Daily Writing Prompt

The Vampire Lestat, he of +Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles ‘ infamy.

Villain may not be quite the right word, perhaps more of an anti-hero. But #Lestat is the catalyst that triggers so many identifiable emotions (and traits) within ourselves throughout the series.

If you’ve only ever seen “Interview With The Vampire”, you’ll have had a taste of this infectious character. Tom Cruise nails it – at least he gets as close as any portrayal on the silver screen could.

But by the end of Queen of the Damned (the book, not the film sequel that was a poor show compared to the IWTV original), an impressionable reader ::handsup:: feels that they can ‘wear’ Lestat’s character out in public.

As a supernatural villain (okay, so he was), he was powerful. A vampire of the highest order, he used all manner of chicanery and guile to scale the heights, up from the naive fledgling vampire left to fend for himself that his ‘maker’, Magnus, abandoned him.

Yet the strength of Rice’s writing exposes his human foibles. Emotionally, he was comparatively weak. And that’s where we identify with him.

As the Vampire Chronicles progress, he battles with:
• bodysnatchers,
• the Devil (Memnoch),
• the merciless desert sun (ill advised for any vampire)
• HIMSELF

He even transcends to Heaven to prove to himself that he is indeed almighty, untouchable by nature.

You’d think that such an ego would put the reader off, but no. Lestat has the opposite effect.

You:
• can almost sense the mounting danger in each novel,
• want to warn him of the peril he’s facing (but know he won’t listen),
• feel smug satisfaction when that danger ensnares Lestat, and
• are utterly relieved when your champion, Lestat, overcomes the odds and comes out the other side scathed, but all the more powerful for the experience.

In many ways, the Vampire Chronicles and Lestat’s journey(s) reflects life’s greatest questions:
» How far can we indulge ourselves before our weaknesses bring us to our knees?
» Do we have the [testicular] fortitude to face our dæmons?
» How resilient are we at bouncing back?
» How far can we push the limits before our pack of cards comes tumbling down around our ears?

But most of all, it asks:
» if we had the chance to start over, would we settle for what we had or would we try to make ourselves the very best person (or vampire, in the case of Lestat) the constraints of nature allow?

How far would we go to push to those limits and beyond?

What can we achieve if we’re bloody-minded (no pun intended) and selfish enough to go for it?

In summary, then, the three reasons that the Vampire Lestat is my ultimate villain are:
1. amazing writing to create an almost tangible supernatural demigod;
2. quite believable characteristics in the depths of his weaknesses and masochistic punishments in repentance for his sins (of which there are many);
3. between-the-lines questions that you can ask of yourself in real life.

If you’ve not read The Vampire Chronicles, you’ve missed out on amazing storytelling and a character you’ll think is watching outside your window just at that moment when you’re drifting off between snoozing and sleeping.

And, yes – you would invite him in and offer him your neck (at the very least).