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HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERon 31 December 2005
Anne Rice revamped the vampire-horror genre with the publication of "Interview with the Vampire," a supernational drama from the vampire's own mouth. It became an unexpected hit, and spawned a series of sequels that came to be known as the Vampire Chronicles. The first three books of the series are compiled here, and arguably remain her best.
"Interview With the Vampire" is the story of Louis, a grieving young widower and plantation owner, whose life is turned upside down when he meets the charming vampire Lestat. Lestat offers him a way out: become a vampire. Louis accepts, but once it's done, he finds that vampirism is more than he bargained for -- especially for his conscience.
"The Vampire Lestat" takes a totally different tack, showing us the world through the enigmatic, charming Lestat's eyes. After years of dormancy, Lestat wakes up in time for the early MTV years of the 1980s, becoming a rock star in the tradition of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. And like Louis, Lestat relates his long life's story -- how he became a vampire, his wanderings over the earth, and his investigations into the origins of vampirism itself...
"Queen of the Damned" builds on that research. Lestat's metal music has caused quite a bit of mayhem -- but not this much before: Akasha, Egyptian queen and mother of all vampires, has reawoken from her comalike sleep. The lesser vampires are having strange dreams, some are being murdered by the ruthless queen. Apparently she wants to kill virtually all men. What is more, Akasha has taken a shine to the roguish Lestat himself...
Vampiric autobiography is a given in Anne Rice's bibliography -- she has plenty of bloodsuckers telling us about their lives. But Lestat and Louis's were not just the first ones, but perhaps the most compelling and rich, especially since the two had such radically different viewpoints -- including of one another. Is Lestat a heartless fiend, or a roguish good-craving bad boy? I'd lean towards the latter, to be honest.
The first two books are quite personal -- one is Louis recounting his own miserable life and un-life. Then we get Lestat, a radically different viewpoint, a guy who enjoys his un-life even more than his mortal existance. Finally, there's an epic view of all vampires, throughout history, from the ancient Egyptian queen to the modern biker vamps.
Despite the more controversial recent novels, Anne Rice's first Vampire Chronicles are often reckoned to be modern horror classics. Rich, intriguing and far deeper than you'd think vampire fiction would be.
"Interview With the Vampire" is the story of Louis, a grieving young widower and plantation owner, whose life is turned upside down when he meets the charming vampire Lestat. Lestat offers him a way out: become a vampire. Louis accepts, but once it's done, he finds that vampirism is more than he bargained for -- especially for his conscience.
"The Vampire Lestat" takes a totally different tack, showing us the world through the enigmatic, charming Lestat's eyes. After years of dormancy, Lestat wakes up in time for the early MTV years of the 1980s, becoming a rock star in the tradition of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. And like Louis, Lestat relates his long life's story -- how he became a vampire, his wanderings over the earth, and his investigations into the origins of vampirism itself...
"Queen of the Damned" builds on that research. Lestat's metal music has caused quite a bit of mayhem -- but not this much before: Akasha, Egyptian queen and mother of all vampires, has reawoken from her comalike sleep. The lesser vampires are having strange dreams, some are being murdered by the ruthless queen. Apparently she wants to kill virtually all men. What is more, Akasha has taken a shine to the roguish Lestat himself...
Vampiric autobiography is a given in Anne Rice's bibliography -- she has plenty of bloodsuckers telling us about their lives. But Lestat and Louis's were not just the first ones, but perhaps the most compelling and rich, especially since the two had such radically different viewpoints -- including of one another. Is Lestat a heartless fiend, or a roguish good-craving bad boy? I'd lean towards the latter, to be honest.
The first two books are quite personal -- one is Louis recounting his own miserable life and un-life. Then we get Lestat, a radically different viewpoint, a guy who enjoys his un-life even more than his mortal existance. Finally, there's an epic view of all vampires, throughout history, from the ancient Egyptian queen to the modern biker vamps.
Despite the more controversial recent novels, Anne Rice's first Vampire Chronicles are often reckoned to be modern horror classics. Rich, intriguing and far deeper than you'd think vampire fiction would be.
on 25 November 2002
Anne Rice has done it again. Not only are the books astounding but (on a completely irrelevant note) the films are too. Volume 1 is, and i may be biased, the best. Firstly, it tracks lestat through his ins and outs as a vampire who is relatively new to the darker side of the world, sceondly each chronicle is a novel in itself. My enthusiasm for the Vampire Chronicles was sparked off by the first one i ever read, Tale of the Body Thief. Now i wont ruin the ending, but it almost made me cry. Each book is amazing, with a new story yet a continuous feel throughout. Well worth the £11 it is now. I would have paid more! Im just waiting for volume 2, which looks set to be just as good as the first one, with anticipation.
on 14 May 1999
The way Anne Rice writes drags you into a whole new world that seems so real. You never want to stop reading.
on 31 October 1998
I guess you could say Lestat is the reason I enjoy reading! I hadn't picked up a book in years until a friend told me about "Interview." Being a journalist originally from Louisiana... I admired the way Rice made the concept of the interview so realistic! My all-time favorite book is Lestat, but I thoroughly enjoyed the history & final battle of "Queen"... & watching Lestat struggle with his own humanity in Tale of the Body Thief was a true page-turning experience! Rice's 1st four Vampire Chronicles brought Lestat to life and for that I'm eternally greatful... While I didn't care for "Memnoch the Devil"... the earlier adventures of Lestat will keep me coming back for more. He makes you want to believe in Vampires! Forget him? NEVER!
on 10 January 1999
Progressively difficult to finish. Devoured the first book in a day, never finished the third (I got bored). Very enchanting back-drops and great character development. Will cause nightmares in the sensitive reader.
on 1 February 1998
Overall, the story was quite intricate in it's style and plotting but I also tend to the point that she made her masculine characters very feminine. Well, I guess it' hard writing from an female to male perspective.She plots the books out very neatly, and I'd definitely recommend you read them. It has some great climaxes! On another note though, I think Anne was trying to make the vampires fluid in motion, like a female, so I guess you could put it down to that; grace & agility. She made an excellent story line. It all fit together precisely the way it should have. Introducing characters early, and THEN finding out what the significence was. Definitely a great set of books!
on 1 December 2002
You may think this is a triology. It's not, it's only the beginning! Rice takes you on a nocturnal journey through the Old World, from Alexandria to Paris. The historical correctness in her writing helping to pull you down into the world of Lestat. We follow Lestat through centuries of happiness, sadness, trials and tribulations, from his birth in rural France to his career as a rock star in San Fransisco. What will happen if he wakes the mother of all vampires???? You'll have to read to find out!
on 19 April 1998
I like it because I'm fond of reading vampire or mysterious stories. Watch the movie and read the book, you'll find Antonio too ugly to be Armand and know alot more details
on 11 October 1997
I think that Interview With a Vampire was one of the best books ever written. Not only did it tell an unusual side to the vampire tale, but it also told about how people see each other, and how we have a tendacy to stereotype one another. I loved the book, and i think the movie portrayed it rather well. I would love to see Vampire Lestat made into a movie as well. The book Vampire Lestat was another book that was written really well. Ann rice wrote in in such a way that the reader could not help but relate it to his/her own life.
