If you liked that attitude in Lestat you'll love The Tale of the Body Thief. I liked it very much myself and it was the book that got me hopelessly hooked to the Vampire Chronicles. My favourite was Memnoch the Devil but it's too religious for most people. Sadly, the last books haven't been as good as the ones you're discovering now, so I advise that you enjoy them and read them in order of publishing. Characters evolve from book to book. You may not recognise Blood Canticle's Lestat from The Vampire Lestat if you don't read it what happens in between. Unfortunately for me, I did like the Louis' ever-present attitude of "what vile monster am I become?!" you complain about, I miss it, and the books are losing their appeal to me without it. Prince Lestat being the worse case of the lot.
I think a lot of my disdain for Louis' attitude comes from my own opinion about what being an immortal vampire would be like. I always thought that it would be fun to live forever and have no real responsibilities other than "don't die". I'm a great lover of learning and would enthusiastically use eternity mastering hobbies and crafts. I'd become a master chef, a master woodworker, I'd read every single book in the Library of Congress, I'd become a master tailor, visit every single coffee shop in the world. I would use eternity to enjoy myself and to feed my thirst for learning as much as my thirst for the blood of mortals. So my issue with Louis is literally my issue. It's a personal thing. Also whether or not I continue to feel that way can be swayed by the rest of the series. Like you I might begin to long for that world weary attitude again, we'll see.
No food, no drink other than blood. Not saying that shoots your plan to shreds, but I like to eat, it might take some of the shine off things for me.
Yesterday I came across a Brad Pitt interview from 2011 in Entertainment Weekly. I'd forgotten about this: Interview with the Vampire was Anne Rice's first time at turning a book into a screenplay. Anne Rice strongly and loudly objected to the casting of Tom Cruise, which caused quite a stir in Hollywood. After the movie was finished, she took back her words. Pressure from her agent, maybe? Some sources say she had similar objections about Brad Pitt, others say it was just Cruise she objected to. Meanwhile, Pitt had committed to the project because he liked the books but did not see a script until two weeks before filming because it wasn't ready. He didn't yet have power in Hollywood to request to see drafts. When he saw the script he was disappointed because everything he liked about Louis in the book had been taken out of the screenplay. River Phoenix's death right before filming made matters worse, of course, and Pitt said the depressing atmosphere, being in the dark all the time, and script issues made him call David Geffen and say "How much to buy myself out of this?" Geffen said "Forty Million." Brad finished the picture.
In The Vampire Lestat he visits coffee shops all the time just to be among mortals and to "feel the warmth of the cup" on his hands. And I'd be the best chef who ever lived if I made awesome food and never even tasted it, ever. Just sayin.
I think the melancholy that comes with eternity and a diet devoted towards the destruction of humanity is part of what makes vampires such tragically hip monsters. I honestly don't feel as though I'd have the imagination and curiosity to learn as much as the hunger and need to destroy. I think that's the huge moral pull of the whole immortal thing. What would we really do with that sort of time? Would we pass through the human world or look for our own? What sort of morality would there be if there were no consequences (death, punishment) to our acts? That's why the complicated brooding vamps interest me. I love a party for only so long. After a while, I wonder what it means...
My favorite vampire movies: 1) Let the Right One In -- Lindqvist's book is really tops too. I adore this movie, the Swedish version of course. Though the American one is okay. 2) Daybreakers -- Sam Neill is always awesome. I like how this ended. 3) Stakeland -- I liked how the torch is kind of passed on to the younger generation, as it were 4) Bram Stoker's Dracula -- Still the best looking vampire movie. Plus Keanu is "impotent with fear." LOL 5) Fright Night -- Roddy McDowall! It's cool despite the feathered hair 6) Thirst -- I liked Oldboy, so this one's easy 7) Blade 1 & 2 -- Snipes may be insane, but he's perfect in this role 8) From Dusk til Dawn -- Quentin may be insane . . . Tom Savini's in there too. Love that guy. 9) John Carpenter's Vampires -- I just liked how they would harpoon the vampires and then winch them out into the sun. Die! 10) 30 Days of Night -- Creepy concept. Black-eyed vampires. Yuck. With a very honorable mention to The House that Dripped Blood (1971) because I liked Ingrid Pitt as a vampire, a lot. There's some I've missed. Gotta fix that! (What We Do in the Shadows, Shadow of the Vampire, Byzantium . . .) But yeah, sparkle vampires and fancy dancies in cravats can take a hike. (Gary Oldman is forgiven, ditto for Sam Neill because they're naturally dapper.) Let the Right One In is just about perfect though. That swimming pool scene's badass.
He still portrayed Louis beautifully, though. I didn't know he was a fan of the book. That's interesting.
I have never read Anne Rice, but did see the movie adaptation of Interview with a Vampire and loved that. I however, did read all of the Twilight books, and can say I did love them. To this day I can not understand the intense hate for them. I can see how people would not like them for a plethora of reasons, but, I just don't see why there is so much legitimate HATE for these books. People point out plot holes, poor writing, and of course, the misinterpretation of vampires. I do understand these critiques, but again, why SO much hate? It was a young adult book series, it wasn't meant to be the next Grapes of Wrath, or what have you. Plus, vampires are fiction, so, I would think that authors, directors, etc., could take some liberty with their origins, habits, etc. Anyway, I am hoping to read Anne Rice's novels at some point because I have heard great things about them. And it would be nice to get another perspective on the whole vampire genre!
ummm. if anyone has a problem with very dark themes like Rape, you may not want to read the Body Snatcher book which is after Queen of the damned. I think. I do love Anne Rice, but sometimes her writing is odd and she's not the best person in the whole world. She and JK Rowling would get on I think. but as far as the books go, I only read the one's with Lestat in them since she seems to have the most fun with him. Prince Lestat wasn't horrible per se, but I did skip a BUNCH of POV's just to get the gist of the story. besides, everything gets explained to him so I didn't feel I lost out on anything.
I too loved Twilight, and I'm a middle-aged mom! I never expected it to be great literature, but it was compelling for me at the time of reading (right after my twins were born and I was too exhausted to focus on anything). It read more like a fairy tale to me and got me asking all sorts of questions regarding youth and idealized beauty, and not wanting to grow up, which is I think what the entire saga was really about...that and repressed sexuality. That said, I'm basing a lot of my story on Twilight as a launching pad.
What we Do in the Shadows!!!! I laughed so hard. I love Jermaine Clemens. I think Let The Right One In (Swedish) is the best and most terrifying Vampire movie ever. Only Lovers Left Alive is contemplative and fun. The Hunger!!!! David Bowie and Catherine Deneauve? Yes Please. And the first 3 or 4 Seasons of True Blood...
Yes. Interview With the Vampire predates all of the movies he mentioned. I also disagree that it wasn't until the movie came out that this take on vampires made an impact. The books were hugely successful before the movie was ever close to being released (which is why there was a movie made). I think people forget how popular Anne Rice's books series was at least through the 1980s. According to the NY Times in 1990, The Vampire Lestat brought Rice "serious celebrity," and then "In 1988, ''The Queen of the Damned,'' the third of the vampire books, burst onto the market with a hard-cover printing of 405,000 copies. It was No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list even before its official publication, and remained on the list for 17 weeks." Urban fantasy was on the rise by the time the 90s get into full swing, with Tanya Huff starting more of a modern urban fantasy/vampire sort of series than Rice ever did. And even after, people still wrote horrific vampires. You can't discount Rice's impact on a certain approach to vampire storylines, but it has hardly been the bright line of before and after that people sometimes think.