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Summary: I miss Lestat
Review: I liked this book a lot, but I did not like it as much as the books about Lestat. It is still definatley worth reading. I love her writing.
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Summary: Another disappointment for an avid fan
Review: Let me start off by saying I love Anne Rice's style. Her attention to detail creates an incredibly realistic sense of time and place and her ability to craft memorable characters makes many of her novels a joy to read. That said, this book flickers weakly with all the things I love about her novels but it falls short and was entirely in the end a disappointment. Her books of late, and Vittorio is no exception, are replacing creativity with self-indulgence and good old-fashioned story telling with religious pontification.Read it if you must (it was better than Violin at least) but skipping it would be no great loss.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Weak
Review: I love her stuff but even Rice can't milk a real story out of this bit player, pass on this one...END
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Summary: A Lesson In Choice
Review: Vampire tales are often designed to scare, tantalize and excite us. Ann Rice accomplishes those basics in 'Vittorio the Vampire'. She take us one step further with a lesson in choice. Rice first establishes a fantastic setting in Florence's 15th century Golden Age. Her prose amplifies the opulence and turbulence of the era. Both play a key role in Vittorio's transition. She builds suspense to his tragedy, his vengence and his seduction - leaving the reader thirsting for each page. Her main theme is one of choice. Vittorio begins as a victim, but ultimately makes his own tragic decisions. He is monitored by heaven and hell, but, like we readers, the angels and devils can only anticipate his path. In the end he is cursed to fully appreciate what he gained and lost each and every day. You may only enjoy the horror themes of this excellent yarn. Deeper, Rice reminds us that their can be horror in our daily decisions.
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Summary: If only she didn't use the same word over and over, it might
Review: ...be a perfect 5 stars. And what I mean by that is that she might use "always" in one sentence, and then "always" in the very next! Other than that, though, on with the review. I had rather given up on Rice after Tale of the Body Thief and everything was about "Look, ladies, Lestat is gay!" It was *all* about sex. I missed the wonderously decadent stylings of Interview and TVL. Even the historical beauty of QotD. While Vittorio may go on for perhaps too long in the beginning, he makes up for it by making his tale completely engrossing. You are sucked in without realizing it. I hadn't even noticed I was half way through after only an hour and a half! Sensual and erotic without being over-the-top, and definately something far better than say Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' teeny-bopper "pity-me" work, or P. N. Elrod's fast-talking PI who you hints but never fulfills your curiosity, Vittorio is a complete vampire. He may be mortal for most of the book, but the interactions, esp. in Lord Florian's Court which bring back the memories of Les Innocents, and the flight from Vittorio's home ala Lestat's family massacred. It may smack of another Lestat, ("I know I'm impossible...") but Vittorio is younger, a bit more forgivable. He is a Romeo undying. I say that if Rice keeps it up like this, I will definately put her back on my favorites lists.
Rating: 
Summary: Vlad Tepid
Review: I listened to the audio book version of this and was fairly disappointed. I could appreciate all of the detail about Italy in the Age of Gold, and it *was* interesting. But I was not really moved in any way by the characters peopling this story. And to be honest, I don't know why. I was just sort of bored. I've been a fan of Anne Rice for a long time now. I love the original vampire chronicles, and I enjoyed "Pandora", as well. Something about "Vittorio the Vampire" just felt like it was done by numbers. It's horrible to say, especially of one of my favorite authors. This book is more about love and angels than anything else, really. Those looking to find anything like the original tales will be hard pressed to find it (which Vittorio warns us about in the beginning...so, it's my fault for looking, I guess). I just expect stories by Rice to be more compelling. Now, part of the problem may be in the narration itself. It was solid for the most part, perhaps a bit monotone. But then, when Marosz tried to do a character's scream and it came out as a weak, hoarse whisper, I nearly laughed. It was *terrible*! It's like the way little kids pretend they are yelling -- or the way you call to a friend across the room in a very quiet library. As an audio engineer, it frustrates the hell out of me to hear a performer do this! My credo is: Go ahead and yell, and let the audio engineer do his or her job. Just give a good performance! And if the audio engineer is responsible for that silly whisper/yell... well, then the audio world is in a sad state of affairs. So, I give this (audio) book 3 stars. It would probably be less with anyone other than Anne Rice, but she writes so beautifully, that her descriptions save her.
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Summary: Renaissance Vampire
Review: Looking for a dependably readable book for a long air flight, I picked up this continuation of Anne Rice's successful series. While Vittorio's story is much like many other of her vampires, it almost seemed as if written by an assistant, not unlike the Renaissance artists of the Florence era art world where her novel is set. Full of the sames scenes- a religious, repentant vampire, and his nobleman young life cut short, "Vittorio" is not original, yet with the addition of angels, it takes on a Tony Kushner flair. I liked the Italian setting, and it was too short, but if you like anne Rice's usual ornate, florid style, and occasionally sexy interactions, this one is fine, but no classic.
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Summary: Viva Vittorio
Review: Anne Rice has enthralled us with her tales of Lestat and his band of vampires for years and now she introduces us to a new vampire - Vittorio. Vittorio has no immediated link to Lestat and friends (well ok they ALL stem from Akasha and Enkil) and is a different style of vampire all together. The book moves at a great pace, and similar to Pandora The Vampire (Anne Rices other mini vampire book) deals predominantly with his life before becoming a vampire. Needless to say, if you like the Vampire Chronicles, you'll love this and likewise if you have never read the Vampire Chronicles you'll enjoy this book just as much. Wait until the sun sets, light a candle in a quiet corner in your house and read this enchanting, gripping tale of a boy whose family is slaughter and his quest for vengeance.
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Summary: An Imaginative Tale of Darkness and Delight
Review: From the very start,I could not put this book down.Anne Rice's words connect with the reader's imagination,building a world of enchantment and demonic delight.I liked how Rice was able to effectively weave various aspects of art,literature references,and fourteenth century life into a masterful and very visual story.Vittorio is a character of great depth,taking the reader through this journey of love,religion,and revenge.There are so many active moments throughout this book where Rice shows her true command of imagery.When Vittorio's family is slain,Rice displays her use of horror and witnessed devastation.When Vittorio and his mate-to-be,Ursula,are together,Rice writes passionate prose for their meetings,with the "love story" being very obvious to the reader,even from the first few chapters.Some of the best imagery and dialogue occurs in and around the Court of the Ruby Grail,the surrounding streets near Vittorio's home,and of course Florence...where this story truly flourishes and shines with vivid conclusion. I was somewhat saddened that the book had to end because I felt like there was so much more I would like to read about.However,I was very impressed and satisfied how Rice closes this tale.It is powerful,engaging,and thought provoking.The back-notes from the author herself also provides a great source of info for the reader to further research and study.A definite must read because it is simply....masterful.
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Summary: New Blood
Review: Vittorio, The Vampire is a seductive tale of desire gone rampant. Never before has Anne Rice been so specific in creating the Vampires' desire for blood as a metaphor for all of our deep, hidden fantasies and obsessions. In Vitorio we see an archetypal flashback to a time in our lives when innocence was all we knew. Vittorio represents the potential we all have to take a firm grasp of life and live it to the fullest. But just like Vittorio, we soon find ourselves exposed to external societal pressures that erode that life embracing potential. Vittorio, The Vampire is a darker tale then any of Anna Rices' previous vampire novels. The blood flows thicker and faster than ever, and the themes of revenge and obsession thrust us into a gothic realm where beauty is nothing more than a dressing that hides a deep and festering wound. With the intoduction of a new coven of Vampires known as The Ruby Grail, Anna Rice has taken great steps to de-romanticize the very creatures she has previously filled with light, and plunge the myth of the vampire back into the shadows of darkness. I doubt even if Lestat himself could have immersed himself in the world of the Ruby Grail. For all his flirtations with the dark side, he never could have endured their capacity for torture and unrivaled commitment to blood soaked evil. Although Vittorio, The Vampire is not strictly a horror (much like the rest of the Vampire Chronicles), it is closest to the genre than Anne Rice has ever been. It may not be the scariest book you have ever read, but if you let it get under your skin, it'll stay there.... and feast upon your soul.
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