Hot take I guess but the fandom was way too hard on this book (and still is tbh) and for what? Because it isnât interested in fan service? If anything Anneâs writing was at its best when she ignored what fans wanted, and I think itâs time for a reevaluation of my boy Vittorio the Vampire.
I just think this was such a promising start to New Tales (more than Pandora, even) and I sort of hate all of you for boycotting it or telling new readers to skip it. (as far as iâm concerned TVA, Merrick, B&G, BF and BC are all unofficially New Tales anyway.. TVL-MtD are the only proper vampire chronicles, everything else falls into different categories, but I digress).
With regard to Vittorio, however, we were given a true blue Ricean vampire hunter novel (the only one mind you) with an actual, functioning plot and some of the best action sheâs written since TVL⌠and you all shunned it. And I get it, we donât read these books for conventional, commercial plot contrivances, but for the florid language and richly crafted characters; but this is the rare Anne Rice novel thatâs just.. fun for the sake of fun?
And no, Iâm not blind to its problems. It absolutely needed another draft or two (as do a lot of the later VC entires) and no, Vittorio is not her strongest protagonist by leagues. But what we got was still filled to the brim with good ideas?
The Court of the Ruby Grail cult, especially, is one my favorite of Anneâs inventions. Like their dynamic with the local human villages feeding them their castoffs was legitimately disturbing and IMO better executed than most of the times she retreaded the Children of Darkness post-TVL.
And while Vittorio the character might be kind of boring, Florian and Ursula carry this novel and deserved to enter the larger narrative tapestry on their strengths alone but âwaaah Lestat and co. arenât hereâ so âitâs badâ or whatever.. I really canât stand some of yâall.
Anyway, this is long enough and I really didnât set out to write an essay in defense of what is ultimately a mid-tier entry into this series. But. I still feel that much in the way that MtD and Blackwood Farm have been recently reassessed as good novels that happen to be bad VC entires I think itâs time for some of you to similarly reevaluate Vittorio the Vampire, because this is a good vampire novel, it just isnât a good vampire chronicle (well I think it is and yet and yet and yet). But itâs still part of the series and it does fit into the larger picture despite what some will have you believe.
If this is your first time, I personally like to read VTV between Body Thief and Memnoch. I think it is better thematically situated there than between TVA and Merrick as initially published. The archangels that enter later in the story build nicely upon Davidâs vision of God and Satan in TTOTBT and make for a strong intermission full of angels and demons that assist in setting up the Dantean finale of MtD. (I have more suggested reading orders btw, some other time perhaps).
I dunno.. if you like this book please let me know lol like I could use the solidarity because I feel like Iâm the only one (I have it ranked #6 out of 15). But yeah, I think Vittorio is probably the most underrated and most unfairly slandered entry in Anneâs entire catalogue if Iâm being completely honest.
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