ANNE RICE & LESTAT

The Christian Science Monitor today published an interview with the vampire creator Anne Rice, in which she states emphatically "I quit being a Christian. I'm out." This follows a posting on her Facebook page something to that effect.

Now before I hear from right, left and middle groups, I'm not questioning ANYONE'S religion. There are too many mysteries that this single human cannot comprehend, including the varieties of spiritual belief systems that occur in the mass that is humanity.

What I questioned, however, is the writing of novelist whose works I have devoured (much like her vampire characters drain the lifeblood of their prey) over the years, hard cover volumes collected and lovingly stored on my bookshelves. Anne Rice found Christianity sometime around 1998-- and right about then her writing went in a direction that turned this writer off completely. She made it clear that she would never again resurrect Lestat -- in Memnoch The Devil, the book's final cryptic words "Adieu, mon amour" made that very plain.

To make matters worse, usurpers (yes, here goes the Stephenie Meyer rant again) churned out a series of books that made me gag -- sophomoric, juvenile tales about this dimwit Bella Swan with fourth grade dialogue at best. Dreck, pure dreck.

There is hope -- word has it that Anne wants to see Lestat again on the big screen. This is a curious development -- as two of her major novels were already made into films (the Queen of The Damned was a disaster on all levels but that's another story).

Will she do what she says she won't do again -- write another Lestat storyline?

Hola, mi amor.

Amen, and pass the mustard.