Anne Rice beautifully crosses the plots of Interview with A
Vampire with The Vampire Lestat. In the prequel to this book,
Lestat was portrayed as a brutal, cold-hearted killer. In The
Vampire Lestat, she adds a third dimension to Lestat, humanizes him in a way that lets you sympathize with him rather than loathe him. The book introduces Lestat in a heavy vampiric slumber, somewhere underneath New Orleans, poised to awake after fifty-five years of sleep, in 1985. The book gives you a very real sense of the lonely desperation Lestat possesses, through well painted stories of his life from young adulthood to rock stardom. Anne Rice does a great job keeping her characters interesting and unique. The vampires are very familiar in way, but seem more vulnerable than 70's B movie stereotypes.She adds this effect by basing the fictional vampiric beliefs on a hierarchy of vampire principles. These are the cardinal rules set by
ancient immortals, never to be broken by any vampire, ever. But, the bold Lestat dares break the most important rule, and lets himself be known to mortals all across the world. From there, he has new friends and ancient foes. Anne Rice perfectly weaves transitions throughout the book to Lestat's adolescence, and really draws an excellent picture of where he is mentally. In my very humble opinion, I think the only way to get into a book is to feel a strong emotional connection to your character, and I guess that's what I liked so much about this book. Anyone who picks up this book will see a part of themselves in Lestat. Vampire books usually aren't what you would connect with the word elegant, but I would say that The Vampire Lestat has a quiet elegance that other horror writers can only hope to achieve. Something else about this book, amidst all the conflict, there is a gothic love story that won't make the men run away in horror. The momentum shifts at just the right times, and the gorey details keep the testosterone pumping. So, indeed, The Vampire Lestat has something for everyone. Anne Rice dominates the horror genre, and this was by far my favorite out of the chronicles.