Presenting Author: Anne Rice

[Emily Spencer]

Main Genre: Gothic/Paranormal
Main Audience: Adult

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, many of her books are steeped in the mysticism and mystique for which that city is famous. Her knowledge of both New Orleans and the occult is a perfect blend, especially in the Mayfair Witch series. Big on character development as well as setting, she writes in such a way that makes you really feel that you know the characters. One of the biggest draws for me, personally, is the ambiguity of her characters and the blurring of the line between good/evil. Take probably her most famous character, for example, Lestat. As a vampire, he is self-centered, egotistical, and at times blatantly manipulative and cruel. And yet, he has very good qualities as well, and one can't help but empathize with him. Even at his worst, I found myself going "Oh, Lestat!!" with a shake of my head and a small indulgent smile.

Though she has dabbled in other genres such as historical fiction and Christianity, I would dare say that she is most famous for her paranormal books. Her most famous works are:

The Vampire Chronicles
Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches
The Beauty Series (adult books originally written under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure)

[Emily Spencer]

Title of the book: Interview with the Vampire
Author: Anne Rice
Series: Yes
Genre: Gothic Horror

Brief Summary:

The story is told from the POV of Louis de Pointe du Lac, a young man who was turned into a vampire at the tender age of 25 in 1791 by the charismatic vampire, Lestat de Lioncourt who was hungry (pardon the pun) for companionship. Louis stays with Lestat for nearly 70 years, and the book is the history of their life together. Louis tells the tale during an interview with the 'boy reporter', Daniel Molloy. Much to the chagrin of Louis, even after he tells his story, along with all of the brutality and horror such a life details, Molloy begs him to turn him into a vampire himself. Louis refuses and attacks the boy before running out of the room.

Extremely important to the dynamic of Louis' story is the young vampire, Claudia, a 5-year-old girl turned by Lestat when she was found dying of the plague. Claudia becomes their 'daughter', with Louis taking on the role of nurturer and primary caregiver. Interesting to note is the fact that Rice partially based the character of Claudia on her own daughter, Michele, who tragically died at the age of six after a long bout with leukemia.

Here is what Goodreads has to say:

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.

Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.

My take:

I can't stress enough how much I like this book or Anne Rice as a novelist. She really brings to life (again pardon the pun) the true nature of a vampire, leaving nothing out, both good and bad. The vampires are complex characters, ambiguously neither good nor bad, and she does not shy away from either the beauty of their relationship and the allure of such a lifestyle or conversely, the horrors which they often inflict without seeming concern for the ramifications of their actions. I believe that is what made the characters, at least in my opinion, so very real. Their story almost became 'my' story, and it is one of the few books I've read that actually had me a sobbing mess by the end.

It's not a classic horror novel, so if you're expecting Stephen King, you will be disappointed. There is horror, but a more subtle sort, and the book's purpose is not so much to scare as to entice the reader into believing that a world where vampires roam the streets is not only possible but probable. It is much a story of relationships as it is the 'monster' known as vampire. Again, one of my favorite books ever and one that I would highly recommend.