Customer Reviews

In the Shadow of the Vampire: Reflections from the World of Anne Rice

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This book gives an interesting glance into the world of Anne Rice fans; however, it may either affirm or disprove the notion that her fans are "weirdos." The book features college students, accountants, writers, exotic dancers, make-up artists, etc. While it features intriguing people from all walks of life, I don't believe it's an entirely accurate view of her fans, and I feel that the book still tries to perpetuate a certain fan stereotype, as though reading Anne Rice makes you estranged from the rest of society.

As a previous reviewer noted, Anne Rice is mainstream. Admitting you are a fan is not a taboo like declaring you are a dominatrix. There are fans who never made it to the ARVLFC balls when they were still going on; there are fans who have no interest in exploring New Orleans outside of the books; and there are fans who detest "Goth" culture but still devour every single book Rice releases. It would have been a far more representative book had it featured a larger diversity of fans. I have met prudes who are uneasy watching kissing scenes on television, yet they read the books over and over again without flinching. Now, if that isn't a testament of Rice's enormous talent and gift, I don't know what is.

However, the book is still wonderfully constructed. The photographs are nothing short of superb, the fan accounts a delight to read, and one really does walk away feeling that maybe those stereotypes are wrong.

i am in this book as well and would like to say that the demographic that it covers is indeed accurate and diverse. i attended anne's booksigning for "violin" just minutes after i attended my own at britton trice's store. anne herself asked if our intentions were pure by participating in this conglomeration, and i assured her that we were sincere indeed. she read and embraced the book, and that's all the proof i need. it was a pleasure being involved with jana and the others back in '96 and '97; truly an experience that i will forever cherish.

This book features stories and photography of people and events around the 1995 Memnoch Ball that Anne hosted at a home she used to own called St. Elizabeth's, a former orphange and one of the settings of Memnoch the Devil. I was an ARVLFC fan club member and volunteer worker at that party and I must say that this book is a good representation of the people you would have run across there but more importantly it is a window to a place in time that burned brightly and served its purpose in creating good memories. This book and its photographs take me back to those magical moments like any good photo album should. Perhaps you just had to be there to appreciate all the stories this book has to offer but it is definitely worth the read. The fan club and the big parties officially ended in 2000 but we have been having a more intimate Ball in New Orleans every Halloween weekend since 2002 known as Les Temps des Vampires and the Vampire Lestat Ball. Through this event we keep a little of the spirit seen in this wonderful book alive.

Jana Marcus did Anne Rice fans a favor by putting this book together. She showed us that we are "normal" (even if the rest of society/literary world doesn't appreciate Anne Rice and her writings.) When the average reader thinks of Anne Rice fans, s/he has the image that the fans pagans, eccentrics and just plain weird. (Usually these are folks that only know the author by her reputation only.) In the Shadow of the Vampire dispells this myth is dispelled. In one book, Jana Marcus has been able to show there is a large cross section of society that calls itself "Anne Rice fans." These fans DO NOT fit neatly into a mold as others would prefer, rather they make their OWN mold. I know, I'm in the book.

I am a die hard Anne Rice fan, and an insurance executive. To pick up a book that purports to be written about her fans, and see only the bloodsuckers, goths and sub/doms was not a real picture of who her fans are.

Anne Rice's fans are moms and dads, teenagers, and goths. Her fans probably represent every single type of person in the world. She receives fan mail from Catholic priests, as well as those who want to become immortal. Doctors, lawyers and waitresses read Sleeping Beauty. Anne Rice has become mainstream - her work is not on the fringe of anything and neither are most of her fans.

So, my opinion was that the fans that were interviewed and published in the book attempted to put limits on a woman's work whose appeal is absolutely limitless.