What a perfect way to describe Armand, the boy vampire. A Botticelli Angel. There just isn’t any other way to put it. Armand is one of the vampires in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles series. True lovers of Rice’s work know that no one can compare to the beauty of Armand.
A little history, if you will. Armand was introduced in the first book in the series, Interview With The Vampire, as the leader of the Theatre des Vampires, a coven of vampires that destroyed the child vampire Claudia. Armand also features prominently in other books in the series, but comes across as depressed, and plagued with being alone.
But The Book At Hand
The Vampire Armand is the last book in the series that I have read. I believe that there is one more, but I have yet to read it. But let me describe Armand...
Lestat is out of commission, possibly permanently, lying catatonic on the floor of an old convent in New Orleans. He’s just brought Veronica’s Veil to Dora, a mortal, and has realized that he’s done what he refused to do- he’s helped Satan with his quest (to learn more on that, please read Memnoch The Devil). Immortals from far and wide are there, paying their respects to one of the most famous of their kind. After all, he’s written numerous books (each book is written as though a fellow immortal, or Lestat himself is writing them), and is a world renowned rock star.
Armand is there to pay his respects. Armand, the one who went into the sun and lived to tell the tale. So is Armand’s creator, Marius, and David Talbot, another immortal created by Lestat. David has come to ask Armand to write his story, to tell the tale of how he became who he is today, and eventually, how he managed to survive the sun.
Armand tells this tale, and he does so a bit incoherently. I have to say that this is my main problem with this story. The book is in general well written, and it does answer my questions about Armand- while raising more about other vampires, namely a new one mentioned named Bianca. But that’s something else.
The Vampire Armand isn’t as clear and concise as I would like it to be. It jumps around quite a bit, starting off with Armand being kidnapped and sold into slavery, and later going back to Armand’s beginnings as a monk. The book also skips over parts that were mentioned in other books, on the assumption that everyone reading Armand has read the other books. I would have liked to see Armand’s take on the writings of other immortals, because each individual has a different view of events.
I do not think that The Vampire Armand is one of Rice’s best, and find it lacking in some areas. There were too many sections that seemed downright boring, and others that were just too outrageous, even for Rice.
This is a book for the fans- not those who are just looking for something to read. There’s too much that isn’t there, and just makes the story confusing if you haven’t read the entire series.