Anne Rice, author of the Vampire Chronicles series (Interview with the Vampire was its first installment, in ’76, and the series as a whole has sold over 100 mil copies), surprised her avid fan base in 2004 with an announcement of her conversion to Christianity. She halted the series, mid-plot cliffhangers, and decided to shift all her creative efforts to promote her new belief. GoodReads just posted an interview with the writer on her new autobiography and her current series of books, Christ the Lord.
When asked in Christianity Today if she would ever write another vampire novel again, even if it would mean entire financial ruin, Rice responded, “I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for 
all eternity to turn my back on God like that.” However, in a later interview with TIME, Rice hinted at a new book in the Vampire Chronicles series, a final installment that would follow her return to faith, with a plot that might lead to salvation for Lestat. “Though Rice did not give an official name for the book, she hinted at the name Angel Time as a possibility on her website.”
In her autobiography, Called out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, Rice writes, “I hope I can redeem myself [with these books]…I hope that the Lord will accept the books I am writing n
ow.”
In the GoodReads interview, Rice writes on the Vampire Chronicles:
“My old novels and characters were sincerely created and deeply felt, and also I think these novels and characters are complex and these novels mirror a pathway to Christ. I think they retain tremendous value for readers, especially young readers who may not be willing to pick up a book about Christianity. There is a moral compass in these novels, and the grief for a lost faith, and the search for redemption — these are the main themes. I remain a believer in them, though they are partial and flawed. They have some sort of power because of their sincerity and because of their depth.”
She points to her old work to highlight sincere characters and grief of a lost faith. She points to her new work in an effort to save herself. It’s pretty heartbreaking to see the latter pronouncements, especially to a fan base of 100 million.
One comment on the GoodReads interview sums up the response to Rice: “The worst of all is not the conversion, but the fact that she abandoned the Vampires without really closing the stories.” This reader must have forgotten about Angel Time.
Source: Goodreads.com, Annerice.com, Wikipedia
COMMENTS
4 responses to “Interview with the Vampire… of Glory”
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I read the interview – not bad, except for this unfortunate bit:
“The Gospels tell us that if we want to be perfect, we should give up all we own and follow Christ. I didn’t have the courage to do that. But I felt I could give him all my work. And so I did.”
There’s something disturbing about the picture of Tom Cruise affixed to Brad Pitt’s neck…
There’s also something disturbing about that picture of Kirsten Dunst as a little girl… I had forgotten she was in that movie.
Angel Time may be the worst title ever. But I bet it’d be an interesting read. Certainly not the first vampire book with a specifically Christian take on redemption.
Her pronouncement about her old books vs. new books is priceless. I’d imagine if I were a fan (which I’m not), it’d be hard not to hear it as a massive put-down. Still, I feel for her.
I think it is wonderful that this person is showing that there is actually a change to be expected when becoming a Christian.
For her to say that she would continue writing these novels, even if they were not glorifying to God in her opinion, would be a sad thing.
The fact that she doesn’t care about money or what others think, but is actually doing something different now that she is a new creation is refreshing to see.