Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles An Alphabettery

by Becket, Anne Rice

An Alphabettery of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles gathers together, from all fifteen of the books in the series, the facts, details, story lines, genealogies of her characters, vampiric subjects, geographical influences, and cultural and individual histories, all of which Rice painstakingly researched and invented during her 40-year career--to date--through which she has enchanted and transported us. Here are concise, detailed biographies of every character, no matter how central or minor to the cosmology.
Revealed are the intricacies and interconnectedness of characters and subjects throughout. We see how Akasha (Queen of Egypt and the first vampire) is connected to Mekare (the inheritor of the title of the Queen of the Damned), etc., and how these characters connect back to the darkest rebel outlaw of them all, Lestat de Lioncourt ...
And we see, as well, the ways in which Rice's vampires have evolved from warring civilizations to isolated covens to a unified race of blood drinkers led by their hero-wanderer and sole monarch, Prince Lestat.
For devoted and first-time Anne Rice readers alike, An Alphabettery of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles will be the holy grail of lore and revelation for those who have been, and continue to be, mesmerized by the worlds within worlds of these beloved tales of the undead.

Genres: Reference, Vampires, Horror, Nonfiction, Supernatural

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2018

About the author

Becket has a BA in music composition, an MA in Systematic Theology, and an MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

He was a diocesan seminarian for 3 years. He was a Benedictine monk for 5 years.

He has been working for Anne Rice since 2005, and he has spent that time learning from her the craft of writing.

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley #69

Many thanks go to Becket, Anchor, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book is a detailed annotation of the Vampiredome consisting of all fifteen books of her Vampire Chronicles. THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ANNE RICE. The author was at one time her personal assistant.
The entries are in alphabetical order by name with a character description, a detailed analysis, and entry suggestions for more information. There are also gorgeous illustrations, which I wish were in color.
Now I have not read all of Rice's books. I'm still working on that. It may be a goal for 2019. So I can't speak to how accurate all of the information is. It does appear quite impressive and it makes me want to complete a crossword puzzle.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a colossal work on all the universe that Anne Rice has created. Not just the vampire chronicles, we cover characters or places from her witch series as well as all her others works, even if the vampire chronicles still is her biggest one. This book is well done, organizes by alphabetical order and with a glossary so it's easy to use has a reference books for the old timers fans or for reader you read one book here and there and may not recall this characters too well for example. Lot of content, some illustrations too, not necessary, but they had a bit to it. I would say a must have for the Anne Rice fan!!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When I first envisioned a new guide to the Vampire Chronicles, I had no idea of the depth of scholarship Becket would bring to the project, while creating a book that was highly accessible and great fun to read. The Alphabettery combines the best of fan devotion with true research into the multitude of characters and locations that fills the pages of the many Vampire Chronicles spanning some forty years."

I've been reading all Anne Rice has even written since my introduction to her books with Interview with the Vampire thirteen years ago, who is still one of my favorites books ever. The Vampire Chronicles is definitely her best work, even if it unfortunately lost its quality a few novels ago. I am thrilled that Anne Rice's personal assistant wrote this. After an introduction by Anne Rice herself, each character, location, ability... is described, with another entry suggestion when necessary and the book(s) in which they or it appears. Organized by alphabetical order, it's the perfect book to remind us of details when we read the gigantic work that became The Vampire Chronicles and Becket did a great job. The Alphabettery belongs next to the The Vampire Chronicles books and is a must have for the fans. My only regret and the reason why I didn't give five stars is that I expected more illustrations from a book that was sold as an illustrated book. There are, in fact, only ten illustrations through more than 400 pages and only two full pages ones. Too bad, because they're really beautiful and fit this world perfectly.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles An Alphabettery”by Becket and Anne Rice is an annotated cosmology of Anne Rice's Vampiredom from A(kasha) to Z(enobia). All 15 books of the Vampire Chronicles are detailed by a longtime Anne Rice reader and scholar and brought together in a book for the first time. Perfect for devoted and first-time Anne Rice readers alike, promising to mesmerize readers with beloved tales of the undead for a long time to come. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 23 Oct 2018

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#AnneRicesVampireChroniclesAnAlphabettery #NetGalley

[Haldoor42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent companion to the Vampire Chronicles, and will be useful if I'm re-reading and need to check who/what someone/thing is and where they/it appear in the 15 books the chronicles comprises (including the 'New Tales' Books Pandora & Vittorio). It also talks about the crossover characters from the Mayfair Witches books.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for hardcore Anne Rice and Vampire Chronicle Fans.
You don't really need to read it from front to back (although certainly possible), it's a companion to her series and very handy to have by your side to look up characters, landmarks or story lines from previous books.

As the title suggests, it is in alphabetical order so very easy to look up things while reading.

And can we please appreciate the beautiful lettering throughout the book.

Interview with a Vampire will always be my favorite <3

Thank you @Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC.

[Penny Cipolone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this was not as well written as it could have been and it was repetitive by nature, I still enjoyed it immensely. My husband kept asking me if I were really reading a dictionary! Having been a Lestat fan since the very first Chronicle (which was quite a while ago), I really needed this to refresh my memories of the details of the first books, now that Rice has restarted the Vampire Chronicles again. A worthwhile read for anyone who respects the vast mythology created for this series.

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compiled and written by Rice’s longtime assistant Becket, the 450-page Alphabettery covers the characters, settings, storylines, genealogies and more from the world of the Vampire Chronicles. Much like an encyclopedia, you can find whatever you’re looking for in alphabetical order, from Akasha to Zenobia. Each entry provides the novels in which the character or setting appears, who is connected to him/her/it, significance and developments within the span of the series. Categories are also provided, for example, locations dubbed sanctuaries or the species of a character (mortal, immortal, vampire, witch, etc.). It’s all the details fans, both new and longstanding, will enjoy indulging in.

One other intriguing piece of the Alphabettery is the introduction. Written by Rice (in her typically over descriptive way), it provides some interesting details on her history with the series, how it came about and how she has managed to keep it fresh over the 40 years she’s been writing it. She also describes her writing process, which is a fascinating insight that fans seldom learn about favorite authors.

[Julia O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Alphabettery is a detailed cosmology of the entire Vampire Chronicles series, with alphabetical entries on every person, place, or concept that appears throughout the books. There are character biographies on everyone from Talamasca member Aaron Lightner to the vampire Zenobia. There are also entries on Lestat’s many aliases, on all the vampire bars mentioned in Queen of the Damned and various vampire residences, on vampiric qualities and abilities such as the Mind Gift, and on terms like “maker” and “blood spouse” that hold special meaning in the series. The entries are accompanied by detailed black-and-white line illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer.

See my full review here: https://www.thegothiclibrary.com/revi...

[Luly Ceballos · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible and amazing book! A jewel for any fan! I can't believe I've read each and every one of the entries! Reading it all may look at first redundant but the author always mentions a little more in each similar entry so once you realize that you don't want to skip any of them. It's that amazing. I just wanted to refresh my memory before reading the last chapter (Blood Communion) and even though I encountered some "spoilers" I know I will enjoy the book nevertheless. Ann Rice's prologue is such a delight that it worth the book cost just to read it. What a wonderful mind. This book is a labor of love and can be feel in every page. I can not praise this book enough. Absolutely recommended.

[Bertha Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Alphabetery of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles is a compendium that alphabetically orders data on the characters and situations of the 15 books that are part of the universe of Lestat, the spoiled prince and the Vampire Chronicles, written by the inimitable Anne Rice.
Includes data from Akasha, Queen of the Damned, to Zenobia, "Eudoxia’s beloved, Avicus’s Blood Spouse, a member of the Blood Kindred."
It is a very complete work, which makes it an indispensable companion for those of us who are fans of Anne Rice's magnum opus, and a book that, due to its complexity and vast content, I never thought anyone could write.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rice has reset the baseline with her "Blood Communion" (2018). She can now start a whole new series based on the "world court" that Lestat now rules.

And now, with Becket's book any newcomer to Rice or Lestat will have the reference material at hand to understand her characters without starting from scratch reading everything up to now. Great idea and Becket does a masterful job detailing and cross referencing everything! BRAVO Becket Ghioto

Great to have it even as an avid Rice fan and all the books under my belt.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a companion guide about Anne Rice's vampire world. Her forward at the beginning was really interesting. This book has everything you wanted to know and have forgotten about Lestat and his world - a definite must have for any Anne Rice fan!

[Anita Heveron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! For anyone who is a fan of AR, this is a MUST READ. All her characters, interwoven alphabetically, cross referenced and annotated. A great companion reader or guide for someone who hasn't read the Vampire chronicles.

[Alexandra Lowrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely helpful companion to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. This is especially helpful for those, like me, who need a little reminder every once in a while because they don’t read the books back to back.

[LaGina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to be able to read this. And once I finished I knew I had to have it for my collection and place it on the same shelf with Anne Rice. Beckett is such a sweet person and answered my questions when I PM'd about some things in the book.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to come.

[Trisha Doucet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a traditional read. But as a longtime fan of Anne Rice and the Vampire Chronicles, I couldn't love this book more.

A beautiful compendium summarizing compelling and fascinating stories.

[Denise Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this introduction as I waited for Ale to do her two hour volunteering at the Burton Barr library branch.

[Aedin Kroos · Rating 3 out of 5]

So you need this if you are obsessed and going crazy

[Emilio · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy I shall give an honest review of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles An Alphabettery compiled and written by BECKET. First off coming into this alphabettery as it were was a complete privilege. I was introduced to Becket as many were as Anne Rice’s assistant. As Anne’s assistant, he was exposed to not only how she conceptualized her characters but saw them initially as a fan of her work. It is this lens I feel assisted Becket in completing this project and assessing its content in such a scholarly fashion. Its contents presented were sharp, concise and lyrical. I searched for characters whose histories I have been exposed to than those I have not read. As I look back on what I have read in this book I believe I now have an understanding towards their motivation in their respective novel and am ignited with the thought to re-read the novels they are featured in. Accompanying these topics of interest were brief illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer whose additions to this project as well as her recent novel Blood Communion gave her subjects a sense of authentic realism you did not know you needed. Overall Becket expressed himself in a manner that allowed the reader to follow their intuition and explore the lives and afterlives of Anne Rice’s beloved characters. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Merged review:

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy I shall give an honest review of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles An Alphabettery compiled and written by BECKET. First off coming into this alphabettery as it were was a complete privilege. I was introduced to Becket as many were as Anne Rice’s assistant. As Anne’s assistant, he was exposed to not only how she conceptualized her characters but saw them initially as a fan of her work. It is this lens I feel assisted Becket in completing this project and assessing its content in such a scholarly fashion. Its contents presented were sharp, concise and lyrical. I searched for characters whose histories I have been exposed to than those I have not read. As I look back on what I have read in this book I believe I now have an understanding towards their motivation in their respective novel and am ignited with the thought to re-read the novels they are featured in. Accompanying these topics of interest were brief illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer whose additions to this project as well as her recent novel Blood Communion gave her subjects a sense of authentic realism you did not know you needed. Overall Becket expressed himself in a manner that allowed the reader to follow their intuition and explore the lives and afterlives of Anne Rice’s beloved characters. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Star's

In the beginning Anne tell's how she began Writting about the Vampire Chronicles and how she never outlined and just let her character's take her along for their journey.

I’ve always loved Anne Rice’s works, granted they some time’s took me for forever to get through with all the information she throws at us, but it makes the stories so much better.

In this wonderfully detailed book we learn more of all characters from Akbar to Zenobia. Many of whom I have never thought twice about but the ways she tells about them makes sense of all of them. She goes on to tell us about each of her Creations along with a little back story as well.

I am so impressed with the way this book is set up one of the best that I’ve had the pleasure of (I know when I was reading these books I was trying to write down each character as I came acrossed them but there were so many I lost track of them all.)

(**I received a EBook copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**)

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is anything to not like about this book, I would love to hear it.

This Alphabettery is the perfect companion to the Vampire Chronicles and a must have for collectors. Anyone that follows Rice should know Beckett, her former assistant, and I can think of no one better to have written this reference book.

With an amazing introduction by Anne Rice herself, Beckett has meticulously compiled and alphabetized a wonderfully detailed and easy to read guide for the Vampiredom. I wish I had this book years ago!

Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: An Alphabettery will be a must buy for long time fans, collectors and new readers alike. I can’t wait to add this to my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and provide my honest opinion.

[CIBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this when I bought Prince Lestat, the thirteenth novel in Rice's series. Since I'd only read the first trilogy and since Prince Lestat has so many characters (mostly established), I was having trouble keeping track.

I found this compendium - which follows the series up until 2018 - immensely useful but have one major complaint. Beware of spoilers! For some entries - such as Roshamandes - Becket lists their major contribution in the first paragraph, even if that comes quite late in the series. He mostly writes chronologically which allows the reader to get the character's history and then break off when needed yo avoid spoilers. Becket should have done this consistently throughout.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have for Anne Rice fan.
It's a huge, detailed and complete list of everything that is part of the Vampire Chronicle word with some excursus on the Mayfair witches.
The introduction by Anne Rice is an interesting insight on how the books came into being and how the creative process worked.
This is one the best companion I've ever read, a good travel along the memory road as well as a discovery of new things.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC

[Erica Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect addition to any Rice fanatics collection. I've thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of this Alphabettery when I've felt like I've needed another Vampire Chronicles fix.

And as always, any insight from the woman herself as so how her prolific works were created is absolutely fascinating, so I'd recommend it even for the introduction alone.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this Alphabettery. It is a complete Encyclopedia of all of the characters in Anne Rice's wonderful books. It includes details on characters I had forgotten about as well as introduces characters from the last few books I haven't read yet. It also offers a wonderful introduction by Anne Rice as she talks about our favorite vampire prince and how she started this world. I highly recommend.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete encyclopedic guide to the real of the Vampire Chronicles. A great reference for when you may be confused at who/what/where/why/how in this rich universe. All entires are fully through. It also includes an introduction by Anne Rice where she explains where her ideas come from. Worth it alone for just this introduction! Great for fans new and old alike.

[Shakuita Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book gives information on each and every character in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it read more like a dictionary of defining words to me. Overall good guide to have.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent gift idea for Anna Rice fans. The book is structured as a dictionary containing all the details of the all the characters and the places mentioned in the Vampire Chronicles Series. Delightful

#AnneRicesVampireChroniclesAnAlphabettery #NetGalley