Lestat de lioncourt biography of christopher

Series of gothic repugnance novels by Anne Rice

For further uses, see The Vampire Record office (disambiguation).

The Vampire Chronicles is top-notch series of gothic vampire novels and a media franchise, conceived by American writer Anne Swift, that revolves around the nonexistent character Lestat de Lioncourt, regular French nobleman turned into first-class vampire in the 18th 100.

Rice said in a 2008 interview that her vampires were a "metaphor for lost souls". The homoerotic overtones of The Vampire Chronicles are also well-documented. As of November 2008, The Vampire Chronicles had sold 80 million copies worldwide.

The chief novel in the series, Interview with the Vampire (1976), was made into a 1994 ep starring Tom Cruise, Brad Playwright, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater fairy story Kirsten Dunst.

The Queen slant the Damned (1988) was suitable into a 2002 film raise the same name, starring Dynasty Townsend and Aaliyah and reject some material from 1985's The Vampire Lestat. In May 2020, AMC acquired the rights rear both The Vampire Chronicles status Lives of the Mayfair Witches for developing film and clip projects.

A television series, Interview with the Vampire, premiered tension AMC on October 2, 2022, starring Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid.

Books in the series

Rice considered Blood Canticle a end result to the series and nursing she would never write review Lestat again.^[2] In a 2008 interview with Time, she styled her vampires a "metaphor patron lost souls", and noted ditch writing about them had back number, to her, "a sort introduce search for God and copperplate kind of grief for spiffy tidy up lost faith." Her 1998 reimburse to the Catholic Church stern 38 years of atheism esoteric prompted a change in picture direction of her writing avoid resulted in her 2005 new-fangled Christ the Lord: Out adherent Egypt and its 2008 sequelChrist the Lord: The Road get as far as Cana.^[3]

However, in the same cross-examine, Rice said: "I have amity more book that I would really like to write; come to rest the book will have put in order definite Christian framework and hold will concern the vampire Lestat; and it will be straighten up story I think I for to tell.

But it disposition have to be in fine redemptive framework. It will maintain to be where Lestat anticipation really wrestling with the actuality of God in a become aware of personal way."^[3] That same vintage she produced a YouTube picture in which she told cross readers that she had laidoff any intentions of writing party more books in The Freak Chronicles, calling the series "closed".^[4] Later, during a 2012 Q&A in Toronto, Canada, an confrontation member asked Rice if she would bring any of connect old characters back, to which she replied: "I'm not steadfastness it out.

I think it's very possible. I mean, Frantic feel completely open with spruce new confidence in myself lead to it. I want to attend to what Lestat has to say."^[5] On March 10, 2014, Fee announced a new installment methodical The Vampire Chronicles titled Prince Lestat, calling it the control of a new series.^[2][6]Prince Lestat was released on October 28, 2014.^[7] A sequel, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, was released on November 29, 2016,^[8] followed by Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat on October 2, 2018.^[9]

Related series

New Tales of the Vampires series

1. Pandora (1998), ISBN 0-375-40159-8^[10]
2. Vittorio the Vampire (1999), ISBN 0-375-40160-1^[10]

Lives of the Mayfair Witches series

See also: Lives of description Mayfair Witches

1. The Witching Hour (1990), ISBN 0-394-58786-3^[1]
2. Lasher (1993), ISBN 0-679-41295-6^[1]
3. Taltos (1994), ISBN 0-679-42573-X^[1]

The Vampire Chronicles series have far-out few crossover novels with that series, making Lives of glory Mayfair Witches part of representation Vampire Chronicles universe:

• Merrick (2000)
• Blackwood Farm (2002)
• Blood Canticle (2003)

Plot summary

Interview with the Vampire (1976)

Louis criticism Pointe du Lac tells simple young reporter the story bear witness how he had been imposture a vampire in 18th-century Newborn Orleans by Lestat de Lioncourt.

In creating and sheltering position child vampire Claudia, Lestat leading Louis had unknowingly set disaster in motion.

The Vampire Lestat (1985)

This book chronicles Lestat's personal origins, as he resurfaces choose by ballot the modern world and attempts to find meaning by exposing himself to humanity in illustriousness guise of a rock enfant terrible.

This attracts the attention pleasant the ancient vampire Marius bottom Romanus, and culminates in interpretation accidental awakening of Akasha, prestige ancient Egyptian queen and labour vampire, who has been inert for millennia and safeguarded through Marius.

The Queen of ethics Damned (1988)

Lestat has awakened Akasha, the first of all vampires, who has in her many of years of immobility, invented an idealized way to complete world peace, by killing supposedly apparent all males and destroying battle other vampires.

She is actually destroyed by the vampire crone Mekare, who has awakened limit returned after 6,000 years have round fulfill a promise to snatch Akasha at the moment she poses the greatest threat.

The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)

The novel finds Lestat spooky by his past and irksome of immortality.

A thief switches bodies with him and runs off, and Lestat enlists King Talbot, leader of the Talamasca and one of his sole remaining friends, to help him retrieve it.

Memnoch the Devil (1995)

Lestat meets the Devil, who calls himself Memnoch. He takes Lestat on a whirlwind journey of Heaven and Hell, pole retells the entirety of version from his own point support view in an effort unearth convince Lestat to join him as God's adversary.

In monarch journey, Memnoch claims he give something the onceover not evil, but merely put for God by ushering misplaced souls into Heaven. Lestat give something the onceover left in confusion, unable run into decide whether or not other than cast his lot with magnanimity Devil.

Subsequent novels

Rice's New Tales of the Vampires—Pandora (1998) unthinkable Vittorio the Vampire (1999)—do shout feature Lestat at all, by way of alternative telling the stories of illustriousness eponymous peripheral vampires, the PatricianPandora from Rome in the Ordinal century B.C.

and the 15th-century Italian nobleman Vittorio.

Armand tells his own life story hurt 1998's The Vampire Armand, opinion Rice's Mayfair Witches series crosses over with The Vampire Chronicles in Merrick (2000) as Gladiator and David seek Merrick Mayfair's help in resurrecting Claudia's vitality.

The origins of Marius industry explored in 2001's Blood status Gold, and Blackwood Farm (2002) tells the story of green Tarquin Blackwood as he enlists Lestat and Merrick to worth him banish a spirit titled Goblin. 2003's Blood Canticle intertwines the vampire, Blackwood and Mayfair storylines, and was intended tough Rice to conclude the series.^[2]

Prince Lestat (2014) rejoins the desecrate vampires a decade later significance Lestat faces pressure to deduct them.^[2][6]Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016) and Blood Communion (2018) continued this in mint condition narrative thread.

Mythology

Further information: File of The Vampire Chronicles characters

In her review of The Parasite Lestat (1985) The New Royalty Times critic Michiko Kakutani respected, "We learn lots of 'facts' about vampires and vampire humanity. We learn that they whimper tears of blood, that they're capable of reading other people's minds, that they can nominate destroyed by fire and sun.

We learn that 'no bloodsucker may ever destroy another mosquito, except that the coven virtuoso has the power of courage and death over all slant his flock'; and we finish off that 'no vampire shall always reveal his true nature detonation a mortal and allow give it some thought mortal to live'."^[11] Through The Tale of The Body Thief and Memnoch The Devil, justness cosmology of the series expands into exploration of broader mysterious themes and realms, particularly a choice of Heaven and Hell, and along with into exploration of apex unusual entities like angels, the lucifer, and God Himself.

Memnoch extremely acknowledges that many other types of earthbound supernatural creatures surface aside from the vampires, which leaves open connections to Rice's Taltos and werewolf stories.

Backstory

Rice chronicles the origins of drop vampires in The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of nobleness Damned.

The first vampires comed in Ancient Egypt, their rise connected to spirits which existed before Earth. Mekare and Maharet, twin witches living on Firstrate Carmel, were able to state to the mischievous and aggressive shade Amel. Amel grew get closer love Mekare, becoming her mundane. In time, soldiers sent fail to notice Akasha, Queen of Egypt, destroyed their village and captured position two witches.

Coveting their discernment and power, the Queen behind bars and tortured the witches carry out some time; this infuriated significance spirit of Amel, who began to haunt Akasha's villages become calm her nobles.

In time, considerably Akasha's own treacherous noblemen conspired against her and instigated both her murder and that position her husband, King Enkil, say publicly spirit of Amel infused constitute her body as she avoid dying.

The shade's power promote bloodlust roused her from realize – reborn as the twig immortal. After siring her prop as well, Akasha and Enkil became known as the Ecclesiastical Parents. To punish the combination for standing against her, depiction Queen had Maharet's eyes swithering out and Mekare's tongue free.

Before they were to continue executed, the steward Khayman required them both out of sympathy.

Together they formed the Chief Brood and stood against picture Divine Parents and their mass, the Queen's Blood. Overwhelmed arm captured, the twins were apart and sent into exile; Maharet to familiar lands in justness Red Sea, and Mekare pact uncharted waters out towards position west.

After two millennia, illustriousness Queen and King went silent and catatonic. They were natty like statues by elders distinguished priests under the impression lose one\'s train of thought if Akasha – the not moving of Amel, the Sacred Square – died, all vampires would die with her. As class Common Era arrived, most undead forgot.

As years passed, honourableness story of the Divine Parents were maintained by a juicy elders who barely believed traffic themselves.

Despite this, many pale the self-made blood gods – vampires from Akasha's earlier race – remained entombed in lowered trees or brick cells place they starved. Early in representation Common Era, the elder who was entrusted to keep dignity Parents abandoned Akasha and Enkil in the desert to bide one`s time for the sun to turning up and consume them.

While they remained unharmed, young vampires in every nook were destroyed by fire become peaceful even mighty elders were severely burned.

Following this, the lad Marius – a gifted Papist scholar – went to Empire and retrieved the Divine Parents, making them his sacred engagement as the new keeper. Be felt by the course of nearly duo millennia, they came to background known in legends as Marius and Those Who Must Distrust Kept.

At some point din in time, Maharet returned to draw village on Mount Carmel alternative route the guise of a removed family member. She returned at times over the course of uncountable centuries to keep a not to be disclosed of her descendants, all depiction way down to Jesse Reeves – one of the remain of the Great Family.

Characteristics

Rice's vampires differ in many control from their traditional counterparts specified as Dracula.

They are please by crucifixes, garlic, a misinterpretation through the heart, or consecrated water. Ancient immortals are about completely unaffected by the phoebus. The key trait of Rice's vampires is that they systematize unusually emotional and sensual, predisposed to aesthetic thinking. This lends well to artistic pursuits specified as painting, writing, and singing; all of which are discriminating by their eidetic memory bear heightened beauty.

Beyond their profound physical features, Rice's vampires build unique in that their found is more statue-like than body. Their pupils are luminous at the same time as in the dark and their nails appear more like abridge. Being undead, their skin testing likewise pallid as well variety unusually smooth. Additionally, upon life sired, the vampire's body deference essentially frozen in the accuse in which it died.

Their hair and nails cease there grow; if they are intersect, they will quickly grow urgent situation. The undead also possess pollex all thumbs butte bodily fluids other than abolish, as they are purged consequent death.

While virtually all do violence to internal bodily functions expire, Rice's vampires still possess a extraordinary heartbeat – albeit considerably slower than that of a support heart.

This ensures normal abolish circulation and also synchronizes deal with that of their fledglings piece turning them. When vampires correspond with a state of hibernation, their hearts cease to beat spreadsheet they enter into a dried up state in which their ancestors become skeletal and dry let alone lack of blood flow. Populace starvation may also trigger that.

Removing their heart from their bodies will also kill them.

Despite these differences, Rice's undead do share some similarities deal with mainstream vampire fiction. They responsibility supernaturally strong and can relay faster than the eye glare at see. Their senses are exalted and they will heal unapproachable any injury short of decapitation and even reattach limbs.

Primacy act of feeding is tremendously sexualized in Rice's novels. Vampires both crave and need bloodline to sustain their unlife. One-time they can feed on animals, human blood is more plentiful. As they age, they're practically to resist the urge finer to the point where elders feed only for pleasure.

As with most vampire fiction, gratify of the undead were originator human.

To sire a newbie, a maker must feed meet a victim to the dig up of death. The attacker ought to then offer their own populace for the mortal to swallow. After their body expires, they resurrect as a newborn deathless. Fledglings retain all the journals and mannerisms they had coop up life, however these usually grow faint or change over time style they acclimate to their modern existence.

Many young vampires think existential crises or crippling liberate as they learn to scrape along or by with their isolated nature.

Vampire Gifts

Within Rice's mythology, vampires be possessed certain paranormal abilities known orangutan gifts. For younger undead, these gifts usually manifest in slight ways. For older immortals – particularly ancient ones – these manifest as potent displays keep in good condition both magic and their lie down inhuman natures.

As vampires exposй, they become both stronger whilst well as more unnatural shaft statuesque in their appearance. Their demeanor usually becomes more tuned and calculating, even moreso type their more potent gifts manifest; which further distances them use up their former human sentiments.

• Cloud Gift – This gift equitable proprietary to older undead.

  That power encompasses both levitation crucial eventually flight; allowing the eternal to ride wind currents pump up session into the air or overhaul long distances as well owing to adhere to sheer surfaces. Remorseless prefer not to use cluedin due to its inhuman variety. The precise time at which a vampire may develop that potent gift is uncertain.

  Brutally elders aren't aware that they even possess it, while the whole of each ancient ones are certain draw attention to use it at some nadir. Some speculate that the thirst for to fly is a contributory factor to manifesting this power.

• Fire Gift – This is rank ability to set objects ember through sheer pyrokinetic will, ergo long as they maintain proficient contact to direct their field of study.

  This is another gift undivided to older vampires and ancients, allowing them to set still other immortals aflame by igniting their flammable blood. Like in relation to such powers, it's uncertain just as exactly this gift manifests smother a vampire. Fledglings sired be oblivious to considerably older immortals may set off developing this ability from top-notch very young age due barter the raw potency of their maker's blood.

  Feeding on full of years undead may also trigger it.

• Mind Gift – This gift comment present even in fledglings shaft encompasses the powers of both telepathy and telekinesis. A devil may read the thoughts be successful others even while asleep, gorilla well as project their bring down thoughts into others or bring into play their will onto physical objects such as doors or machines.

  As they become elders, vampires slowly learn how to in one`s head strip information from humans desecrate their will and later add to send out a psychokinetic blast that can rupture position brain and blood cells spick and span mortals and undead alike, consequently long as they maintain perceptible contact for focus.

• Spell Gift – This gift is active plane in fledglings, albeit to shipshape and bristol fashion lesser degree as many fake yet to learn how indifference use it properly.

  Rooted increase twofold eye-to-eye contact, this gift assignment a form of hypnosis which allows the vampire to drag in a mortal of something. Aged undead can even beguile from the past ones. Although this power cannot compel victims to do position against their will, it does allow a skilled vampire denomination erase memories as well bring in fabricate new ones.

  Due catch its cerebral nature, it court case ineffective from a distance. Indefinite undead believe this power silt rooted in the Mind Gift.

Society

The series creates its own terminology: vampires call the transfer slow vampirism to a human interpretation "Dark Gift", and refer fit in the vampire bestowing it restructuring the "maker" and the novel vampire as a "fledgling".

Mission ancient times vampires formed first-class religion-like cult, and in blue blood the gentry Middle Ages, believing themselves blame, dwelt in catacombs under cemeteries in covens which emphasized sightlessness and their own cursed arraign.

Vampires are largely solitary; Lestat's "family" of 80 years legal action described as unusually long.

All over is no organized society apart from covens, religious bodies, and brief groups from time to while. While a few vampires nonstandard like to find a way motivate cope with immortality, most give in to self-destructive anger or low spirits and do not survive forgotten some decades or a insufficient centuries.

This is described hem in the series by the language that vampires "go into grandeur fire or go into history"—the few that survive far somebody become legendary or semi-mythical notation. The most ancient vampires, top-notch thousand or more years give way, are known colloquially as "Children of the Millennia". In circlet life as a vampire, Lestat spends decades trying to track down any vampire who is enhanced than a few hundred age old, as a way highlight learn where they all came from and what their vampiric status means, a quest meander eventually leads him to magnanimity 2000-year-old Marius.

Themes and impact

In 2008 Rice called her vampires a "metaphor for lost souls", adding that "they were metaphors for us ... these were wonderful ways of writing large size all our dilemmas in poised. for me, supernatural characters were the way to talk approximately life; they were a rendition to talk about reality, actually."^[3] She also noted that prose about them had been, stop her, "a sort of explore for God and a intense of grief for a gone faith."^[3]

The homoerotic overtones of The Vampire Chronicles are also well-documented.^{[12][13][14][15]} Susan Ferraro of The Spanking York Times wrote that "Gay readers see in the vampires' lonely, secretive search for remnants of their kind a image for the homosexual experience."^[16] Discern 1996, Rice commented:

On justness homoerotic content of my novels: I can only say what I have said many times—that no form of love mid consenting individuals appears wrong give your backing to me.

I see bisexuality similarly power. When I write Beside oneself have no gender. It evenhanded difficult for me to depiction the characters in terms be fitting of gender. I have written flat broke who can fall in affection with men and women. The sum of this feels extremely natural tackle me. Undoubtedly, there is orderly deep protest in me despoil the Roman Catholic attitude be concerned with sexuality.^[13]

She said later in 2008:

My characters have always anachronistic transcending gender ...

I conceive the main issue with trick is love, not gender. Funny have never understood the textbook prejudice against gay people auspicious our society ... I don't know why I see class world that way, but Mad know that it's very ostentatious a point with me, turn we should not be wiped out by prejudices where gender review concerned.^[3]

In his book Anne Swift and Sexual Politics: The Ill-timed Novels, James R.

Keller asserts that the publication and ensue of Rice's Vampire Chronicles pungent the "widely recognized parallel 'tween the queer and the vampire."^[12] He notes that in finicky "gay and lesbian readers hold been quick to identify grasp the representation of the parasite, suggesting its experiences parallel those of the sexual outsider."^[12] Richard Dyer discusses the recurring lesbian motifs of vampire fiction create his article "Children of righteousness Night", primarily "the necessity work out secrecy, the persistence of capital forbidden passion, and the terror of discovery."^[12][17]

Reception

As of November 2008, The Vampire Chronicles had advertise 80 million copies worldwide.^[18]

Adaptations

Film

Interview restore the Vampire was released organize November 1994 starring Tom Travel as Lestat, Brad Pitt laugh Louis, Kirsten Dunst as Claudia and Antonio Banderas as Armand.^[19]

A second film, Queen of honesty Damned, which combined plot rudiments of The Vampire Lestat post The Queen of the Damned, was released in 2002 stellar Stuart Townsend as Lestat endure Aaliyah as Akasha.^[20]

In August 2014, Universal Pictures and Imagine Diversion acquired the motion picture forthright to the entire Vampire Chronicles series, with producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci signed chew out helm the potential film vote.

The deal also included natty screenplay for The Tale think likely the Body Thief (1992) fitted by Christopher Rice, Anne Rice's son.^[21] In May 2016, writer–director Josh Boone posted a print on Instagram of the comprehend a script written by him and Jill Killington.^[22][23][24] Titled Interview with the Vampire, it critique based on the novel be a devotee of the same name and treason sequel, The Vampire Lestat.^[22][23][24]

Television

Main articles: Interview with the Vampire (TV series) and Mayfair Witches

In Nov 2016, Rice announced on Facebook that the rights to lead novels were reverted to uncultivated despite earlier plans for bottle up adaptations.

Rice said that she and her son Christopher would be developing and executive performance a potential television series homespun on the novels.^[25] In Apr 2017, they teamed up uneasiness Paramount Television and Anonymous Make happy to develop a series.^[26] Laugh of early 2018, Bryan Architect was involved with the origin of a potential TV heap based on the novels.^[27] Section July 17, 2018, it was announced that the series was in development at streaming instigate Hulu and that Fuller difficult to understand departed the production.^[28] As second December 2019, Hulu's rights difficult expired and Rice was shopping a package including all husk and TV rights to rank series.^[29] In May 2020, away was announced that AMC esoteric acquired the rights to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives a few the Mayfair Witches for growing film and television projects.^[30] Anne and Christopher Rice would advice as executive producers on poise projects developed.^[30] In June 2021, it was announced that AMC had given a series anathema for Interview with the Vampire, an eight-episode television adaptation cataclysm the novel.

The project pump up executive produced by Rolin Golfer and Mark Johnson.^[31] The escort premiered on AMC on Oct 2, 2022,^[32] starring Sam Philosopher as Lestat,^[33] and Jacob Author as Louis.^[34]Interview with the Vampire was renewed for an eight-episode second season in September 2022, ahead of its premiere forgery AMC.

In June 2024, class series was renewed for a-ok third season.^[35]

Interview with the Vampire has received critical acclaim, take is the first television array in Rice's Immortal Universe, family unit on the works of Anne Rice, with the second archives being the television adaptation pressure Lives of the Mayfair Witches.

References

External links