The Vampire Lestat
1985
The real story starts when he was a young man, just before the French Revolution in 1789, and went out to kill some wolves in Auvergne, France. That is the thing that made the rest of the story possible. Because of that he meets Nicolas, who becomes his lover. They go to Paris and start working at a small theater. After some time, a vampire comes to visit them one night while Nicki is asleep. He snatches Lestat and brings him to a tower, where he is made a vampire.
After that, some incidents occur that forces him to turn his dying mother, Gabrielle, into a vampire, and short after that, Nicki too.
They also meet some other vampires, a coven led by Armand. After some problems, the coven takes over the theater were Lestat had worked, and the same theater has an important roll in IwtV.
Armand is telling Lestat and Gabrielle the story of his life, and about his maker, Marius. Lestat and Gabrielle leave Paris, but Nicki is left with Armand. Gabrielle soon disappears, and Lestat keeps seeking for Marius.
He eventually meets him, and Marius is telling him about the vampires, how it all started so long ago. After some incidents with the Mother and the Father, the first vampires, Lestat leaves. Nicki has committed suicide and Lestat's family has been slaughtered in the French Revolution, except for his father, whom has managed to escape to New Orleans. Lestat follows him and the story ends.
There are also an epilogue to IwtV and a prolog to QotD, the epilogue handling the parts Lestat thinks Louis got wrong, and some things he feels need an explanation.
I liked this book too. Lestat is my big no1, but still, this book isn't as good as IwtV, I can't really say why.
Although I think that it is very strange that everyone says Nicki was Lestat's 'friend'. He was obviously his lover. They kissed and slept in the same bed. It is also a little strange that Anne refers to him as a friend and don't mention them having sex, when she in TotBT describes Lestat's encounters with mortal women very intimately. But maybe that's just me�
And another thing is that if Marius hadn't told Lestat 'To never make someone as young as Armand', Lestat would probably never have created Claudia. And while I'm at it, in TVL, Marius says that he should have waited some years before he made Armand, but in TVA, Armand himself says he would have died if not given the Dark Gift. Maybe Anne simply missed that part�
The covers I've chosen for this one are the most interesting ones I could find. I believe the two upper ones are such you can find quite easily, at least the one to the left. The one under is a picture of Lestat and a wolf. Opposite is another picture of Lestat, the only one in which he actually looks as beautiful as he says he is. Ok, so his hair's too short, but he is a beauty, isn't he? Those long, delicate fingers�*shivers*
Queen of the Damned
Tale of the Body Thief
Memnoch the Devil
Pandora
The Vampire Armand