Rating: 
Summary: The Vampire Armand
Review: Although I was initially sad to see Anne Rice stray from Lestat as hero of her Vampire Chronicles, and take a new direction with Armand, I was more than satisfied with the outcome. Armand appears as little more than an anti-hero in previous novels, and yet I was horrified to have him killed off in Memnoch, while never having been fully explored as a character. The blurb at the end of Pandora, revealing Armand as the subject of the next 'chronicle' was very enticing. And the book delivers.Armand the mortal never reaches adulthood before receiving the 'dark gift' as it is described. He is sold into slavery as a youth, placed in a brothel and ravaged, and is bought by the mysterious Marius, who seems to wish him to be more of a 'companion' than servant or lover. Marius keeps the truth of his vampiric existance from Armand for some time, until Armand discovers Marius' secret, and all but begs to be made a vampire, to remain with his 'master' eternally, only to be taken from him by force, and begins to wander the world as one of the undead. Anne Rice delivers all the wonder and uncertainty of boyhood, even in a world that existed hundreds of years ago, and portrays just the right mixture of indignance and angst with Armand, and he emerges as a sympathetic, angelic, romantic being. He is a seeker of beauty, in art, in music, in people, in life, as much as Lestat is a seeker of salvation and redemption from his bloodlust. While Lestat seems to long for absolution for his soul from the crime of blood-drinking, Armand seems in search of his soul, never having understood it in his mortal youth. Although it is a far cry from the sense I got of Armand in the preceeding novels, having never fully explored him as a character before, Anne Rice produced another hero whom I hope she revisits in novels to come. This is a book I will read again some day, and look forward to doing so.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Reading
Review: I have tried to read this book 3 times and all three times I have put the book down because of lack of interesting character development. The characters do not catch the attention of the readers as any of her previous books have. The story becomes slow reading quickly and becomes utterly boring 50 pages in. I thought Anne Rice would be able to develop the main characters a lot better but she fails miserably. I have enjoyed every other book she has written and am suprised at her failure to succeed in writing this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Good... But Uneven
Review: 'The Vampire Armand,' is Anne Rice's account of the four hundred year old bloodsucker who made his first appearence in 'Interview with the Vampire.' 'Armand' begins with the protagonist relaying his story to the newly undead David Talbot. The story Armand tells is that of his abduction from his boyhood home of Kiev, to being sold into slavery in Constantinople, to his eventual education and seduction by the Vampire Marius in Renaissance Venice. The story ends with Armand's account of his part in the events detailed in Rice's earlier work, 'Memnoch the Devil.' While Armand and Marius are undoubtedly two of Rice's greatest creations, the story told here is rather slow and inconsistant. Just when Rice gives you some real food for thought and truly chilling moments she backs away quickly and indulges in beautifully written, though ultimatly unsatisfying, sensual prose. Missing is the rye wit of Rice's greatest protagonist, the Vampire Lestat. That having been said Rice does deliver some wonderful moments that capture the spirit of the 'Vampire Chronicles' brilliantly. Armand's faith is also an amazing spin on the typically jaded Vampire attitude toward life and love. Fans of the series should check it out but those new to the world of Rice's Vampires would do better to start with 'Interview with the Vampire,' or 'The Vampire Lestat.'
Rating:
Summary: original & thought provoking
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: If I could give it minus stars, I would
Review: I thought that the first 3 "Vampire Chronicles" were marvellous - original, exciting and totally absorbing. Then came "Body Thief", and I began to think that Anne Rice was all written-out. The mind-bogglingly dire "Memnoch" confirmed it (it's got to be just about the most boring and ridiculous book anyone has ever got published), so I decided not to bother with any more of her books. However, Armand is my favourite vampire creation of any writer and I had to read his story. I shouldn't have bothered. How could Mrs Rice make so little of such a fascinating character? I so wish she'd concentrated on Armand when she could still write, way back in the early '90s (his should really have been the 3rd "Chronicle"). If you loved the early vampire novels re-read them and steer well clear of this one.
Rating:
Summary: If you like this sort of thing, you'll like this
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: title for your review
Review: Okay...I really don't know what to think, having read most of these reviews. All I can say is, I've been an Anne Rice fan for a few years now, I've read all of her books, sometimes two or three times each....and I'm attached to her characters. So maybe I'm biased, eh? Especially in reviewing a book about my Armand. Of course it's going to seem as if you've heard the story before, if you've read the other Chronicles, because you have. But that story was surface details narrated by other characters, and thusly open to warping by outside influence and point of views. In this book, you find out the "real" history behind one of the most enigmatic characters in the series, as narrated by the character himself. The imagery and emotion carried in the writing is intricate as woven lace. You feel like you're getting caught up in a web, that simply *must* be for real! That's what makes a book great, in my opinion; the feeling that it wasn't written by any one person, but that the story wrote itself. It also doesn't hurt that i'm obsessed with art history; this book is set in the Italy of the High Rennaisance period! Rice is a descpriptive master, and her characters have the depth of personality so as to make them seam as real and physical as you or me. As for the sexual connotations...come on! This is a book about VAMPIRES! by ANNE RICE! What did you *think* it would be about? A tea party and after school movies? ^_^ It's not an excuse "I didn't know it would be like that!" Yes you did! Of course you did! And if you just cannot approve of fictional characters doing fictional things that do not agree with your real world ethics and morals, too bad. Close your eyes. The rest of us will not miss you, and neither will Anne herself!
Rating:
Summary: The Vampire Armand
Review: I only have one word for this book. Wow. Armand has never been a really important in Rice's vampire chronicles until now. Since I started the vampire books I've been intrigued by Armand. Who made him what he is? What part does he play to Lestat? In this "biography" of Armand, you find out everything about him, you've ever wanted to know. This deeply sensual and dark novel will hold your eyes until you're through. At first I didn't want to read this book, because Lestat wasn't the main character. But as I read on, I found out that Armand wasn't the quite brooding person I thought him to be. He's as brash and impudent and Lestat was. When Armand got torn away from his Master-the ancient Marius-I almost lost interest in the book, because Marius added so much to it. I'm glad I didn't stop, because I would've missed a terrific novel. I encourage you to read about Armand, and be amazed anew at Anne Rice's ability to create masterpieces.
Rating:
Summary: sensual, intimate, and heartbreaking.
Review: This book is one of the best examples of Rice's ability to get the reader emotionally involved in the lives of her characters. Being a big fan of her work and having read most of the novels, I can say that this book is the proof that she can still do it! As for the main character, Armand, whom I, like most, have never been able to understand; I feel that I have learned much of the why's and how's he came to be who he is now. (I'm talking like I know him personally. :)) I have to say towards the end the story kind of fades off a bit, like the author suddenly decided she had to wrap it up in the next 50 pages.. But it might just be me. Anyways, I gladly give Anne Rice the benefit of the doubt. Still, this is a great book, Rice's style!!
Rating:
Summary: Huge AR Fane, But Unfortunately, A Massive Disappointment!
Review: I wait with such anticipation for each new VC book. I really enjoyed most of Anne's previous VC books. In pretty much the order written (with the exception of--I would put Lestate first then Interview, and then the rest in their order written). Though I still enjoyed each book, up until now that is, I did feel that each book got progressively more disappointing, don't get me wrong, still enjoyable and entertaining, but instead of each being better and building on the last written, it was the reverse for me. I would prefer that the Vampires be just that VAMPIRES. That's what made me such a fan of the series. Instead, as the books progress, we get to know more and more about their former lives as humans (too much) and they behave less and less like what we have grown to love them for--being devious little vampires. As far as the Vampire Armand goes. Let's put it this way, I'm one of those people who refuses to start another book until I've finished the last one I'm on. I started this book over a year ago. I'm only about 3/4 threw. It's that pain staking for me to read! Though it does slightly pick up near the middle, it still bores me. It will need to deliver a HUGE smash hit ending for me to ever re-consider my review of this book. Compared to the Witching Hour (Mayfair Witches) which was a very difficult, but enjoyable read, this is simply a bore. I will however FINISH this book some day and soon, because I haven't given up on Anne and the VCs and now there's the latest to read. I can't possibly proceed to the next one, (which sounds promissing) as much as I would like to, out of order, so I must push myself through this one, page, by painful page. I believe in any series you must read them in order to learn and gain from each one, but truly, I could have done without this one. I'm ready to move on and fast. Let's get back to what made the originals so great! Vampires being vampries!
|
