Anne Rice, who developed a cult following with her novels of witches and vampires, warns her fans they may not want to follow her into the light of her new subject -- Jesus Christ.
Her latest novel, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, is narrated by Christ himself as a seven-year-old boy. The best-selling author of 26 books is already planning three sequels for her new character, although she said they may not be well received by her dedicated fans.
The author, who returned to the Catholic Church after leaving as a teenager, said she needed a more inspirational subject: "I mean, I was in despair."
In the afterword of the new novel, she refers to Christ as "the ultimate supernatural hero . . . the ultimate immortal of them all." AP