Interview with the Vampire

By Anne Rice

The spellbinding classic that started it all, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author—the inspiration for the hit television series

“A magnificent, compulsively readable thriller . . . Rice begins where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth—the education of the vampire.”—Chicago Tribune

Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly sensual, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 17, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307575852

Anne Rice

A.N. Roquelaure is the pseudonym for bestselling author Anne Rice, the author of 25 books. She lives in New Orleans.

Reviews for Interview with the Vampire

[firewild · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wish that I haven't seen the movie before reading the book.

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel was written as a retold story by its protagonist. While the story itself is fine, this sort of style-- in the end, detracted from the overall book. Nevertheless, I felt that this book had something to offer for the casual reader and for those I recommend it. The tale is original, erotic, and dark. It is the way that a modern vampire yarn should be told. Anne Rice has style, taste, and is a good writer. If you are into vampire fiction, this should be a starting point.

[nadishka-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The best of the Chronicles in my opinion. And you have to watch the movie too! I lost interest when going through the rest of the series.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A vampire tells a reporter the story of his two hundred years as one of the living dead. I think he's a bit of a whiner.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book once before, when I was about eleven years old, and I remember being utterly entranced by Lestat, Louis, and the whole entire cast. I've always been fascinated with vampires as whole, and the beautiful discussion of morality and mortality here just caught me up. Suffice it say, I was a little afraid to read this for a second time. Would it hold up to what I remembered?Let me say, the audiobook version of this is a little ponderous but I kind of enjoyed it for that. The narrator perfectly captures Louis' ennui. I was spellbound while listening and, even though I'd heard the story before, still deeply affected by the trials that poor Louis had to face. I don't know if we're ever actually meant to like Lestat, but I did find myself understanding him a bit more this time around. It was nice to see this book with fresh, more cultured eyes. The fact that I loved it just as I did the first time was simply a bonus.Despite any qualms I may have with Anne Rice now, you can't deny that this book is essentially a classic in the vampire genre. I'm happy to have experienced it again.

[soubhikiewiet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Vampires, over done like crazy these days, right?

The first three vampire chronicle books from Ann Rice are in my opinion the best ever. The characters are rich and the plot sucks me in... Just really good stuff!

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anne Rice is the author to go to when you want to read a really good vampire novel. Not the type of vampire novels where vampires sparkle and are just too over the top (eye roll). This is vampires done well, with all the rich details and history to go along with them. I love this series and need to pick it back up again - I got stuck on the 6th one and need to push through it!

[deborahj2016 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read this my Freshman year of high school- just when the world is nearly at its most dramatic *EVER* and you empathize so much with Louis and Lestat that you want to *BE* just like them and Anne Rice is a genius for being so soulful and truthful and no one else could possibly underSTAND your pain and anguish except these glorious, beautiful creatures of the night.

And then you watch Buffy for several years and realize that Spike AND Angel would have laughed themselves *sick* over Louis' navel-gazing ("Dude, if you're so depressed over being a vampire, just go knock on Faith's door and flash some fang- she'll dust you in a New York minute!") and rolled their eyes over Lestat's psycho-babble.

But, still, it captures that "Beautiful/Lonely/Deadly" kind of feeling- and many of today's ParaRom books owe their very existence to this book and its sequels.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm giving this 4 stars because the plot was amazing, the characters had volumes of depth, and the author's writing is dark & romantic yet precise & easy to understand. However for me personally, this is one of the very rare instances when I will say that I liked the film better than the book. Now before you all hang me out to dry, let me explain... I personally feel that the differences between the book and the film number so greatly that it nearly makes them 2 different stories all together. I felt that the differences changed the character dynamics too dramatically from the film which all together changed the entire story. Even though I liked the iconic film better, I still greatly appreciated and enjoyed the book. I am looking forward to completing the entire chronicle set. Would highly recommend!

[erisprincipia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Who can forget gentle suffering Louis, fierce Claudia, calculating Armand or that rogue maverick himself, Lestat?Of the series, this is my favorite, because of its elegant simplicity. Hunger, feeding, searching, wondering and living.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book certainly draws you into the world of vampirism that Rice recreates so vividly that it's hard to believe that it's fantasy! I could barely put any of the books in this trilogy down and my mind was occupied with thoughts of Luis and Lestat throughout the day and night, for weeks after, even!

[moonspider-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was initially introduced to the Vampire Chronicles through the movie made of Interview with the Vampire and have recently decided to try to read all of the books, needing to finish before the release of Prince Lestat this October. Funny enough that, while watching the movie, I worried myself for being as sadistic as Lestat for thinking the movie a comedy as I watched it, but that's going into a tangent.Since I saw the movie first, not much had surprised me, but I didn't expect much else. The movie was fairly faithful to the source material, you see. The only differences were in minor scenes or details that wouldn't have fit in the movie. There are two things that changed I'm rather sore about:-the reason why one of the characters is suicidal in the very beginning (this was minor and before the majority of the plot, didn't come into play later but still irksome)-the presence of Lestat in the theatre towards the end of the book, something the movie left out entirely(the very ending in the movie was also remarkably different, but it was fun all the same so I won't even get into that)Overall, the story is very addicting in my opinion. If I am to take the words of other reviews I have seen, I am to say 'How in the world is TWILIGHT mainstream while this vanishes into the shadows?!" I...have no clue either. As I have mentioned reading other reviews, I have noticed that many of the people who gave this one/two star ratings complained of it being over-detailed and boring. I...am inclined to agree, at least in delivery. I am already roughly 1/4 of the way through the second book, The Vampire Lestat, and have noticed something very interesting:The Vampire Lestat is just as ornate and detailed in its sentence structure and syntax as Interview with the Vampire, but Lestat's voice is completely different. Lestat can actually be very fun and spontaneous, should the mood strike him, just as he is cruel in this book. The difference here? Louis is the one telling the majority of the story. He is known in the fandom as the "whiner". He is mournful in his narrations and I found myself dragging to read it. I was reading the Kindle edition and ended up buying the Audible edition to go alongside it to release the strain on my eyes. Therefore, I theorize that it is not the detail per say that bores the customers, but the voice. I recommend doing as I did and having it read to you through Audible if you feel this may be a problem for you. I switched between listening and reading often and found it necessary to enjoy Interview fully. Other than that? Enjoy the ride.

[karrieskorner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites; while I was reading Interview I was completely convinced that vampires existed. This is an innovative and fresh look -- at least it was when it first came out -- about vampires and the lore that goes along with them. Absolutely gripping and really scary. I loved it!

[bookswamp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Back in thos times I had read every one of Anne Rice's books and loved them all - meantimes I have eliminated most of them and only kept the two first volumes of the chronicles out of sentimentality, I guess. There's much more amusing style out there nowadays.Still my favorite though of all of Mrs. Rice's books_ See "the Mummy" !

[clparson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is my favorite out of all the books Rice has written. The metaphor is so rich and the imagery paints a perfect picture. Everyone can relate to Louis because everyone, at one time in his life, has felt like an outcast and has been uncomfortable in his own skin. Rice creates this metaphor, the vampire, to represent this feeling of not belonging. Louis embodies isolation. I have read this book several times and will read it again.

[aerliss · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The first, but by no means the best book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. My advice; watch the film and move on to The Vampire Lestat. The film, written by Anne, cuts out a lot of the bumph that drags down the book. The endings are quite different, so maybe it's worth reading the last chapter... but really, you can get along just fine without bothering with it.

[cebellol · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed. I had really high hopes for this book and it just did NOT live up to my expectations. It was well written, but I got bored with the story after awhile. There was a lot of whining and not a lot of doing. I really just wanted to smack Louis for having no backbone, not liking the way things were going, and yet doing NOTHING about it. I mean, he let the little girl practically run his life and yet she was much younger than he, both by human and vampire standards.

I don't understand why everyone raves about this story. The overall story is incredibly droll and I would not recommend this to anyone. If it's on your summer reading list, pick another book because you will be thoroughly disappointed.

[nubian_princesa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed this classic, even though at times I wish I could just tell Loius to just go on with the story and stop lamenting on something as simple as a blade of grass.I understand that he is a tortured vampire but come on, too much angst.The story was entertaining though and the characters colorful. I know now why they chose this book to make a movie. Bravo.

[cainmark · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good read.

[syndelle777 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm giving this 4 stars because the plot was amazing, the characters had volumes of depth, and the author's writing is dark & romantic yet precise & easy to understand. However for me personally, this is one of the very rare instances when I will say that I liked the film better than the book. Now before you all hang me out to dry, let me explain... I personally feel that the differences between the book and the film number so greatly that it nearly makes them 2 different stories all together. I felt that the differences changed the character dynamics too dramatically from the film which all together changed the entire story. Even though I liked the iconic film better, I still greatly appreciated and enjoyed the book. I am looking forward to completing the entire chronicle set. Would highly recommend!

[crazy4reading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had trouble getting into this book at first. Since there were no real chapters I found it hard to stop in the middle and when I did stop I found myself going back and reading some of the book again. I did finally get into it and found myself getting into the characters. I think since I have read other books about vampires before that my idea of them was a lot different then this book depicted.

[justablondemoment · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best vampire books I have read. Rice sometimes writes in a complex way and that tends to bog down my enjoyment. The same still holds true with this book however it felt so real that it worked in a way that kept me tearing through the pages. I BELIEVED that this was how the lives of vampires were and that it felt like a work of non-fiction rather than fiction. Well done on this one and deserves the 5 stars.

[yolanl_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Liked it. Although after just having read the Twilight series and in the middle of watching the complete Buffy series on DVD I found this book a bit slow. Yet, I do want to read more. I imagine the Vampire Chronicles have inspired many of the later vampire stories, including Buffy and Twilight.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, flowery language. But I couldn't get into this because it felt rather pointless. It didn't feel like the characters were headed anywhere. There was no character growth. Nothing was compelling about any of the characters. And I found the whole thing rather disgusting. It's basically Lolita (though the "lolita" is much younger) as told by vampires. No thank you. Pedophilia is not my cup of tea.

[macktan894 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No one has topped Anne Rice's Interview...no one! Her book is even better than Dracula by Bram Stoker, and it is superior to Twilight, a book I actually loved. Rice's book is just much more literary than Meyer's, more developed in plot and characterization. Who can forget Claudia, Armand, the beast of Transylvania? The vividness of Rice's prose is incredible; I remember the pictures her writing created in my mind's eye -- Louis' transformation, Claudia's physical/mental conflict, the thing they encounter in Transylvania during their search for identity, the Theatre de Vampyres, and Armand, poor lovesick Armand. This is one of my favorite books of Anne Rice (although I did also enjoy Lestat), one of my favorite books of all time, actually.

[sfm13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

LeStat's comeback shocked me in the end. As I heard Louis's story, I became more and more sympathetic to the vampire's plight. Rice describes the murders in extensive detail, and had me feeling sick when imagining the grisly act of draining human blood, not to mention drinking it. Then there was poor Claudia. How sad that she never could age to maturity ... she did turn into such a demon child though.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this back in the '70's when it first came out. It is a wonderful vampire story. It keeps the vampires in the dark shadows but makes them human enough to be engaging. One of the best vampire books out there.

[ozzieslim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a re-read. I think I first read it sometime in the 90's and enjoyed it then. On the re-read, the first thing that jumped out at me was the wonderful turns of phrase that Rice uses. Some of them are absolutely beautiful - almost poetic.

Prior to the re-read, I read an interview with Rice where she discussed which characters she liked in the book and which she didn't. I never cared much for Lestat the first time around and that hasn't changed. I will be reading Lestat, the second book, sometime in the near future and maybe my opinion will change.

I like Louis and I like Armand. It is Louis' story after all and I think it is well told. I love the setting of late 1700's New Orleans and Paris. I love Louis' tortured soul and his path of discovery and ultimately disappointment of what it means to be an immortal vampire. I also enjoyed the impossible and improbably love story that exists between he and Claudia, the child he and Lestat convert to vampirism.

I am not much a horror genre read and what I like about the Rice books is that like Shelley's "Frankenstein", the Vampire Chronicles are less about horror and more about the "big questions" concerning life, death, love and immortality.

If you haven't read these books (yes, another series...agggggghhhhhh!) I highly recommend them. They are descriptively lush and very evocative of time and place. They move along too - I read this book over two days. Treat yourself to a little bit of literary horror.

[susanbevans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I actually can't remember how long ago I read this one. It is great though. An absolutely beuatiful book! The details are meticulous and the characters are colorful (to say the least.)

[silverthistle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this about 20 years ago and tore through it. I loved it! It has remained on my 'fave read' list ever since. Recently though, I have started a re-read of those early 'fave reads' and The Vampire Chronicles is the latest to come under renewed scrutiny.

When I first discovered these books, there wasn't the glut of vampire fiction abailable that there is today. From the handful on the shelf at the time, this was in my opinion the best. Since those days I've read countless supernatural/paranormal books and dozens of vampire novels and was curious if Interview with a vampire had stood the test of time and was still as good as I remembered it to be.

In short, yes, it's still a good story. I didn't rattle through it as quickly as I did the first time around but that's got more to do with reading time constraints than it has to do with content. Anne Rice's writing style is flowery and evocative and searching and those are not really things I would rate highly in my usual reading choices, but maybe nostalgia is making me sentimental and I'm prepared to put up with a lot more from an old friend than I would be from a new aquaintance.

The book was slower than I remember it being but perhaps the notion of sexy, sensual, flawed vampires was new and exciting back then and caused me to get so wrapped up in the moment that time just flew. Now, there are any number of vampires who share those qualaties and the idea doesn't seem so fresh and exciting any more. However, for all that, Rice's vampires still seem to have an 'edge' to them. Something compelling that makes them stand out from the crowd.

It's hard going into this without expectations, because I've already read the others in the series, but even knowing what is to come I loved Louis all over again in this first book and hated Lestat. I know that after a few more books I'll regard Louis as a whiny bitch and I'll adore Lestat with a passion but for now Louis is a tortured soul and Lestat is a selfish brat.

The story itself is really a setting up of what's to come. It's a vehicle to introduce us to the main characters and to world build but the core story is a solid one and although I suppose these could be read out of sequence I don't think it would be quite such an enjoyable saga that way.