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untitledlullaby's review against another edition
3.0
I read this short story as a collection of short stories from the vampire archive. It was good but lost me a bit somewhere near the end.
moreau's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
great short story that'd make a great short film.. someone should get onto that
allanvdh's review against another edition
2.0
Really shallow fiction. Not very descriptive and missing the usual in-depth story you’d expect from Rice.
cupcakes_books's review against another edition
4.0
Very good story. I found interesting in the use of the names Rampling and Mayfair. A few of her books were written under Anne Rampling and Mayfair, well, the good stories of the Mayfair witches.
Perfect Anne Rice novella.
Perfect Anne Rice novella.
nickfrantisek's review against another edition
4.0
Not fantastic, but overall a good short story. I enjoyed reading it and can't complain, it's better than some of Rice's other work, to say the least.
funsized327's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
easolinas's review
2.0
Remember when Anne Rice wrote vampire stories? Yeah, she wrote twelve books focusing on fey, beautiful, angsty immortals with gothic sensibilities.
But between her first two vampire novels, she also published a short story called "The Master of Rampling Gate" about (surprise!) a fey, beautiful, angsty immortal. It's graced with lush prose, but the dialogue is painfully stilted, the characters are undeveloped, and the romance has as much emotional depth as Twilight. Yes, I went there.
After their dad dies, Julie and Richard inherit the ancestral castle of Rampling Gate. Their father made Richard promise to tear it down before he died, which is apparently connected to a beautiful young man that Julie saw years ago. When that man reappears, he and Julie fall madly in love, and he shows her the reason why he doesn't want Rampling Gate torn down.
"The Master of Rampling Gate" really shows why Anne Rice should avoid writing short stories. If it had been expanded to a full-length novel, this story might have actually been a very compelling gothic romance -- especially since this was Rice approaching the height of her skill. Instead, it feels like a teenage girl's fanfiction written in her style.
Admittedly there are a lot of really beautiful descriptions in this story, and Rice does conjure up a feeling of haunted, history-soaked atmosphere. However, her old-timey dialogue is painfully clunky ("And yet you suffer so, and it is as if you can love!"), she misuses the word "innocent" about a dozen times, and she careens through the thin plot like a drunk driver.
To make matters worse, the love story is HORRIBLE. Julie falls for the vampire because he's pretty, and he falls for her because... apparently her mind is so wonderful and special. They literally fall in love at first sight, without exchanging a single word, and immediately decide to be together forever. Stephenie Meyer would be proud of a romance like that.
"The Master of Rampling Gate" is a painfully immature work that might have been okay if it had been a full-length novel. But with only a short space to work in, the love story and characters are as thin as paper.
But between her first two vampire novels, she also published a short story called "The Master of Rampling Gate" about (surprise!) a fey, beautiful, angsty immortal. It's graced with lush prose, but the dialogue is painfully stilted, the characters are undeveloped, and the romance has as much emotional depth as Twilight. Yes, I went there.
After their dad dies, Julie and Richard inherit the ancestral castle of Rampling Gate. Their father made Richard promise to tear it down before he died, which is apparently connected to a beautiful young man that Julie saw years ago. When that man reappears, he and Julie fall madly in love, and he shows her the reason why he doesn't want Rampling Gate torn down.
"The Master of Rampling Gate" really shows why Anne Rice should avoid writing short stories. If it had been expanded to a full-length novel, this story might have actually been a very compelling gothic romance -- especially since this was Rice approaching the height of her skill. Instead, it feels like a teenage girl's fanfiction written in her style.
Admittedly there are a lot of really beautiful descriptions in this story, and Rice does conjure up a feeling of haunted, history-soaked atmosphere. However, her old-timey dialogue is painfully clunky ("And yet you suffer so, and it is as if you can love!"), she misuses the word "innocent" about a dozen times, and she careens through the thin plot like a drunk driver.
To make matters worse, the love story is HORRIBLE. Julie falls for the vampire because he's pretty, and he falls for her because... apparently her mind is so wonderful and special. They literally fall in love at first sight, without exchanging a single word, and immediately decide to be together forever. Stephenie Meyer would be proud of a romance like that.
"The Master of Rampling Gate" is a painfully immature work that might have been okay if it had been a full-length novel. But with only a short space to work in, the love story and characters are as thin as paper.
mtuttle82's review
4.0
I read this for a class i'm taking and enjoyed it . This is the only work by Anne Rice i've read and was pleasantly surprised. I don't think i would have read it if it wasn't for the push that i had gotten from my class.
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