Still from Vampyros Lesbos via Tmrrw Never Knows’ great collection.
There’s a very obvious reason Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles were so cult-like successful: they were erotic to the core, and Lestat was evil, an anti-hero rife with sexual tension and bloodlusty pathos. I just read that fallen atheist, born-again (after she wrote the good stuff) Rice is coming out with a new book in her Vampire Chronicles, which will “have a definite Christian framework and a focus on the theme of redemption”. Now, I have friends and fans (and fiends) of all faiths, but come on, Rice. Get a clue. Snip from Time:
Upon returning to the church after a more than three-decade absence, the author in 2005 dramatically and publicly declared that she would never again return to writing about vampires. Said Rice in an interview with Christianity Today: “I would never go back, not even if they say you will be financially ruined. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that.”
But never say never. While Rice justifies her decision by saying the book will have a definite Christian framework and a focus on the theme of redemption, she admits that the future chronicle will once again involve the character Lestat and a fictional organization known as the Talamaska that is responsible for investigating the supernatural. Much like the author herself, Lestat will be wrestling with the existence of God throughout the story. “I don’t see it as a violation of my promise, because I won’t be writing about vampires in the same way,” Rice maintains.
Never say never indeed. I notice she’s not mentioning her previous novels written under the name AN Roquelaure, the Claiming of Sleeping Beauty series where Beauty is put through endless explicit hardcore trials in training as a sexual slave, with a focus on ponygirl sexual servitude and spankings. Lots and lots and lots of spankings. By the 150th spanking on page 150 I was like, okay, I feel spanked, and didn’t finish the series. But — am I the only one who finds it eerily foreshadowy that Lestat was played by Scientology cult fanatic preacher-man Tom Cruise in the film adaptation of Rice’s classic eroto-horror novel, Interview With The Vampire (a casting choice Rice vehemently defended despite fandom opposition)? And now, it looks like Lestat just might become as sexless and fanatical as Cruise-Christ himself?
Granted, Rice hasn’t decried (or mentioned) the sexuality of her vampires, but I remember how sexy and dark and delicious those books made me feel as a young girl. Lestat was evil, true to his nature and it was *all* about the sex. Will we be seeing “The Redemption And Anti-Fetish Salvation of Sleeping Beauty” anytime soon, ’cause her name is *still* all over those books? Lord loves a hypocrite. Rice: I call FAIL.
I always hoped that Anne Rice had gotten over her God thing when she wrote Memnoch the Devil. Lestat’s already dealt with the Higher Power, I’d thought…
I might read a “Christian” vampire novel – but certainly won’t be buying it in hardcover, or new. It’ll be the less risky used bookshop version for me thanks.
I think the most disturbing thing about the change for Lestat, isn’t that he’s becoming some kind of strange born-again like Annie herself, but that…this is a character that hasn’t changed in how many books now?
Anne Rice seems to consider herself a writer, and yet, she doesn’t understand the first thing about characters. They’re not her own. Sure she may have breathed life into them, but they have their own paths. You can’t force them to do what you want when you want. That’s why most writing is so terrible, and while I never had much of a high opinion of her writing abilities to begin with, Lestat was a charmer when I was 14, and to see him getting butchered for the sake of Annie’s new found writerly impetus is just sad.
You know, the more I read this blog, and Adorkable Grrl’s blog, The more I feel that I missed something somewhere, and that they are lighting the path to enlightenment.
That, or both of you just make very persuasive points I am just unable to disagree with.
Have a Great day!
David
I’m kindof confused. . .
First, it seems like you, Violet, of all people would want Rice to have a chance to write something new and different and unique. Isn’t that what an accepting lifestyle is typically about?
And second. . .you seem to be confusing her return to religion with her decision to stop writing about vampires. Those subjects are seperated by almost a decade. She returned to her faith in 1996, her “no more vampires” statement came nine years later, after a handful of books including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_the_Vampire.
Admittedly I haven’t read anything of hers except the Beauty trilogy (it strained my patience to finish that thing–I agree with you about the spankings) and I don’t believe Rice understands proper dom behaviour, but that’s a different issue. I do intend to go back and read the Lestat books at some point, but lately I’ve been busy with my own work. This serves as encouragement for me to read the originals so I can compare them to the new one though.
In the same article that you quoted above, Rice also mentions that the next book in the Jesus series is coming out in a few days. Sounds more like she was using Lestat to pimp the new tome. I sincerely hope that she doesn’t write a book about Lestat with the mindset she now holds.
Rice is born-again? Okay, that explains why Blood Canticle blew dog (I know, minor technicality that she published that before her 2005 head-long plunge back into Christianity). Let’s just say she overstayed her welcome in that glorious series by dragging it out into mediocrity. Like the old vaudevillian said, “Leave them wanting more.”
It is in times of great turmoil, whether it is change for the good or bad or dramatically different, it is in these circumstances that people will find their familiar and comfortable path of life disrupted and people will cling to new perspectives to find a horizon and a star to steer by. We as humans seek to find reason and explanations to that which seems illogical or unplanned.
My husband and I had a very neurotically high-strung very religious friend in college (whose parents kept ranting about going to hell), who asked my husband if he was going to hell. He replied no. When asked to further elaborate on why not, my husband merely replied, “In my religion, I’m not going to hell.” Poor guy’s brain nearly imploded.
If I remember correctly, Rice was opposed to Cruise playing Lestat until she saw some of the dailies from the movie. Then she did a complete about-face and started gushing about how wonderful he was in the role.
I loved the Chronicles and also liked the Beauty series, Exit to Eden and Belinda. At that time I was reading anything that she wrote. However, I hated the other series (Lasher?) and never finished them. I’ll probably buy the new Lestat book when it comes out. I just hope that because she wants to make it more “Christian”, so as not to TOTALLY go back on her word, that she doesn’t f**k the series up. We shall see.
I remember reading Interview in high school and wondering if my parents got the sexual context of the book (they did, the figured since I’d swiped mah Mommaship’s Anias Nin a few years earlier that I could handle it.)
I think that untimely death can cause a natural reaction to question and begin to fear your own mortality and to start “what if-ing” everything… I think this is the reason why people turn to religion after losing a loved one…
However:
I agree with Violet about this. To rewrite Lestat is to, decades later, tell all us outcasts that the true road to happiness is on the path of the normal and the righteous; where once her books emboldened those who didn’t fit into society’s square peg to just embrace themselves (much as Lestat embraced being a vampire) and live life to the fullest.
It’s pretty f-ing lame if you ask me… I wish she’d just create a new series to deal with her own crisis of faith instead of ruining one so many have enjoyed just how it was left.
But Violet…epic fail is nothing new for little Annie. Remember the Amazon.com crisis?
How many years has she been writing and she still hasn’t figured out plotting beyond an 8th grade level?
That being said…I’m totally with you on the Cruise/Lestat thing. He’s got vampire/psychotic alien written all over his dental profile.
David and Queen, I totally understand that grieving has been a big part of Rice’s writing processes, and won’t fault anyone, or any writer their need for process or closure and healing. but I just can’t help but feel like she’s retconning my most formative masturbation, I mean, literary experiences. so many of us found the same strength and healing (and hotness, and feeling like we could be outcasts and hot) by the true nature of Lestat’s character and his actions through Rice’s narrative. and I feel like this is like trying to re-write that. it’s not a revision or a story continuation I think we’re seeing here, but a possible alteration so deep as to make the whole world of Lestat untenable. but that’s just me… :)
Hi Violet
I am a new fan and think you did a great job with your website. I also love your podcasts , will there be more soon?
As for Anne Rice I was a big fan of her Vampire Chronicles and will have to give it a chance, as long as it is a fun read then I am OK with whatever she wants to do.
I agree with the Muscle Bound Geek,wWith the death of her husband, its only natural to embrace change and/or religion to an extent. She may be using this as a form of closure, anyone that knows AR knows that Lestat was modeled after her husband. What religious woman wouldn’t want her deceased husband to enter those pearly gates?
The fail macro there at the end almost made me cry. What? I love dogs!
As for Anne Rice, my thoughts on this latest turn of events echo those I’ve had of her since I got an Internet connection: “bitch is crazy”. Seriously, Anne. Just STFU and retire already. Here are your laurels for what you did back in the day. Rest on them.
I don’t think that she is being a hypocrite, as much as I think she might be trying to reinvent the series itself to mirror the changes that she has, and is going through. Because lets face it, writing is a mirror of the mind of the person writing it.
I wonder if the royalties from all those evil, sexy vampire tomes are going into the collection plate…
I agree on you on Lestat failing as a born-again anything. Lestat, Sleeping Beauty trilogy, and Exit to Eden are books that never should be touched or skewered in any other way to make it more ‘God’ loving.