The Vampire Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles, Book 2

Name: The Vampire Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles, Book 2
Rating: 4.6 (3900 reviews)
Author: Anne Rice

by Anne Rice

4.6

About this book

After fifty-five years of dormancy, the notorious vampire Lestat de Lioncourt awakens to find himself captivated by the roar of the modern world. Abandoning the vampire tradition of secrecy, he reinvents himself as a global rock superstar, using his platform to broadcast the truth of his existence. This provocative act is more than a bid for fame; it is a desperate summons, intended to rouse his hidden brethren and force them to confront the history of their kind.

Lestat’s narrative reaches back centuries to his life as an impoverished French aristocrat and a celebrated actor in the theaters of Paris. He recounts his transition from a mortal hunter to an immortal predator, a transformation triggered by a dark, life-altering encounter. Driven by a thirst for knowledge rather than just blood, Lestat traverses the globe, accompanied by complex companions like his mother, Gabrielle, and the tormented violinist, Nicolas.

As he tracks the origins of the vampire race from ancient ruins to gilded palaces, he finds himself hunted by his own kin. These ancient vampires view his quest as a dangerous breach of stability, setting the stage for a collision between primeval forces and the neon-lit chaos of the twentieth century.

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What readers are saying

Kierston Cronic

Anne Rice is amazing

"I absolutely love this book. I couldn't put it down. I love her vampire books. ["

May 2, 2026 Verified Purchase

Take Heed

So far so good!

"My wife is in the middle of reading this book. She says it's very exciting so far. ["

March 29, 2026 Verified Purchase

Carolyn Couch

awesome!

"It’s been a while since I read Interview with the Vampire so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel jumping into reading this, but The Vampire Lestat is one of the best books I’ve read! So well written and entertaining! Lestat is such a great character! ["

May 14, 2026 Verified Purchase

Shannon L. Yarbrough

Lestat and His Savage Garden

"This is only my third Anne Rice novel though I have been a long time supporter of hers and a fan of her work. Having only recently read Interview with the Vampire, the first book in the Chronicles, I immediately wanted to read the next book, The Vampire Lestat. I'm so glad I did because it gave me a better understanding and a stronger admiration for Interview, of which I had somewhat mixed emotions about upon finishing it. In The Vampire Lestat, we learn more about Louis's maker and get to enjoy a nice long tale of his life story. We open in the 1980s with Lestat in New Orleans taking an interest in rock music and becoming a vocal celebrity. He has even sought out the book, Interview with the Vampire, to read and has determined much of it to be lies so he needs to set the record straight by writing his own book. From here, we spend a lot of time with Lestat as a human and get to study the close loving relationship he had with his mother. We meet his vampire maker, Magnus. We learn that Lestat loved the stage and we see the early development of what would become the Theatre of the Vampires which played such a crucial part in Interview. We witness Lestat's bond with Armand, the vampire who became the head of the theatre and learn a lot about his story and his creator Marius, who Lestat begins to obsess over. And Marius introduces Lestat to "those who must be kept," who are the king and the queen of all vampires. This sets the reader up for the next book in the series, Queen of the Damned. Rice excels at classic story telling, but treats her readers to a historical saga of fine vampire literature. Unlike the vampires today's generation obsess over, who are either blood thirsty monsters or sparkling romantics, Rice suffers her protagonist with questions of existence, being, and soul. Hers truly are vampires that will live forever, both on the page and in the minds of her readers. ["

April 13, 2012 Verified Purchase