The Vampire Armand (The Vampire Chronicles) Book 6

When I found this when I was fourteen, it was great; smut, vampires, smut, vampires, Russia, Venice, smut. Upon rereading four years later, I find it to be... well, overrated. Anne Rice is a good writer, no doubt, but certainly not one of the greatest. The previous Vampire Chronicle novels were fairly stand-alone, but this happens during the end of Memnoch the Devil, and since I didn't like...more

When I found this when I was fourteen, it was great; smut, vampires, smut, vampires, Russia, Venice, smut. Upon rereading four years later, I find it to be... well, overrated. Anne Rice is a good writer, no doubt, but certainly not one of the greatest. The previous Vampire Chronicle novels were fairly stand-alone, but this happens during the end of Memnoch the Devil, and since I didn't like Memnoch/hadn't reread, I was lost in "present" part of the book for a while. Armand got whinier and more obnoxious in my eyes, and this was when I hopped of the Anne Rice bandwagon, as the books got too religious for me. Sorry, but when you make your name on homosexual/incestuous vampire smut, it just doesn't sit well when the books take a sudden U-turn into Christianity. Also, the older and more powerful the vampires get, the less I could relate to them. For some reason, as the series progressed, I found myself less and less involved in the books because the characters had transcended most emotions and just kind of focused on superiority to mortals, and their own depression. Gah, sorry this was such a long, negative review. :(   hide

This is one of the more eye raising books in the Vampire Chronicles only because this book does focus on the one obviously homosexual vampire in the series- Armand. While in the majority of the other books, sex was evident but was left to the reader's imagination, this book differs in that Rice was much more blunt and forthcoming with the topic. There is no flowery prose to cover up some of the...more

This is one of the more eye raising books in the Vampire Chronicles only because this book does focus on the one obviously homosexual vampire in the series- Armand. While in the majority of the other books, sex was evident but was left to the reader's imagination, this book differs in that Rice was much more blunt and forthcoming with the topic. There is no flowery prose to cover up some of the more racey themes. The writing style of this book is as excellent as the other books though. So if you do not like how Anne Rice writes, then you won't like this book either. If you are a fan of the series but are not too sure you can handle Armand, I'd say give it a try! It helps answers some questions about this mysterious character.    hide

Beautiful, beatiful, beautiful! Perfectly captures Armand's character and how he came to be the passionate fanatic that he is. A seamless blend of plot and the history of Italy. The sex was a bit out of control in this one though. I think the world could have done without seeing the child Armand be molested by Marius, and the threesome with Marius, Armand and their beautiful neighbor. Also,...more

Beautiful, beatiful, beautiful! Perfectly captures Armand's character and how he came to be the passionate fanatic that he is. A seamless blend of plot and the history of Italy. The sex was a bit out of control in this one though. I think the world could have done without seeing the child Armand be molested by Marius, and the threesome with Marius, Armand and their beautiful neighbor. Also, the religious undertones were impossible to overlook. But vampires, sensuality, and Old Italy...what more could you want?   hide

Yes, if I am to be honest, it wasn't quite as enthralling as the previous five. It took my awhile to read; taking it up on and off, reading a few books inbetween. It was slightly difficult to get into. You know, with the whole 'vice before nice' thing going on. But by the end, I really held a new appreciation for the character Armand, after having thought that he was an insane wacko for half the...more

Yes, if I am to be honest, it wasn't quite as enthralling as the previous five. It took my awhile to read; taking it up on and off, reading a few books inbetween. It was slightly difficult to get into. You know, with the whole 'vice before nice' thing going on. But by the end, I really held a new appreciation for the character Armand, after having thought that he was an insane wacko for half the series.   hide