Amazon, Goodreads, Price: $8.19
Follow Lestat, lover of life condemned against his will to eternal undeath, from penniless 18th century French Aristocrat to 1980s rockstar, as he determines to squeeze excitement, passion and meaning from his existence as a Vampire. Think all vampires spend their time moping around and pining for teenage girls? Think again.
Interview with the Vampire is Rice’s masterpiece: the work of fiction that revolutionised vampire fiction. This reminds me of Stephen King’s well-known chagrin when people declare “The Stand” his best work. He has written many and better books since the seventies. Returning to the theme, “The Vampire Lestat” is superior to “Interview with the Vampire” in every way. This is a fantastic book.
Why is it better? First, Lestat. This is a character you can root for. He is brave, he is idealistic, and he lives his undeath with a gusto. I read this book when it first came out (at the grand old age of 8), prior to reading Interview with the Vampire, and remember thinking this was the less sophisticated book. 8-year-old-Keith was wrong. Lestat struggles will all the same angst as Louis. but Rice’s writing has become more deft. Also, it is so much more interesting to follow a character prepared to fight and struggle to be good when his very nature seems evil.
This book is more prequel than sequel to Interview with the Vampire, but as well as approaching its themes with more élan it’s just bloody good fun. If you are going to read one book by Anne Rice, this is the one. My money is on you getting hooked and reading the rest.
