Vittorio, the vampire - Anne Rice
Whoever knows Anne Rice, knows they can only expect one thing from her: Surprise.
Despite her several books about vampires, each character is completelly unique, with different characteristics, fears and powers.
Vittorio is another one of them. Even though he's similar, on some points, to Louis (from Interview with a Vampire), he has a much more warrior-like disposition, because, unlike Louis, Vittorio was born during the Italian Renaissance period, being educated as a knight, to protect his land.
The story starts telling about Vittorio's life and his family, who owns some land in Italy, in which several families live, protected by Vittorio's father.
Some vampires show up and propose that they handle to them the children, old and sick, people no one would miss, to them, but Vittorio's father refuses and that causes the death of all his family except, of course, our main character, whose life is saved by Ursula, a beautiful and seductive vampire.
That's when the hunt starts: Vittorio wants revenge for his family, because their deaths made him shocked and unsettled, but, at the same time, starts Ursula's hunt to Vittorio, who, obviously, saved him for a reason.
Well, I'm not telling the whole story here. Of course we know that Vittorio becomes a vampire or that wouldn't be the title of the book (at least in Brazil that's the title), but what I liked, specially, was that we didn't know WHEN it was going to happen! Each moment, each part of the story, we are caught wondering "is it now?".
There are beautiful parts, conversations with angels, beautiful descriptions of the paintings Vittorio loves so much, of the Rubi Graarl Court (hopefully the English name is the same), of Ursula. But also there are parts extremelly irritating, where we think "STOP, DON'T DO THAT", because we know exactly what's going to happen - even though he doesn't see it.
Do not expect a "Twilight" love: Vittorio and Ursula love eachother on a passionate, physical, sad, full of guilt way, after all, she did help to kill his family. After Vittorio is changed, he, unlike Louis menioned above, understands his new situation and accepts it - it's irremediable, and his love for Ursula keeps him alive.
It's a wonderful book, exciting and different from most vampire books you've read, that talks about love and hate, of how close they can be and how can someone be, at the same time, full of hate and completelly good, innocent and benevolent.
After "the tale of the Body thief" I thought Anne Rice had lost it, because Lestat was incredibly boring, sounding more like a dumb Superman and the story was very weak, but with Vittorio, you see clearly it wasn't her, but Lestat that had lost it and me who "had enough of him".
Originally published on Sobre Livros
Originally published on Sobre Livros
