Prince Lestat - Anne Rice

Some teenagers just don't fit in boxes. I was one of them, which as a teenager, isn't terribly helpful. I wasn't quite alternative enough for the alternative crowd, not normal enough for the 'tracksuit, trainers, drinking white cider in the park crowd.  I spent much time reading (and writing) depressing poetry and wanting a boyfriend who wore eyeliner. I tried desperately to find a style that fit but being a goth just didn't quite suit me. I look awful in black for a start.

One of the few vaguely gothic things that stuck with me was Anne Rice's 'Vampire Chronicles'. I can't remember exactly when I first read 'Interview with the Vampire' but I do remember absolutely loving it. I do recall I was too old for teenage books at this point and reading classics. There is something about the Gothic style of literature that seems to appeal to the teenage sensibility. Like a lot of teenage girls I had a flair for the dramatic, tragic and if you can throw a bit of sex in, all the better. 

The Vampire Chronicles have this in spades, but she writes so beautifully and everything is so wonderfully described that it wasn't a million miles away from the Classics I was reading at that point.

I'd left the Vampire Chronicles behind a long time ago. I didn't grow out of them as much as I felt like some of the later books didn't have the spark of the early ones. The standalone vampire tales at least didn't hold my attention and the characters were often unsympathetic or just didn't urge me to care for the outcome of their story.

So when I found 'Prince Lestat' in the library I was intrigued. Lestat had always been a character I loved. Charming, but not too charming. Dangerous, but not too much. And very sexy. So when I started reading and discovered it was great it was like picking up Interview for the first time. 

I think Rice was onto a winner by making Lestat the lead character, although in this book there is a huge cast of supporting vampire characters and some you'll definitely recognise if you follow the series. I found some of the characters being reunited or meeting them again hugely satisfying. 

In this book, some of the Vampires are hearing a 'voice' that is suggesting they should organise mass burnings of the newer fledgling vampires. They decide to call on Lestat to unify the vampire race, with some reluctance from him. I don't want to give too much away about the story, but like many of the books in the series it takes you across continents and into the lives of many characters. 

There are some new characters in this book or at least not ones I recognise. I did find at some points I wanted to get back to reading about the characters I liked but this is not unusual with novels with a lot of different characters involved.  Although it was an interesting idea and as the novel was set in the present day, necessary, the modern technology being used by the vampires such as mobile phones seemed just a little jarring. 

This isn't a book, or a series for fans of Vampire Romances although I would say it is certainly romantic in places. There are beautiful moments of love and friendship that made me heart flutter a little. (Maybe I am still a bit of a teenager after all). These vampires have very human qualities but you always know that at heart, they are blood drinkers and killers all the same. 

If you've not read one of Rice's books in a while, do give it a try. If you're not familiar with the series I'd suggest reading from the start. You'd miss a lot by this one being the first you picked up. 

Unfortunately these days if Lestat came along and quite fancied making me into a vampire, I'd probably have to decline that offer. I like my husband, child and life in general a bit too much to only go out at night. But if he did, I doubt if he'd give me any choice. I think that's what I like about him...