It has plenty to do with Pottermore if you think about it. Vampires a mentioned quite a bit in passing but we never actually see or meet any even though honey dukes sells blood flavored lollipops. I wanna see what hp vampires are like dang it.
i was raised in a cult. as i was emerging from that at 12 or 13 i found a copy of The Vampire Lestat . i had no idea that there were so many different ideas about morality and philosophy, and even sexuality. it blew my sheltered mind apart in the best way possible.
So if Lestat is the father of the modern pop culture vampire that means he is indirectly the father of Edward Cullin. Since E.L. James ripped off Stephanie Meyer that means without Anne Rice there would be no Fifty Shades of Grey. Talk about unintended consequences!
I remember picking up "The Vampire Lestat" off my family bookshelf when I was, I think 11, it changed my life. I remember going into 6th grade with Lestat and the Crypt Keeper as my imaginary friends ( God, I was weird, I daydreamed about half the time regardless of where I was) and then at 13 or 14 getting my first job and buying other Vampire Chronicle books. Time at the mall was spent at the bookstore, figuring out which one I would get next. I read them all, but Lestat was always my hero. Then my mom went on a religious rampage and burned all my books but a few I kept with me (Armand and Lestat were spared, poor Memnoch and many others lost). So thanks for this video, it brings me back. Interview with the Vampire was my favorite movie this whole time, I played it at every birthday party.
You can read their book online in different sites...i love Anne rice. armand and louis are my favorites. I read Armand book when i had 16 and i cried madly because his story was so sad i'm happy that in Prince lestat book all the characters are strong and happy and live together.
I was on a plane one time reading the vampire Armand when I was like 14 and a flight attendant stopped dead in her tracks and told me I was too young to be reading that
Same! I read TVL in 6th grade, after picking it off my mother’s bookshelf. I now have a 12 year-old son, and if I’m honest, it would be strange to think of him reading Anne Rice now!
"Oh Louis, Louis... Still whining! Have you heard enough? I've had to listen to that, for centuries." Time I watched the movies again. Awesome review. :D
By far my favorite line of Lestat's lol :) Lestat ain't the only one who wanted to smack Louis for his incessant whining, I wanted to numerous times lol :)
@@MavenoftheEventide Oh, I didn't know about that. 2017 release date? That could explain it; after so many years of it not happening I'd just settled in to the idea of it never happening. I will definitely be adding it to the list. Thank you. :)
Vampires aren't dead. They can still die. Their new life is just no longer a human one. They are only characterized as being dead by humans who only know one form of existence. Any vampire who wants to be really dead can walk into the sunlight like Armand did.
I always thought vampires were considered undead. Not alive and not dead, but undead. So "joie de * undead-ness*" whatever the word is for a state of being undead.
@@kayagrace2482 The problem there is Anne Rice's vampire lore. Humans call them dead or undead and they use similar language just for the convenience but, the reader knows from the books that their transformation is more like a metamorphosis. It'd be like calling a butterfly an undead caterpillar.
I thought it was good but I consider it just an elseworlds version. I saw that before I read queen of the damned and after I read it I realized what a missed opportunity, all the film did was was splice crap together
Let me play the devil's advocate: "All art is both symbol and surface. Those who see the surface are shallow. Those who go beyond the surface do do at their own peril...All art is quite useless." OSCAR WILDE
I agree with you, but I am an artist and thus disagree at the same time. Because, just like art, what is useful and useless is subjective to an extent. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” afterall.
Great review! Lestat is basically my favorite modern fiction character. My favorite books in this series is the Vampire Lestat and Tale of the Body Thief. His first person story is Anne Rice's best writing. Learning that Rice saw him as her male side makes a lot of sense. Lestat was a true artist who was forced into being a vampire, unlike Louis, who was a sad grieving rich man who chose to become one. Lestat was born a rock star and was forced to become a magical demon. But he totally embraced it eventually. I love that
These books were my entire high school experience. I would escape into them and found them so relatable. I get hit with nostalgia every time I hear she is coming out with a new book, but I haven't been able to get into her writing in a very long time.
Maven I just gotta tell you that you single-handedly renewed my love for vampires in general and Lestat in particular. Thanks to you I not only finally finshed Interview but I jumped right into Lestat right after and now I'm on to Queen of the Damned. You rock Maven
@@theryancasto You may know by now but, Dominic released a review on _Interview with the Vampire_ and mentioned Maven's channel. I believe he's mention her before as well. :)
This is my favorite book and it was wonderful to hear someone smart and discerning talk about it for 30 minutes. And congrats on your book! I’ll have to check it out!
i love this book. I read it as a teenager and took advantage of the quarantine to reread and finish the whole vampire chronicle. in love with Lestat again
Talking about privilege, I'll admit that was one of the things I always wanted from Anne Rice that I never got, a novel about the people on the fringes of vampire society. We hear about them and they get some less than charitable descriptions in the novels at times. But all I could ever think was, _I wanna read about those guys._
I don't you what you mean but we have a lot of characters in her last book that prince lestat. Another thing is in vampire chronicles world the number of vampires are very low because akasha destroyed most of them in the third book so most of the vampires are old ones who don't want to show themselves to others but i think it's okay because we read about other characters enough in her books.
I spent ages 13 to 18 in and out of juvee mainly because my stepdad didn’t like me and he worked there so I was out of the way so to speak, but there was a really nice lady who worked there and she would give me a king size snickers if I would read a novel and write a decent book report, she was also the one who showed me the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, mind you I read many many books in the years in my tiny little cell, but the years I spent with Lestat reading and I’m sure re reading these books was the most joyful and intense escapes I had. I Remember when they finally let me go once for a couple months before they took me back I would walk down the street staring up at the trees beckoning a vampire to come take me, I was around 16 and I’m sure high but my goodness what a series of books, I just found you randomly in this RU-vid world and I am really glad I did you are wonderful and you are giving these books the whimsy and respect they deserve. Thank you
damn homey, you have an interesting life. hit me up, im writing an article on how abusive stepdads shape our society and how no one talks about it because the boys they abuse are not believed and labelled as criminals! it needs to be noticed.
There's a passage of this book that pissed me off: *-----SPOILER-----* When Lestat and Armand clash he is able to subjugate Armand! That made no sense at all! We come to know that blood drinkers derive the strength of their gifts from three sources: their age, the age of the blood drinker that made them and the age of the blood they drink. The older they get the stronger they become; the older the maker the stronger the fledgling; if they drink the blood of an ancient one they also become stronger. Armand surpassed Lestat in all aspects: he was some 300 years old when he met Lestat; he was made by the powerful Marius, who was well over a millenia when he made Armand, plus Marius allowed Armand to drink from him more than once. The conclusion is inescapable: Armand was nerfed.
Isn't there a passage that explains that each fledgling made gets less and less of the makers powers? Couldn't have Marius had his blood diluted over the years so that Armand wasn't as powerful, where Magnus made only Lestat after a long search for the perfect fledgling candidate that he wanted ?
Also, didn't Armand kind of castrate his own growth by limiting his powers due to the rules of the coven he was brainwashed into belonging to until Lestat kind of "freed" him ?
@@danielmcglauflin5505 what? Marius also drank from Akasha for a very long time, so that blood should have passed into Armand as Lestat's Akasha reinforced blood makes Louis stronger later in the series. He was nerfed, but also Lestat is an unreliable narrator so maybe he wanted to make himself look good in his endless rivalry with Armand
You chose the best Savage Garden song to use at the end of this video! Though it's just reminding me of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Hey wait, the biggest antagonist of that series, especially the early seasons is Dio and he's technically a vampire! Could there be another video talking about a well-known anime vampire on the horizon? 🙏 (I mean it's unlikely but a gal can dream!)
I had the same thoughts, jojo part 1 feels so much like interview with a vampire just with simpler characters. Just as rice elaborated more on lestat araki the creator of jojo brought back dio and elaborates more on his motivations
Honestly interview with the vampire changed my life, it is a masterpiece Claudia is my favourite and I wish we had more from her perspective and her in general
Lestat is probably my all-time favorite literary character, even usurping Jamie Fraser's character in Outlander, whom I also hold dear to my heart. 3rd place goes to my favorite murder puppy, Armand. I just adore Lestat's defiance to rules and inhane curiosity to see what would happen next (IE; His turning of young Claudia, even though he knew he shouldn't do it, he admits he wanted to see what would happen next. Queen of The Damned (I think), Louis was telling Lestat to not have this concert and gathering and I could practically see his eyes em light up and hear the turning. He loves living on the edge as a rebel, just to see what happened next. In some ways, as devious as he is, he still has that childlike life view. Such a fantastic character that Anne Rice has blessed us mortals with. To quote what Marius and Louis lovingly say, "Lestat, you are the damndest creature."
When Interview was released as a movie, I was a horror obsessed teen (and recovering catholic) who was "too young" to see it in person. This drove me to the local bookstore where I battled through my ADHD to read the 1st 4 books in her series. These books helped me through my own 'queer awakening' as a non-christian. I saw myself in her allegory of the non-theist as a monster who walking hidden amongst the victims of their existence, but who still had empathy and struggled to redefine morality in their new from.
I just found this channel and I loved it! Lestat is my favorite character ever, thank you so much for this video. I would like to see a video for other vampires/books, like the Vampire Armand and Blood and Gold. I'm always happy to hear something about Anne's Vampire Chronicles, thank you!
New sub. Came over from Dom. I got hooked on Lestat because of this book. It reminded me of a book I had read as an early teen called "Vampire Memoirs" You so should find the book and do a review.
Frankenstein is often credited as the first science fiction novel but really it's more alchemy than science. Victor was studying metaphysics (not biology) and he found the secret of life while reading the works of Agrippa and Paracelsus (an alchemist and sorcerer).
LOL love the song at the end. I remember that song coming out, hearing the band name and thinking, "Oh hey. It's like Lestat's phrase!" And then finding out afterwards that Darren Hayes was a fan of the books.
Savage Garden. Was a good grp, and loved most of their songs. They are so light and uplifting, even if your sad, if you listen to any of them the weight of sadness lifts, if only for the duration of the song.
I use the same copy of Vampire Lestat! Also, “The author writing fan fiction of her own work” - didn’t she have a minor hissy fit about her readers doing just that.
Yep she is why fanfiction writes put I don't own these character disclaimers. The young ones just don't know why it was on all fanfics in the first place
@@ayajade6683 to be fair i dont see them as much anymore, probably bc most creators dont try to sue fanfic writers unless its actual copyright infringement nowadays
@@iwakeupandboomimarat surprisingly more authors are sending cease and desist letters with the threat of legal action to fanfic writers than they were ~10 ish years ago. Only difference now is the big players for content hosting of fanfic offers assistance to some degree. We just don't talk about the authors/creators doing this as it's considered old news
Awww, it was cute to see you gushing over this! I definitely relate because the Vampire Chronicles were a big driving force behind me becoming wee vampire nerd back in the day, and I get the feeling it's the same for you, too. (Probably for a lot of us vampire nerds!) While I definitely have my criticisms of the series, I'll always have a lot of love for it (particularly those early books), and I think it's deserving of that love even beyond the nostalgic factor. There are so many great, complex characters and relationships, and you can't help but find them lovable even with how dysfunctional (and even evil) they all are. That's some truly impressive writing. Plus of course there's a ton to be said about how it influenced the vampire genre as a whole, but you could probably say even more about that than I could.
Yay for random recommendations. Lestat is, without a doubt, my favourite fictional character ever. I was introduced to him in my early teens and found him again at 30, still love him as much as I did then
The vampire Lestat would have made an amazing movie. Twas a shame they didn't go for the true trilogy in cinema. I was obsessed with this book as a teenager. Read it over and over.
It was maybe 2001 and I watched Interview late one Saturday night. I was heavily into heavy metal music and skateboarding so Anne Rice novels weren't "cool" with my friends but I got the first three books on payday and fell in love. It influenced me alot in my later teenage years, something that causes memory lane cringing, but i recent reread Interview and just started to reread Lestat. Seeing as I stopped after "Damned" I'm now going to read the lot. Thank you for the dedication, kinda helps me throw off the stigma of admitting to things I like, openly and unashamed.
I always assumed that Lestat's version of events was every bit as biased Louis'. In fact, given how even in his own tale, Lestat comes across (to me) as a Narcissistic asshole who spends his (un)life justifying why he should be allowed to do whatever he wants to do, I always preferred Louis.
I'm a little conflicted with the Chronicles as a whole - love "Interview" and enjoyed "Vampire Lestat" but never really got through any of the others. As a literary studies major I felt very called out when you mentioned that academia tends to ignore the later books cause that's what I do as well... idk there's something about "Interview" that the others don't have, not just the novelty and framing device. I'll probably end up writting a paper about that some day lmao. I kinda hope that the new tv series gives me the motivation to revisit the Chronicles, cause those first two books really influenced my teenage years.
I found memnoch the devil fascinating. Being stalked by the devil is great existential horror. Also hearing the devils side and wondering if God and the Devil are both just fucking with us. You could tell she was seriously struggling with religion and I read it when I was young and just getting away from the religious beliefs I was raised in.
You just got me to buy a $170 new condition "The Vampire Lestat" graphic novel...hardcover to boot lol I love your videos and I understand if you've moved on to something else, but if you have other content creation jobs, I would like to support you in those endeavors as well. If not, then be content that these videos are helpful in these dark times.
I first read The Vampire Lestat in late 1987. I didn't know that Interview came first, but I definitely made a point to read it as soon as I could. I wish I could remember exactly when Queen of the Damned came out but I seem to recall getting it as a Christmas gift not too long after reading the first two books. These books had a huge impact on me, especially as I was coming out, and I definitely felt the metaphorical and literal queer lives of Anne Rice's vampires. I still read the books, although I don't like the later ones as much as I did the earlier ones, but I want to know what happens next. Also, thank you for putting your book on Kindle Unlimited. I'm going to read it within the next couple of days.
I never read into "interview" deep enough to figure out that it was the author's attempt at dealing with her grief and new religious introspection. Thankyou for that sweetheart! Also, before I forget... Congratulations for being a published author![I haven't seen your channel in a few years, it feels new to me hear of your publishing!]
I found Lestat and Anne Rice in my late teens, early 20s and even visited New Orleans to see Anne Rice during Mardi Gras. I've gravitated out of her writing but watching this video brought back all my love for Lestat and Anne Rice. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mayfair Witches books and fainted when those two world's collided with Merrick. I have the sudden urge to put down the ASOIAF series and return to the Vampire Chronicles
Honestly the more I hear of Lestat and what he gets up to, the more he comes off as the real life version of someone just MAXING out their charisma stat while playing D&D and then, being cheeky, specs into Warlock so his power scales with said max charisma and then just wafting through the game.
I'm so glad you have at last reviewed the Vampire Lestat. I LOVE these books especially the Vampire Lestat 😍😍I remember reading the early Vampire chronicles editions. This has whet my appitite for them and will pick up where I left off
...Me and my Nana literally just watched “Interview With a Vampire” and I thought of your review of it the whole time! YT reading my mind or are you???
I fucking love this, and you brought back SO many memories of how this book shaped me as a young man. There was actually a running gag between me and one of my best friends (sadly no longer with us) and several of our mutual friends how he was Louis and I was Lestat.
Yaassss, goin' back to your roots! :D Even after all these years, your first video on IwtV is one of my favorites, so I love that you're revisiting the franchise again. And please keep us updated on news about this VC tv show!!
23:41 Maven: "There are even a couple books in the series now that Anne Rice chooses not to acknowledge anymore . . ." Me: What?! Which ones? Don't tell me I binge read the entire series for nothing!
This is so absolutely delicious, thank you for all your thoughts and i loved it every time you said "VAMPire!" Only negative point i have is that i wish you wouldn't have talked about the following books. though.
In true Lestat fashion, he sauntered forth and asserted himself as the central character of the series. I have a character who did that, and coincidentally has almost the same personality. He too is a personification of my "dark side," the repressed, male side of myself that I've also been discouraged from exploring. The similarities between my character and hers are uncanny! I still haven't actually finished this book, because I relate to it too deeply, and it weighs heavily upon my soul! Once I finally finish it, I'll read Queen of the Damned, and then I'll stop. The series kind of deteriorates from that point on. (Headcanon: Lestat's rock band produces a cover of "Sympathy for the Devil") I love that you open your videos with "Lestat's Recitative." WAIT, A TV SERIES?!
I completely agree that Anne changed the nature of Fandom For Vampires... To be fair, I Am Legend should be mentioned between Dracula and Interview. That book captured the reality of a virus being the true criminal. PS: Vampire Hunter D was published after Interview... Fascinating.
I loved Interview with the Vampire, Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. I lost interest part way through Tales of the Body Thief, which I never finished. I was aware that the next couple of books came out, but I had no idea there are now 14 books.
Tales of the Body Thief is actually a great story. The book doesn't "pick up" until about have way through. At first it is a bit boring but by the end you will change you mind. The whole series is great. I just finished her last book Blood communion. I think her last three were pretty epic. I would finish Tales of body thief and continue the series, You will not be disappointed.
David don't tell me that you didn't read armand, pandora or marius book because they are very perfect. i first read important character's books and then i began to read another books like the tale of the body thief.
I don’t want to nitpick, but it’s always been a pet peeve of mine when people speak about The Vampire Chronicles and not say vampires are “made”. To say to turn or create a vampire is a major faux pas. Anne Rice said it’s very important to use the “right word”. The right word has to be precise. It has to be evocative. It has to be accurate. Because Rice’s vampires are made, the vampire who made the new fledgling vampire is that vampire’s Maker.
You know, I had always filled this series under my "books that sound decent but am never going to read unless desperate" list but with this video you've made me transfer it to "books I'm definitely goin to read eventually" list.
I have a video about my Vampire Chronicles shelf. I love this series (though I have not delved far yet). I own them all (not the graphics... other than CLAUDIA'S STORY). My favorite book of all time is Interview with the Vampire. I actually DNFed The Vampire Lestat (I know... how dare I ?!?). The Queen of the damned was my first time "caring for" Lestat. This video has given my the desire to try TVL again. So thank you for that. I hope to fall for him like so many others have. I think I am just too much like Louis and I keep seeing Lestat through his IWTV eyes.
I enjoyed every minute of this! Thank you so much! I really hope that you decide to eventually cover the entire series of The Vampire Chronicles! Also, it seems now that The Vampire Chronicles series is no longer at HULU as originally planned... rumors are Anne and Christopher Rice are continuing to shop the intellectual property around... I wonder why they have yet to address the headlines...
I love Anne's classic way of writing...she's my favorite. i never loved vampires and i didn't watched twilight, vampire diaries or movies and books like this. I only love Anne rice's vampires. Vampire lestat book was sooo perfect but armand is my favorite. Prince lestat's book was so good we can see all the characters at least are strong and living with each other happily and in peace.
I was never into vampires or witches before I had the absolute fortune of coming across Anne Rice in the 80's. Anne Rice is a writing phenom - no one can best her imho - and her writings as Anne Roquelaure are just as amazing - if you're in to erotic writings - although Exit to Eden was kinda meh for me, and the movie needs to be jettisoned into space to then be devoured by a black hole - Not a fan of this youtuber however - her voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and if it's for dramatic effect, she needs to stop.
Because lestat is his main character...i loved claudia too, she was wise, smart, beautiful...that little quinn was a real vampire but remember lestat was the one who toyed with this child for many years only to kept louis for him. If lestat really loved her, he tried at least to help her but he didn't. we can see lestat, david and louis more in her books but armand is my favorite and i wanted to see him more in the books but her last book Prince Lester was so good because we can see all the characters strong and happy living with each other. It was really heartwarming.
I completely agree. Nothing against Lestat per say but I have always like Louie more and I am disappointed she sort of dropped his character. While Lestat does become more complex in the later books Louis character was very interesting and it is a pity that (a) she didn't do more with him (but as people have said she is the write she can do what she want) but (b) that people who are fans of the books don't always seem to acknowledge how complex of a character Louis was.
