I first read Anne Rice’s novel The Vampire Lestat a little over 30 years ago, soon after reading Interview with the Vampire and seeing Neil Jordan’s 1993 film. Of course, there has never been a film of The Vampire Lestat, so it’s not surprising my memory of the novel was rusty at best. Still, it seems I remembered most of the important elements, though I’d forgotten several details and I came away with a somewhat different impression of the novel than I remembered.

The Vampire Lestat is an...