Introduction

qui boira mon sang aura la vie éternelle...

The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels written by Anne Rice that have gained steady popularity since the first book, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976. Spawned from a short story with the same title, Interview with the Vampire was born from Anne's pondering what it would be like if a classic vampire tale was told from the vampire's point of view. What would it have to say? This concept was so unique and new that it rapidly grew, gaining a fanbase and strongly impacting the horror genre as well as changing the way the world viewed the vampire legend.

Today, the Vampire Chronicles series has been completed, and includes ten best-selling novels, two side novels set in the same universe and known as The New Tales of the Vampires, two major motion pictures, and a Broadway musical. Saying that the series has had an impact on modern pop-culture would be quite and understatement.

Overview

la mort n'est que le commencement

If you haven't picked up The Vampire Chronicles yet, this is your prompt. Set in New Orleans, the atmosphere Anne Rice creates in her novels is as lush and otherworldly as the creatures of the night that exist in it. Most of the series is written in a first-person perspective, giving the reader an incredibly intimate insight into the thoughts, memories, and emotions of the vampire storyteller; because of this, it's amazing how easy it is to relate to, love, and sometimes even pity the "monster", if you can still consider them that at all. Anne Rice's vampires may still suck blood and rack up a body count, but the line between good and evil blurs considerably when your villain isn't a villain at all- but is compassionate, thoughtful, loving, educated, and even grievous of their very nature.

Conscience isn't the only thing unique about Ricean vampires. The Chronicles create a whole new species completely that differ in many ways from your classic Dracula. For instance, these vampires are not affected by garlic, crosses, silver, or even the old stake-through-the-heart. They do however still sleep in coffins, though it's more out of style than necessity, since any place out of the sun (still deadly) will do.
In addition, the vampires of the Chronicles don't use magic spells or turn into bats, though they do have powers that strengthen with age and may eventually develop the ability to fly or set things ablaze with their minds. They can also move at speeds beyond human perception, rapidly heal, summon impossible strength, and read the minds of those to whom they are not directly blood related (ie- master and fledgling).

Now that you have an idea of the nature of these characters and since I can't go on without telling you the whole story, I'm going to leave the rest to you. If you're new, I urge you again to go pick up a copy of Interview and let this beautiful dark world take up a place in your heart. If you're already enlightened, I suggest you poke around the site a bit. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn something new, find something entertaining, or become inspired to contribute something unique. Either way, happy reading~!

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