Lestat is one of the vampires you first meet in Interview With The Vampire. He made Louis a vampire. Since Louis told his story, and Lestat is not one to be out done, Lestat decides to write down his story. The beginning is a bit slow. You're shocked Lestat is a rocker now. You'd think Anne Rice would be out of touch with the world of music, but as you read on you find out it's not a bad choice for the attention craving Lestat.

You start off in the present. As anyone who read Interview knows, at the end of that book Lestat could was barely alive and couldn't take care of himself. So, he goes underground. Here's where the tricky part comes. Lestat went to sleep for like 50 years. Meaning Louis couldn't have seen him. You don't think about it at first. You think about it after you've read the book. It really bothers you afterwards. That in my opinion, is the only problem with the book. By the way, even Rice herself admits she made a mistake with that.

All throughout the book, you learn of Lestat's past. You learn that he was born into a poor noble family and was taken out of school at an early age. You learn about his early struggles with wanting to be good. I liked his relationship with Nicholas. Nicholas and Louis seem in my opinion very similar. Nicholas' story is sad. It's fascinating how he always wanted attention. That's why he became an actor. Lestat is very close to his mom. He even makes her a vampire.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is when Lestat talks about what happened in Interview. He sets the record straight. Giving his side on what happened. Once you read his side, you'll never look at him or at Interview the same. Louis was upset and wrote him as a monster. Lestat tells what really happened and his reasoning. Siding that Louis never know his reasons for doing things. Lestat also feels bad for keeping secrets from Louis. Also, Lestat didn't like the way Louis protrated him in Interview...

This was a great squel to Interw With The Vampire. You learn about the misunderstood character of Lestat. This is my all time favorite book. I doubt any book will ever take it's place as my favorite book. Why did I give it four stars instead of five? Well, when I first read it I thought it was the best book ever and still do, but that whole time mistake Anne made really upset. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Thinking about who lied? Was Louis about it, or was Lestat denying it? This was the only flaw with the book. Besides for the book being so damn addictive.

Lestat, this charming and fascinating character, had a difficult, troubled development. In "Interview with the vampire", the story is very well constructed, the language is exceptionally beautiful, but the characters are not very well focused. Louis describes himself as a victim, but, as a matter of fact, he is selfish, calculator and hypocrite. On the other hand, Lestat appears to be the "villain", but Louis should be grateful to him for saving so many times his life. And what is the return? Death, of course.
But Lestat cannot really die: he is too steadily alive in the author's mind (and heart). In the second book, however, Anne Rice had to change a lot of details. At the beginning, Lestat was the son of a countryman: now he becomes a French nobleman, very disappointed for Louis' misunderstandings. The young Lestat is very devoted to his mother, the Marquise Gabrielle de lioncourt, so much that he changes her into a vampire when he sses her in the throes of death. So we learn something unexpected: vampires are able to love. Killing is only a cruel necessity, and in any case Lestat imposes himself to kill only evildoers.
Will Lestat ever become human? Probably not, spite of "The tale of the Body Thief".But a human counterpart of Lestat exists, at least in Italy. His name is Ephraim Levi, a Jewish, blond-haired piano player, and he is the hero of the novel "Storie segrete" by Eleonora Cavallini, published in 1998 by Edizioni del Girasole, Ravenna. He is loved by men and women indiscriminately. He appears to have no scruples, but shows a very deep respect towards his father's religion.
On the other hand, Anne Rice's vampires are rigorously Christian (let us remember that the author is of Irish origin, just like Bram Stoker). But I suppose that vampires can be nothing but Christian, excepting Chagall, the famous Jewish vampire of Roman Polanski's "Those brave vampire killers".

In this sequel to "Interview with the Vampire," the reader learns all about Anne Rice's most complex character in The Vampire Chrnicles, Lestat. All those things that Louis wanted to know, but never learned are here in this book. Furthermore, Anne Rice turns "Interview's" already complex tale into the beginnings of a new vampire mythology.

First, we find out Lestat's origins. Forced into the dark gift by the maddened Vampire Magnus, Lestat must discover the secrets of vampirism on his own. We begin to understand Lestat's bitterness towards Loius's constant questioning of their history. Lestat finds it difficult leaving his friends and family, his very humanity behind, and we find that he was not always the playfully evil vampire he was in "Interview."

Over the course of the novel, the reader learns just how much Lestat does indeed know by the time the events of "Interview" take place. By then, he has become more powerful than "Interview" could have possibly let on. Lestat as a character becomes very complex, with a long history of intense pain, and shocking discovery. Others (not me particularly) will be happy to learn more about Armand in this book as well.

Overall, this was an excellent sequel because it fills the reader in on Lestat's past, and answers many of the questions "Interview" left you with. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Lestat's character in "Interview." Further, if you enjoyed the mythology of the vampires introduced in "Lestat," then by all means read the next installment "Queen of the Damned."