armandulac's reviews
184 reviews

In case you've never heard of Carmilla, let me happily introduce you to one of the earliest depictions of vampire in literature and the first depiction of the lesbian vampire, which would later become a trope because of this short book. Additionally, Bram Stoker's Dracula was inspired by Carmilla, but often goes ignored or not mentioned (which feels adpt to me, when a movie inspired by a 1922 interpretation of Dracula is currently in theaters). As a lesbian and a vampire enthusiast, reading Carmilla has been one of my goals for a while and I finally got around to it. Overall, I highly recommend this book for people interested in understanding vampire lore and the history of vampires in literature, especially because it is short and easy to digest. I particularly enjoyed learning where certain parts of vampire lore likely developed out of this book, like their hatred of religious imagery.

As I mentioned above, Carmilla is not long and it is an easy read. Le Fanu is often to the point, and does not use a lot of purple prose which can be difficult for some people (though I love it so). This addition likely helped, since Machado edited his sentences and usage of commas specifically to make it easier to understand. His allusions and thematic wrestling between seduction, evil, and desire is interesting and should be quite obvious to readers, since Le Fanu makes sure several times you understand what he meant and why he wrote specific sections.

I do think in some aspects the length of the novel did hurt the development of the plot and characters, since as a reader there were several times where I felt like I did not understand Laura or Carmilla as much as I wished to and that I wanted better development of their relationship. Many scenes Le Fanu establishes that there is something off about Carmilla, but I wished there were one or two scenes that highlighted the regular relationship between Carmilla and Laura. This would have aided in the gothic horror elements of the novel, which Le Fanu tends to tell you about rather than showing you. This also would probably be a bit sympathetic towards lesbians and lesbian relationships, which I don't particularly think was Le Fanu's point with the novel. I do feel like the abrupt shifting in plot development specifically really reminded me that this was published in newspapers and needed to remind readers what had just happened.

The other developmental moment that I think really hinders this book comes when the general is introduced and proceeds to explain why Bertha died and they could not visit Laura and her father at their isolated estate. Within the introduction of these characters and their death in the beginning, it is very clear to the reader that Carmilla seduced and killed Bertha. I wouldn't mind this foreshadowing coming back at the end as a reveal to Laura and her father, but the way Le Fanu does this with the general and his story over several chapters and basically the last third of the book just completely shifts the focus of the plot in a way that I feel stalls character development for Laura, stalls the plot, and is not particularly horrific. Instead of the growing horror that has been happening to Laura because of Carmilla, some man comes to explain to them what will happen to Laura if they don't kill Carmilla. It would have been far more interesting to have this climax between the two, but we do not see them interact for any falling out after the general's story. I wouldn't even mind his story aiding Laura in connecting the dots about Carmilla that are present in the story if it didn't take up so much of the book! Because of this weird, stilted development the climax and ending feel abrupt and don't hold much emotional weight. Maybe I am more interested in humanizing my lesbian vampire predators than Le Fanu was, but no confrontation between Laura and Carmilla is a truly truly sore ending to an otherwise fantastic novel.

I do find it interesting that, and you may forget this in the course of reading the book, Laura dies as well. I find it an apt pattern in vampire gothic media that a woman will escape her abuser or predator (who is also a symbol of her desire, yes) only for her to die, or for her to die in order for the vampire to also die. Can you tell I saw a certain vampire movie recently?

Anyways if anyone wants to chat about women in vampire fiction I'd love to, something I enjoy ruminating about.

I would be remiss to mention that there is racism/racist depictions of black people present in the book, around when Carmilla and Laura first meet. It's not prolonged in the plot or a character that sticks around, but it happens and you should be aware of that going into the book. Frankly, I found it weird and that it did not serve the book but I want to check out literary publications that analyze the moment to better understand it. Regardless, you should know and it's not my place as a white person to excuse it.

Carmen Maria Machado's edition is, in my opinion, the one to read if you can. As I mentioned above, Machado made edits to make it more readable especially with the commas. She adds footnotes to help explain locations or historical contexts that I would have completely missed otherwise, and are funny and poke fun at Le Fanu and interpretations of the novel. The prologue to this edition is what makes it extraordinarily worth it, to me. In the prologue, Machado goes over previously academic research that have highlighted the real people Le Fanu (and Stoker) based their novels on, specifically the real women who had a real relationship as evidenced by their letters and the real effects that had on their lives, especially on the woman that Laura is based on. To me, this prologue beautifully added necessary additional context about these women and their lives that Le Fanu has immortalized as a sort of warning against lesbianism, though their letters are obviously more explicitly romantic than Carmilla is. Also, I think the additions is solely worth it for the artwork found throughout the pages. Robert Kraiza did an amazing job at capturing scenes and making this classic come to life.

You may be wondering, why the five stars with all the criticisms of Le Fanu's abilities as a writer? I think more people need to be aware of, and read this impactful early vampire work that has specifically shaped how lesbians are represented through vampirism. Depicting "the other" is a deep part of vampire media, which warns the public of the immigrant, the erotic, and the seduction of queer people among other things. Yes, it is in part a way to villainize us, but as a lesbian is it not true that we are an other, that we feel like our love is monstrous? Laura's conflicting emotional state because of Carmilla's monstrous seduction is familiar to queer people, who have felt ill and wrong for being gay. Part of what I enjoy with vampire media is the exploration of morality and desire, and what the vampire represents for the main character. Lesbian desire being represented this way touched something within me, and I urge all vampire enjoyers and queer people to read this edition of Carmilla. Additionally, it is refreshing to read a vampire book that is focused on women and the relationships they share, after reading so much man-focused vampire books. Queer women were some of the earliest representations of vampires in literature, and it is disappointing how absent we are in certain vampire media.

In a time where lesbians are being reminded of our monstrosity in a heteronormative world, books like Carmilla allow us to revel in and struggle with this monstrosity. I hope in the future, further adaptations of this work can explore these themes more deeply, with more care, and with more love. Yes, I plan to read St Gibson's adaptation, after I read Dracula :).

READ THIS!!! it’s fast and easy! good companion to Interview with the Vampire, and the art is beautiful.

Can't give this a formal review since it took me so long to finish, but this is a difficult book to read because of the content. That being said, I think it is one of Rice's strongest, she generally exceled with character studies.

Didn’t really read this, read the important parts thanks to advice from a friend. Not reviewing since I didn’t fully read

This won't be as in-depth of a review as my other <i>The Vampire Chronicles</i> reviews, since it took me longer to finish this book than the others. Again, I preface these reviews by stating that my reading of them is coming from a huge fan of the AMC show, so that colors how I read and review these books. This book also depicts sexual assault, so please be aware of that before reading the book.

I did enjoy a lot of things from this book. Lestat learning how to be human is (for the most part) very humorous. I enjoyed the look we got into his view of his relationship and feelings about Claudia, since so far we have not seen Lestat's perspective on her yet. I also enjoyed the many Louis scenes in this book, far more Louis moments than the previous two! They were still fleeting, still not enough for my taste, and Lestat was very mean to him which I did not enjoy. I did enjoy their changed dynamic though, and I am excited for how they will adapt this book in the show. David was enjoyable towards the end, but I really struggled to like most of the other characters in this book.

I felt like the book dragged for so long until Lestat gets body-swapped, and that was part of the reason it took me so long to finish this book (the other part being grad school). I also thought that the twist was boring, and that Anne Rice could have done so much more with a thief being in Lestat's Akasha-blood powered body instead of having him kill random mortals. The suspense and terror was there with the murder of Lestat's New York banker, and it would have been more interesting to keep up that sense of intrigue and danger.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of promise but really failed to deliver. Onto Memnoch (sort of)!

read for grad class

I mean just. Wow. What can I even say about this book!! Anne Rice you've done it.

This clarification is going to get shorter every time I do a review of a Vampire Chronicles novel, but I will do it anyways! I am coming to these books as a fan of the AMC+ adaptation of Interview with the Vampire and that absolutely coolers and changes my interpretation and enjoyment of the books compared to someone who reads them without this influence.

I was so so right to look forward to this book. A lot of this review is going to be me singing the praises of this book, but I might as well get the few criticisms I have out of the way. Firstly, there's just so little Louis! I knew this going into the book, and it's a thing I expected of the novels after Interview, but god I still do really miss his perspective and his character having an actual big presence in the narrative. Also, it's not an Anne Rice book if some of the ways she talks about race are weird, especially in regards to Akasha and Khayman who are two Egyptians that become white over the thousands and thousands of years of them being vampires. Because apparently it has to be a part of the vampire lore that it leaches the melanin from a non-white person's skin (Does Anne know there are statues made out of black stone? In fact, I'd argue there's probably more black statues than white in Ancient Egypt). The ways Anne talks about culture, archaeology, and the past sometimes do bother me since it is my own field of study, but it's not enough to really truly deeply upset me. Also, as a warning this novel does deal with repeated descriptions of a rape scene and cannibalism which I don't feel is a negative but should be something people are aware of before reading the book.

Now! Onto everything I liked!

I absolutely adore the way the story of this book is told and it's structure and the different perspectives and stories that we see. Yes, the novel fundamentally is still narrated by Lestat (who I do find annoying as a narrator) but it is dominated mainly by other narrators like Khayman, Marius, Jesse, and Daniel that Lestat just feels like another perspective and portion of the story. Anne Rice's talent as an author truly shines through in the writing of these perspectives, because it really does feel like there are distinct voices of these characters in their narration and because there are quite a few new characters it really helped me grasp them and come to love them.

I really enjoyed the short section of Baby Jenks and the Fang Gang, yes because it was such a tragic tale of the state of vampirism in the modern world but also because of the ways it becomes clear that the show adopted it into Claudia's story. I enjoyed Pandora's tale, and I wish we got more perspective from her!

Daniel's story was just utterly brilliant. I knew going in that I would love this portion of the novel, and I am not exaggerating when I say it is one my favorite things I have ever read. The explicit queerness and love between him and Armand makes their story is just so compelling and beautiful and one of the best queer things I have read. I adored getting to learn more about Daniel (who is the interviewer of IWTV) and about his life post-IWTV and his obsession with vampires (same, girl). I also just completely loved seeing Armand through his eyes and getting to deeply understand Armand as a character in day-to-day life, which is something we haven't really seen of him in the previous books. I could wax poetic about this chapter and their relationship all day long, especially if I got spoiler-y with it. But I will restrain myself!

Jesse's perspective was also super interesting, and I was just super compelled to read about this woman archaeologist (can I have a rich vampire aunt who funds my research please!!). I find her connection to the spirit world and the introduction of the Talamasca really compelling and I am excited to see where it goes in the next books. I just really related to her and I too would like to be an archaeologist and a vampire. Make that make sense!!

The rapid switching between perspectives during Lestat's concert really held the tension of that scene, and kept me engaged as I watched the other characters experience this moment I had already experienced but with much less context (about Akasha especially) than I had when reading this section. I also just think it's funny that the portions I wanted extended in The Vampire Lestat (being the end scenes) were literally what half of this book was about! I think that that section was just really well written and compelling.

I absolutely loved Akasha. I felt like she was a really compelling villain (and one of the original girlbosses! You would've loved radical feminism queen). I found her philosophy really interesting to explore and delve into, especially related to violence and gender and power. Do I think Lestat was the wrong audience for the message? Yes! Plan better queen! But I found the ways that she trapped him and also introduced powers to him to be really cool. 

Maharet's story and the explanation of the twins that threads the whole book is quite compelling for the insights it gives us on her and Mekare, as well as on Khayman, Akasha, and Enkil. I especially found it compelling with how it relates to the end in the confrontation with Akasha. I think the philosophical confrontation of Akasha was one of the best moments of the book, and I especially enjoyed Louis and Akasha having a moment of ethical sparing.

Mekare's return, beheading of Akasha, and then the twins cannibalizing her to transfer Amel was just engrossing to me especially with the connections it has to the failed mourning cannibalizing of their mother that Akasha ruined. I'm not sure I fully have the words to articulate how beautiful I find that scene and it's connotations in the wider story.

I thought the final 40ish pages were very fun, especially the way we get to see this cast of characters (and the only vampires left on Earth) intermingle with each other on Armand and Daniel's island as a coven. I would've loved to see more of it, since Lestat doesn't see much because of his trauma. I especially loved Louis and Lestat's return to New Orleans and their apartment on Rue Royale to reminisce about Claudia and their life there. I thought it was sweet, and for some reason it made me sob. I enjoyed Lestat's confrontation with David and I am excited to see how David and the Talamasca connect to the next book.

Now, let's go see Lestat and that body thief!

As I stated in my review for Interview with the Vampire, I am reading this books mainly as a fan of the AMC+ show, and that absolutely changes how I view these books compared to someone who is coming to them independently. So, take this into account when reading my review!

Okay, so The Vampire Lestat is like. Vastly different from Interview with the Vampire. Lestat's perspective/writing style is very different from Louis' that we get in the previous book- that I know I sort of complained about in my last review. I take it back. Lestat's writing style can be very fast, and it does not go on those long, ponderings that Louis often does in the previous book. Instead, Lestat will write a lot about the scenery of wherever and whatever he is focused on. I think that his writing style led to me not enjoying the book as much, since he rarely focuses on the new characters of this story that are introduced, which led me to not connecting with them as much as I did the characters from IWTV. Because so much of the book focuses on new characters, this makes it hard to connect to the larger narrative. I felt like it was difficult for me to connect with Nicki and Gabrielle specifically, especially because Lestat doesn't spend much time on his relationship with Nicki besides moments here and there. Also, there was entirely too much time spent on Marius.

There were portions of this book that I did really enjoy though! Anytime Anne Rice writes a scene with vampires in a church, I lose my mind. It is well done, every single time and I really enjoy the religious imagery (like the beggar woman and baby in Notre Dame). Seeing Armand in this book and hearing his story was so fascinating, and it really helped put into perspective the Armand we see in IWTV and why he sought out Louis (and Claudia) as well as why that relationship comes to an end. I do appreciate all of the vampire lore that we get from this book as well. In IWTV, the vampire lore is not a focus or not something Louis understands, and this book gives us the TVC vampires that I am familiar with from the show. Also, it really shows just how much Lestat was hiding from Louis and Claudia in New Orleans because damn. He knew like everything. I thought Marius' advice was about the only interesting thing from that section, and it connected for me why Lestat turned Louis and why he avoids returning to Europe/Greece in the show.

I really enjoyed the epilogues, they were fast paced, gave us Lestat's perspective on IWTV, provided Armandstat fighting which I love, Louis coming back (!!), and Lestat the rockstar performing and fighting like every vampire.

The ending was a lot of fun, even if the way Lestat writes it can be cringe at times.

It may seem by looking at these paragraphs that there are more moments I enjoyed than those I didn't, but what isn't really shown is that the portions I did not like took up a majority of the book so sometimes it felt like a slog to get through. It sucks, because I think this book is necessary to understand the lore and Lestat and there was potential, but the characters I loved from the last book have such little presence that it is difficult to get through if you don't love Lestat. Which, maybe you do! I am just terribly neutral on him.

Queen of the Damned was the light at the end of the tunnel for me, so I am incredibly excited to read it next!

Okay so, I watched AMC's adaptation of Interview with the Vampire for the first time this October and became (understandably) obsessed with the show. Like, rewatch the first season seven times in three months obsessed. It is with this obsession and love of the show and characters that I came into this book with, which I know has colored my experience of it both positively and negatively and will be reflected in this review. If you're looking for an unbiased review of this book from someone with no background in Anne Rice's vampires, this is not that review.

With that out of the way, I absolutely loved reading this book. It was amazing to be able to connect these characters, their struggles, and scenes and dialogue from the book to the show. I felt like it gave me a better understanding of the show and the process of its creation and the story it is presenting, while recognizing that the two versions are meant to be different. I enjoyed reading the scenes post-New Orleans and thinking about how they will be developed/adapted in season 2. I did feel like it dragged in some places, particularly when Louis and Claudia went to Eastern Europe, and that the prose could often drag the story down. But, there were often times where I absolutely loved the prose, particularly the insight it gave to Louis' mind and relentless pondering. That pondering often provided some of my favorite Louis moments, granted me a much deeper understanding and connection to him, and really got to the core of some of the long-standing questions of this series (and the show).

To get into specifics, I found the New Orleans/Louisiana section to often be dull at times. This might be because of my own comparisons with the show, but I would maintain that this section is not as compelling as other portions of the novel. Louis and Lestat's first meeting and their time on the plantation is boring, and it feels very obvious that Louis is not being entirely truthful about what occurred nor about his feelings regarding Lestat. The only section of this that was interesting were Louis family, which was little developed in my opinion, and Lestat's father dynamics that Louis cannot provide full understanding of. Additionally, the way that enslaved people are discussed in this section is often deeply racist, especially in some of Louis' ramblings about their "superstitious nature". This part of the novel really picks up after they move to New Orleans and create Claudia (my beloved) but I still felt like something in the way Louis describes their dynamics and relationship between Lestat, Claudia, and himself to be lacking. I think this is purposeful, Louis is not a trustworthy narrator, but it was my thoughts during this section regardless. The arguments and dynamics between Louis and Lestat and Louis and Claudia are the most interesting parts of this segment of the book. Claudia and Louis' murder of Lestat was compelling to me, given the connections and changes the show makes while at the same time Louis is entirely conflicted though we as the audience don't really understand why, outside of his guilt surrounding killing. What entirely saved this part for me, and was one of my favorite moments of the entire novel, was when Louis entered the Catholic Church in New Orleans, invisions multiple different funeral processions that he feels guilty/responsible for, gets called to confession by the priest, and then kills the priest on the altar like it is some sort of vampiric communion. Truly, this scene was such a beautiful way to establish how his religious upbringing STILL deeply affects Louis' life as a vampire and how the Catholic guilt he lives with eats away at him. As a queer person that was raised Catholic, this scene rocked me to my core and I absolutely loved it.

As I stated before, the Eastern European portion of this novel was boring and I'm glad it's been cut out of like every adaptation of this novel. When Louis and Claudia arrive in Paris, this novel becomes just breathtakingly beautiful and interesting to me. We get to see their dynamics at their most bare, with Louis' philosophical pondering eating away at him and Claudia (rightfully so) embracing her hatred of Louis for his part in making her what she is. The Théâtre des Vampires is so engrossing, their performance is deeply compelling and the view we get of other vampires highlights how human Louis still is. The philosophical debates Louis and Armand have upon meeting, but also at other points during this section, are so interesting and lay bare the questions on Louis' mind that plague his existence. The obsession they have with each other is really interesting, and Louis' ease at admitting his love for Armand just further brings into question what and why he was hiding with Lestat and New Orleans. Just kind of obsessed with loving a person because you are both evil, so you cannot imagine anyone else should/will love you. Claudia and Madeleine are really interesting, and I wish Anne Rice spent more time focusing on their relationship because it's just fascinating. I am excited for how the show will develop it. 

The return of Lestat, and the deaths of Claudia and Madeleine are heart wrenching, tragic moments to read. To watch them die, entirely out of Louis' control but caused by two people he deeply loves (Lestat and Armand) just rips out your heart and stomps on it. The fire of the Théâtre des Vampires feels good in it's revenge for the pain that Louis holds, and that I as the reader share (and I am excited for this adaptation in the show as well). The way that the murder of Claudia just absolutely destroys any human quality Louis had left, his passion most notably, is a sad, beautiful reflection of the enormity of his grief and his capacity for love that he lost. It forever connects him to Armand, but it seems to the displeasure of them both. Also, I was intrigued by Armand as a sadistic person. His involvement in Madeleine's turning! Him telling Louis to jump off the tower! His clear desire to completely isolate Louis, just so compelling to me as a reader.

The return to New Orleans with the decaying, depressed Lestat is another sad reflection of grief and love lost that I found compelling and beautiful. Armand and Louis' final discussion in the park, where Armand admits his involvement in the events in Paris and that he never expected it to utterly destroy the passion he loved most in Louis is touching and highlights again the extent of Louis' grief and how it changed him. His final confrontation with Daniel, and Daniel beginning to search for Lestat is a beautiful way to end the book and showed again Louis' detachment from humanity that has been caused by his grief and the vampires in his life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the insight it gave me into the show and these characters, who I've come to love in their book form. I really enjoyed reading this with a lot of my friends at the same time (unintentionally lol)! Onto the second book!