The Master of Rampling Gate
Published: February 1984
Author: Anne Rice
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Horror, Literature
Check the summary of this book here:
The Master of Rampling Gate Summary
The Review:
The Master of Rampling Gate by Anne Rice is a masterpiece. Predictable and far too short, but entertaining for those of us who eagerly anticipated and devoured each new episode of the Lestat series. I like Anne Rice's return to the paranormal and the absence of the ponderous theological philosophy that has pervaded several of her post-Lestat writings.
The Master of Rampling Gate is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's suspense short tales. Yes, it's a bleak story. However, the details are vivid. While reading it, you nearly feel as if you are inside the mansion.
Exceptionally well-written and eloquent. It's almost plausible. I nearly forgot this was a work of fiction. This is another fast-paced read. I liked it but was disappointed because it was such a brief narrative, which I already knew.
I strongly advise everyone who likes short tales to read it. You will not be disappointed, even if you may have a want for more.
Despite its briefness, I found the narrative to be entertaining. The Master of Rampling Gate was a short and delightful read that left me wanting more. It was written with Anne Rice's lush, descriptive style that I've come to anticipate.
The ancient home reminded me of the house in The Wolf Gift, and the little background in this short narrative reminded me of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
I recently read The Master of Rampling Gate in The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard), an anthology of vampire mythology.
I bought this anthology because of the authors participating, which included Anne Rice, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Ray Bradbury, and others. I'd say it's a greater value than any one tale, but don't worry, this book is free for Kindle at the time of writing this review.
Do you recall Anne Rice's vampire stories? She did, after all, wrote twelve books about fey, gorgeous, angsty immortals with gothic tastes.
However, in the time between her first two vampire novels, she wrote a short story called "The Master of Rampling Gate" about a "fey, beautiful, angsty immortal." It's written in glossy writing, and the conversation is as you'd expect from the author; but, the characters are flawed, and the relationship lacks the emotional depth like Twilight.
This is due to the story's short length. Remember, this is a short novella, and you can't expect a thousand pages of content in a few pages, even if the author is Anne Rice.
This novel appealed to me because of its atmosphere, inventive elements, drama, and, of course, the Anne Rice characteristics we all enjoy. Julie, the protagonist, is endearing and attractive, and when she and her brother Richard visit their inherited house, Rampling Gate, outside of London, they uncover more than a peaceful retreat.
There is an enigmatic invader. "No ghost would ever dare to harm Rampling Gate," the blind housekeeper says emphatically. Ha! What about an "indescribable threat"? This is a fantastic short story written by a master of the genre. It's just a smidgeon of "silent terror," but it'll whet your appetite.
Julie and Richard inherit the ancestral castle of Rampling Gate after their father passes away. Richard's father made him swear to demolish it before he died, and it appears to be linked to a handsome young man Julie saw years ago.
When he emerges, he and Julie fall madly in love, and he explains why he doesn't want Rampling Gate demolished.
Anne Rice's short story "The Master of Rampling Gate" exemplifies why she should avoid writing short stories. This narrative may have been a highly interesting gothic romance if it had been stretched to a full-length novel, especially since Anne Rice was nearing the pinnacle of her abilities.
Instead, it feels like an adolescent girl's fanfiction written in her voice, simply because it makes you want more and feels so short when you realize the tale is over and no new episodes have been released.
The main flaw in this narrative, as I've stated several times in this review, is that it is far too short. With each turn of the page, you become more intimately interested in the captivating characters as they come to life in the appropriate atmosphere.
Anne Rice does conjure up a sensation of haunting, history-soaked atmosphere, and there are a lot of very wonderful descriptions in this novel. Her old-timey prose, on the other hand, is fantastic as always, adding to the sense of the era and the ambiance, and leaving you wanting to learn more about it.
To rub salt in the wound, the love affair is odd. Julie is attracted to the vampire because he is attractive, and he is attracted to her because her intelligence appears to be exceptional.
They fell in love at first sight, without uttering a single word, and resolve to remain together for the rest of their lives. A relationship like that would make Stephenie Meyer proud.
The Master of Rampling Gate is an excruciatingly short piece that would have worked better as a full-length novel.
Despite the fact that the love story and characters are as thin as paper due to the limited space available, the reader is left wanting more and eager to learn more about Julie and the vampire.
Like no other writer in her genre, she creates a detailed web of terror and beauty in her novels. This narrative served as a great teaser for anyone who is unclear what to anticipate from any one of her Vampire Chronicles books; when you're ready for the main meal, your mysterious date Lestat will be there.
Final Thoughts:
Let me start by underlining that this is a Short Story originally published in Redbook Magazine in 1984. As a result, readers anticipating a novel will certainly be disappointed, as The Master of Rampling Gate is just fifteen pages long in the anthology cited.
In conclusion, I recommend getting a vampire anthology as the best way to experience The Master of Rampling Gate.
The only flaw I discovered was that it is only a short narrative, but it isn't advertised as a novel, so you should know that before you buy it.
Synopsis:
“I should have done it Richard, but I was born in that house, as my father was, and his father before him. You must do it now, Richard. It has no claim on you. Tear it down."
Anne Rice lures us once again into the seductive world of vampires with her short story, The Master of Rampling Gate. Set in 1888, Richard and Julie are the sole heirs to Rampling Gate, the beautiful but foreboding 400-year-old family mansion. Despite the dying wish of their father to destroy the property, the siblings visit the ancient home and are immediately enchanted by it. What was the "unspeakable horror" their father saw in the luxurious home they are so drawn to? Slowly memories return to Julie of a handsome, pale-faced stranger, glimpsed only briefly when she was young. The memories soon become a reality when Julie discovers the mystery behind the house and learns who the master of Rampling Gate truly is.
The Master of Rampling Gate was originally published in Redbook magazine in 1984.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:
Anne Rice, Cry To Heaven, Feast of All Saints, Interview with the Vampire, Vampire Lestat, Witching Hour
Rating: 75/100
Recommended: 50/100 Yes.
Free With Free Audible Trial
Interview with the Vampire (1994) (R)
Queen of the Damned (2002) (R)
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