I generally like Anne Rice’s books. My favorite so far has been The Vampire Lestat. The historical fiction aspect of these books is the best part for me. The description of the times and places where the various Vampires were made is always excellent. But it seems there was also a little bit of depravity or degradation, or just rot, that the characters were forced into, either shortly before or shortly after they became Vampires, usually against their will. I was getting sort of tired of this and was glad that there are only a few of these books left on my list.
Vittorio, however, seems to have less of this than most of the other books. He promises at the beginning of his story that his is different from the other stories we have heard, and seems to have made good on this promise.
Vittorio di Raniari is a Renaissance Vampire. He comes from the mountains above Florence in the days of the Medici.
His father’s castle, unharmed over the previous three hundred years or so, is invaded one night by an army of what Vittorio refers to as demons. They turn out to actually be Vampires. He is particularly impressed by a young girl Vampire named Ursula who orders the others to leave him alone. But they have killed the rest of his family, and Vittorio can think of nothing but revenge.
After putting the dead members of his family in the crypt, he leaves his castle, attempting to make his way to Florence to get help. Eventually, the Vampires catch him and take him to their castle, where he witnesses their bizarre rituals and sees the menagerie of people they keep to feed on. They ask him to join them, but he refuses. His punishment is to be that all people will be unable to understand him and regard him as insane.
Somehow, he escapes and makes it to Florence, where he encounters two Angels straight out of his favorite paintings by Fra Filippo Lippi. He can see them when no one else can and understand them. They claim to be Fra Filippo's guardian angels and guide the people around him to take him to a monastery where he is cared for. By the time he has recovered, people can understand him again.
Vittorio convinces the two angels, their superior, Mastema, and his own guardian angels to accompany him back to the castle of the Vampires where he plans to kill all of them while they are asleep during the day and free the people they are holding prisoner. He manages to kill all but Ursula. He falls under her spell, and the angels leave him.
Customer reviews
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Lora S.
A little different from the other Anne Rice vampires
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2019Verified Purchase
Des
Unlike the other VC Stories
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2021Verified Purchase
The Old Philosopher
Good entertaining read.
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2004Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
LindaMM
Softly sad beautifully stoic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2018Verified Purchase
Jaste
Vittorio: The Vampire is the second novel in the New Tales of the Vampires series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2015Verified Purchase
Toni
Packed sensibly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2019Verified Purchase
Azariah
A Good Book...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2013Verified Purchase
Kindle Customer
Vittorio, The Vampire
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2014Verified Purchase