Anne Riceis an acclaimed author who has written several novels, and because of this, she has created many incredible stories. She has written so much that figuring outwhat order to read Anne Rice’s novels inis something that is a task in and of itself. Not all books have the same quality, however, assome of Anne Rice’s series are better than others.
In the modern day, many of these stories have grown to be something more than their original novel debuts. In fact, a new spin-off series of Anne Rice’s work calledThe Talamascais set to release in the future. At the core of it all, the series that are so popular today have been made possible because of the novels that came before.
10Pandora
It Was The Start Of Another Vampire Book Series
Taking place in the same universe as Rice’sVampire Chroniclesseries,Pandorabegins thousands of years in the past with the Roman Empire. It follows a woman named Lydia, documenting her life and the events that led her to change her name to Pandora and becoming a vampire. It is a tale of love and betrayal that is among Rice’s best, operating in the same universe as some of her most beloved characters.
Talamasca: The Secret Order
Cast
Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order follows Guy Anatole as he navigates a hidden realm of secret agents and immortal beings, revealing the delicate equilibrium maintained with humanity. Set to be released in 2025, the series delves deep into the mystical and clandestine operations of the enigmatic Talamasca order.
Because the book takes place in the same setting but does not follow the same characters, it allows Rice to go places with her writing that she wouldn’t be able to otherwise.The fresh characterization of Pandora is accompanied by the story of Marius, a vampire who, until the release of this book, was shrouded in mystery.It is an excellent civilization-spanning novel, bringing context to a beloved narrative world and elaborating on the mysterious Talamasca group.
9Tale Of The Body Thief
This Book Is A Unique Vampire Story
Another book in theVampire Chroniclesseries, which started withInterview with the Vampire,The Tale of the Body Thiefcontinues the story as the fourth book in the series.It follows the vampire Lestat as he becomes disillusioned with his immortal life, wishing nothing more than to become human again.He switches bodies with a conniving human psychic named James, but quickly finds there is more to James' plans than he initially thought.
Dealing with themes of depression and mental health,The Tale of the Body Thiefis an empathetic exploration of Lestat and his life. Not only this, but the book is unique for a vampire story. There are so few vampire novels that really shy away from the power fantasy that being a vampire can so often lean into, instead showing a vampire regretting their turn so many years later.
8Blood And Gold
The Eighth Book In The Series Brings It Back
Revisiting the story of Marius and Pandora as told in the novelPandora, Blood and Goldtells the story of his life from Marius' own point of view. It begins once again in the Roman Empire, meandering its way through various world events and making its way to the events of the books that came before.Seeing things told from Marius' own point of view adds a certain dynamic to the story, one unseen in previous novels.
Tom Cruise Was Right In Not Wanting A Sequel To Interview With The Vampire (But Doomed The Franchise)
Interview with the Vampire never got a sequel because of Tom Cruise, and though he was right in not doing it, that doomed the franchise.
There is something exciting about revisiting beloved characters through another person’s eyes, and this is something thatBlood and Golddoes excellently. Aside from this, it offers a beautiful look into history, retelling the events of the world in all their splendor and brutality. It is an excellent vampire story, and an even better historical tale.
7Cry To Heaven
This Historical Drama Takes Place In Italy
Cry to Heavenrevolves around the life of Guido Maffeo, an eighteenth century Italian castrati raised to perform in the opera.He loses his voice once he turns eighteen, and afterwards struggles to come to terms with his life and the state of his body as a castrato. However, once he meets another beautiful soprano voice in the form a boy named Tonio, Guido is slowly pulled from his depression.
Mired in drama and betrayal,Cry to Heaventakes the unique story of this period in artistic history and creates something that is both compelling and sometimes painful to read.
Mired in drama and betrayal,Cry to Heaventakes the unique story of this period in artistic history and creates something that is both compelling and sometimes painful to read. The emotions often reach fevered pitches, with anger and pain being common parts of the book’s themes. The pacing is quick and punchy, something that is rather unique toCry to Heavenamong her other works.
6The Feast Of All Saints
It Is The First Of Rice’s Few Non-Fantasy Books
Like many of Rice’s other novels,The Feast of All Saintstakes place in New Orleans. However, the book takes a much more historical look at the lives of New Orleans residents. It focuses on the “free people of color” who lived there prior to the Civil War, zooming in on the lives of Marcel and his family.
The Feast of All Saintswas eventually adapted into a TV miniseries, which debuted in 2001.
The book broaches a variety of important topics, unwilling to shy away from the racism that plagued their lives.The setting is also quite similar to some of the changes made to the most recentInterview with the Vampireseries.The Feast of All Saintshas an impactful story, one that leaves a mark on those who read it.
5The Witching Hour
Witches Mark Rice’s Other Most Famous Property
Beginning a completely new property for Rice,The Witching Hourmarks the start of theLives of the Mayfair Witchesseries. The story it tells is precisely what it says it will tell, that being the misadventures of the Mayfair family of witches. Guided by a spirit named Lasher, these witches have seen plenty of fortunes, often getting out of dangerous situations that no one else would be able to escape.
Mayfair Witches
Mayfair Witches follows a young neurosurgeon who discovers her unexpected lineage as the heir to a powerful family of witches. As she navigates her emerging magical abilities, she confronts a dark force that has plagued her family through the generations. Created by Esta Spalding and Michelle Ashford.
There is also a fair amount of crossover between this series and theVampire Chroniclesseries, with characters crossing paths between both.This book in particular is a fun introduction to witches and magic, not only immensely absorbing but dark and wild as well.It serves not only as a good companion piece to theVampire Chronicles,but as a great book and series in its own right.
4Queen Of The Damned
It Was Turned Into A Movie Years Ago
Queen of the Damnedis a bit of a controversial entry into theVampire Chroniclesmythos, and this is mostly because of the 2002 film. The book and the movie share several differences, with much of the plot of the book being sanitized and changed to serve the movie’s purposes.The main plot follows Lestat as he comes out into the modern world not only as a rock star, but as a vampire as well.
One of the most important parts of the novel is that it really dives into the history of the vampires in a way that the books that came before never had the opportunity to. Vampires are tied to Ancient Egypt, creating a mythology that sparks with creativity.Queen of the Damnedis an incredible addition to the series, rounding out the drama that came before with incredible world-building.
3The Mummy, Or Ramses The Damned
Anne Rice Wrote This Book With Her Son
Taking place in the early 20th century,The Mummy, or Ramses the Damneddepicts the family of a British archaeologist and the resurrected mummy he has inadvertently unearthed. Ramses is then ushered into the modern world, unable to die after finding an elixir that grants him immortality. Things begin to fall apart once he brings Cleopatra back from the dead, as she falls in love with a man named Alex.
There are two other books in the series, with the third bookRamses the Damned: The Reign of Osirisreleasing two months after Rice’s death in 2022.
Aside from the fact that the book has a fun plot from beginning to end, unique and removed from the other properties Rice had already written,The Mummy, or Ramses the Damnedis a joint venture between herself and her son, Christopher Rice.This brings a fresh new aspect to the writing, feeling very much like something new compared to her other writing. It was originally released in 1989 with the promise of more to come, but the sequel released 28 years later.
2Interview With The Vampire
This Gothic Horror Novel Started It All
Being the book that started it all,Interview with the Vampirestands as an incredible moment in Rice’s work. Not only was it her debut work, but it also began a series that is still continuing on in the form of television to this very day.It focuses on the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac as he tells the events of his life to an interviewer, desperate to put his story and really his confession on tape.
The writing in this novel is beautiful, with long-winded descriptions that really suit the character of Louis. He languishes throughout the novel as he shows the interviewer his traumatic past, lingering on the moments in his life that he regrets. Though theInterview with the Vampireseries makes several changes to the books, it is also an incredible retelling of the events of the book, putting a spin on things so well-tread.
1The Vampire Lestat
The Second Book In The Series Surpasses The First
WhileInterview with the Vampirecould have worked well enough as a standalone novel,The Vampire Lestatcame and changed the world ofAnne Rice’s work completely. It shows Lestat, who had been the supposed villain ofInterview with the Vampire,responding to the novel written about Louis' story with one of his own. What follows is his own life’s story, written in a shorter, more excitable style that separates it entirely from the voice of Louis.
The fact that Rice can so easily shift her style of writing between characters is impressive enough, but the story ofThe Vampire Lestatmakes it even more incredible.Not only is the book itself tragic and beautiful in equal measure, but the scenes depicted deeply contrast those that came before.It is expertly written, casting doubt on Louis' story and shifting the focus of the entire series going forward.
