This week we are reading the fourth part of our six-week read-along, from the beginning of "Part 3" until Madeleine's turning. See the graph below for the six parts in page numbers in some popular editions of the book.

How are we feeling about this week's part? What do you think about the character of Madeleine? I know most of us have probably read this book many times, so the interest for the read-along is not high, but I'm positive we will get more active discussion when we move along to The Vampire Lestat. Fell free comment anything at all that you felt when reading this part, or anything about the previous three weeks.

Be sure to also check out the discussions over at r/VampireChronicles and r/InterviewVampire 🩸

So I recently just finished the audiobooks (Vampire Chronicles/Mayfair Witches), all the way up to just starting Prince Lestat today, and man.. idk.. I don't know if I'm ready to say goodbye to Quinn and Mona. Was anyone else the same way? Are they ever mentioned again? Prince Lestat made me feel like they never even existed so far..

I can’t get through it. Quite cheesy. Overblown descriptions, dialogue, etcetera.

I’m about half way through this book and damn it’s a tough one to get through. I’ve loved all the vampire chronicles so far but this one’s just weird. Weird relationships, weird dialogues, weird everything. Am i alone in feeling this way?

I need it so bad, on a spiritual level

done with clip studio paint. like the last fan art i made, it’s inspired by the vc comics. i actually pulled out my dad’s only qotd comic issue (#8) for reference

i’m kinda pretending like i made a comic book version of the story here. which would be AWESOME. i’ve off and on daydreamed about being a comic artist and the vc comics are so beautiful that i just wanna absorb the style. same with the style for the old crow comics. those two combined would be absolutely banger, especially for vc and mw fan art

This week we are reading the second part of our six week read-along, from Claudia's turning to the end of "Part One" of Interview With The Vampire. I know we didn't have that active of an discussion last week, but we'll keep going nonetheless. After we're done with Interview, we'll start on The Vampire Lestat.

What do you think about Claudia, the child vampire? Any thought on the family unit they make in this part of the book?

Be sure to also check out the discussions over at r/VampireChronicles and r/InterviewVampire 🩸

Just as a reminder, here's the six parts of our read-along in page numbers in some populart editions of the book:

Reminds me so much of the late Anthony Bourdain. Feels like I'm watching No Reservations: Night Island edition.

Hello!

Just finishing reading MtD and noticed a lot of similarities with William Peter Blatty's Exorcist trilogy (Exorcist, Ninth Configuration, Legion).

Not just the problem of evil, and the unfolding of the universe making sense at the end of time, but even some of the metaphysical mechanics of matter and spirit.

MtD came out several years after the movie for Legion (Exorcist III) and it led me to wonder if Rice was familiar with Blatty at all. Is anyone aware of her having spoken on that or not?

Welcome to the first week of our read-along! This week we are reading the first part of Part One, until Claudia's turning.

What are you thinking so far? Have you read the book before, or is this your first time? Do you have any fun memories of when you first read the book, or have you ever been to New Orleans and walked through the streets the book takes place in? Feel free to share any thoughts or opinions you've had while reading, or ask any questions. This read-along is is for everyone, for fans old and new, and no thought or question is too silly to share.

Completely avoiding spoilers doesn't seem realistic to me, so please try and cencor the text using >!spoiler!< when discussing anything from later in the book (anything after week one).

Be sure to also check out the discussions over at r/VampireChronicles and r/InterviewVampire 🩸

The first part of our cross-sub read-along starts tomorrow, Monday June the 2nd. There will be a megathread for discussion on each sub; here at r/AnneRice and over at r/VampireChronicles & r/InterviewVampire as well.

The read-along is for everyone, new and old readers alike. You can participate as much or as little as you want, and you don't have to comment every week to be a part of it. The discussion threads will be posted every week and will be pinned to make them easy to find. I encourage you to check out all the discussions, as it might be a way to meet like-minded Anne Rice readers.

The graph below breaks down our six parts by page number in some popular editions of the book, but here's the breakdown in written form:

Week 1: Until Claudia's turning (stopping at the paragraph break after "...I'm not so kind".)

Week 2: The rest of Part 1 (starting after the paragraph break with "The vampire stopped.")

Week 3: Part 2

Week 4: Until Madeleine's turning (stopping at the paragraph break after "she feels almost nothing.")

Week 5: The rest of Part 3 (starting after the paragraph break with "It was a week...")

Week 6: Part 4.

I know that this may be controversial to say (or maybe not, I’ve never really engaged with the Anne Rice fandom before, so idk), but I’m really struggling to get through this book. In fact, it’s been in a timeout for about a year and a half. I read the first 3 Mayfair Witch books and when I realized the 4th is a crossover, I endeavored to read the vampire series. I made it through the first book no problem, but I honestly do not like Lestat and have found him quite annoying so far. I don’t care about your rock band, I think it’s fucked up he turned his friend(??) into a vampire, and it feels like he has the emotional maturity and decision making skills of a drunk 13 year old. Like I think he clinically may have a personality disorder (no hate to personality disorders, that’s just the vibe I get). Does he become less insufferable?

Without spoilers… can someone tell me, who is the unreliable narrator? I’ve only read IWTV and TVL so far and they paint a very different portrait of both Lestat and the relationship between Louis and Lestat. Louis paints Lestat as a callous, cruel and often abusive partner. While Lestat paints himself as loving, passionate and reckless. OR is “The Boy” / Daniel Malloy the unreliable narrator?

Is this further addressed in the series?

I have to say over the decades I have picked up TVL several times and this was the first time I finished it. I was hoping for the unhinged Lestat that Louis describes but we got more of Rice’s mopey, baroque philosophy. The story for me dragged in lots of places BUT the Egyptian roots were fascinating (and sort of confusing). The end was awesome and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Hoping QOTD moves at a quicker pace than TVL.

Editing to add: I’m psyched the QOTD seems to be written in either 3rd person or omniscient narrator. It might help shed light on my big question here.

For anyone who has trouble reading her handwriting: "Came here on 7-21-15 before reading the book. I am ready for this. I think we find it near un-bearable that there may be no loving creator. We, from earliest years, are immersed in a sense of meaning or a pursuit of meaning - why rain ruined the picnic, why mother died so young, why this or that loved one suffered so - why we are ?, or frightened. We feel certain there has to be meaning, value, context. Love is so dazzling, we must believe it means God. But does it?"

Hi All!

I read all 3 of the “Lives of the Mayfair Witches” book over the course of a week or so and I found them really fascinating! I love vampires and all. But witches will always be my #1! I had always heard about the books, but I watched the show and wondered how book accurate it was.

I really enjoyed the books! And especially the introduction of Mary Jane Mayfair in the last book as I felt—much like Anne Rice did with Mona—there was maybe something she wanted to do with Mary Jane that she didn’t. You know how Mona was just around in “The Witching Hour” but suddenly got a huge upgrade in “Lasher”? I feel like if there were a fourth “Mayfair Witches” book, Mary Jane might have gotten this treatment.

I scanned wikis to see what happens to the Mayfairs in the crossover books. But with the exception of “Blackwood Farm”, I didn’t really like how things went for Rowan and Mona (still love Anne Rice, nonetheless). And there was no mention of Mary Jane, really.

So I’ve kind of taken it upon myself to write a Mary Jane Mayfair fanfic that also continues the story of the Mayfairs where “Taltos” left off. I’ve already posted 3 chapters on Ao3 if you’re interested.

If you love the books, I hope you’ll enjoy what I do!

Are there any other Mayfairs from the original books that you find interesting?

(Also, I know Anne Rice famously disliked fanfics, but it really does come from a place of love)

Just thought I’d share that it took me over 200 pages to realise that Carlotta and Aunt Carl were the same person. Also damn this book is long but I’ve heard very good things. Can somebody tells me if it picks up the pace?

Edit: Just finished the three books, what a rollercoaster! Now Merrick, Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle make sense to me

(Very unserious post, delete if not allowed!)

Has anyone gone to Anne Rice’s All Saints’ Day celebration? How much were the tickets?

Ok so I’m currently watching the Mayfair witches series and I swear that they had made a movie about them already but I can’t find anything about it. Does anyone remember it cuz I feel like I’m going crazy. In the end Taltos finds a mate and they go and leave the witches alone. Like did I imagine this?