The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List discussion

A great introduction into the life of the vampires Louis and Lestat. Louis, the gentle, almost wistful vampire who is never comfortable with the creature he has become and Lestat, the self-centered, bestial creature who seemingly lives his vampiric life to its fullest. We also briefly meet Armand who is so significant in stories to come. This is a great novel made into a movie that was good, but could never match the depth and emotion of the book.

I remember the first time I read this book like it was yesterday. It was my introduction to vampires.

She managed to make them seem so moony and romantic but in a very good way.My favorite line from this series was when Lestat referred to feeding on humans as the "Savage Garden"

Yes, I love that depiction as well. "The mind of man is a savage garden..." The band Savage Garden from Australia took their name from the term as one of the members was really into Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

I always wondered if they got their name from her novel.

I would never have made the connection

I don't care what the anti Anne Rice camp has to say. I love this book!

Yes, the whole series is great. I had never read any of Rice's books until October 2006 when my grandmother was dying in a nursing home. I knew they were her favorite books, so I started reading Interview so we could have some discussions about the books. When she died I inherited her entire collection of books including all Anne Rice's books, so I started devouring them as a way to stay close to my grandmother.

I think I have read all of Anne Rice's books - Interview with a Vampire is great and I do like the idea of a vampire telling his story and seeing things from there side of things. My favourite book is Blackwood Farm - mingling the Mayfairs and Lestat together.

I am not a big fan of the Mayfairs. But love the Vampires

Michael I like the Mayfairs - my favourite being Mona Mayfair, she starts as a witch and then becomes a vampire. Their story is very long winded and it took forever to read the actual book.

In Interview with a Vampire, I wish Claudia hadn't been killed off, she would have been an awesome book to write - a child vampire wondering the earth - Anne Rice missed out on another great premise there.

I just keep getting annoyed at the mayfairs.

Lestat should turn them all to Vampires - that way their stories would eb more interesting lol

I enjoyed the whole Mayfair series but it took me a long time to get into the first book,which I was surprised by after reading the vampire series.It was a lot slower and much more detailed.

I think I have read all of Rice's books until she started on her new Christian books. I keep thinking I should read them as I enjoyed her other books so much. I am not interested if she is just trying to promote her new found religion. Does anybody know if the new books have much of a story line? Has anyone read any of them? I'd really like to hear some feedback on her "religious" titles. I did read some of her S&M set and thought they were much better written than that sort of thing usually is (not that I am an expert ;-} ).

Debra, I have read both the Christ the Lord books and they do not promote any type of religious belief. She is simply trying to tell the story of Christ. They were actually good books that tell a story of Jesus beginning as a child and the confusion that he endures growing up as the Son of God. The most important thing is to go into the books knowing that they are fiction although she has done an impressive amount of research to add real facts and events to the storyline.

They just don't appeal to me, I think going to Catholic schools, thought my eduction(until I went to Uni) but me off reading anything religious, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. I kinda of hope one day she'll go back to writing about Lestat and the others, she basically left them hanging, even if all she does is draw a line under them all, destorys them all or whatever. It would be nice to know that there was some sort of ending or maybe thats just me!!!!

So I saw the movie on the TV the other day, is this going to ruin my experience in reading the book?

I myself thought the book was much better than the movie and if you have a interest in reading any of the others it wouldn't be a bad idea reading the book.Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt just seemed awful to me for these parts.

I really disliked Brad Pitt in this movie. He just was not right for the role.

I didn't care much for the acting, but still got the general outline of the movie. I'm about to be late for work :)

I found watching the movie made no difference to my enjoyment of the books. Though Interview with a Vampire is a far better film than Queen of the Damned - Stuart Townsend wasn't a very good Lestat.

Queen of the Damned was really bad not just the actors but the whole movie they tried to cram 2 books into 1 movie and the plot was disconnected

so agree with you there Michael - I love Anne Rice's books and they ruin them by making shit films. I thought Blood and Gold would make a great film but it would be mega long.

it would have to be at least 2 movies

if not 3, you could film it in various stages - so much happens within the book.

I'm going to have to read them all again, I'd forgotten how much I love Ann Rice.

I've read most of Anne's books too. I loved them all, even the erotica she wrote under a different pen name. I just read Guilty Pleasures and couldn't help but think of Claudia when they described the child vampire queen. I wonder if the author had her in mind when she wrote the story.

I haven't picked up an Anne Rice book in ages but would love to have a complete set and read them all again. Someday...

Have only read one - Interview with a Vampire. I think Anne Rice has turned away from her vampire days and on to Christian writing - odd turn of events!

I read the Vampire books when I was in college and really liked them. It didn't surprise me when I learned that she had written erotica since these books had so many dark and erotic undercurrents. Now that I have gotten back into vampire stories I am thinking i will have to go back and reread some of her stuff - there are just so many books that I have never read that I want to read it's almost painful to back up and read something again. These books are worth it, though.

I read Interview with a Vampire for the 1st time in Jr. High. It started my love affair with horror and paranormal books that lasts to this day.

I have only read Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. I loved Interview and thought the story was incredible. I liked the perspective and loved hearing about the conflicts between Louis and Lestat. Claudia was one of the freakiest characters from a book that I can remember. She fascinated me and scared me at the same time. Wonderful! As for the movie, I actually enjoyed it. Perhaps because I viewed it before I read the book! I have to go against the grain and say I liked Tom Cruise as Lestat! The little girl that played Claudia freaked me out as well! Creepy! I never did read anything else by Anne Rice. Maybe I will have to give some of her other stuff a try! At times, she felt a bit bogged down for me and after I read the first three vampire books I just couldn't go on!