occult

Being the sequel to the amazingly popular "Interview with the Vampire", Anne Rice takes her favorite character of her 'Vampire Chronicles' novels and weaves for him a long and prentious (at times) dragging story of his own life. The novel starts with Lestat awakening from a long sleep in a modern day New Orleans and stumbling upon a world where the charms and living as "Gentlemen" of the past is gone. Intriguied by the flashy and hardcore world of the 80's Lestat masters living in the twentieth century and decides to become, of all things a rockstar. Then the story moves to (once again) telling the story of his past, staring from his youth in 17th Century France as one of the youngest sons of an aging and landless nobles to his subsequent involuntary making as a vampire and his exploits in Paris until his desire to begin a search for his kinds 'Origins' which ultimatley paves the way for this novels sequel "Queen of the Damned".

Though Rice's amazing writing ability at times can be overwhelming, the book is often bogged down by Rice to use Lestat as a soap box for her sometimes eerily accurate beliefs and observations of humanity and it's societies. Lestat although a charismatic character, at this point in the series has a very negative view and often times shallow view point of the world.

Rice's attention to detail is both a blessing and a curse for as was mentioned before the novel has at times dragged heavily. Though Rice provides a wonderful picture of the time period, being both realistic and believable. Even with her vampire characters thrown into the mix.

Though if Rice focused less on preeching her view points and critisizms of humanity's history and past and more on telling the story itself and fleshing out Lestat to less of a shallow, selfish character that gives the reader room to love him past all his egotism this novel would have earned an extra star.

This novel is a reccomenddation for hardcore Rice fans, who undoubtedly will devoure this novel and is also and optional and nice reccomendation for newer fans (preferably vampire loving fans) who can read this novel though it its a sequel and have little trouble adapting to the Rice world.

A good reccomendation to fans, an opitional read for newer fans.

This novel is probably the best of Anne Rice's work, and most certainly the jewel of the Vampire Chronicles.

With poetic grandeur, Rice takes on a journey through the unflinchingly realistic death and borgeois carelessness of 18th century Paris... We follow young Lestat on his journey from the son of a French noble to a popular stage actor. And it is done with an eloquent, patient style that has personified Anne Rice and her novels. Here, her wrtiting is in top form!

The book, although comnparitively long, is intenseley engrossing, and as we follow the life of the Vampire Lestat, we can't help but paint our own vampiric reality of this fictional biography in our own minds. Lestat is done in such a way that his author's voice (the book is an "auto-biography") is genuine and believable...not only that, it is hypnotic and beguiling.

We are shown the depravity of the wretched cult of vampires led by Armand underneath the "Les Innocents" cemetary...we follow Lestat and his companion (mother) Gabrielle on their journey through the VERY VIVID old world (Europe) of the 18th century.

Perhaps the most compelling character in the story is Marius, a 2,000 year old vampire who recounts the tale of his own "birth into darkness" to Lestat. We are shown awesome sights in Marius' biography within a biography.

It is a must-read for any vampire-fan, or fan of gothic literature. I will say this; the ending is a very artful cliff-hanger...you'll be compelled to read "The Queen of the Damned"...

I loved this book, it was just as good as Interview with the Vampire but I did read them in the wrong order.

So when I read interview with the vampire I was very defensive over Lestat because in this book he explains why he couldn't teach Louis everything because his own maker (Magnus)died before he taught Lestat anything about being a vampire so he went looking for answers and finally found a vampire called Marius (the oldest vampire in the world and Armands maker who Armand fought to be dead.) who answered some of Lestats un-answered questions. (just like when Louis and Claudia went looking for anwsers and found Armand.)

Also we find out why he hated his father so much and what his father meant in interview with the vampire when he said 'sorry, please forgive me' before he died.

The book is writen from Lestats point of view and is kind of like his biography.

My favourate part must be the ending when Louis comes back to Lestat after reading Lestats book and understanding Lestat was like he was.