Rating: 9.5/10
I really understand why everyone enjoys this one so much more than Interview with the Vampire. This book gives us the backstory for Lestat, the vampire responsible for Louis' birth into vampirism. The Vampire Lestat really gives us a glimpse at who he really is, his motivations, and the reason he was withholding information from Louis and Claudia. This book does a good job of allowing you to see Lestat not as a villain, but as someone who was thrown into this who has his reasons for keeping secrets. This book gives us the chance to learn the vampire lore of the universe and gives us the explanations we’d wanted from the first book. You learn about some characters whom you may have liked in the first book who turn out to just be wild (cough Armand cough). The way Anne Rice mixes common mythological figures with those of her own creation is so fascinating. When she got into Marius’ backstory I was just enraptured. You do still have to manage Anne Rice's lofty writing (to be fair most of it takes place in the 18th and 17th century) so it is appropriate to the time period. It can just feel rather dense to ingest at times, so if you like that writing style, you will find it here. Basically, if you weren’t sure if you were going to continue with the series after Interview with the Vampire I strongly suggest you do. Also if you’ve seen the movie for the Queen of the Damned, you would notice that (though that’s technically the next book) they steal and twist a lot from this book. I had always wondered why nobody had made a film adaptation for The Vampire Lestat, but once I read the book I understood the situation. What they really did, was bastardize the two stories by combining them into one just totally incorrect movie. +10 Points for casting Aliyah as Akasha though, that was probably the only thing relatively close to the book. Please read this book if you get the opportunity, it really is so much more engaging and action-packed than Interview with the Vampire. There is a great parallel between the character of Louis and Lestat and how they handle the prospect of immortality.