The Vampire Armand

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this installment of The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice summons up dazzling worlds to bring you the story of Armand - eternally young, with the face of a Botticelli angel. Armand first appeared in all his dark glory in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire, the first of The Vampire Chronicles, the novel that established its author worldwide as a magnificent storyteller and creator of magical realms.

Now, travel with Armand across the centuries to the Kiev Rus of his boyhood - a ruined city under Mongol dominion - and to ancient Constantinople, where Tartar raiders sell him into slavery. And in a magnificent palazzo in the Venice of the Renaissance you see him emotionally and intellectually in thrall to the great vampire Marius, who masquerades as a mysterious, reclusive painter and who will bestow upon Armand the gift of vampiric blood.

As the novel races to its climax, moving through scenes of luxury and elegance, of ambush, fire, and devil worship to nineteenth-century Paris and today's New Orleans, we see its eternally vulnerable and romantic hero forced to choose between his twilight immortality and the salvation of his immortal soul.

The Vampire Armand is Volume 6 of The Vampire Chronicles.

©1998 by Anne O'Brien Rice (P)1998 by Random House, Inc.

New narrator needed...

This is a wonderful story, however, a new narrator is desperately needed! The gentelman that narrates this story is American, and speaks as such with no accent. Anyone who's read the book, or even just listens to it knows that he is from Rome. His tone is very bland as well. I would have been thrilled with this book and have given it 5 stars had they gave someone with a strong European accent the part.

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

Narration not good

My two least favorite Vampire Chronicles are Vittorio the Vampire and The Vampire Armand. Unfortunately, I think I may have liked the books better had they been read by someone else, such as the narrator for "Blood and Gold". I just couldn't get excited about the books because the narrator sounds so bored. He reads with no expression and a draggy, monotone voice, that just makes me not want to listen.

19 of 20 people found this review helpful

OK Book, Not So Great Reader

The Vampire Armand is an OK book, definately worth reading if you're a Vampire Chronicles fan. Like other reviewers, I think I would have enjoyed the reading of this book more if there had been a better reader -- at least someone who could do a wide rage of voices and accents (the reader of Blood and Gold would have been a better choice). Armand has always been such a sexy, passionate character, but this reader's rendition seemed to take all the joy out of Armand. In addition, this book is the first in which Ms. Rice delves into religous issues with her vampire, and unlike other books, it just comes off boring and overdone. If you're a fan of the series, then you must listen, if not, it's OK to pass. Listen to Blood and Gold instead.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

listen to sample - bad reader - good story

Actually - if you listen to the reader - after about 5 minutes on the sample - the narrator is less nasal on his "R"s and "N"s and his accent less pronounced - but man - what a bad choice of readers- bad tonation of voice. Simply all wrong. I've done voice acting - man - what was the director thinking taking this direction with this guy.. Well listen to the free sample yourself.. and if you get past it and can stand it - then its ok I suppose. The story is as good as any other Anne Rice Novels - such as Blood and Gold.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Jonathon Marosz as Narrator

I love Anne Rice and her books. Especially the Vampire Chronicles. I have read all of them, but now I'm listening. Although the story itself is great, this narrator drives me to distraction when compared to the other narrators. He feels uninvolved in his own story. When he uses the characters voices,Jonathon Marosz is fine. But as the character Armand is telling his story, Marosz gives him no personality. My rating of the book is strictly on the content, not on the read. I will avoid future listens when I see his name as the narrator. I wish that Roger Rees had been the narrator for this as he did such a great job with Blood and Gold.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

The Vampire Armand

The Vampire Armand is one of the more interesting books in the Vampire Chronicles. Despite what the previos reviewer has said, I thought the narration to be fine, and have listened to this book more than once.

This book tells the story of the life and making of Armand. It is a very interesting and compelling story of a young man, made a vampire.

I highly recommend this book!

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Why, oh why?

Is there anything you would change about this book?

How did someone let this narrator destroy the listening of this book. I am just gritting my teeth so to get the story but think I might soon give up and send it back! How can anyone let him narrate any book. Simon Vance is so amazing a voice actor and I miss him dearly.

What didn’t you like about Jonathan Marosz’s performance?

Dull, a monotone, a constant vocal drop at end of almost every phrase, and no sense of what he is reading. He is not acting the parts, no voice for each character, barely even an attempt! He has no sense of the action, even young children would fall asleep listening to him.

Was The Vampire Armand worth the listening time?

No! Because of the narrater.

Any additional comments?

Can you not have this redone?

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I enjoyed Armand more from a distance.

What did you like best about The Vampire Armand? What did you like least?

I felt Armand could've been as compelling as Lestat. But he wasn't quite. I'm not sure why. I enjoyed Armand more from a distance (in the Vamp Lestate and Interview). The reader wasn't good, at all. We've been treated with Simon Vance and Kate Reading. As such, this reader seems a betrayal by Random House. Fortunately, others reviewers prepared me for it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I wouldn't dare presumed that skill. However, he was more angry and stalled or stuck than I wanted him to be. In the end, his views toward the Christ were stale, as if he'd not gained any peace or internal insight after all those years. He was an unlearned child again; that disappointed me. Perhaps we all are, in our moments of truth.

How could the performance have been better?

Have it narrated by another, someone as marvelous as Simon Vance. I'm use to a story teller, an actor, if you will. This choice, just read (albeit, better than I could) the book. His cadence was and inflections seemed... it was JV vs. Varsity or B side vs A side (for those of us who remember two sides of an album).

Do you think The Vampire Armand needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

To me, the Chronicles are all follow-ups to The Vampire Lestat. That doesn't cheapen or diminish any of them. They are all originals. Awe, I love the Chronicles!

Any additional comments?

I felt like a witness to Mrs Anne's personal journey in her own faith and beliefs in... all things God (for lack of better wording).

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting Story, Horrible Narration

The narrator is horrible. Hopefully they make a new audio version with Simon Vance. There is a difference between someone reading a book AT you and TO you.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not at the peak

Would you try another book from Anne Rice and/or Jonathan Marosz?

I enjoy Anne Rice's vampire chronicles, both the classic and the new, but I believe this is the weakest of all of her story lines.

If you’ve listened to books by Anne Rice before, how does this one compare?

Not at the peak of her writing. This is my least favorite of all including the Mayfair witches series.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Marosz’s performances?

I'm really not sure, was disappointed in the reading. Tonal quality was bland in my opinion and pronunciation of some words wrong, including some of the names of the vampires in the classic roles.

Could you see The Vampire Armand being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful