Rating: 
Summary: Good all around
Review: I liked this book. I think that Anne spent too much time on Pandoras life before she had been turned. I would've liked for her to have been turned earlier in the book. It had a wouderful story, and her use of discriptive words was excelant as allways. But her mortal life was a bit drawn out I thought. Still I would recomend this book but only to the fans of the series. I don't think that the newbies would get it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Journey of Love, Despair, Wisdom, and Courage
Review: Like so many other reviewers, this was my first Anne Rice book. If Roman history spikes your interest level, this book shows Rome from the perspective of a high class Roman child as she grows to womanhood. If you want a story heavily involved with Queen Akasha, then this book will not do for most. It concentrates mostly on Lydia (who later is called Pandora)and her love interest Marius. This novel is an emotional rollercoaster ride of romance, courage, mystery, and most of all anguish to triumph. I hope any who choose to buy this book surely enjoy its intellectual charm. Enjoy all.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, Awesome, Awesome
Review: This book is amazing. I was 14 when i read it for the first time. It was my first Anne Rice book, and it got me hooked. I have read it 3 or 4 times since i first read it, and i never get tired of it. Even though i hadnt read the other books i wasnt lost i love that about this book and most of Anne Rice's books she explains so well. Though i must say it was better reading it after the vampire chronicles, but neverless its great. It is my favorite book of all time and evryone would likes Anne Rice or vampire novels should read it!
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Summary: Anne Rice dares to Romp
Review: Sometimes when an author let's a character be an idealized version of themselves, it is poison. Other times it is brilliance, as in Hemingway's work. In my opinion Pandora is brilliance. It's true that anyone who has listened to Anne Rice be interviewed will hear similarities between her and Pandora, but she still manages to give Pandora that measure of independence that sets her apart as a rounded character. Having read some of the negative reviews here, I think some might be morning the less-than-happy ending without judging the beauty of the writing as a whole. Here we have Anne Rice taking chances, rather than a torture soul, we have a vampire who laughs out of something other than malice. In fact, Anne seems to be expertimenting with humor and pulling off like a pro. Of course, Kate Reading's delivery deserves some of the credit, but Anne's writing is in full bloom. Also, the book has just enough independence from the rest of the Vampire Chronicles that it can be appreciated as a fantastic novel in its own right. You don't have to have read 8 other books before this one. Sure there are allusions to The Vampire LeStat and Memnock the Devil, but these are not so lengthy that a reader would feel in the dark about the story. Perhaps, best of all, I really got the feeling that the writer was actually having fun writing it. Often authors suffer for their craft and feel the need to share that suffering with their readers. In Pandora, if there was suffering than it was well hidden. On a personal note I have to admit I bought this unabrdige audio book years ago and listen to it at least twice a year. It is one of the jewel of my collection and I hope after reading this review, Pandora will be one of yours as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Rather Thin
Review: I finished this book feeling very unsatisfied. While it was interesting to learn about ancient Rome, I found the characterizations thin, the plot line thin, and the interactions between the characters, especially Marius and Pandora, thin indeed. Why did Marius call her "Pandora, Pandora, Pandora" when he had known her his entire life as Lydia? Why did the actual vampire part only take up the last 8th of the book? And where were the details about their lives as vampires? I missed the interaction between the vampires, and their adventures as vampires. I found Pandora's ability to talk herself out of capture by the Roman soldiers unconvincing. This almost seemed like a filler book, something to hold a place until a real book was written - decidedly lower calibre than all the other vampire chronicles.
Rating: 
Summary: It Was Okay
Review: I wouldn't give Pandora a 5. It was definitely not the best of the Vampire Chronicles, but likeable none the less. I mostly enjoyed the book because it revealed more about Pandora and Marius (who is one of my fave vamps). Pandora's past was not all that interesting... the book had rather a calmness to it. It was not a rollercoaster, but more like a cruise. Read to catch up on history of the vamps Pandora and a bit on Marius, other wise, if you're not interested, get a guidebook and skip it.
Rating:
Summary: Pandora RULES!
Review: I'm a huge fan of the Vampire Chronicles, so of course I loved this book. I've always wanted to know more about the illusive Pandora. Well, here you'll learned everything about her life as a human as well as a vampire. Mrs. Rice has written another great vampire novel... I only wish that Mrs. Rice had told us more about Pandora's first fledgling.... I won't give it away :-). Otherwise, I really enjoyed reading this book and recommended it to all vampire chronicle readers and fans, where ever you are...
Rating:
Summary: jonas421
Review: The new tales with an age old character. Pandora is a deep passionate vampire and her tale shows it. A great read, and a very interesting view of Marius through a womens eyes and heart.
I recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: Through the Present and Past
Review: In this lustrous tale of romance, and macabre horror, Anne Rice tells the story of Pandora (whose given name was Lydia) in her first installment to 'The New Vampire Chronicles.' Being my first Anne Rice novel, I felt hesitant at first, yet as the story unwound it released my imagination to the foundations of the lead character and it was like nothing I've read before. The complexity of Rice's writing contributed to her intricate details of the Roman era and her love of history was evident in this novel. The character's thoughts and descriptions weaved a vivid picture of the settings with regard to the details and it was anything but bland. I gained respect to the charisma and intelligence of the lead character, even through her psychologically wounded past. Entwined with the poetry of Ovid and the cruelty of Tiberius, the Emperor of Rome it gave it a realistic quality. Though Akasha should have been mentioned more, her prescence thourghout the book was interesting. Overall, I believe this is a great beginning for Rice's new series with historical acuracy and the time frame fits perfectly into the plot. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Anne Rice or loves romance and horror.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, but not in the way you may be thinking.
Review: "Pandora" is a peculiar case. On one hand, it's billed a vampire novel; on the other, it states in the beginning that the primary subject it's going to touch upon is Pandora's human life, prior to becoming a vampire. All of Rice's vampire novels up to this point have scarcely touched upon the human portion of each character's life but for the sole purpose of setting up an interesting dynamic when the leap to immortality has taken place. So it's clear from the get-go that this is certainly a project of lofty ambition, given Rice's conception of the blandness of a human existence in contrast to the romantic, epicurean lifestyle of her vampires. But of course, life in the Roman era is anything but bland. In "Pandora," little details trickle out of every crevice between sentences and paragraphs with such conviction, such description, that it's difficult to keep from envisioning most scenes as if they had taken place in your own life. Granted, placing a story in the Roman time means you probably won't know squat in regards to background when you begin to read of politics and emperors and gods and foreign tribes, but it's much akin to reading a contemporary political thriller and looking at the job label of just about any of the government bigwigs--if you're not familiar with what the hell each term means, chances are that the little nuances will probably fly over your head. As "Pandora" drew to an end, I certainly didn't have any problems with the fact that only about ten nights of Pandora's vampire life were described in detail. Her life, as we are shown, begins with Marius and ends with Marius--anything more or less is inconsequential, save her father and the road that led her to become the intriguing, seemingly paradoxical being that she is. Her ruthlessness is, without a doubt, truly something to be admired. Alas, despite all the pretty descriptions, all the glamour of the world Pandora inhabits, the novel falls a bit flat in terms of pacing and, to put it simply, "eventful events"--the soup du jour here is either a reflection on the state of the empire, the sumptuous poetry of Ovid, or the facade one has to erect in order to keep in good terms with the emperor. That, coupled with the awkward, awkward beginning, where Pandora relates the previous nights' conversations with David, unfortunately mires the book enough in its shortcomings to keep it from taking a proper breath of narrative sense. Mind you, "Pandora" isn't bad; just make certain you don't want to read a vampire novel prior to picking this up.
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