The Complete Vampire Chronicles 12-Book Bundle

The Vampire Chronicles #1-10 & New Tales 1-2

by Anne Rice

An international bestseller and beloved cultural touchstone, Anne Rice’s classic novel Interview with the Vampire starts “where Bram Stoker and the Hollywood versions leave off and penetrates directly to the true fascination of the myth” (Chicago Tribune). But that’s only the beginning. Over the course of twelve interwoven novels, Rice crafts a richly imagined, magnificently transporting epic around her chilling, charismatic antihero, Lestat. An aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France who lives to become a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s, Lestat rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence.
 
Now, with the publication of the complete series in one convenient eBook bundle, there has never been a better time to devour the entirety of The Vampire Chronicles. Gathered here are the ten books that comprise the original
 
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED
THE TALE OF THE BODY THIEF
MEMNOCH THE DEVIL
THE VAMPIRE ARMAND
MERRICK
BLOOD AND GOLD
BLACKWOOD FARM
BLOOD CANTICLE
 
. . . as well as the two books of the New Tales of the
 
PANDORA
VITTORIO, THE VAMPIRE
 
Praise for the novels of Anne Rice
 
“Brilliant . . . [Rice’s] undead characters are utterly alive.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“If you surrender and go with her . . . you have surrendered to enchantment, as in a voluptuous dream.”—The Boston Globe
 
“Frightening, sensual . . . Anne Rice will live on through the ages of literature. . . . To read her is to become giddy as if spinning through the mind of time, to become lightheaded as if our blood is slowly being drained away.”—San Francisco Chronicle
 
“Unrelentingly erotic . . . sometimes beautiful, and always unforgettable.”—The Washington Post
 
“Rice has created universes within universes, traveling back in time as far as ancient, pre-pyramidic Egypt and journeying from the frozen mountain peaks of Nepal to the crowded, sweating streets of southern Florida.”—Los Angeles Times
 
“Fiercely ambitious, nothing less than a complete unnatural history of vampires.”—The Village Voice

Genres: Fiction, Vampires, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Suspense, Thriller

5821 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2011

About the author

Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien) was a best-selling American author of gothic, supernatural, historical, erotica, and later religious themed books. Best known for The Vampire Chronicles, her prevailing thematic focus is on love, death, immortality, existentialism, and the human condition. She was married to poet Stan Rice for 41 years until his death in 2002. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.

Anne Rice passed on December 11, 2021 due to complications from a stroke. She was eighty years old at the time of her death.

She uses the pseudonym Anne Rampling for adult-themed fiction (i.e., erotica) and A.N. Roquelaure for fiction featuring sexually explicit sado-masochism.

Reviews

[Anne G Totcky · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW THEY WILL BE MISSED!!

I read all 12 books in approximately 210 days. Never have I read so many serious books in such a short period of time. I fell in love with the characters almost from the beginning. They became deeper "family" the further I read. The Vampire Lestat became family the most. Vain, totally self-absorbed, full of adventure, full of life. And altogether lovable!

The books intertwined gloriously together. Each book divine. There was a "hidden flow" to the books. I was taken to great highs and then taken down a few notches and just as I thought it was time to take a break, I'd be taken to a new height. This kept me going through the entire series.

Thank you Anne Rice for a series of Masterpieces!

[Audrey Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This selection lists:

#1-10 of the The Vampire Chronicles

#1 & #2 of the New Tales of the Vampires series.


I have read all of these collected Vampire Chronicles Series multiple times and was SO excited to find that there are more new books that have been added!!! They are not listed in this collection but I figured since I have all of the ones listed in this collection, I would use this one to cover the ones I have already read...re-read several times...and probably will read again after I read the new ones!

One of my Greatest Series of all time and top author. I am so glad she has come back to this type of writing after taking time away to write more about religion as she went through a personal time regarding that and said she wouldn't ever be writing this type of genre again.....

yay for change since she has decided to forgo that type of thinking in regards to her WONDERFUL writing!!!💜💜💜

[Lune_blanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los vampiros son criaturas ficticias que siempre han tenido una gran fascinación en mi, quizá esta sea una de mis favoritas sagas, (la más extensa que he leído hasta ahora), la cual inicio con el libro (y quizá el más conocido de todas las crónicas), Entrevista con el vampiro; permitiendo nos el paso a un universo donde Rice nos invita a meternos en la piel de los personajes, acompañarlos en sus búsquedas, amoríos , luchas y dolores. Esta se compone de 13 libros, los cuales fueros publicados a partir de 1976.

La saga estuvo maravillosa, nos plantea la vida de los vampiros desde un punto de vista bohemio, donde se enfocan en los sentimientos y la búsqueda existencial de los personajes, la religión (cielo e infierno) y como estos influyen en su pensamiento. Se unen más elementos ficticios, como lo son las brujas, también hay conceptos reales relacionados con Egipto (y la parte mítica, que es de allí donde nace los vampiros).Anne Rice es sin duda una escritora maravillosa. Las crónicas del vampíricas son todas muy buenas. Vittorio del vampiro fue un libro en el cual se me hizo pesada su lectura, pero igual, los terminé y con mucho gusto.

Esperaba mucho de (quizá el último libro de las crónicas) Principe Lestat(2014), trae a colación a casi todos los personajes de las crónicas, introduciendo a personajes nuevos. Su lectura se me hizo algo larga, ya que se detiene mucho en las conversaciones de los personajes y sus descripciones de los lugares quedan muy a medias; fue bueno que reviviera a ese vampiro ladino y hermoso de las crónicas, pero no cumplió con mis expectativas.

Es un gran universo el que Rice creó, y nos acerca a su propia visión de los vampiros, no los típicos y más populares, que hacen que la mayoría de las chicas mojen sus bragas; y también nos aproxima al concepto del vampiro original.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wished I hadn't waited so long to finish it.
Unforgettable characters & settings. This will be a lifelong favorite for me & I'm now starting some of Anne's other series & standalones.
No sparkling teenage vampires here. 👍
Lots of new vocabulary saved in Kindle from this series.
I loved this series but it was definitely time for it to end when it did.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Interview With The Vampire - Been a good while since I read this one but I remember it as 4-5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Vampire Lestat - Same as above.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Queen of the Damned - A lot of people hated this one, I loved it. I already loved the series, & Metal as a music genre, so there ya go lol. Maybe it's a bit campy but oh well.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tale Of The Body Thief - Lestat does stupid things-gets in a bind-shocking lol. There's a dog character-yay! lol (doesn't talk, not cheesy, doesn't die!) David & Lestat team up in this one which is fun. A page-turner.
⭐️Memnoch The Devil - Goes off the deep end into religious babbling. This did not belong in the vampire series. Found a review giving a huge block of page numbers to skip, basically the entire middle of the book, so I did that.
⭐️⭐️ The Vampire Armand - Dragged on too long. Repetition from previous books. Normally I like Anne's descriptions but they were too drawn out & too many. Don't like the child sex stuff...
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Merrick- Nice deviation from all the other "Lestat's the star of the show" books. Love that David plays a heavy role. Dark, modern, New Orleans theme. Witch & vampire book combined.
⭐️⭐️ Blood & Gold- This is basically "The Marius autobiography." I prefer when the series doesn't stay too long in the ancient historical times -- which this one does a lot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Blackwood Farm - crossover between Vampire Chronicles & The Mayfair Witch series. I liked this one because I love the Witch series & the southern setting. Very annoying character in this one but not annoying enough to stop reading.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Blood Canticle - Another crossover with the Mayfairs. It was "ok" not the best.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Prince Lestat - Too much recapping, too many new, mostly insignificant, characters. Still readable just not that exciting till the last part.
❌️Prince Lestat & The Realms of Atlantis - (DNR) Wanted to read the complete series, admittedly this is the only one I fully skipped. "Alien bird-like creatures" described in the reviews & title alone turned me off immediately. Based on reviews I didn't miss much.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Blood Communion - Lots of repeating from previous books, lot of talking. Not the best but I guess it's the happiest ending that could be but I didn't feel like it was worthy of an entire book.

Pandora has multiple spoilers for the other books in the series I read & rated out as a standalone title after I finished the original 12.
Did not read Vittorio just didn't interest me. Based on the reviews it sounds like it goes off into a religious theme like Memnoch.

[Jason Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but after the first few books this really wasn't very good I gave up after Memnoch the Devil got a little into The Vampire Armand and had enough just not an Anne Rice fan I just feel like I know how thing are going to go

[Shannon Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love the image of her writing. Makes me feel as if I am in New Orleans, right there, walking the streets next to Lestat.

[EA Solinas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Except for "Dracula," the Vampire Chronicles are probably the most influential story about vampires ever written... although since some of the works influenced are Anita Blake and "Twilight," that's not always a good thing.

And like vampire fiction itself, "The Complete Vampire Chronicles" (which is no longer complete, with the publication of "Prince Lestat") is a severely mixed bag -- some of the books are absolutely brilliant, some are middling, and some will leave you goggling in horror. While it begins with three spellbinding classics of vampire passion and pain, the books slowly slip in quality as the series goes on, climaxing with the fanfiction-like grotesquerie of "Blood Canticle."

"Interview with the Vampire" and "The Vampire Lestat" begin the story by introducing readers to the mopey vampire Louis and his maker, the flamboyantly arrogant Lestat. Rice follows them through the centuries, from their human lives to the first dramatic days of vampirism, of the sensuality and loss that filled their days, and to the current day. "Queen of the Damned" follows these stories with a mesmerizing epic, where the vampire queen of old wakes from her millennia-long slumber, and begins a terrifying rampage across the world. The key to stopping her lies in a pair of ancient vampire witches.

And then... Rice started careening off the path. "The Tale of the Body Thief" has Lestat encountering a strange man who can switch bodies, and allows him the chance to be human for awhile... except the body thief doesn't want to give it back. And in "Memnoch The Devil," Lestat encounters the devil.... no, really... and goes on a tour of creation with him to convince him to defy God alongside him. After that came a slew of vampire "memoirs," wherein the characters of Armand, Pandora, Marius and a heretofore-unknown vampire named Vittorio were explored.

Then we lurch back to the present day, with "Merrick" interweaving the Mayfair witches into the Vampire Chronicles, with Louis asking an alcoholic witch (whose breasts are detailed a little too much) to contact the spirit of his "daughter." Finally, Lestat encounters the wealthy Quinn Blackwood, who is haunted by a terrible spirit and in love with one of the Mayfair witches, who will ensnare the vampires in a strange quest to find the Taltos. And no, that won't make any sense unless you've read the Mayfair Witch trilogy.

In a series spanning nearly thirty years of publication, it's inevitable that this series would have massive ups-and-downs. The first two books are nearly perfect, lush and hauntingly passionate, and the third is a slow-burning epic that spans the globe and all of human history. Unfortunately, the books that follow were not able to maintain the same quality -- "The Body Thief" struggles with many bizarre or disgusting moments, and "Memnoch the Devil" is a pretentious mass of dull pseudo-spirituality.

One thing that can't be denied is that throughout most of the series, Rice's prose is pretty lush and even intoxicating; she brings alive the humid, flowering beauty of New Orleans, rock concerts, the labyrinthine streets of old Europe, and the deserts of ancient Egypt. Her writing is at its best when it lingers on historical things, whether it's the events of the past encroaching on the present, or a simple memoir of an immortal life lived. Though the stories of some of the "memoirs" are rather thin, the writing makes them more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, even the writing deteriorates in the final trilogy of books, and the interlacing of the Mayfair witch stories causes the stories to become almost like bad fan-fiction. The final indignity is Lestat's overnight transformation into a slang-slinging weirdo who wants to be a saint, and falls in love at first sight with Rowan Mayfair.

It is worth noting also that the publisher -- presumably for the same reasons as the rearranged Narnia Chronicles -- did not release these works in publication order, but in chronological order. So rather than opening with "Interview," the collection opens with "Pandora" and proceeds to "Vittorio" before settling on Rice's first novel.

"The Complete Vampire Chronicles" (minus the most recent book) is a series of lush settings, vampiric loves and plenty of historical detail. However, the vacillating quality means that the omnibus is best suited to those fans who love all her vampire books.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since this was a book bundle I have rated and given some thoughts about each individual book.
There are spoilers.

Interview with a Vampire - 4 Higher points for being the first in the series, but it is aggressively depressing

Vampire Lestat - 3.25 The backstories of several vampires, but not really a full narrative on its own.

Queen of the Damned - 3.25 Same problem as the Vampire Lestat. I thought the story of the twins more interesting than the titular queen.

The Tale of the Body Thief - 1 - Lestat starts by trying to commit suicide, spends a long time debating switching bodies, when a man comes to him with an offer to help Lestat swap bodies and live as a human for a while. When he does, the first night in his new human body Lestat rapes a woman.
The story then drags on as Lestat sulks and searches for his old body.

Memnoch the Devil - 3 - Basically this is like Dante or Milton’s Paradise Lost, where Lestat travels with Memnoch the Devil through creation, history, heaven and hell.

The Vampire Armand - 2.5 - Returning to the basic premise of a vampire telling their life story, pre and post becoming a vampire.
Warning, part of Armand’s story is Marius taking him into his bed while Armand was still a child.

Pandora - 4 - Mainly taking place in pre-christian Rome. I felt this one moved at a good pace, there weren’t many places where the story dragged. I actually wanted more of her story.

Vittorio the Vampire - 4 - Overall the story moves pretty quickly, even with the long rapturous descriptions of renaissance paintings.

Merrick - 2.5 - Merrick Mayfair’s story is interesting, but it would have been nice if she told it herself. Instead David Talbot tells her story. The part of this book that really bugged me was the making David a pedophile. The straight washing of David also bothered me but it pales to the other offenses done to this character.

Blood and Gold - 3 - Filling in Marius’ story from the gaps in-between Pandora and Lestat. Overall the story was ok, sometimes even engaging. There is a long section where it seems the narrative is lost to analyze Botticelli’s paintings. Marius is also an incredibly problematic protagonist in that he is a pedophile. It’s a really hard character defect to ignore.

Blackwood Farm - 3.25 - Overall the story of Quinn Blackwood was interesting and a good read. Quinn is very much a Romeo character, overdramatic and hopelessly romantic. I would rate this higher if it weren’t for yet another instance of statutory rape, an 18 or 19 year old Quinn having sex with a 15 year old.

Blood Canticle - 2 - This book starts off where Blackwood Farm ended. I didn’t really enjoy this one much. It moved quickly which was a blessing.

[fiona]

I really only recommend books 1-6. Everything else either ruin the series' legacy or are just completely insignificant to the main continuing plot. I do also recommend V,TV because it is very well written.

recommended full reading order
1→2→3→4→5→Pandora→6→8→V,TV→7→9→10

New Tales of the Vampires
Pandora : 2/5
Vittorio the Vampire : 4/5

The Vampire Chronicles
#1 Interview with the Vampire : 5/5
#2 The Vampire Lestat : 5/5
#3 The Queen of the Damned : 4/5
#4 The Tale of the Body Thief : 4/5
#5 Memnoch the Devil : 3/5
#6 The Vampire Armand : 5/5
#7 Merrick : 3/5
#8 Blood and Gold : 2/5
#9 Blackwood Farm : 3/5
#10 Blood Canticle : 1/5

some other specific reading orders
for loustat/unholy family enjoyers: 1→2→3→4→7
for lesmand enjoyers (my people): 1→2→3→4→5→6
for the i <3 Italy folks: Pandora→6→8→V,TV
for the i <3 NOLA folks: 1, 7→9 (i'd also rec The Witching Hour )

what should be skipped
books that don't influence to overall plot: Pandora, 8, 9, 10, V,TV
if you don't care about the Mayfair witches: 9, 10
if you don't want the series ruined: 10

my personal ranking
6 = 1, 2, 3, 4, V,TV, 5, 7, 9, Pandora, 8, 10

[LOL_BOOKS]

WHAT ELSE IS GOOD IF I'VE ONLY READ INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE WHICH I THOUGHT WAS OK AND HER SLEEPING BEAUTY BOOK WHICH I THOUGHT WAS CRAP?

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT AND QUEEN OF THE DAMNED WERE GOOD, BUT DON'T READ ANY OF THEM AFTER THAT BECAUSE THEY GET RLY, RLY BAD.

IWTV, TVL, AND QOTD ARE ALL GRATE BOOKS. THE REST ARE GRRM LEVELS OF TELLING US WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS CRAZY PERSON'S KINKS.

THE BODY THIEF WAS ALSO GOOD, BUT NONE OF THE OTHERS HAVE ANY REDEEMING QUALITIES.

IAWTC, ALTHOUGH TALE OF THE BODY THIEF IS THE LAST READABLE BOOK. THE VAMPIRE ARMAND IS UNREADABLE TRASH.

THEY'RE VAMPIRE BOOKS THAT A FANDOM DAMAGED GRANDMA WOULD COME UP WITH. I'M NOT CONVINCED ANNE RICE ISN'T A TIME TRAVELING FAILMEMER.

I L'D THE MAYFAIR WITCHES MOAR THAN THE DUMB VAMPIRES.

I READ THE THIRD ONE WHEN I WAS 18 OR 19, AND I FELT LIKE I WAS ALREADY TOO OLD FOR IT. I READ THE LAST HERALD-MAGE BOOKS AROUND THE SAME AGE AND HAD THE SAME FEELING ABOUT THEM.

LOL I PICKED ONE OF THE VAMPIRE ONES UP AS A BABBY LOLSBIAN AND WAS VISCERALLY DISGUSTED.

I WAS PARTLY DONE WITH THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES AFTER TALE OF THE BODY THIEF, AND FULLY DONE AFTER I READ ABOUT LESTAT SUCKING ON A USED MENSTRUAL PAD. I READ EVERY BOOK BEFOAR THAT. AND I WAS LOL TOS.

/o\ INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, WHICH IS REDEEMABLE ONLY BECAUSE CLAUDIA AND LESTAT ARE GRATE, LOUIS IS THE MOAST BORING POV CHARACTER EVER COMMITTED TO PAPER. THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, WHICH IS A+++, WOULD READ AND LOL AND SHIP HIM INAPPROPRIATELY WITH HIS MOTHER AGAIN. QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, WHICH IS TIED WITH TVL FOR MY FAVORITE. I READ VITTORIO AND PANDORA, WHICH WERE ALL RIGHT, I GUESS, BUT IMMINENTLY FORGETTABLE. THE ONLY MAYFAIR WITCHES BOOK I READ WAS LASHER, WHICH IS WALL-TO-WALL RAPE AND PREGNANCY AND WOMEN DYING AND LACTATION KINK, AND WHILE I REMEMBER LIKING IT AS A TEENIE, IT IS WHY I STOPPED SEEKING OUT MOAR OF HER WORK. I HAVE NOT REREAD ANY OF THEM SINCE I WAS ABOUT 17.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm having a hard time getting through these books. I've lost my momentum! Lestat has lost some of his appeal and now that he's talking to the devil, it's dragging and dragging. Get on with it! Do something! I didn't think this would be a lesson in theology. Uggg.....still reading hoping it will get better.

[Ann Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Ms. Rice's vampires.I've read every one of the chronicles several times, as well as her tales of witches. Her characterizations are so well done I feel like the vampires are my friends.

[David Powell II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great having all these books in one bundle

[Marc Estes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a captivating series

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

get em asap

[me _ librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

rereading these i wish i’d not.