Memnoch the Spec

Memnoch the Spec (full title "Memnoch: the Devil (A Speculation Story)") by Mick C. and Susie K. was the very first fanfic posted on the alt.books.anne-rice archive. Within The Vampire Chronicles fandom, it is sometimes just called "Memnoch", "the Memnoch Spec" or "MtS." It is notable for popularizing the term spec (speculative fiction) to refer to fanfiction in VC fandom. 
Memnoch the Spec starts off where many post-Tale of the Body Thief specs start; with Lestat having joined Louis and David in Rio de Janeiro. Louis is attacked by another vampire, and taken to the temple of Memnoch the Devil. Meanwhile Lestat and his vampire allies, including Marius and Armand, search for Louis. In this story Memnoch is actually a vampire who has taken the name of the Devil and leads a cult. This is very different to the biblical direction Rice's novel eventually took.
This spec also illustrates the fannish norms of early Vampire Chronicles spec writers. In an early post of this story, possibly at the Black Rose archive, the full names and email addresses of both authors were included, and the authors note contained a very informal disclaimer. It simply stated that, "this is a work of speculative fiction and is not in any way related to the Anne Rice novel "Memnoch the Devil" due to be released later this year. It is purely hypothetical and not intended for publication or release outside of the alt.books.anne-rice newsgroup." 
Three parts of this story were written, but to the distress of many fans, the story is unfinished. However Memnoch the Spec inspired an active fandom, with many other authors creating associated works set in the MtS universe: 
==Lost Parts?==
The spec that inspired Memnoch the Spec, which some view as the first part of the story, may itself be lost: 
::
Many of the related works, written by authors other than Susie and Mick, contributed to the sense that some parts of the story were missing. The Afterspecs and Tweeners referenced events which did not happen in Memnoch vol. 1-3. The authors of these related works were members of the same fannish community as Mick and Susie. They were aware of how this unfinished story was supposed to end, and referenced that unpublished ending in their own specs. comment and discussion, Question - Memnoch the spec, March 8, 1997 
==Fan Comments==
For some fans, the spec was preferable than the direction Rice's actual books were going, an attitude that was somewhat prevalent, and probably bothered Rice. A fan in 1997 wrote: 
A fan in 1997 wrote: 
From an interview with Melinda, as part of Women and Vampire Fiction: Texts, Fandom and the Construction of Identity:
From a new reader in 2022:
==Related Works==
* Tweener 1- Preface by Brat Queen
* Tweener 2- The Beginning by Susie K. and Brat Queen
* Tweener 3- No Words At All by Susie K.
* Tweener 4- A Small Space of Time by Brat Queen
* Tweener 5- Living with the Unfamiliar by Brat Queen
* Tweener 6- Arcane Practices by Mick C.
* Tweener 7- As You Wish by Mick C.
* Tweener 8- To Ride the Dark Wave by Brat Queen
* Tweener 9- Shadows by Mick C.
* Tweener 10- Jerome by Brat Queen
* Tweener 11- And on They Danced by Brat Queen
* Sins of the Past by Brat Queen (1995). This was a sequel to MtS and the first ever fanfic written by The Brat Queen
* After 1- Aftermath by Brat Queen 
* After 2- Closure by Brat Queen 
* After 3- The Love of the One by Brat Queen
* After 4- Le Printemps by Brat Queen
* After 5-With or Without You by S.A. Buday 
* After 6- Strong Enough by Brat Queen 
* After 7- Demons in the Dark by Brat Queen and Lady BD
==Further Reading/Discourse/Meta==
* Memnoch the Spec?, comments at alt.books.anne-rice, March 22, 1996
==References==
Category:The Vampire Chronicles
Category:1990sCategory:1995 Fanfiction‎
Category:2022 Featured Articles