What’s Your Favorite Book?

5/20/2013 Anne Rice , Billy Idol , Brad Pitt , characters , dark , Interview With the Vampire , Tom Cruise , Vampires 2 Comments

I grew up reading Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, and if you haven’t read Interview With the Vampire and love those types of stories, I suggest you go on Amazon and buy it pronto. She is the Godmother of Vampire stories.

Interview With the Vampire is about Louis who became a vampire in 1791 at the age of 25. He was living in Louisiana. He had a plantation on the Mississippi, near New Orleans. After his brother died, Louis drank all the time and lived like a man who wanted to die but didn’t have the courage to do it himself. In his heart, he truly wished to be murdered. He tempted fate several times by walking the black streets and alleys alone and passing out in cabarets. One night he was attacked, just a few steps from his door. Not by a disgruntled sailor or thief, but by a vampire.

The vampire Lestat.

Both Lewis and Lestat are great characters.

If you haven’t read this book . . . trust me, they are.

Lestat is arrogant, impetuous, a nonconformist, self-involved, yet in his heart he’s lonely and seeks answers to his deepest desires. He gave Louis the “dark gift” as he calls it, because not only did he want Louis' wealth but his companionship as well.

This tale is a very dark and romantic one in a sense that it romances vampirism. Anne Rice did a fabulous job with this story, so much so, it makes you wonder if it’s real.

I can go on and on about it, however, I don’t intend to make this post a book review on it. But like I said, it’s a damn good book and so is The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of The Damned–the other two following this one.

Anyway, back in the 1990s a movie of Interview With the Vampire was made. Brad Pitt played Louis, which I thought he did a wonderful job at. But when I heard Tom Cruise was playing Lestat, I was not happy.

Tom Cruise looks nothing like Lestat.

You know who looks like Lestat?

Billy Idol.

This is what Lestat looks like:

I have to admit, though, Tom Cruise did a wonderful job playing the part. To be honest, I’m not a fan of his work, but I think this was his best role ever.

Just so you can get a taste of what I’m talking about, here are clips from the movie. It captures the darkness of the story perfectly. Oh, and in the book, Lestat turns a six-year-old orphan into a vampire, which wasn’t a good thing to do. You’ll have to read the book to discover why he did such a selfish thing.

I have to say, since I grew up reading this book and the rest of Anne Rice's vampire chronicles, and I write in this genre, this is my favorite story.