Laura Miller of the New York Times, so much so that it's narrated by a 7-year-old Jesus. "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" is the book's title, and apparently stems from the author's reconnection with her Catholic faith. Or her apparent desire to have a boss that is a Jewish carpenter.

Miller's desription: "Christ the Lord is one result of Rice's rediscovery of her faith. With classic Ricean audacity, the story is told in the first person by Jesus himself. Otherwise, Christ the Lord seems likely to surprise Rice's fans and detractors alike. It is devoid of vampires, witches and feverishly gothic prose. Instead, in simple sentences, it describes the domestic life of an extended Jewish family in first-century Palestine as seen through the eyes of a 7-year-old boy who has only an inkling of his true nature."

His true nature...that to elect conservative Justices to the Supreme Court? To justify wars in the Middle East? To lobby for tax cuts for the wealthy?

Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see, since this is going to be a series from Anne Rice. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, as the premise sounds interesting and a lot could be done with this. But if this is Anne Rice's departure into the "Left Behind" series of literature, then I'll start longing for the days of incestuous vampires.