Awwww… you sweet thing! ❤

While I’m flattered to be called the VC authority on Tumblr, I’ll accept it in just a tongue-in-cheeky way, bc if that were true, such a title would probably require real “administrative duties,” and other responsibilities that an Authority on smtg would have to perform.

My fave VC book is probably TVL, but I wouldn’t be here if not for IWTV, so they sort of go hand-in-hand for me. I hesitate to choose one over the other. IWTV had the elegant language, the dark ambiance, the existential angst that had a big impact on my own spirituality, and it had the beginnings of the Louis/Lestat chemistry.

But TVL edges forward bc it had the origin of their species story (a whole new take on vampire mythology!), it had more acts of love, more comedy and more charm and I fell for Lestat like falling down a flight of stairs ;D Not bc he’s so damn pretty. For his refusal to quit, for how badly he fracks up but feels terrible for, and then keeps trying; for his insistence that there is so much that’s worth living for, that fascination can save him in the face of the meaningless emptiness out there.

-which ones do you think are necessary to read-

(I get this question in different variations every so often, it’s under my #Order of Operations for VC tag, if you want more thoughts on that.)

I really think IWTV, TVL, and QOTD are necessary. Those books contain the core main characters and take the time to establish those characters. Later books will revisit some of the scenes from those books from different character’s POVs.

Some ppl write off TOBT as being too wacky and MtD as being too religious, TVA as being too Armand… and then the rest rapidly fall off the edge of what ppl consider canon at all because they introduce a bunch of new characters and storylines that the fandom has yet to fully embrace as canon (including the books AR herself does not currently accept as canon, the hybrid Mayfair/VC books).

Hit the jump for more, cut for length.

-and which ones would you say are the worst?-

That’s up for debate and I’m sure for every book I mention I didn’t really like that much, there’s going to be a pile of ppl who loved it, as happens with the ones I liked and there’s a pile of ppl who don’t!

Under the cut are VC that I don’t feel added that much to the series other than being somewhat interesting diversions, and you can give them a chance and see what you think!

Vittorio – This is technically not a VC book, and he has a different origin story and is not part of the VC vampire group.

Blackwood Farm – This is mostly a story told to Lestat and he’s not very invested in it, I don’t think many (any?) of the new characters introduced in this book make any more than a mention or brief appearance later on. It is also fairly cracky.

Blood Canticle – The last of the hybrid VC/Mayfair Witches novels, very cracky, AR has said herself that these hybrid novels did not “wear well” over time, and has stated that they are not part of the canon she continued with in PL and beyond.