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Great edition of Anne Rice's infamous Vampire saga

Customer Rating:

This review is for this particular edition. I love that the first three (and argueably best) books of the Vampire Chronicles were combined with sleek and well designed cover art. The cover was actually taken from the short-lived Broadway musical, 'Lestat', and this was made as an obvious merchandise tie in. It was nice to see, nonetheless. It's of a much better quality than the mass market paperback versions and a better deal at $13, since each mass market edition will cost you about $7. The book itself is rather heavy (about 4 lbs), so if you have weak wrists it may be a struggle for you to hold, but text is large and easy to read, the ink does not smudge like the mass market editions do, and the pages are thin and smooth. If you're contemplating 'plunging into the stream' (the words that the Vampire Lestat himself 'lives' by) by giving Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles a try, than buy this particular version. I can't recommend it enough.

Fabulous!

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Anne's collection is by far and wide the best I have ever read concerning vampires. Far from your run of the mill dime story vampire stories, these books will sweep you off your feet. Blending our love for vampires with a spiritual side that is to be highly commended, I have never been so impressed with a set of novels before. Dont stop with these either! Her next book, Memnoch the Devil is a triumph as well.

Chronicles of the vampires

Customer Rating:

Anne Rice revamped the vampire-horror genre with the publication of "Interview with the Vampire," a supernational drama from the vampire's own mouth. It became an unexpected hit, and spawned a series of sequels that came to be known as the Vampire Chronicles. The first three books of the series are compiled here, and arguably remain her best. "Interview With the Vampire" is the story of Louis, a grieving young widower and plantation owner, whose life is turned upside down when he meets the charming vampire Lestat. Lestat offers him a way out: become a vampire. Louis accepts, but once it's done, he finds that vampirism is more than he bargained for -- especially for his conscience. "The Vampire Lestat" takes a totally different tack, showing us the world through the enigmatic, charming Lestat's eyes. After years of dormancy, Lestat wakes up in time for the early MTV years of the 1980s, becoming a rock star in the tradition of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. And like Louis, Lestat relates his long life's story -- how he became a vampire, his wanderings over the earth, and his investigations into the origins of vampirism itself... "Queen of the Damned" builds on that research. Lestat's metal music has caused quite a bit of mayhem -- but not this much before: Akasha, Egyptian queen and mother of all vampires, has reawoken from her comalike sleep. The lesser vampires are having strange dreams, some are being murdered by the ruthless queen. Apparently she wants to kill virtually all men. What is more, Akasha has taken a shine to the roguish Lestat himself... Vampiric autobiography is a given in Anne Rice's bibliography -- she has plenty of bloodsuckers telling us about their lives. But Lestat and Louis's were not just the first ones, but perhaps the most compelling and rich, especially since the two had such radically different viewpoints -- including of one another. Is Lestat a heartless fiend, or a roguish good-craving bad boy? I'd lean towards the latter, to be honest. The first two books are quite personal -- one is Louis recounting his own miserable life and un-life. Then we get Lestat, a radically different viewpoint, a guy who enjoys his un-life even more than his mortal existance. Finally, there's an epic view of all vampires, throughout history, from the ancient Egyptian queen to the modern biker vamps. Despite the more controversial recent novels, Anne Rice's first Vampire Chronicles are often reckoned to be modern horror classics. Rich, intriguing and far deeper than you'd think vampire fiction would be.

Good to read

Customer Rating:

I got this book with only knowing about the moive Interview with the Vampire. When I started to read the book I couln't put it down. All 3 of the books are the same way. I like The Vampire Lestat the best. In The Vampire Lestat she goes more in to the history of vampire. Then with ending that will make you want to read The Queen of the Damned right away. The Vampire Chronicles is one of the best series out there. If you havn't read it you are missing out.

anne rice has a great creative mind

Customer Rating:

to be honest i have read all of annes published works dealing with both the vampires and the mayfair witches and i believe these three books (interview, lestat, and queen of the damned)were what made me keep my interest in them for as long as i have. it is her way of story telling which ensnares the imagination in us all. to be completely honest if you are going to read these three be prepared to be spending more money in a few months to buy the rest of the set. sort of in response to a review posted prior. without getting into much detail it is expanded more on in her other books but the gist of it is that while akasha was undoubtedly the oldest and first of all vampires they centuries of her slumber made her weaker than mekhare (i believe that is the correct spelling and if not i dont have time to fix it). it is explained out that the longer a vampire stays awake and feeding the faster and greater their powers grow to be. in any event it is a work of fiction one doesnt need to over analyze it to enjoy the book for what it is.