Bitten by Books
Hello, dear readers.
If you are like me, you were absolutely overjoyed to hear that after a ten-plus-year hiatus Anne Rice has decided to once again to release a Vampire Chronicles book. I think I may have scared Rachel with the sheer number of explanation marks I used in the original e-mail I sent her talking about it.
Clearly my plan succeeded and I would like to welcome you to the first chat of a nine-week series we are hosting here at Bitten by Books to talk about all things Vampire Chronicles-related. This will culminate with the release of Prince Lestat on 10/27 and a fun Halloween giveaway.
In this first post I would like to discuss and concentrate on both Interview with a Vampire (book and movie) and The Vampire Lestat. Let’s hear it all! How did you find these books? Was Tom Cruise a mistake? Is Claudia as creepy as I remember her being? Are Anne’s vampires the first vampires you fell for? You get the gist. Let’s talk it out-I want to hear from everyone!
Here are a few questions to get things started in case you are not as obsessed as I am:
1. What was your first experience with this series? What do you like/not like about it (with emphasis on the first two books)?
2. Lestat de Lioncourt:love him or hate him? What other characters do you like reading about?
3. Do you have any favorite quotes?
4. How did you feel about the movie Interview With the Vampire?
Let’s keep the conversation going all week! I’ll be around to answer questions and chat.
“Every moment must be first known and then savored.”
The Vampire Chronicles in the order they should be read:
Interview with a Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
The Queen of the Damned
The Tale of the Body Thief
Memnoch the Devil
The Vampire Armand
Merrick (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Blood and Gold
Blackwood Farm (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Blood Canticle (Crossover with Mayfair Witches)
Prince Lestat
The New Tales of the Vampires series in the order they should be read:
Pandora
Vittorio the Vampire
The Lives of the Mayfair Witches series in the order they should be read:
The Witching Hour
Lasher
Taltos
Just for fun:
Here is a picture of Anne and I at RT in Chicago, 2012. She was super nice & had a fantastic broach. I was giant nerd.
Hi lovlies!
I am vacationing in SC this week, but will drop by periodically to converse! Can’t wait to start the chat!
XO
I originally discovered the Vampire Chronicles back in the early 90s when I was in high school. While not the first vampire novels I had read, I do remember that my big infatuation with vampires began then. For the first time, vampires became more than monsters to me. Now I write vampire novels!
I loved the Interview movie and thought that Tom Cruise did a fantastic job with the role of Lestat, just as Brad Pitt did with Louis and Kirsten Dunst did with Claudia. I can’t wait to see a good remake!
I’m curious- would you like to see them start fresh with a new “Interview” Movie or move on to one of the other books first?
I think that if they’re going to start a new series, it might be best to begin with a new Interview movie. That way, they can establish the characters in their way, with the new actors rather than having to compete with the Neil Jordan film and reminding the audience of the inconsistency. I loved Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, but I don’t mind seeing new actors make those parts their own.
I think I agree- really in my heart I wish they would do something like they did with LotR and film like 3 or 4 of them back to back … I just don’t know if the property has that kind of reach (for funding) purposes. Obviously, it has done remarkable well over the years but I don’t know if there is that same type of die-hard obsessiveness over it that we see with some YA franchises (which I feel as if the movie industry favors).
It would be nice to see a fresh take on it- I actually might prefer a tv series on a premium channel but want then to stay a bit closer to the source material than True Blood did.
Yeah, I got really fed up with True Blood after a while. They went so far from the books and lost most of what made them charming. Not that the books were perfect, but the show got so crazy and lost sight of the characters.
I received the first four books in a set when I was 18. They were the first vampire books that I had ever read. I said goodbye to Danielle Steel and said hello to the world of vampires. I remember when the movie came out I was so excited to see it. I didn’t mind the changes too much, subbing a mother and child for Louis’s brother didn’t alter the plot to much. It still left Louis in the emotional turmoil that made him easy pickings for Lestat. I would’ve liked to have seen Louis’s neighbors portrayed in the film, the sisters and brother who lived on the next plantation over. I had my misgivings about Tom Cruise playing Lestat, but I was pleasantly surprised after seeing the movie. Even now when I picture Lestat in my head, I don’t see Tom, but I think he captured Lestat’s arrogance and attitude to a tee. I’m looking forward to seeing any remakes that will come from the rights being bought to all of Anne’s vampire books.
Oh and by the way, I got to meet Anne at RT in Chicago too! Lovely woman, man were my friends jealous! haha!
A like of my friends thought I was a giant nerd because I was pretty much geeking out over meeting her but I did not care! I was so freaking excited!
Love the Vampire Chronicles and am so excited about the upcoming release of Prince Lestat! This series was my first introduction to vampire paranormal romance and I have been hooked ever since. I thought the movie version was well done and surprisingly Tom Cruise was an interesting Lestat.
Someday I would love to meet Anne Rice too!
Hi Bonnie!
She was really nice- chatted with me for a few minuted (even thought there was a line). but I never felt like she was just rushing through. Was there something particular you liked about Tom’s interpretation of Lestate?
I had always considered Tom Cruise a contemporary action/adventure type of actor. It was surprising to see how well he performed as a character actor in period costumes.
I loved Interview and I love Lestat. Other characters I like reading about are Claudia, Merrick, Akasha, David, and Aaron.
I still haven’t read them, probably because I wasn’t tempted by the movie and figured the series would be too much of a commitment. I’m curious now, though…
I think you can safely read the first 4- it is not a giant commitment. If you like it, then go forward. Did you know about the movie before the books?
I loved Interview with a Vampire and loved Tom Cruise in it. I’ve yet to read this series but now may be the time to start it.
Hi Lisa!
It really is one of my favorite series (even so, there are books in it I love much more than others). I always recommend it, but Anne certainly has a writing style that may not be for everyone.
1. What was your first experience with this series? What do you like/not like about it (with emphasis on the first two books)? my only experience with these books are the move and I wasn’t too fond of it. It was sad. I need to read these books if I ever have time lol.
2. Lestat de Lioncourt:love him or hate him? What other characters do you like reading about? love/hate
both.
3. Do you have any favorite quotes? nope but I am interesting in reading some
4. How did you feel about the movie Interview With the Vampire? am hoping the book is better
My first experience was the movie. I watched it and immediately fell in love with Louis and Lestat. I liked the movie so much that I HAD to read the book. I read the first book in 2 days (I was 15 at the time). After that, I couldn’t get enough. I read through the first 4 books as fast as I possibly could.
I loved seeing the vampire world through Louis’s perspective. He tried so hard not to be the monster, to hold on to his humanity. I also loved the sensual aspect of Rice’s writing and the amount of detail made me feel as if I was in the story.
I actually like Lestat. The Brat Prince is a great name for him. He isn’t always as monstrous as he wants people to believe. I think that the focus on Lestat in the second book was what set up such a successful series.
I am super excited about the upcoming novel and can’t wait to see if the new movies will do the books justice.
I think I was probably around your age when I first read them (Also read her Sleeping Beauty trilogy around the same time- was way too young for that, but I did liek them and now I review erotic so…)and that sensual writing is definitely one of my favorite parts of these books. I can go either way with Lestat- but he is so pivotal to the series I kind of have to love him.
Hi! Well, first off I do love Anne Rice! Secondly - and I am proud of this one lol - I have NEVER watched the movies! Yes I think that casting big named stars (or at least they think they are big!) was not a good plan. I love watching movies that have the RIGHT people playing them regardless if it is their first gig or their millionth. I remember loving Lestat actually! It has been a while since I have read the books and when I ever get the Black Rose Chronicles when they finally!!! got released as ebooks. From there I moved to Anne Rice, so Anne would have been my first Vampire love, non romance, books.
I do get where you are coming from- I think the way I deal with book to movie adaptions is to try to divorce them in my mind and judge the movie the same way I would any other. Then I go in for the comparison.
I actually enjoyed “Interview” (Kristen Dunst as Claudia in particualr) but what they did to Queen of the Damned was a travesty of epic proportions. There was no soul in it. I remember being angry after I watched it.
I agree Kristin! I do try to judge the movie for the movie itself, but it is so hard to do that sometimes! The Harry Potter ones for instance! So much cut out that it almost “ruined” the ending. Once I see a movie from my much loved books, the first time is all about how they “ruined” it, but then the second & all other viewings, I then love the movie for itself. I always find it hard to love the book & movie together, but like you said, try to see them as their own creations, and then go from there.
On first watch I think I had problems with HP- but I really did love some much about them that any issues I had faded pretty quickly. I think another reason I didn’t mind the changes in “Interview” was that there was a significant amount of time between reading & seeing the movie…so it wasn’t fresh in my mind. However- as you can see from some of my other comments, this does not always work. I hated what they did to Queen of the Damned. Win some, lose some, right?
This was the first vampire book i ever read, but it has been so long and so many books i can barley rember it. I don’t even no if i ever read the 2nd one. I liked them and will have to go back , far as tom cruise, i love him so for me it was not a mistake i think he is a amazing actor and loved him in the movie, i may have to re watch been awhile, but i know i loved it then so i am sure i still would.
I like the movies “Interview with a Vampire” and “Queen of the Damned,” so one day I decided to buy the book “The Vampire Lestat.” I have to admit, I haven’t gotten through it yet. I keep getting new books and I want to read them all. But, when I was reading it I heard Stuart Townsend’s voice in my head. =) I would love to read “Interview with a Vampire,” I just can’t afford to right now. I like the movie “Interview with a vampire,” I just don’t care for Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise.
Interview is mostly from Louis’ POV and one of the most interesting things about these novels (for me) is that since she shifts POV you really learn that no one is a reliable narrator.
I am glad you enjoyed Queen of the Damned but I urge you to read the book- they are very different creatures and the movie missed so much!
I loved these books. It was terrific how she could make you see characters both from outside as well as from inside. You start out feeling one way about Lestat and then boom… differently.
I found it odd how she quit though; I thought it was her belief system or something and that she was not going to write these anymore… does anybody know why she changed her mind?
She did have a fairly public return to Catholicism in the mid-2000 (which is when she said she would no longer write the Vampire stories, but after a few years she moved away from the Church again over their stance on some social issues and does not really identify with any organized religion.
As we all know, the Muse has a mind of her own sometimes
I discovered the books right around the time Memnoch came out. That one raised some questions in my head that I wasn’t ready to deal with, so I dropped the series after that. Well, that and because I’d read Witching Hour and decided that maybe Anne Rice was not the author for me.
My opinion of Lestat shifts depending on the book, but I enjoyed how he was portrayed in the movie.
Memnoch is actually my favorite book in the series (Blood & Gold a close second because I love Marius…) precisely because all of those questions! We will talk about the Mayfairs in a few weeks but that series has a totally different feel even though they eventually connect. I know her writing tends to be divisive but I’m glad you liked the movie!
I think the Mayfairs were a bigger dividing line for me than Memnoch.
I can totally see that. I am always fluctuating in how I feel about the witches and I love Anne Rice’s writing so I can see how they could lose someone who is not as enamored of her writing.
Yes, Anne Rice’s vampires are the first I ever fell for and they will always be my favorite.
The first book I read was Interview after watching the movie. I think all the actors did a terrific job and the movie keeps the atmosphere of the book, but the ending is rushed.
I love Lestat, there was never a time/book where he annoyed me. One thing I always liked in Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles is the lack of homophobia - characters are attracted to other characters based on personality first and foremost and gender is not something they dwell on. I love how human beauty - both physical and inner - are described and how elegant and cultured all vampires are. That is one of the reasons why I loved Only Lovers Left Alive. Anne Rice just has a way with words that makes me fall in love with most characters and places she describes.
I read almost every book in the Vampire Chronicles, with the exception of one or two. I must admit I forgot a lot of the plot details, but my five favorite characters are Lestat, Louis, Claudia, Armand and Marius.
Always fun to hear from another Marius fan!
I totally agree about how there was no judgement of attraction. One of the biggest take always for me was always that beauty is beauty and love is love.
I have not had a chance to see Only Lovers yet but it is at the top my “to watch” list!