Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles have been around for over four decades now, and with the recent release of Blood Communion, the series is up to thirteen books (fifteen if you count the New Tales of the Vampires). That’s a lot to keep track of, even for the most dedicated of fans. But never fear, the ultimate Anne Rice reference book is finally here! Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: An Alphabettery, compiled by her personal assistant Becket and with an introduction by Rice herself, comes out tomorrow, October 23. Here’s what you need to know about the hefty reference guide:
An Alphabettery is a detailed cosmology of the entire Vampire Chronicles series, with alphabetical entries on every person, place, or concept that appears throughout the books. There are character biographies on everyone from Talamasca member Aaron Lightner to the vampire Zenobia. There are also entries on Lestat’s many aliases, on all the vampire bars mentioned in Queen of the Damned and various vampire residences, on vampiric qualities and abilities such as the Mind Gift, and on terms like “maker” and “blood spouse” that hold special meaning in the series. The entries are accompanied by detailed black-and-white line illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer.
I actually found the most interesting part of the volume to be Anne Rice’s extensive introduction. In this section—titled “Where Does It All Come From?”—Rice reflects on her writing process over the years and how the Vampire Chronicles originated. She reveals how she managed to write such a complex world with almost no planning in advance. She discusses her childhood and the many films and books that inspired and influenced her. And she describes how she came around slowly to the idea of Lestat as the main character of the series, but soon came to love him so fiercely that he propelled the series forward for a dozen more books. The Alphabettery is worthwhile even just for this rare insight into the unusual workings of the author’s mind.
As for the entries, themselves, I particularly valued the character biographies. No character is left untreated: obscure one-off characters such as Pandora’s brother from her mortal life, Anthony, may be given a single paragraph, while the entry on Lestat de Lioncourt goes on for over ten pages. These entries give the character’s life story in chronological order and consolidate information that is otherwise spread out across many books.
Overall, the Alphabettery would be an excellent resource for anyone who wants to jump back into the series after a break and needs a refresher, but be wary of spoilers! The entries contain information from the entire series up to the latest volume, Blood Communion. So if you prefer not to ruin any surprises, make sure you’re up to date before you crack the Alphabettery open. Honestly, the other group I can see benefiting most from this book is the fan fiction community, but Rice has been known to have a troubled relationship with those who write derivative works of her books, so that is probably not the volume’s intended purpose. But whatever your reasons, if you have a question about the world of the Vampire Chronicles, the Alphabettery has the answer!
Beginning tomorrow, you can find Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: An Alphabettery at your local retailer, or you can buy it online and support indie bookstores and The Gothic Library in the process by clicking on this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you get the book, be sure to let me know what you think in the comments!
“(fifteen if you count the New Tales of the Vampires).” – I do 🙂