Interview with a Vampire
Anne Rice
1976
Around 350 pages
I can't fault any piece of art that may have helped bring Buffy the Vampire Slayer into existence. Of course, it's hard to separate the novel from the film adaptation and the creepiness of a child actor being involved in telling this story. And Tom Cruise is scary in any context. But the novel itself is very readable, and is easy to see why it spawned so much material.
We get the life, and in this case un-life, story of Louis, who was sired as a vampire in 1791 by Lestat. Lestat and Louis then became immortal companions, despite Louis's disgust at Lestat's merciless feeding on humans. Lestat does whatever he can to keep Louis with him, including giving them a surrogate vampire daughter, who has to spend eternity as a five-year-old girl. Ick.
It's interesting to see the cultural viewpoint of vampires shift here, demonstrating that these creatures are capable of being the hotties we know and love today. Again, I support anything that helped craft the greatest television show of all time, so I don't mind that this is a little trashy.
Rice manages the horror element well. Claudia's situation is a total nightmare. A fun read, but I didn't feel any desire to continue with the series after this.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Rice wrote the novel while grieving for the loss of her daughter, who died of leukemia.
Adapted into a television and comic series.
UP NEXT: The Public Burning by Robert Coover
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