Interview with the Vampire
This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are. Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending
Themes & atmosphere
Books in conversation with Interview with the Vampire
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What you might want to know about Interview with the Vampire
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In a San Francisco room, a vampire named Louis tells his life to a young reporter with a tape recorder: 18th-century Louisiana, Lestat, the girl-child Claudia, Paris, and centuries of grief and beauty.
Anne Rice wrote 13 main Vampire Chronicles novels plus several short fiction collections and connected sub-series. The first three (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned) are the most-recommended starting points.
Yes. AMC released Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire starting in 2022, with three seasons aired by 2025. It is widely considered the most faithful and ambitious screen adaptation of Rice's work to date.
Interview with the Vampire was written by Anne Rice, published in 1976 by Proa.
Interview with the Vampire is 349 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Interview with the Vampire takes most readers 5 to 8 hours to finish.
Interview with the Vampire is a standalone novel by Anne Rice, not part of a series.
Interview with the Vampire is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.