The Tale of the Body Thief

Year Published

1992

Author

Lestat de Lioncourt

Summary

After the misadventures involving Those Who Must Be Kept, Lestat once again seeks to break the rules. Raglan James, powerful psychic and former member of the Talamasca, has a proposition for Lestat that he can't refuse. After stealing the body of a handsome, Anglo-Indian young man, James uses the it to close a deal with the Brat Prince: he'd trade bodies with him for a certain amount of time for the price of five millions dollars.

While pondering over the proposal, Lestat decides to expose himself to the sun in the Gobi Desert, resulting in a bronzed looking fiend, who can pass himself off as a mortal more easily. Although both Louis and David warn him against the offer, Lestat accepts and thus begins his adventures.

As a mortal, Lestat is disappointed again and again. His vision is much inferior to that of a vampire's, food is not as satisfying as blood, and the task of relieving oneself is more than he can bear. Not preparing for mortal life, Lestat soon finds himself with pneumonia. To make matters worse, he realizes that Raglan James tricked him and has no intentions of returning his body. After being hospitalized, the nurse Gretchen takes him home to care for him. When Lestat is better, he seeks to reclaim his body.

With Louis refusing to help and Marius condemning him for his actions, Lestat turns to David Talbot. They track down Raglan James and with David's help, Lestat manages to recover his body. However, what he doesn't know is Raglan James has forced David out of his body and has taken possession of it. Later when he asks for the Gift, Lestat agrees, but when he realizes it's not really David, his temper takes over and he kills Raglan, destroying David's body in the process. This leaves David a life time in another man's body.

With his immortal body back, Lestat goes to Gretchen as promised. However, she cannot handle his preternatural presence and is driven mad. Frustrated, he goes and makes David into a vampire. At first, David is angry, but he eventually forgives Lestat, and Lestat forgives Louis for his refusal to help. The three then go to Rio to catch the carnival.