While I know that this book is considered by many to be a great classic, when I read it I literally had to force myself to finish this book over the course of a month, when normally it would have taken me a matter of days. The writing dragged on and on and on with little details and events I could have cared less about. The characters did not appeal to me, except for Claudia and ""SOILER"" she was killed off rather quickly, compared to the rest of the book. The only thing that attracted me to her was her determination and more ruthless personality than Lestat and Louis, who were, in my honest opinion, too effeminite for me to greatly like. I suppose the overall story is interesting, but it is so lost in a web of mind-numbing writing and weak characters that it was impossible for me to enjoy in any way.

When Louis, a New Orleans vampire, is interviewed by a young journalist, he seizes the opportunity to reveal the essence of his life, and that of vampires in general. Turned into a vampire by Lestat, whom he loathes, Louis is different from the typical vampire. Filled with scruples and feelings for those who could be his victims, he prefers to feed on the blood of animals, rather than on humans. When he feeds on the blood of a five-year-old orphan, Claudia, one night, he intentionally stops feeding before she dies. Lestat, however, finishes the job, then revives her with his own blood, turning her into a five-year-old vampire, a creature who gets older but who does not change physically. In time, Claudia, furious at her fate, decides to kills Lestat, the crime of killing another vampire being the only real crime in the vampire "ethic."

As Louis unveils his deathless life, the reader is exposed to the vampire culture in New Orleans, to Louis's connections at the Theatre des Vampires in Paris (where vampires put on public performances in which humans are sacrificed), to his trip to Egypt with Armand of the Theatre des Vampires, and to his return to New Orleans and attempt to set his life right. Always, Louis stops short of behaving as a completely amoral vampire when it comes to human sacrifice. Though he sometimes must drink the blood of humans, he continues to try to learn about and change the vampire culture, and even to sacrifice vampire lives in an effort remake vampire society.

Creating a vampire who is at odds with his culture, author Anne Rice creates empathy for Louis, while showing "five-year-old" Claudia to be ruthless. The internecine rivalries and resentments within vampire culture parallel those in the real world of humans, though the powers of the vampire make their "wars" far more violent. Louis, lonely, guilt-ridden, and full of despair, tries to convey to the interviewer the horrors of his "existence," such as it is, along with its lack of "romance" and excitement, but he fails completely, as he also does with the reader, who cannot help but become caught up in the excitement of Louis's adventures. An excellent introduction to Rice's vampire cycle (and great escape reading) for those who have not yet become familiar with these stories. n Mary Whipple

I read this book once. It was allright but too dark and racy for me. I like reading about vampires but this one was hard to follow in some parts and some parts I liked some but I liked Merrick better. BOOK WAS OKAY

If you're looking for elegant writing, look elsewhere, but if what you want is a bizarre romance story, go ahead and give it a try. The writing is too flowery for my taste and the story somewhat slow, but it is a pop-culture phenomenon which is worth at least being familiar with.

I read this book when it first came out in paperback and have since read most of the others. The reason for my recent purchase of the book was for a friend who enjoyed reading it and has since purchased Book 2. All the Vampire Chronicle books I have read I have enjoyed and would recommend them to anyone interested in reading these types of books.