Interview with the Vampire is one of the most influential vampire novels ever published. First published in 1976 it has been in print consistently since then and was instrumental in launching the idea of vampires as sympathetic antiheroes. The first book in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series it has been adapted into a movie and a comic book. It has its own in depth Wikipedia page here. Interview with the Vampire is not considered a YA book, but nearly everyone I know read it in their teens. -Michele
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1976 (first edition)
ISBN-13: 9780345337665
Available hard cover, paperback and ebook editions
Louis, a 200-year-old vampire tells his story to a reporter known only as “the boy”, in a rundown motel room in New Orleans. Louis and his family were indigo plantation owners just south of New Orleans in the late 1700s. Louis’ younger brother was an extremely devout Catholic and seemed to be headed for the priesthood. Louis was told by his brother that he was having visions and to sell all of the family’s possessions and return to France to fight atheists and the Revolution. After an argument, the brother fell from a second floor balcony to his death. Louis moved his mother and sister into the city and left the plantation to be run by the overseer. Rumors swirled that Louis killed his brother and as a result, Louis began drinking heavily. He was visited by Lestat, a vampire, and ultimately became a vampire himself.
Louis and Lestat live out at the plantation, but Louis initially refuses to feed off of humans, surviving instead on the blood of animals. Lestat’s reckless behavior and the superstitions of the slaves lead to a revolt on the plantation. Fleeing back to the city during epidemics of plague and scarlet fever, Louis feeds on a young girl crying over the corpse of her mother. Lestat, having followed Louis, takes the girl home and turns her into a vampire. Louis is horrified but the three live together, playing out the fantasy of being a family. Over the years Claudia grows older mentally but not physically. She manages to get Louis to help her kill Lestat, or so they think. Lestat shows up just as Louis and Claudia are about to leave for Europe to find others like them. They flee, setting fire to the house and Lestat in it.
Louis and Claudia spend years touring Europe, finding that other vampires were no more than mindless corpses. It is while in France that Louis and Claudia are found by Armand and the Theatre des Vampires. This coven of vampires lives in the bowels of an old theater and feed on unsuspecting humans in the guise of a theatrical performance. Ultimately, Louis and Claudia are punished for violating the “rules”. Distraught, Louis spends a few years in Europe with Armand but eventually makes his way back to New Orleans where he lives in the shadows, feeding only when necessary. Unfortunately for the boy, after Louis leaves the motel room, Lestat makes a return appearance. And thus begin The Vampire Chronicles.
My own personal copy of Interview with the Vampire is a 1977 paperback published by Ballantine Books and it is one of my most prized possessions, along with my copies (though not as old) of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Where Bram Stoker established the vampire as a literary icon, Anne Rice added to their mythology and created just as memorable a character in Lestat. Anne Rice romanticized the vampire while reminding us that it is still a monster to be feared. These vampires don’t sparkle and aren’t dirty old men in love with teenage girls (thankfully) and yet Louis still manages to be a sympathetic and likeable character. He never wanted to be a vampire and was for the most part horrified by Lestat’s lack of compassion for the humans he killed. Louis retreats from humanity because he recognizes that he no longer belongs. On the other hand, Lestat craves attention and likes to toy with the humans he kills. Lestat is one of the most recognized and popular horror fiction characters because he acts similar to a spoiled child yet he is very charismatic. He is one of my favorite literary characters. In my humble opinion, Interview with the Vampire is extremely well-written and character development is flawless. The story has a great rhythm and never stumbles over the many details of Louis’ long life. While I wasn’t too happy with the last couple of books in The Vampire Chronicles, the first is still one of the best vampire stories ever written. Highly recommended.
Contains violence, gore, sexual situations and adult language
Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund
Our Essential Vampire Series is an attempt to highlight the history of Horror conventions by topic through both MonsterLibrarian and the history or the genres.