The Vampire Armand (The Vampire Chronicles, #6)

by Anne Rice

Magnificent and electrifying, this new volume in the "Vampire Chronicles" returns to the glittering story of Armand Lestat, mesmerizing leader of the vampire coven at the eighteenth-century Theater des Vampires in Paris. Snatched from the steppes of Russia as a child, and sold as a slave in Renaissance Venice, Armand's story sweeps through several hundred years, to New Orleans at the end of the twentieth century, where he lies waiting for immortality, and the legend continues to grow...

• ISBN10: 0099271478
• ISBN13: 9780099271475
• Publish Date: 7 October 1999 (first published 1 January 1998)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 28 March 2010
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Arrow Books Ltd
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 528
• Language: English

Reviews

[elysium]

Lestat lies in a coma-like sleep in a chapel and while vampires gathers around him, Armand tells his story to David Talbot, Lestat’s former Talamascan fledgling. Armand takes us with him through his childhood in Kiev; from where he is kidnapped and sold to slavery, to Venice where Marius saves him and eventually gives the dark gift and to Paris where he led his Satanic Vampire cult.

Maybe I should start this telling that this was 4th or 5th time reading this and yep, I still love it! Armand’s always been my favourite so it’s no surprise I love this.
It’s been over 8 years since I’ve last read this, and long before I had even heard about blogs etc., so it was interesting to read it again. And it seems my book taste hasn’t changed since I was 15… And oh why it’s so hard to write about books you loved!

When Armand lived in Kiev as a child he painted beautiful icons and was meant to join the monks so he had pretty religious upbringing, which shows through his life and is constant theme through the book.

I’ve always loved the chapter where Marius takes Armand back to Kiev after turning him. He could let the past go little after meeting his family and his father who was such a huge presence in his life.

They didn’t have that many years together with Marius but it was a big part of his life when he was loved and (relatively) safe. And I was dreading to reach the part where it would all be ruined!
It’s been told in previous books that he was the leader of the vampire cult that imprisoned Lestat but now we see how he became part of it.

You can see the growing theme with Christianity on Rice’s books here and while I’m not even remotely religious it didn’t bother me. I love the writing style and the descriptive writing but that may not be to everyone’s liking.