Editing Memnoch the Devil (section)

==Plot==
After stalking and killing Roger, a ruthless but passionate [[mobster]], [[Lestat de Lioncourt|Lestat]] is approached by Roger's ghost. Roger asks him to take care of his daughter Dora, a devout and popular [[televangelist]], whom he wants to spare from embarrassment. At the same time, Lestat has become increasingly paranoid that he's being stalked by a powerful force. Eventually, Lestat meets [[the Devil]], who calls himself Memnoch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Does The Name Memnoch Mean? {{!}} Meanings & History & Analysis |url=https://definename.com/name/memnoch/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Human Name Database - DefineName.com |language=en-US |quote=''Memnoch'' means 'comforter' or 'consoler' in Hebrew.}}</ref> He takes Lestat on a whirlwind tour of [[Heaven]] and [[Hell]], and retells the entirety of history from his own point of view in an effort to convince Lestat to join him as [[God]]'s adversary. In his journey, Memnoch claims he is not evil, but merely working for God by ushering lost souls into Heaven. Lestat is left in confusion, unable to decide whether or not to cast his lot with the Devil.

After the tour, Lestat believes himself to have had a major [[revelation]]. Among other things, he believes that he has seen [[Christ]]'s [[crucifixion]] and has received [[Veil of Veronica|Saint Veronica's Veil]]. Even though Lestat suspects the entire experience was some kind of deception, he tells his story to [[Armand (The Vampire Chronicles)|Armand]], [[David Talbot (The Vampire Chronicles)|David Talbot]] and Dora, who have joined him in [[New York City]]. When Lestat produces the veil as proof of his experience, Dora and Armand are deeply moved upon seeing it. Dora reveals the veil to the world, triggering a religious movement. Armand goes into the sunlight and immolates himself in order to convince people that a [[miracle]] has occurred.

At the end of the novel, Lestat and David go to [[New Orleans]]. There, [[Maharet and Mekare|Maharet]] returns an eye Lestat lost in Hell, along with a note from Memnoch that reveals he may have been manipulating Lestat to serve his own agenda. Lestat then loses control of himself and Maharet is forced to chain him in the basement of a vampire-controlled [[convent]] so that he will not hurt himself or others.

Although the novel fits into the storyline of ''[[The Vampire Chronicles]]'', the vast majority of it consists of Memnoch's account of [[cosmology]] and [[theology]]. The novel follows up on claims made by David in ''[[The Tale of the Body Thief]]'' that God and the Devil are on better terms than most [[Christians]] believe. It also reinterprets [[Bible|biblical]] stories to create a complete history of Earth, Heaven and Hell that fit neatly with the history of vampires given in ''[[The Queen of the Damned]]''.