For at least 8 months I've been casually looking in every book store I've happened across for a copy of 'Queen of the Damned' by Anne Rice with little success -apparently Dymocks aren't into stocking books that sell-out the day they're put on the shelves- so bit the bullet and ordered one. Now reading it every day is like a guilty pleasure.
Just prior to the whole 'Twilight' hype I'd decided it was about time that I read the first really modern Vampire chronicles, additionally a friend with impeccable judgement said they were some of the best books she'd ever read and she's not alone.
With this in mind I bought the first two, 'Interview with a Vampire' and 'The Vampire Lestat', with high expectations. Needless to say they went beyond satisfaction. The concepts and characters were so fantastical but at the same time completely human. The stories of the vampires, the outcasts, the lost souls, searching for definition and purpose in a world of ever changing values but consistent human nature. The moral dilemas of good vs evil and right vs wrong seemed to be analysed from every angle by the narrators many varied perspectives. Lestat the fearless brat prince reminded me of many young people I've met whose actions rebel against the imagined weight of the world on their shoulders. And Louis, the conscious killer, trying to run from his nature, don't we all attempt to escape from the parts of ourselves we dislike or don't understand? I could go on, but you get the picture that these books invoked a lot of empathetic feelings in my own constantly searching soul. Through it all I thought to myself the woman who wrote these must be incredibly interesting, through her books she must have explored the ideas and found the answers. Before writing this I thought it due diligence to do a little bit of research and looked her up.
With this in mind I bought the first two, 'Interview with a Vampire' and 'The Vampire Lestat', with high expectations. Needless to say they went beyond satisfaction. The concepts and characters were so fantastical but at the same time completely human. The stories of the vampires, the outcasts, the lost souls, searching for definition and purpose in a world of ever changing values but consistent human nature. The moral dilemas of good vs evil and right vs wrong seemed to be analysed from every angle by the narrators many varied perspectives. Lestat the fearless brat prince reminded me of many young people I've met whose actions rebel against the imagined weight of the world on their shoulders. And Louis, the conscious killer, trying to run from his nature, don't we all attempt to escape from the parts of ourselves we dislike or don't understand? I could go on, but you get the picture that these books invoked a lot of empathetic feelings in my own constantly searching soul. Through it all I thought to myself the woman who wrote these must be incredibly interesting, through her books she must have explored the ideas and found the answers. Before writing this I thought it due diligence to do a little bit of research and looked her up.
What I found could not have shocked me any more than discovering her books were non-fiction. She described the Vampire chronicles as an outlet of her own personal search and discovery of the love of Jesus Christ! It felt like I'd just heard that the world was actually flat, not round anymore. I was convinced that from the novels the author was anything but a god-fearing Christian, they seemed to defy organised religion and the fail-safe of heaven and hell. Perhaps my interpretation will now be tinged and my enjoyment lessened.
No more research! Should have just ranted about 'Twilight' as I initially intended. I intended to say that a recent cull of facebook friends was triggered when I got sick of people waxing on about it. In my more cynical moods I find it both laughable and horrifying that so many adults have been enthralled by poorly wirtten novels aimed at young teens. Immature in its story telling and progression and character development. This fellow blogger has summed up a review of Twilight's flaws very aptly. But after reading a couple of Anne Rice's chapters I'm too pleased to whinge overly much.....now to read some more. In case it's not obvious I highly recommend you read The Vampire Chronicles ;-)
No more research! Should have just ranted about 'Twilight' as I initially intended. I intended to say that a recent cull of facebook friends was triggered when I got sick of people waxing on about it. In my more cynical moods I find it both laughable and horrifying that so many adults have been enthralled by poorly wirtten novels aimed at young teens. Immature in its story telling and progression and character development. This fellow blogger has summed up a review of Twilight's flaws very aptly. But after reading a couple of Anne Rice's chapters I'm too pleased to whinge overly much.....now to read some more. In case it's not obvious I highly recommend you read The Vampire Chronicles ;-)
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