March 11, 2010

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

I have this edition of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. It is leather-bound with golden page edges. Very cool. It includes the first three books in the series: Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned.

It was my favorite present I received from Christmas last year. I love vampires, books, New Orleans and the 2 movies these books were based on – so naturally, I’d love this series too, right? RIGHT? Wrong! Well, sorta.

I’ll start with Interview with a Vampire. I loved the movie. I’ve seen it a few times and love Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in it. Kirsten Dunst even too as Claudia. The book itself was really not as interesting and quite dragged out. I read it though and figured it would get better as the series went on. I mean, I didn’t hate it. I was just left with an “eh” feel.

I then started reading The Vampire Lestat. Through this book, you learn much more about Lestat obviously and the whole vampire culture and how things go back to “those who must be kept” – the king and the queen. Interesting but so did not captivate me. It took me forever to get through this book. It was so drawn out that I can see why they didn’t make a movie about this one exactly.

I would have stopped reading the series all together if it weren’t for the fact that Queen of the Damned was included in the book I have. I have to say that I liked Queen of the Damned much more than The Vampire Lestat. It was written in different perspectives of the different vampires in the series and more myth and legend comes into play in this one too. Akasha – the "Queen of the Damned" is even awoken by Lestat’s music and him declaring he is a vampire rocker in the media. This isn’t much of a spoiler, especially if you saw the movie. Speaking of the movie, I really do like the movie – even if it doesn't go by the book very much at all.

As I finished reading Queen of the Damned, I was left with some wonder of what happened next in the series. I really wanted there to be a love story of some extent between Jesse and Mael. So, I looked up the next books in the series on Amazon and read the synopsis. I didn’t see anything in there at all about them. Then I looked it up on Wiki (because you can find everything on Wiki, right?) – and nothing is mentioned about them after Queen of the Damned. WHAT?

Rice finally made me want to read something next in the series and it wasn’t ever even written about. That makes me sad. Even if I didn’t want to read the whole series, I wanted to at least know what happened between these two. Ugh!

Normally I’d give this a great review, I mean vampires and New Orleans (two of my favorite topics) – but this I cannot recommend. Perhaps if you hated any new vampire books/series like Twilight, True Blood or the Southern Vampire Series (books based on True Blood) or The Vampire Diaries you may end up liking this series. I just found it sadly to be bland and lacking any type of romance at all.

My overall rating: Two fangs down.

13 comments:

Hepburn Hilton said...

Sounds like a drag. I don't like Cruise and Pitt one bit, but liked that movie so I thought to that the book would be worth a read..

Andhari said...

I like Anne Rice, she's pretty grim in terms of writing. Heard the book is darker than the original Stoker itself. I don't think the book is meant for people who expect some romance or commercial plots, like a lot of us. This makes me curious though. I wanna try best of both worlds lol

Shareen Mohd Saleh said...

*GASP* How could you, Sheri?? I LOVE Anne Rice! LOL

Wendyburd1 said...

Okay, this is all my fault I admit it. But people are thinking I am no longer reading them and so I don't want them to read ME and COMMENT, and I DO! I AM still reading you and I will start commenting again I promise!

I got into a bad rhythm when I started having so much computer problems, I started not commenting thinking most my comments were probably lame and not wanted, but i see that was a mistake and want to rectify that NOW. I am going to get back to my Comment-Whoring ways...that is Kristina's phrase remember that, LOL, and so come back to me my friends, I NEVER left you, I just got way too comfy with Google Reader and read you there!! I LOVE my bloggy friends!!

Jaime @ laviejaime said...

Bummer! I loved Twilight series and I want to read the Sookie Stackhouse books (LOVE True Blood).

Enjoy your weekend!

Tracie said...

I haven't read that series in so long. I'm the opposite of you because I liked Lestat so much more than Queen of The Damned. I think I actually wasn't able to finish that one. I might go back and give the whole series another read to see if time has changed my opinion. (Always looking for a new read.)

Sheri, RN said...

I know, I expected to be stoned and bitten with this one, but I had to state what I thought :P

It is worth reading though if you like vampires, just you may not like it either lol... If you do like it though, then that is awesome :)

Couture Carrie said...

Thanks for the review, darling!

xoxox,
CC

Wendyburd1 said...

No Sheri I totally do care and LOVED getting mail from someone!! I kept the address and the card is with my pile of stuff to be put in m scrapbook, I will get a card/letter back to you, I am just a mess lately!

I CARE! And always read your posts. I just got lazy and was reading them IN Google Reader. And I am glad you give your honest opinion, I would hate if you lied and said this was just great reading. I just got a new bookSneeze book and it is something good for bathgroom reading but nothing spectaucular...don't know if that is soemthing i should say though...errrr?! LOL! I CARE, I kid you not!!

Fausto said...

well yeah the style is tottaly diferent from stephanie meyer but then again anne rice is the mother of vampire literature but I do get your opinion but there is one thing I do want to say the books inspire the movies not the other way around

Anonymous said...

This is a great series, but it doesn't quite keep the interest like the newer vamp series.

Willem said...

Ever since I saw Interview With a Vampire, I've been curious about the original stories by Anne Rice. I wanted to buy the books, but not as separate volumes. Nice to know about this collection. Looks great.

Sheri, RN said...

I don't discourage you buying it, but know that it isn't as good as the movies. Maybe I'll re-read them years from now and enjoy them more than I did on this go, but for now... I prefer other series about vampires. :)