The Vampire Armand (Rice, Anne, Vampire Chronicles.) (Paperback)

by Anne Rice (Author) "THEY SAID a child had died in the attic..." (more)
Key Phrases: mortal boy, glass city, blood drinkers, New York, Santa Sofia, Lord Harlech (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In the familiar style of vampire as seducer, narrator Alfred Molina (Boogie Nights) uses his smooth, tranquil voice to excellent effect, luring listeners ever deeper into the dark, mysterious, and blood-soaked world of The Vampire Armand. Rice has crafted an intriguing plot, one that expands on events from her earlier books, yet stands alone as a compelling exploration of the Cimmerian secrets that have shaded one of her most fascinating characters. Molina is a talented reader, and he revels here in the expertly crafted story line, lush language, and tortured emotions of a haunted soul caught in the eternal darkness that lurks between the living and the dead. (Running time: four hours, four cassettes) --George Laney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Fantasy's great advantage is that authors can make anything happen?even rewriting their own stories, as Rice does here. Readers of her 1995 novel, Memnoch the Devil, will recall that the vampire Armand ended his existence by stepping into the sun. Since he was a popular character from earlier tales, a resounding protest from fans followed. In response, Rice concocted a way in this, her seventh Vampire Chronicle since Interview with the Vampire (1976), to raise Armand from the dead. He is, in fact, the narrator of this story, in which he looks back on his earthly existence, revisiting his apprenticeship in 16th-century Venice to the regal vampire artist, Marius De Romanus, who saved his life with the kiss of immortality. Afterward, Armand returned to his Russian homeland, but when disaster parted him from Marius, he became the nihilistic leader of a pack of Parisian vampires. Rice offers exquisite details of erotic romps and political intrigues while reprising other material familiar to her fans, but finally returns to the pressing question of what happened to Armand in the sun's lethal rays. She supplies a vivid and resonant description of the experience, set against the counterpoint of Beethoven's Appassionata. Unfortunately, she dims the effect by dragging Armand through rambling scenes involving two odd children, Sybelle and Benji. Otherwise, this is a lavishly poetic recital in which Armand struggles with the fragility of religious belief. The final scene is a stunner. Editor, Victoria Wilson; agent, Lynn Nesbit. First printing 750,000; BOMC main selection; simultaneously available in audio and large-print editions.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st Ballantine Trade Ed edition (August 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345409272
• ISBN-13: 978-0345409270
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (444 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,634 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 6 in The Vampire Chronicles Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars original & thought provoking, November 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Vampire Armand : The Vampire Chronicles (Rice, Anne, Vampire Chronicles) (Hardcover)

I read "Interview" 2 yrs ago, saw the movie & was fascinated with Armand's character. This book filled in all the gaps in Armand's personality, which the other Chronicles revealed here & there. The despair & abuse he suffered as a mortal boy explained his need for love from Lestat (TVL), his love-hate relationship with his Orthodox religion (Memnoch), his highly seductive courtship of Louis (IWV) from the development of his skills in summoning his victims. The beautiful May-December love affair between him & Marius, the only vampire making that ws made "out of love". I thought Louis was complex but Armand takes first place. Anne Rice handled his fall from his religious beliefs so well, (the church scenes in the Byzantine chapel & when Marius "makes" him, the entire flashback of his mortal life in Russia) and the florid fifteenth-century language she used added to the entire Renaissance feel of the book. A beautiful, dark and sensual story...I'm glad he finally found someone who loves him just for himself (Sybelle) Anne really dug deep into herself to plumb the questions of religious faith & all the dark despair of Armand's and her own heart. Now, I wait for "Blood & Gold" Marius' story!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't know what you all are talking about but....., June 4, 2000

By	"pagansong" (North Pole, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vampire Armand : The Vampire Chronicles (Rice, Anne, Vampire Chronicles) (Hardcover)

Maybe it's because I'm kind of new to Anne Rice, but, by far, Armand is my most favorite character because of this book. It seems that most of the reviewers who didn't like this book were looking for a more "action" book (i.e. Queen of the Damned). Let's get this one straight, Armand is absolutely a different and very unique vampire even by, dare I say, Rice's standards. This is the kind of book you would read w/ your cup o' Java, not one that you'd expect to have all blood and glory. Armand seems like the ultimate brat prince but at the same time seems like a fragile angel teetering on the brink of oblivion, and in some parts of the book he falls in, but amazingly flys back up, reborn but still the eternal child. He's the fallen angel, but the only one worthy of Heaven. Rice, as always, is poetic in all her work and this book is no exception, she treats every detail as if it is a divine revelation. I say keep it up, her books just keep getting better and better, even if some of the things she writes aren't very agreeable to me, but at least I still respect her passion of HONEST expression. I don't think she even tries to sugar her novels up for the sake of readers. She writes what's in her heart (which is purely selfish) at that moment, and I praise her for it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like this sort of thing, you'll like this, November 2, 2000

By	T. Adshead - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Vampire Armand (The Vampire Chronicles) Book 6 (Mass Market Paperback)

This book tells the story of Armand, from his kidnapping from a Ukraine, via his initiation as a vampire, in Venice, to Paris and the Vampires' theatre, up to the present day. All of your Anne Rice favourites are here.

This book is less about plot, and more about the investigation of an important character, and of course, the usual pure indulgence in sensual delights. Armand has tried just about everything, including abstinence, and we get his take on all of it.

I've re-read this book, and it doesn't tire the second time round. There is so much detail, that there is always something new to appreciate. As historic fiction, this book is fascinating, because it takes you to unusual places. As fiction it is fun, because even minor characters get properly rendered.

If you have started to read Anne Rice and like it, then this book is a worthy successor to the rest of the series. I can't be sure how this book would read by itself - obviously it has spoilers for the other books, especially the first, but I think that it would stand well on its own.