The Vampire Lestat
Published: 31, October 1985
Author: Anne Rice
The Vampire Chronicles, Book 2
Genres: Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ+, Occult, Paranormal, Psychological, Saga, Vampire
Check the summary of this book here:
The Vampire Lestat Summary
The Review:
Any Anne Rice fan, or any fan of vampire fiction in general, should own The Vampire Lestat. It's the sequel to Interview With A Vampire. While the Interview With A Vampire was recounted from Louis' perspective, The Vampire Lestat is told from Lestat's perspective. It's essentially an autobiography in which he recounts his life as a human and how he got to be a vampire.
We witness not just his deliciously wicked side, which Louis describes in the previous book, but also his more human side in this book. The Brat Prince isn't as bad as everyone else portrays him to be, but he's certainly not a saint. This book is fantastic and very worth it; I have all four forms of all the books in this series, Audio, Hard Cover, Paperback, and the Kindle version.
Since I was a youngster, I've liked Interview With A Vampire. I chose to start the series and have been fully engrossed from start to finish. I love vampire fiction, and Anne Rice's writing brings the events and people to life, bringing them even closer to being alive and real to us. I was concerned that, having enjoyed the last book/movie (in its own right and equally), I might lose interest in this one. But, no, I believe this book brought him to life, and I couldn't put it down until I completed it.
A one-liner, once again, does not do the novel credit because there is so much more to it than Lestat becoming a rock star! I don't want to give too much away, but the way the storylines intertwine adds to the realism. I liked getting to know Lestat better, and hearing his thoughts on the first book made him feel even more genuine.
I think the hyperawareness of the books being novels (but yet being real) is wonderfully written. Anne Rice's vampires (both vicious and gorgeous) changed the vampire game, and even those that choose to write their vampires in the same gentlemanly vein don't manage to pull it off with the same pulse and vitality as Anne Rice's. Her vampires are the gentleman vampires, to be sure.
I am sure almost everyone has seen the movie Interview With A Vampire and has most likely read the book. However, if you don't read this novel, you'll have a hard time comprehending Lestat. There's a lot more to him than the insane persona we've grown to admire.
I believe that we not only witness Anne Rice tell a fantastic tale during this series, but I am hard-pressed to think of many other authors who perform a greater job of character development. I'm a big lover of scary movies. But I adore good fiction also, and this is just all of what I want.
Here I'm only using a legendary author's name to make a point and I mean no disrespect to him: Tolkien may be a greater writer, but Anne Rice does a far better job of enabling her characters to grow.
In my opinion, Anne Rice is the creator and supreme authority of literary vampire legend. She's done what no other novelist has done: she's made vampires sexy.
Her books explore the inherent conflict that exists between human morality and the drive to murder and eat in order to preserve immortality.
Lestat is a delightful devil. Like no other, he ponders his existence and purpose amid the harshness of his reality. If you've encountered him in another Rice novel (maybe in an Interview With A Vampire), you should read this one since it offers you a better idea of his character.
When Louie relates his narrative, you just get a glimpse of one side of his personality. You will see Lestat in a whole new perspective after reading this book, and you will be able to comprehend some of the decisions he took in the previous book.
This novel, in my opinion, is also necessary for gaining a better understanding of all of Rice's other vampire stories. You shouldn't really need a good review to buy this book. You can't deny yourself this novel if you're as charmed by Anne Rice's prose as I am, any more than Lestat could refuse Akasha's invitation to sip the world's oldest and most potent blood.
The Vampire Lestat is a large book about the life, creation, and afterlife of the mysterious Lestat de Lioncourt, a petty French aristocrat who yearns for more than the pointless existence defined by his place as the younger son of a poor but pompous family. But there's a lot more to this novel than meets the eye.
Final Thoughts:
With a broken and sad heart, I announce that our beloved Anne Rice passed away a few days ago on December 11, 2021. I had planned to begin reviewing all of her books for a long time but hadn't had the opportunity, and from the day she passed away, I was nearing the end of another late great author Patrick O'Brian's series, so I decided to wait until that series was finished before continuing Anne Rice's books again.
This second Chronicle is significantly longer than the first because it includes not only Lestat's 'life' story and personal development but also the histories of two older vampires, the elegant Marius and the lost Armand, as well as legends about the vampire race's origins and the first vampires, Enkil and Akasha.
The Vampire Lestat, like the previous book, continues to examine life and death, good and evil, and where vampires fit into the big scheme of things, but there is also a lot of action and adventure, giving the entire narrative much more bite and improving its pace.
Despite the fact that I preferred this to “Interview With A Vampire” I feel that both novels should be read rather than just one. The events of “Interview With A Vampire” are placed in the context of Lestat's life, and much of what transpired between Lestat, Louis, Claudia, and Armand is explained in 'The Vampire Lestat.' It's almost as though 'Interview With A Vampire' is more of a teaser for 'The Vampire Lestat' than a standalone novel.
Synopsis:
“#1 New York Times Bestselling author - Surrender to fiction's greatest creature of the night - Book II of the Vampire Chronicles
The vampire hero of Anne Rice’s enthralling novel is a creature of the darkest and richest imagination. Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s, he rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence. His is a mesmerizing story—passionate, complex, and thrilling.
Praise for The Vampire Lestat
“Frightening, sensual . . . Anne Rice will live on through the ages of literature. . . . To read her is to become giddy as if spinning through the mind of time, to become lightheaded as if our blood is slowly being drained away.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Fiercely ambitious, nothing less than a complete unnatural history of vampires.”—The Village Voice
“Brilliant . . . its undead characters are utterly alive.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Luxuriantly created and richly told.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer”
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Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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Interview With the Vampire (1994) (R):
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