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arnrockwell's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was the first Anne Rice book I ever read, back when I was teenager. It was in my high school library, and I devoured it in record time. It sparked my fascination with Rice's vampire novels. And so, going back to re-read this book, I was hoping to enjoy it.
Not so much, but I'll get back to that.
Vittorio recalls the tale of his upbringing as a noble in Renaissance Italy, and the tragedy that befell his whole family. A clan of vampires brutally attacked and killed those who resided in the castle and surrounding village, leaving him the only survivor. What follows is his quest for revenge and redemption, which isn't fully fulfilled due to his trauma.
As what seems to be a result of his PTSD from the incident, he ends up misconstruing his assault at the hands of the vampire Ursula as love and becomes obsessed with her. He only realizes his mistake after he is transformed into a vampire himself, when it's far too late to do much about it. This is the thing that bothered me the most about this book. That men are not treated as being victims of sexual assault because "they are men so of course they want it," which as far as I'm concerned is bullshit.
I also wasn't too fond of the angels either. I thought at first that seemed to appear to him only because of his trauma. However, they actually used their powers to assist him with the expectation that he fulfill his mission of killing every vampire who wronged him, Ursula included. Now, it didn't seem quite so out of place as what happened to Lastat in <i>Memnoch the Devil</i> because it was already established early on the book that Vittorio came from a family that was devoutly Catholic. Still, it seemed a bit much.
That being said, I still believe that it can be a good entry point to Anne Rice's novels for some people. It is a very short book and I feel it does give readers a good idea of what to expect with her stories. It's also the only vampire novel Rice has written that stands alone from the rest. It takes place in the same world, but has no connection to any of the characters or plot points from the rest of the Vampire Chronicles.
It disappoints me that this book isn't actually as good as it seemed when I was younger. A little too problematic for my liking. A shame, really.
Not so much, but I'll get back to that.
Vittorio recalls the tale of his upbringing as a noble in Renaissance Italy, and the tragedy that befell his whole family. A clan of vampires brutally attacked and killed those who resided in the castle and surrounding village, leaving him the only survivor. What follows is his quest for revenge and redemption, which isn't fully fulfilled due to his trauma.
As what seems to be a result of his PTSD from the incident, he ends up misconstruing his assault at the hands of the vampire Ursula as love and becomes obsessed with her. He only realizes his mistake after he is transformed into a vampire himself, when it's far too late to do much about it. This is the thing that bothered me the most about this book. That men are not treated as being victims of sexual assault because "they are men so of course they want it," which as far as I'm concerned is bullshit.
I also wasn't too fond of the angels either. I thought at first that seemed to appear to him only because of his trauma. However, they actually used their powers to assist him with the expectation that he fulfill his mission of killing every vampire who wronged him, Ursula included. Now, it didn't seem quite so out of place as what happened to Lastat in <i>Memnoch the Devil</i> because it was already established early on the book that Vittorio came from a family that was devoutly Catholic. Still, it seemed a bit much.
That being said, I still believe that it can be a good entry point to Anne Rice's novels for some people. It is a very short book and I feel it does give readers a good idea of what to expect with her stories. It's also the only vampire novel Rice has written that stands alone from the rest. It takes place in the same world, but has no connection to any of the characters or plot points from the rest of the Vampire Chronicles.
It disappoints me that this book isn't actually as good as it seemed when I was younger. A little too problematic for my liking. A shame, really.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
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