By Caitlin Hofen, Feature Editor
“Interview with the Vampire” was published in 1976 by novelist Anne Rice as her debut work.
She went on to expand the story to 12 novels collectively known as “The Vampire Chronicles,” and the spin-off series “New Tales of the Vampires.”
“Interview with the Vampire” is the told by Louis de Pointe du Lac as he recounts his life story to a young reporter.
Louis started as a plantation owner south of New Orleans in 1791. Upset over the death of his brother, Louis begs the vampire Lestat to kill him.
Instead, Lestat turns Louis into a vampire, and the two run the plantation.
When the plantation slaves start to suspect their true nature, Louis and Lestat set the plantation on fire and flee to New Orleans.
During a moment of weakness, Louis almost kills a child when he sucks her blood.
Scared Louis will leave him, Lestat turns the girl into a vampire and names her Claudia, their 5-year-old daughter.
The trio live together peacefully until Claudia starts to realize she is a grown woman trapped in a child’s body.
I surprisingly enjoyed this book, as I’m not really one for horror novels.
The changing emotions Louis expressed throughout the novel were powerful and believable.
The other characters were dynamic, and I can’t wait to finish the second novel, which is told from Lestat’s point of view and tells more of his story.
The pace of the novel itself was a bit slow at times with unnecessary details taking precedence.
However, there was enough mystery left in the story that I wanted to see it through to the end, and it convinced me to start the second book in the series.
The more graphic scenes weren’t overly explicit but still painted a clear picture.
The story is told from the first-person perspective of Louis, so one could call into question the reliability of his retelling.
He portrays vampires as predators with no heart for their victims.
I can’t say I didn’t see the end of the novel coming, but I really appreciate how Rice sets up the next book in the ending to this story.
I would recommend this book to any vampire lover or someone who enjoys gothic literature.
A movie was released in 1994 with same name and uses similar details from the novel.
In October 2022, a television show named after the novel was also released on various streaming platforms, and it seems to be loosely based on the characters and events from the original “Interview with the Vampire.”
I look forward to watching the show and comparing it to the written storyline.