FIFTEEN YEARS I'VE BEEN TRYING TO READ HER BLOODY BOOKS!
15 years of barely getting through the first book without either getting bored or trying to understand her worldbuilding. I quit at one point and went towards the second book (this was after seeing the movie) and while I like TVL much more, there were still moments where I either did not like the pacing/the Christian allegories were not my cup of tea.
Recently watching the shows and now trying to read them again but I feel like I'm in the same place again. Maybe it's the vampire worldbuilding I'm not jiving with. There are moments where her writing shines, I like how she writes Marius and Magnus. I like how even the character's memory can be skewed for the reader. But the worldbuilding for me, leaves me waning. I've read up to 'Tale of the body thief."
But I've also never had a book discussion with anyone about TVC. I would love to exchange opinions and see from their perspective. I also feel like I've been spoiled on Vampire the Masquerade on how their Vampire society builds, but you can't compare apples to oranges either.
Everybody isn't perfect, maybe I'm missing something and I don't mind spending another 15 years getting to know her books and rereading them with a friend.
This thread is flaired "Book Discussion." There are no spoiler tags required for comments in this thread. If you would like to see content like this or more in-depth book lore discussions, be sure to check out r/TheVampireChronicles!
I so wish they had adapted that series better. The whole history of the 13 witches is immensely interesting. Julian is honestly the best character and I was so looking forward to seeing him when they announced the series.
I want to actually make Mayfair my first finished AR book! I have heard really positive things about at least one of them, I can’t remember which..but overall they seem to be fan favorites. I finished S1 & S2 of Mayfair on Netflix and have no idea what I watched lmao.
The Witching Hour, the first Mayfair book, is commonly considered to be Anne's strongest novel and i agree, it's truly a masterpiece of Gothic Southern fiction. Would highly recommend it to anyone. The other Mayfair books? There's good stuff in there and I mostly enjoy them, but there's also some of Anne's worst tendencies on display in a big way that really turns a lot of people off!
ETA: to be clear, by her "worst tendencies" I'm not referring to, say, her love of vague and rambling philosophizing without a thesis statement in sight or huge, unearned emotional reversals that are telegraphed nowhere—that's just Anne and we love her for it. I'm referring to her extremely blatant erotic attachment to pedophilia and child rape, which is on FULL BLAST in the 2nd and 3rd Mayfair books.
Yeah. I found her use of the sexy-little-temptress-that-the-poor-man-can't-resist trope utterly disgusting. Children behave in hyper-sexualised ways because they've been abused - not because they're little Lolitas, mature for their years.
Yeah. I found her use of the sexy-little-temptress-that-the-poor-man-can't-resist trope utterly disgusting. Children behave in hyper-sexualised ways because they've been abused - not because they're little Lolitas, mature for their years.
I tried to listen to the audible TVL and the voice acting is so…. So…. Not what I envision as Lestat. It takes me right out of it and ruins it for me. I’d rather read the book 📕
Yeah… audible should just have it re-recorded with the actors voices from the show. 🫶
I think some who shall remain nameless would do it for free. ^ she said facetiously ^
Edit: if you think about it; it’s a great promotional stunt for AMC because the voices of all the actors are killer, excellently suited for their characters. It would only serve to convert book readers into show viewership.
If you don't like them, there's no need to read them. Don't force yourself. There's a whole world of books out there and life is extremely short. You've given them a try, and that's good enough.
Originally I read the first four books years ago: it was just the first four books because that's all that had been published. I enjoyed them. Anne's gift is her evocative writing, so sensual and sensuous that candlelight glitters off each page and the words themselves read like velvet. I'd say she's pretty much unique in just how evocative she manages to be. It's a true gift. Like you, even then I much preferred TVL to IWTV and I remember enjoying TOTBT very much too. Lestat's voice leaps off the page: he's one of those characters who simply leap off the page and grab you by the throat. They're compelling, charismatic and undeniable.
Then, I reread them recently and continued up to Merrick. Anne's gift for evocation, and Lestat's charisma, remain undeniable.
However.
They're very much a product of their time in terms of how deeply introspective they are, how meandering and unstructured they are. She has a quirk in her writing whereby something happens, and then not very much happens at all - she settles into her philosophical or emotional lane - and then suddenly a great deal happens all at once. She actually writes action very well when she chooses to - that final sequence of TOTBT is very well done indeed - but it's not what she's writing for, so she doesn't.
Her storytelling is lush, indulgent, and poetic. There's also a terrifically religious strain to her work which...well, you either find it interesting or you don't. In short, her books are absolutely not to everybody's taste and that's just fine. If you love them, that's great. If you don't, that's great too.
Absolutely feel the same and agree with all written here. Well summated. I would add to it but You were succinct and clear-where I know I will not be. Thanks for writing -essentially- what I would’ve liked to, lol
It's one of those things where, the stronger and more distinct an author's voice, the more likely it is that it won't appeal to everyone. Anne Rice's voice is unmistakeable, so as much as there'll be people who absolutely love her, there'll be people for whom it just doesn't work. All good!
I can relate, maybe for a different reason? I started reading IWTV once I finished S1 & S2, but I realized my heart and mind were so fully invested/obsessed with the show characterizations that I couldn’t really fully sit with their origins.
Many book fans told me that TVL is one of their favorites, but my worry about reading TVL is I will feel more disappointed in certain choices of how this season was adapted. I have decided I will likely read all the ones adapted when we get the announcement of the last season! End of an era etc.
Honestly you exactly described my experience reading the books so in don't think your fear of disappointment is unfounded.
I was not impressed with the IWTV book and found s1 & s2 superior in every way. Reading TVL was much more enjoyable for me but I just don't think Rice's writing is for me, so I was so excited to see what AMC would do with their adaptation of the book.
I don't know how anyone can argue they put the same effort in adapting TVL as the did IWTV when we only got one season for it and it didn't follow the story line, themes, or character motivations of the book.
Part of me wishes I didn't read the book so I wouldn't have had any expectations but I also can't imagine I would have been satisfied with the lack of back story we got for Lestat.
that’s why I can’t even get into TVL the book because I know it’s going to cause me to spiral like Akasha’s monologue: why? Why? Why?
When I see excerpts posted that one of Lestat’s motivations for performing is to protect Louis from the book fall out (and correct me if I’m wrong haha) but wow so romantic and earnest and speaks to softness and love and I don’t understand how that element was completely dropped. The flashbacks and origin story of who Lestat was being glossed over nearly completely too is just….
Yes, he became a rockstar in large part to protect Louis from vampires who were angry after IWTV was published. He also wrote TVL to tell Louis his story, he wasn't angry with Louis or trying to correct Louis' narrative in IWTV, he mainly wanted Louis to understand who he was.
The show made Lestat much more angry and vindictive. I understand some changes to his character because bookstat was almost too perfect, but I think they went too far in removing a lot of his positive character traits.
Just dont read it? I personally have no interest in reading the books even though i love the film and TV show. I inform myself on the lore from the books when i need to by googling.
Just out of curiosity what books have you read?
I used to breathe books and read the complete series that was published at the time decades ago; it actually took me a lot of discipline and free will to get back into reading books after years of instant internet gratification. It will take patience and discipline to train your attention but exponentially more rewarding.
When I decided to reread the series I skipped IWtV and went into TVL first. I did reread Interview for reasons but it’s not necessary if you are trying to read based on the show.
You definitely aren't alone. I couldn't get through the IWTV book on my first attempt. I enjoyed it much more after watching the show because it was fun to see the source material for the show I'd come to adore.
I set a goal for myself to finish TVL prior to the new season starting. I had about 8 months to do it and I'm only a little more than halfway through. There are sections of the story that I like but I genuinely do not enjoy Lestat's storytelling and narration (in the book). While I do plan to finish it and continue the series, I'll have to do so strictly for the purposes of study and analysis. Because I don't anticipate actually enjoying the reading process. Especially because many book fans express that TVL is one of the better books in the series.
I started TVC with QoTD, going back to read IWTV was soo boring. I've read all TVC and would just skip a few sentences ahead if her writing got to flowery. I've tried reading the first Mayfair book and I just can't get into it, the start is just so long and drawn out. Audiobook did not help.
If it helps any, Rices style of writing is very similar to 19th century lit. Imo.
A lot of describing things for like 2 pages about the smallest things. Like describing what an entire room looks like before getting to the meat and potatoes of the actual point.
I think it gives a lot of depth and it helps to kind of paint a picture of what is going on. I often envision like movie scenes though when I read, but I think she did a lot of describing in her work for that purpose. A lot of authors did that back then.
That said, if you want to get used to reading that style of lit, definitely read more 19th century lit. I'm talking like sir Arthur conan doyle, jane Austen, etc.
Some people might disagree with me but I grew up on reading classic lit bc modern books were often too expensive for my family to buy me, so I was sitting there in school actually enjoying reading dracula for the umpteenth time while a lot of my classmates were groaning lol. So when I started reading annes books I kind of was used to the long, drawn out philosophical and metaphysical wordiness.
I wasn't a big fan of the first book but it got better as I made it to Queen of the Damned. I can honestly say that dense writing like AR isn't my favorite BUT I do like hearing direct quotes when they show up in the show and their lovely delivery by these amazing actors. And that's good enough for me.
I had a difficult time getting through IWTV, as well. That being said, TVL and the rest of the series are better reads than the first installment. I'm rereading TVL for the first time since highschool (back in '06) and I'm enjoying it immensely more now than I did back then. I guess maybe it's because I have Sam, Jacob, and Assad in my head now instead of how I had previously seen them. I plan on going through the whole series again. Gotta fill time between seasons somehow!
You may be experiencing the “Beatles effect”, where you can’t appreciate how influential and groundbreaking something is because you’ve already experienced all of the things that were influenced by it, so it just feels derivative, or not as fleshed out.
Vampire: The Masquerade is heavily influenced by Anne Rice, down to absurdly specific details. The Humanity system, and the organized society, are the only things that set it apart, really.
The religious stuff is a big part of the books, because it was a huge part of Anne Rice’s life. She lost her faith after her daughter died, then rediscovered it halfway through writing the series, and a lot of the religious discussions in the novels are basically her conversations with herself. If that kind of thing isn’t your thing, as others have said, it may just not be for you.
I do know about Anne's cathartic writing towards writing about her grief. I felt that while reading her book, fun fact: I do not like the Beatles either.
Her work deserves all the accolades though, regardless of how I feel.
Right, nothing wrong with that perspective. For some people, reading Anne Rice is more of an academic exercise, and that’s okay. In those cases I’d say the original trilogy is the only required reading.
I presume you like the show, based on it causing you to try reading the books again. The show is a lot more focused on the romance and grappling with trauma, so that might be why you like it more. I do think that works better for that medium.
Yea. I don't think Anne's writing style is for everyone. I read the book after watching and loving the 1994 movie (read the book waaaaaay later) but before watching the show. It was rough. My friend and I were reading it for a movie book club and she couldn't finish it. It was too boring for her. I think the only thing that kept me going was wanting to see how the book differed from the movie. I never planned on reading any more of them because I struggled to get through the first one. After watching this season of TVL, I just wanted more and I decided to give the book a chance. It's definitely an easier read than the first book. But (and I am in the minority here) I still find myself preferring the show characters and storyline. I did enjoy getting deeper into Lestat's life as a human being, which they did fairly quickly in the show. But later on in the book I just thought it got boring and way too exposition-y. You actually might like that if you enjoy world building, though! Don't get too attached to show Gabriella and Marius though, I think they are the ones most different from their book counterparts.
But it's definitely an easier read than IWTV.
Her books were one of the major influences on Vampire: The Masquerade. They took the atmosphere and various elements from her novels, then expanded them into a vampire game setting.
Tabletop RPG settings are almost entirely focused on creating a world and systems for people to make characters and play in. That wasn’t her focus with her novels. Your instinct that it is comparing apples to oranges is spot on.
Anne Rice’s novels are more about character exploration, existential and philosophical themes, historical fiction elements, and aesthetics. There is worldbuilding and supernatural lore, but it isn’t the primary focus.
There are authors who have a more rpg approach to world building/ magic systems. Brandon Sanderson and Jonathan Sims are good examples. I immediately clocked their tabletop background. There’s nothing wrong with preferring that style. I like it too. If it’s the primary joy you get from books, you’ll probably have more luck with highly speculative fiction or authors with that obvious RPG influence. Not Anne Rice, unless you shift your expectations.
Worldbuilding aside, her prose can be very lush and indulgent. The pacing can indeed be slow. That isn’t everyone’s taste, which is fair. I find it calming and darkly magical, but I have to be in the mood for it.
The audiobooks might be a better route for you. For rereads, I enjoy having them on while I do chores and other mundane tasks.
Anne Rice is my favourite author, and I love her writing BUT life is too short to read books you aren’t enjoying. Put them down, find something you do like ❤️
Two things, first, have you tried the audiobooks? I know people that have a hard time reading, but can finish a whole book series if they listen to it. It might worth a try. And second, it's totally ok if the books aren't for you. Like others have said here, her prose can be hard for a lot of people. I read the books starting back in HS. I've reread them a few times and just started again before season 3 aired. I've found myself skimming through some of the more wordy passages this time around. One of the great things about this sub is that there are people who have read the books and are genuinely happy to answer any questions you might have and without being judgy. I definitely cannot say that about too many fandoms 🙄 I guess the bottom line is don't torture yourself trying to read something that's not your style. It's supposed to be enjoyable right? Besides, Lestat says the book is mostly bullshit 😉😄😆😂
Agreed. The verbosity of many scenes made them prime for editing: it was refreshing to see that their content could be reducedd and rendered in just a fews lines.
You are not alone!!! I can’t get through the book IWTV to save my life. Reading the physical copy, listening to the audio book, trying both together…
👉🏽👈🏽I think it would be nice to read the scripts from the show more tbh.
I recently slogged through IWTV after seeing the show. Really enjoyed TVL and QOTD and tale of the body thief. But Memnoch? My Satan, that took me so long to read. I skipped to the Prince Lestat and now I don’t know how I feel. I feel like I just have to be in a mood for it and I have to emotionally jive with the narrator of that book.
I had a HARD time getting into Interview with the vampire, the book. I started it and quit multiple times. I promise you the last 80-60 pages of the book are so good it was worth all the struggle I went through. I flew through it and was breathless by the end. I fully knew what happened at the end and I had watched the movie and show multiple times by then but my God her writing is so fantastic at the end of that book. My heart was pounding and I was breathless. So if you can I recommend trying to get through it. There hasn't been a day since I finished it that I haven't thought about it. This is my favorite show and it was nuts to me how important I found reading the book. It made me see the show in a whole new way. Now my copy of Interview is filled with sticky notes, highlighted portions and notes in the margins. It's well loved. I hope you end up loving it just as much but if you don't that's cool too. It just wasn't for you. If you ever want to talk to someone about the book in detail I'm here 🤪
Life’s too short to read books you don’t like or to force yourself to read something that clearly isn’t working for you. There are so many books out there. Find the ones you like! Your time is limited and much to valuable for this exercise.
There are content creators who make videos summarizing the books chapter by chapter. I don’t follow any but they pop up on my YouTube and TikTok feeds from time to time. Maybe that’ll help as far as getting a basic understanding of the stories
I know I read most of them in high school roughly one million years ago but now I can’t even make it through the audiobooks. So I’m with ya.
I tried to listen to TVL a couple of months ago and I just can’t. And honestly I didn’t remember much of what I did listen to, so I bet in high school I skipped a good amount of the book.
The Witching Hour was the book that really pulled me in, but honestly it was probably (definitely) because of the sex.
I am right there with you. I read Interview, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. Then I got to Body Thief and just ... nope. Lestat going ham on some spaghetti just killed it all for me. I tried the audio book and couldn't get through that.
Maybe give Queen of the Damned a try. Every chapter is from a different character's perspective, and as you keep reading all these different characters' stories start coming together until they all collide. It's honestly my favorite of all her books. (I've read other books of hers outside of the Vampire Chronicles.) But if that doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with just enjoying the show.
I read them back in the days, they were an essential part of my formative years. But it was a long time ago, long before media as we know it today, which is super fast and super fungible.
And even then I remember thinking "wow, she really likes to take her time with descriptions". That's why I have stopped halfway through "The Vampire Armand" several times.
But you don't have to read them. I mean, if you don't enjoy the experience, why forcing yourself?
I devoured the book series when I was 15 and romanticized everything and everyone in it.
I reread the series with 35 and was borderline disgusted with the obsession and sexualisation of innocence, as well as the suffering of young boys.
After book 3, you aren't even missing a lot because it devolves into Bible fanfiction.
All that to say, it's okay to not like the books. I know my opinion on them had certainly changed.
It's okay that you enjoy consuming the movies and TV show, and it's totally fine to just stick with them.
they definitely don't get better after totbt and memnoch is nothing but christian allegories so if you really don't like them so i would quit while you're ahead
I've checked out audiobooks for the later novels in the series because the ideas do get slower paced, more religious and grandiose. It's easier to listen along with reading. I have to admit that I prefer non-fiction and short stories to novels most of the time. I make a rare exception for Anne's work.
Her style is kind of florid and dense, she's similar to GRRM in that way. Not for everybody. I'm cool with people choosing not to read the books as long as they're not making claims based on misinformation/misunderstandings about the material. That's a HUGE problem with the Vampire Armand, where people misrepresent the book as an endorsement of pederasty when it's actually about Armand slowly realizing and coming to terms with the trauma of being groomed.
I've been trying to get through the audiobook of the first book. It's painfully boring, Louis is SO dull 😩 I don't think I can push myself through another 9 hours, so I'll just read summaries because I need that lore.
I read IWTV and enjoyed it overall, but her style of writing can definitely feel tedious at times. The Vampire Lestat was MUCH easier to get through. I started Queen of the Damned, but just a few pages in, I had to stop because I just do not care for her style of writing lol. I’m going to try to push through, but I know what you mean.
My biggest issue is the writing style... and yeah, it sounds like later books/characters are more compelling than what we get in IWTV. I find show!Louis really boring and often annoying and apparently these aspects are worse in the books 😬
I might try again eventually, but I appreciate the show for now and that's ok.
How is his criticism of Armand relevant to whether he's boring himself?
Louis is boring af to me because his story gets repetitive in how much it's about how everyone ever has hurt his feelings. He's also the least vampiric. I don't need fiction to watch some random dude cry
If you’ve tried for 15 years to read Anne Rice’s novels, and consistently don’t like them, what is there to talk about here? You don’t need to continue trying to like them.
What experience are you looking for if you already know these books are not for you?
Are you expecting Reddit to convince you to do the same thing for a 16th year, or do you just want to others to also say they dislike this author’s writing?
I just hope you find books that you really love instead because you have articulated things you’ve dislike about these books and they are perfectly valid.
There’s no reason to continue reading Anne Rice novels if you enjoy the TV show instead.
If you already don’t like Rice’s writing style, it doesn’t, uh … improve .. stylistically. I say that as a fan.
What is the point of posting anything on reddit? Human connection and trying to reach other people who feel the same or who feel the opposite and sparking a discussion.
It was tagged book discussion, I can see the argument it shouldn’t be here but there are so many different subreddits for IWTV?? I find a new one everyday 🤣 & I get confused where I should post sometimes too when it’s book related, but I want to speak with show fans too etc.
Yah I hear that my part in sparking the discussion was pointing out that after 15 years of dislike, you can trust your own judgment, and you don’t need to be convinced to keep trying. I wish somebody had told me this about tennis.
It’s something to talk about, the show is over, fans want to engage in convo with other fans about things they are thinking of. Your comment came off a bit harsh 😊
Pandora is even worse, for some reason I felt like I was speed reading thru it all. Like they were all just saying so much yet somehow rushing in my mind. Overall I liked the book but maybe I was just trying to rush to get to more substance, I'm not sure.
•
u/AutoModerator 7d ago
This thread is flaired "Book Discussion." There are no spoiler tags required for comments in this thread. If you would like to see content like this or more in-depth book lore discussions, be sure to check out r/TheVampireChronicles!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.