In 2005, Anne Rice told the world she was finished writing about vampires — but fans who lamented the end of her Vampire Chronicles may have something to celebrate.
In a new interview with TIME, Rice calls takebacks on her declaration of intent to write only spiritually themed books, saying, “When I published my first book about the Lord I said I would never write about those characters again. But I have one more book that I would really like to write. It will be a story that I need to tell.” From the article:
While Rice justifies her decision by saying the book will have a definite Christian framework and a focus on the theme of redemption, she admits that the future chronicle will once again involve the character Lestat and a fictional organization known as the Talamaska that is responsible for investigating the supernatural. Much like the author herself, Lestat will be wrestling with the existence of God throughout the story. “I don’t see it as a violation of my promise, because I won’t be writing about vampires in the same way,” Rice maintains.
The Vampire Chronicles series, which Rice kicked off in 1976 with Interview with the Vampire, currently stands at ten books (not counting various spinoff series) and two film adaptations. The first book was turned into the 1994 film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst, while 1985’s The Vampire Lestat and 1988’s The Queen of the Damned were cobbled together to form the basis of 2002’s Aaliyah-led Queen of the Damned.
Rice says her next two books will complete the fictional biography of Jesus Christ that she started with 2005’s Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, after which she’ll turn to the “final” Vampire installment.
Source: TIME
