Armand was always my favorite vampire..even in the first two books where he is portrayed in a sort of antagonistic light, I still loved him a lot. And when I finally got to read the book about him my love for him increased. That poor child who never actually got to understand what is the truth and every time he gets to know something about the world by someone who taught him, he then gets abandoned and all what he's been taught to know is presented to him as false and he is presented with a new "truth" until it is too, shattered..From his church to his father, from Marius to Santino, then to Lestat. So many "Masters" and "Mentors" who always deceive him :( My baby
I started reading the Vampire chronicles when I was 18, at a time when I was grappling with my homosexuality. It wasnt easy for me to come to terms with the reality of my feelings, and reading 'The vampire Lestat' really helped me. I found that the sense of loneliness that Lestat felt was similar to the way I was feeling at the time. As Lestat was figuring out his new reality, I was likewise working out what being gay would mean to me and my life. Thankyou Anne Rice.
Armand and Louis are easily my most favorite of the chronicles, and i was sad when i thought Armand met the sun at the end of Memnoch the Devil, until i found out in the book jacket that Armand was to have his own chronicle. i can honestly say The Vampire Armand is my most favorite of Rice's novels so far, which i couldn't think possible after reading the first three. Keep on writing, Anne, and i shall read it.
Andrei/Armand/Amadeo broke my heart many times by just talking... such a sad tragic but amazing character. He was taken from his life and later turned too young and unlike Lestat he didn't have the strength or even a chance to think free and make his choices and build himself into an independent person before turned. so for centuries he was lost and needed something or someone else to give him purpose and guide him and he kept loosing that purpose so many times.. Everyone should read at least first 4 books of Chronicles they are amazing!!! RIP Anne. my heart is broken because we will never get another book in this universe. Lestat might be my fave, but Armand will always be most special vampire she wrote. and he will always me Amadeo in my heart :)
Anne Rice is amazing, I love to read her work, and she is one of the people who has inspired me to become a writer. If you need a hero, Anne is a wonderful one.
I was 13 when I first red "The vampire Armand". I remember it was a really boring summer day , and I had nothing to do that day , my frinds were out of town and my parents were at work , so I went to the library to waste my time there. I stumbled over the book and wanted to ignore it , thinking that it's just some silly teenage story . I red a few pages and it made me even more curious so I took it with me. I could honestly say that since that day I changed , a lot .
I must say, I recently felt in love AGAIN with Armand. Mine is pathological status. Because I do not like the way the book is written, stylistically speaking. She dismissed her editor, and sadly, after Stan's death, she should have kept one, and a very good one. She has become way too baroque and decadent. This apart, I still adore that book, isn't ironic. I love the plot. I am surprised to read so often people condemning her "new" religious tendencies, 'cause all of her books underlie these kind of arguments. What I really love is being able, through her most recent novels, to understand Louis and Armand speech in Interview... Armand says he knows nothing about God or Evil....well, now we know exactly what he meant. I admire her work as a philosopher, yes, I dare to call her a philosopher. She thought about God her entire life, and she gave some really original reflections for us to meditate. Not all of her book are 100% literature, bat damn, she DID write some serious literature and about vampires; and that is not for everyone. In the end, I must say... I felt in love with her AGAIN.
This was a special treat for me. As she says in the video, Anne Rice doesn't do readings of her work. To hear her tell it in her own words, oddly, helped me as a writer. Her work came out of her much the way my work comes out of me...slightly imperfect, unlike the prosaic way in which it was written. When you read it to yourself, it sounds as if it were inspired to the mind of a visionary, rather than one who just writes, but with her reading, I can hear her humanity. Thank you Anne.
I didn't get burned by the sun , but like Armand I saw things differently , I saw life different , I saw religion and spirituality different then I used to do , things were sifferent in a good way . It's been 4 years since then , and my love for vampires is still as big as at the beginning so as my admiration and respect for Mrs Rice's books and my faith is now an important part in my life.Nothing could take that away
Thankyou for posting this. Armand is my favourite character in the Vampire chronicles, and hearing Anne Rice reading a passage from his book has made my day.
A beautiful reading from my favorite of the chronicles. Armand (the book) broke my heart for it's beauty. As a BA Christian of 20+yrs, I praise God that you've found your faith, but a part of me laments that the chronicles have come to a close (how selfish am I? ). God bless you Anne, in all that you do!
I've always been unhappy about the fact that the Armand in Interview with the Vampire (the movie) looks completely different although he bahaves the way he's supposed to. I didnt even realize at first who he should be. That's so sad, I mean, what does a tall man with black hair do, playing a small, 17-year old-looking boy with lighter brown hair?
I am currently reading the Vampire Armand and I have to say it is one of the best books I have ever read. I've only read Interview with the Vampire before, and though I liked it very much I had no desire to read any of the others because I felt they were a bit too far fetched for me, especially Memnoch the Devil and the Tale of the Body Thief.. I came across this book completely by accident and I started reading it, and I was pleasently surprised. Just the humanity and love of it is shocking.
Mesmerizing. After reading so many of Anne's books, her voice reading along with me as I tried to imagine what was going on in her head as she wrote, it's wonderful to finally HEAR her read with me.....
After reading this book i was so disapointed that on interview with the vampire the movie, antonio banderas was casted as Armand...he is nothing of what Anne Rice describes in the book.
I just love the book! I really am fascinated how well the languarge is used... It´s something special for me and the ending really made me cry somehow... I have to thank you for this book and all the others!
Dear Anne, for years I've been wondering.. what is Armands family name? And/or which last names has he chosen over the years? Thank you for everything x
we need more anne rice! more more more more. never enough! Armand.....yup. A movie about...Marius/Armand/Pandora? yup we need that. God Bless You Anne.
I think it's good that you write about what you find interesting. I really like the Vampire Chronicles (especially The Vampire Armand) but it couldn't go on for all eternity, just because so many fans don't want it to end... Thanks againg, it was nice to hear you read from the book, I would love to see more of your readings.
You're right; however, Pandora is a very relevant character in the universe of the Vampire Chronicles, whereas Vittorio is completely stand-alone. Therefore, I include Pandora into the Vampire Chronicles as I feel that you'd be missing some pieces if you skipped it.
I had the best luck yesterday! I went to a thrift store and I was looking in the books section. I thought "No one would give away an Anne Rice book" but I looked anyway because I've always wanted one for my own. The Vampire Armand is my favorite book in all the world and lo and behold, there it was...for 3 dollars! It is mine now ^.^
I remember being introduced to Anne Rice when I was 9 or 10. Great writer. I remember racing though Memnoch in one night not caring of sleep because I had to know what would happen next.
i love you so much anne rice. you gave the world my favorite vampire, and the best fictional (though i believe he's quite real) character, The Vampire Armand. Armand is the best and most mysterious of al of Anne Rice's vampires. i actually got depressed when i found out from Memnoch the Devil that Armand surrendered himself into the sun. i was so depressed that i didn't go out of my room and din't speak to anyone for almost 2 days! good thing a close friend told me that Armand didn't really die.
Une fois Blaze ,je n'aurais jamais pensè trouver un autre Livre qui me captiverait aux heures creuses !et puis un autre sujet commes celui -ci ! Mais ensuite elle m'a ramenè vivement a une autres èpoque Dans une ville que je connaissais autrefois! Elle me manquera !
As beautiful and complex as the ideas about God and spirituality expressed in all of Anne's books are, I attribute my lack of faith to having read The Vampire Chronicles when I was younger.
tru dat! havent read the last book the feast of all saints yet! I have read the other books 5 years ago and hold them very dear to my heart when thinking about vampire/horror stories!
I think Marius is my favorite, he is a father figure to me, at least. However, Louis and Armand hit home alot. Especially Armand when he was surrendering himself, I cried, and I remebered at one time when I had so much faith and wanted to be a priest. Her reading just reminded me, even when I was young how I wanted to be a disciple, but there wasn't any girl ones I was determined nonetheless. Now Im a Lesbian woman, but refinding myself with her new Christ books.
There's actually a graphic novel based on Interview with a Vampire, written through the perspective of Claudia. Though, I wish Anne would have given Claudia her own chronicle as well.
The first book I read of these, was Lestat The Vampire and I immediately fell in love with the character... then, I read Interview with the Vampire... and I hated Louis so so much, just because of his silly vission about my beloved Lestat... I couldn't hate Claudia although she tried to kill Lestat... Finally I read Queen of the Damned, and I was mesmerized by Mrs. Anne's capability to write such an amazing book! So far, I have read all the ten books and my favourite is still Lestat The Vampire
I certainly understand, and regret that you felt the need to 'defend yourself' once again...it was not my intention, and you must get sooooo tired of it ;) I am reading CTL Out of Egypt, but got 'stuck' somewhere about 1/2 way..it's happened before with your books, and I've gone on to read through after putting it aside for awhile and finished. Don't know why it happens, but it does. Again, thank you and God bless, Your sister in Christ, Patti
I wish the movie ''Queen of the damned'' would have had the same characters as ''interview wit the vampire'' As you can see Lestat and armand are the same individuals from the books of ann rice, but when you watch the two movies, you can't tell at all because of the chracters play by much different actors. But it tells basically the story.
do you think there's something wrong with getting obsessed ith a fictional character? i don't think so. if you would see Armand from my point of view,you would understand why i am so obsessed with this vampire.
I read this book right now and I can say that Armand is very unusual person, he is more interesting than Lestat, his life is more...you know:) I love Lestat and he is powerful vampire but Armand is my true love, when I read his book its seems that I know him. As for me I think that everyone can say these words.
Oh do i miss lestat. Ann rice why cant you make more? My faveorite so far is Memnoch The Devil. Im half way through. Please write more! Or allow people to make the vampire chronicles all movies, I miss you books, and i miss your husbands poetry.
All of the Vampire Chronicles should be read in full, as to better understand the characters and their motivations. They are, in order: Interview with the Vampire The Vampire Lestat Queen of the Damned Tale of the Body Thief Memnoch the Devil Pandora The Vampire Armand Merrick Blood and Gold Blackwood Farm Blood Canticle
Hey im a christian, and im in the middle of The Vampire Armand. It's very good... I'm at the part that Armand has just become a vampire. Where Marius talks about "the last days"
I can't wait for her new book to come out "Call out of Darkness" because I want to know how she lost her religion and came back for I lost mine during my parents divorce and still feel let down by god and the world we with hold in are hands. Too many let downs in my life to see a God to Believe in and so I just stay in her world she has create.
After reading this book, i was so disapointed with the casting of Banderas as Armand on interview with the vampire the movie, he is nothing of what Anne Rice describes =(
If ANYONE wants to read a book about real Vampires just send me ur email address and ill send u " The Eternal Blood Vampires"(LEAKED) no questions asked.( And remember u didn't it from me.)
Getting old puts the fear of god into you I see. Her earlier works when she says "even atheists believe in the devil" showed me that she was never n atheist, and can't or simply refuses to understand that concept. It's sad to me because she DOES understand the truth..... but fear drives her to believe in god in any way she can. So she believes in the flesh. So like a woman, that. That moment lestat had during the golden moment. The understanding of death. The view of the universe expanding through blackness past the stars past time..... She knows this feeling. I've known this feeling since I was a child. Like she says... you can't voluntairily bring it on, you CAN invite it though..... and sometimes it just shows up uninvited and you see it and you KNOW IT. While this might be too much to bare..... we still cannot abandon critical thought.
@xburningheavensx Hey I was just stating the obvious. How the hell can you call them Vampires if they have no fangs and don't turn to ash in the sun? They're living statues that drink blood. That is it...not a Twilight fan so please do not label me as such. Anne Rice's Vampires are what I consider Vampires. Charlaine Harris' as well. So maybe you should be the one to "grow up"
