Koakuma_Heaven Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 So lately I've been re-reading Interview with the Vampire and I wondered if anyone else is an Anne Rice/Vampire Chronicles fan. What are your favourite/least favourite books, characters? Opinions on the movie/stage/manga adaptations? Do you read vampire fiction in general or just the VC? How do you pronounce Lestat? :p I adore the first three Vampire Chronicles novels (Interview, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned), I'm happy to read Tale of the Body Theif and some of the later other vampire stories (Blood and Gold, Vittorio the Vampire etc.) but I can't stand any of the main books past Memnoch, Blood Canticle is just 100 shades of awful. My faveourite adaptation is the flawed but fantastic Lestat musical, I dare anyone to not get 'I want more' stuck in their heads :p. I really enjoy the Interview with the Vampire movie. The queen of the damned movie is an abomination and I like to pretend it doesn't exist (except for the sound track that my inner goth is quite fond of). I've been taking Prince Lestat off the shelf in the bookshop and putting it back on so often I'm giving the shelf a free polishing, I just can't decide if the chance it'll be good is worth another potential butchering of our beloved brat prince. LillytheGrundo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Various Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I love Interview with the Vampire. But I haven't read it for a few years. I need to re-read it. I did start reading the Vampire Lestat but I ended up not finishing it because stuff happened in real life that meant I couldn't read for months. When I finally got the time to start reading again, I'd completely forgotten what had happened so far and didn't have the energy to go back and start it from the beginning again. But thank you. You've reminded me that I need to read them! I have Interview, Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned on a bookcase somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LillytheGrundo Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Yes! I've read all of them including the New Chronicles and some of the random one-offs like Merrick and Blackwood Farm. I adore them. I didn't enjoy Memnoch either but I did like the others. It's funny to me that in high school everyone thought I was weird for reading vampire books. Now it's totally main stream. Anyway, I just finished Prince Lestat and I did enjoy it. All the characters are in the storyline and it felt like I was revisiting old friends. It starts of really slow and then becomes a real page turner. I hope it isn't her last vampire novel, but it feels like it may be, unless she spins off with two new characters she introduces which would be awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bijyuarukei Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I used to read the Vampire Chronicles a lot in Junior High. I remember doing a book report on "Pandora," and my super religious teacher counted points off for my choice of book. Oh well. :laughingsmiley: Dawn* 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteWolf Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I have all three, but it's been forever since I read them. Maybe I need to make that my summer reading project since my other vampire author, J. F. Lewis, hasn't published anything new lately. Btw, is it odd that I like the vampyre spelling of the word? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune Valentine Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I started reading The Vampire Chronicles when I was in 7th grade, all the way through college I think. The last book I read was Blood Canticle, I haven't gotten around to reading the newer releases, including the other adaptations. I was a huge fan of Anne Rice way before the whole vampire trend started :P I think my favourite was The Vampire Lestat (Merrick is very close second! I remember getting it for my birthday!) and enjoyed Memnoch the Devil the least. I only really enjoyed Queen of the Damned because Aaliyah was in it, and Stuart Townsend was shirtless a lot... Spritzie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritzie Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 My coworker got me reading the series. I'm somewhere at the point where the witches come into it, but I don't remember which one. Before the most recent book, Blood Gold was probably my favorite, but now Prince Lestat is. (Which is surprising because Lestat pretty much drives me crazy in every book and I can't really stand him much, but he really... matured... in that one.) So far, my least favorite is Tale of a Body Thief. Characters, Lestat is generally my least favorite with Marius being my favorite. Movie wise, I totally second Rune's last sentence. If they made more movies and he was Lestat in them all, I would watch them and enjoy Lestat more than usual. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LillytheGrundo Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 My coworker got me reading the series. I'm somewhere at the point where the witches come into it, but I don't remember which one. Before the most recent book, Blood Gold was probably my favorite, but now Prince Lestat is. (Which is surprising because Lestat pretty much drives me crazy in every book and I can't really stand him much, but he really... matured... in that one.) So far, my least favorite is Tale of a Body Thief. Characters, Lestat is generally my least favorite with Marius being my favorite. Movie wise, I totally second Rune's last sentence. If they made more movies and he was Lestat in them all, I would watch them and enjoy Lestat more than usual. :P Marius is my favorite too! With Armand a close second. I also like Lestat's mom. She cracks me up. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twilight790 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 The only exposure I have had is the movie, but reading all the things people are saying makes me want to check it out. I am always looking for new books to put on my reading list :) LillytheGrundo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koakuma_Heaven Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Glad to see I'm not alone! :p My favourite character by far is Armand, I was sad that he's really the only character that the Interview movie messes up. I doubt it but has anyone else seen the musical? It only lived for a short run in 2006 but there are audience-taped performances floating around online. It 'flopped' because Warner Brothers pretty much ignored it (it actually beat Wicked and Les Mis's earnings in San Francisco where it premiered ) it had its faults but a little tweaking and it could've been a really hit show. I seriously adore the musical, it's a fantastic adaptation, the music is wonderful, the staging is very clever and the cast *_* Hugh Panaro as Lestat has a wonderful Opera-trained voice, Carolee Carmello won a Tony for Gabrielle, Allison Fischer is a wonderfully bratty yet tragic Claudia, and Drew Sarich as Armand is amazing (I'm a huge Drew Sarich fangirl so I'm a little biased but he's amazing! His Armand is seductive, scary and broken all at once.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neechan Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Funny, I haven't read it, but I decided just the other day that I was going to. I just have to raise up the money to buy a really pretty hardback from B&N that has all three. ^_^ I'm hoping it's as good as people say, but I'm not really sure how I feel about vampire rock stars. XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koakuma_Heaven Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 I hope you enjoy it ^^ when you get it and start reading it'd be cool to see your first impressions if you feel like posting them :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xepha Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 One day, my best friend forgot her copy of Lestat the Vampire at my place. I was in grade 6 and I fell in love with the book. You see, it was pocket edition and it had the first few sentences printed on the front cover : http://img.livraddict.com/covers/1/1323/couv25870349.jpgThis is the kind of book I just could not put down. I was even reading it while walking. Not the smartest thing to do, especially when you are 12 and people are making fun of you for preferring books to humans during break time. But anyway. Over the year, I have bought some of Rice's books. I kinda wish I had a uniform editon to show in my bookshelf. I first read translation, then I re-read some in English, went back to French... I don't exactly have a favorite book. I find that most of her stories are interesting and we can relate to them in different ways. The only Rice book I was never able to finish is not a vampire one (Cry to Heaven). I actually do like Memnoch too. I went as far as reading her biography when I was in high school. It was really interesting and it helps to know where an author is from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neechan Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 All right! So I've picked up The Vampire Chronicles in a big giant ornate book from B&N. I've started with Interview with the Vampire, and I've gotten through the first section (I notice there are no chapters- about the only thing so far I don't like about the book) up until him entering his coffin for the first time. Assuming everyone here has read it because there are small spoilers, here's what I think so far: First off, Anne Rice's writing style is a huge comfort for me, since it is very similar to my own writing style. Especially with using '...' for pauses, which my editor really prefers I not do. I just find the using '-' doesn't convey the pause well enough, or that it expresses too much alarm or excitement. Going with that, I notice that Anne makes no effort to use alternate descriptive words for her characters. It is always 'the vampire' and 'the boy.' While I do try to have more variety than that, it relieves a lot of pressure that I felt in trying to think of new descriptions I haven't previously used. Especially in my most recent chapter, where two of the characters are referred to in majority as 'the man' and 'the child' since their identities were meant to be secret (it's a flashback). So, like I said, it all makes her writing feel comforting to me and makes it easy to read. However, going with that, the main character- the Vampire in question (I'm not sure yet if his name is Lou-iss or Lou-ee, since he's meant to be French) tends to speak in away that makes me have to reread small sections a few times before I understand what's happening, like when his brother fell. It took me a minute to realise that the brother had fallen down stairs, and didn't just drop dead. I am having a small bit of trouble, too, with the fact that the entirety of what I read so far was from Louis speaking. I understand that it is 'Interview with the Vampire' but I guess I expected a first person narrative and not a 'big block of dialogue with he-said-she-said' sort of thing. The dialogue is hard to keep up with, because, like I said, sometimes I have to reread to understand what actually happened because of how Louis speaks. So far, in this first section, I've discovered that I really like Lestat. I don't like the way he started out seeming like a somewhat decent guy, and then snapped at his father just for asking where he went during the day. He had already been acting like somewhat of a jerk before that, but that was the first part where I sort of felt the same way that Louis did. I just don't like him. I wonder at this point if that view will change when I read The Vampire Lestat? =P But the biggest thing is that I have a vampire of my own, and he's actually frequently compared to both Louis and Lestat- which is part of the reason I wanted to read this series- and I can totally see why. He's got the quiet dignity of Louis, but can be easily set off by little things like Lestat. And, since I know my own character so well, it makes me feel more connected to both of these two and makes me more interested in what is coming next. That was kind of book report-y. Sorry for that. I write all the time but I actually haven't read a book since Tenth Grade! (The entire Harry Potter series in one week, The Hobbit in a day, The Fellowship of the Ring in a day and a half, and halfway through the Two Towers, I burnt out and haven't picked up a book since~!!) Anyway, I'm thinking of going and reading more because I'm a masochist and who really needs sleep? I'll keep you all posted on how I feel as I get further in =D Koakuma_Heaven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koakuma_Heaven Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 Glad you like it so far, Neechan! Yeah it can take a little while to get used to certain things (for myself I very rarely read first person narritives so that always takes me a few sections when I reread the vampire chronicles). As far as I know, it's Lou-ee, a couple of audiobook narrators use Lou-iss but the movies, majority of fandom and (iirc) Rice herself use the French Lou-ee. Lestat is an interesting character, some people really dislike him but after reading The Vampire Lestat you'll at least understand why he acts in certain ways, especially to his father. It's really interesting to see someone's first impressions of the characters :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neechan Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Further in, I'm at Paris, and all I can say at this point that as much as I didn't like Lestat... Omg I hate Claudia. I really, really hate Claudia. I get why she's so upset but the way she treats Louis... ugh. I hate Claudia. And Madeleine. Armand seems really interesting. I just got past the part where they were in the Tower. I'm afraid to read on because of Claudia though. Edit: EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN HAPPENED. Entering Part IV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koakuma_Heaven Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Further in, I'm at Paris, and all I can say at this point that as much as I didn't like Lestat... Omg I hate Claudia. I really, really hate Claudia. I get why she's so upset but the way she treats Louis... ugh. I hate Claudia. And Madeleine. Armand seems really interesting. I just got past the part where they were in the Tower. I'm afraid to read on because of Claudia though. Edit: EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN HAPPENED. Entering Part IV. Yeah, some people adore Claudia but personally I find her rather hard to like. I understand she's a woman trapped in a child's body but she'd have never reached adulthood anyway and she blames Lestat for it when Louis drained her in the first place. I do sympathise with her but I also want to slap her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neechan Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Yeah, some people adore Claudia but personally I find her rather hard to like. I understand she's a woman trapped in a child's body but she'd have never reached adulthood anyway and she blames Lestat for it when Louis drained her in the first place. I do sympathise with her but I also want to slap her. Well she was actually right to blame Lestat, in my opinion. Because while Louis did drain her, she was still alive and apparently in some Orphanage getting attention (can't remember if it was an Orphange or a Hospital to be honest) but she COULD have lived. It was Lestat who went and got her and changed her into a vampire. In general, I had like no opinion of her before. She was an interesting character at first. But the MOMENT they got to Paris she suddenly turned into a really, really unlikeable character. Acting like an adult, telling Louis they see her as like a little circus person... blaming him for every bad thing that ever happened to her when it was her idea to kill Lestat and go to Europe... treating him so badly in general and then completely turning around and claiming she loved him???? She was totally Lestat's daughter imo. I'm going to start reading The Vampire Lestat soon, but my roommate is reading the first one atm and we got the one huge book like I said before. And omg, I'm sorry, I agree with the boy at the end of Interview with the Vampire. Louis just gave up and that's dumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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