I'm one of those people who took issue with Realms of Atlantis. Anne changed the entire mythological paradigm for her vampires. They used to be supernatural and mysterious, now they are scientific and quantifiable. She has utterly divorced the modern books from their roots, and diminished the sense of pathos and mystery that made the original books so good. She effectively introduced midichlorians. My favorite character in the early novels was Claudia, both for who she was and what she represented. A character like that simply can't exist in Anne's modern works. All of the vampires have become loving, forgiving, enlightened beings who just want to play nice with everyone. Most of them are unrecognizable and none of them would ever create a child vampire. The taboo-sexual undertones of the early novels are entirely absent. The vampires who were once sexy in a very forbidden way have become an idealized, soy-based fantasy of what they once were. Anne's books lost their dark edge sometime after Tale of the Body Thief. Some of her later works have their moments, but none of them approach the levels of sexy, hopeless, forbidden, alluring power-fantasy of blood, death and sex that were her first four creations. Immortality in her early novels is an entirely different proposition than it is in her later ones. I understand your desire to play apologist and its fine that you liked the book. My only problem with it is the way that it retroactively changes so many things about that universe for the worse. Roshamandes is no Claudia. The vampires have lost their fangs. They are no longer tragic monsters are now more like superheros who are 'cursed with awesome'.

This is an amazing commentary- and thank you for all the information on the comic series!!!! I just found a couple of them!

thank you Jimmie for constructive insights & reminders. bit tearful just found out Ann Rice passed.. Having tough times but her immense works remain in me since my teens. Yesterday, discovered AMC and brilliant team inc Jacob Anderson, Same Reid. RIP. i agree. she is a "Genius"

I’m a weirdo. I loved the book. Just finished it this evening. It’s been a trippy journey.

Agreed. My point as well. Thanks for this.

This novel really went bad for me when I read about "the parents"...... they were bird like and covered with feathers.

So it's almost equivalent to The Last Jedi (2017)

Thank you for saying Lestat correctly 🙏🏻🖤

Guilty of Heresy here Jimmie...sorry. I get what you're saying about evolution and that no one remains the same over the years, or centuries...except Marius perhaps. I don't think the fans real issues are with Lestat, but perhaps more so with the storylines, and the frequency of the books? Who can blame Anne bringing out as many novels centered around Lestat....but the timezone in which the stories are happening (one after another almost yearly now) + the actual stories are perhaps the issue here. Evolution works both ways for everything... it's not always about going forward and improving, and sometimes depending on exterior forces, in this case the frequency of the books and the storylines - (that which Anne is creating around Lestat) could be seen as a negative evolution, especially when one considers the absolute and visceral hypnotic mystery, poetry and romance of the first three novels. Yes...I'm not only a Heretic, but a puritan. Perhaps I should align myself with the early Armand and make my bed under Les Innocents? In essence, and in relation to you saying 'perhaps we'd appreciate 'Atlantis' if we've read all Chronicles novels (Ive read most)....but perhaps the opposite is true? Maybe we're too in love with Lestat, and have a fear of him becoming cheapened, losing his romance, rebelliousness that we who know the original Lestat remember most. Perhaps those who come to Lestat/Atlantis directly will enjoy this book if they have almost Zero perspective? For the record...honestly.... Prince Lestat and Atlantis... could have been better, I think - also Body Thief and Memnoch. Blood & Gold, Armand, Pandora... incredible. Very lastly.... it's been said the BBC are thinking taking the Sci-Fi out of Doctor who. Is there a risk Lestat has been 'Defanged'?

Capitalising on old success

I LOVED this book too!! But then again, I've always usually liked what most others don't & vice versa 🤷🏾‍♂️. I'm sad we won't get any follow up due to her passing. But nothing lasts forever 😑. My only criticism is that she still didn't explain why Amel's spirit caused the lust for blood🩸in his hosts 🧛🏽‍♂️🧛‍♀️, as he wasn't into consuming it in life. Nor did she explain why the daylight affected vampires 🧛‍♀️ as Amel was not sensitive to light ☀️ while he was alive 🤔. I DO understand now why the vampires turn increasingly white over time due to their biology being fused with the luracastria & because I guess Amel was burned up in a blob of the melted substance when he died as an "immortal mortal in Atalantaya & that's what killed him. So I'm guessing the level of trauma that imbued upon his psyche at the moment of his death caused the luracastria's properties to fuse with his "spiritual DNA 🧬," & consequently manifest physically into those he infected 🤷🏾‍♂️? And I'm guessing cuz Amel was a human who's DNA was enhanced by "The Parents" giving him exceptional intelligence, that maybe that's why vampires were more perceptive than humans & used parts of their brain most humans didn't which allowed them to develop the powers of telekinesis 🙇🏾‍♂️, pyrokinesis 🔥, & flight 🧚‍♂️, super-strength 💪🏾, & superseded 🏃🏽‍♂️💨 over time, although Amel personally didn't possess those qualities while he was in human form?? Other than her not explaining those things, I 💗 the backstory! I think me having prior knowledge of the "fringe-y" subject matter mentioned above is what allowed me not to be shocked⚡ 😳 into disbelief & disappointment when she brought "The Parents 🦜" into the storyline. As I also mentioned above, people throughout history from antiquity & STILL TO THIS 👇🏾 DAY report seeing animal- looking humanoids from The Dogman (werewolves 🐺), aquatic beings like the 🐟-man from that movie 🎬 "The Shape of Water 💧 " . . . people have reported encountering feline 🐱- looking humanoids & praying 🙏🏻 mantis 🐜 looking beings. And I have heard of people in the paranormal community like mention meeting avian-bird-like 🦜 humanoids. So what an was introducing in this book was hardly far-fetched. In the general context anyway. It was only foreign to her fans who's paranormal diet 🍽🍷 subsisted solely of 🧛🏽‍♂️. And the occasional witch 🧙🏻‍♂️. Anne even delved into werewolves in one book. Or so I've read in an article. So it's funny to me how it would seem so left-field for her to bring extraterrestrials 👽👾 into the equation. I mean she's discussed blood-sucking, undead (well, they're actually NOT dead 🧟‍♀️ as is confirmed & I always suspected in this book by Louis' discovery of the 'Silver Cord' phenomenon) former humans for over 10 books 📚, YET her fans draw the "Line of Absurdity" 😤🤚🏾 at avian 🦜 extraterrestrials 😒?? That's like Christians who believe in the Devil 😈 --- a male human from the waist-up being with the body of a goat 🐐 from the waist down & goat's horns on his head --- but when you tell them an invisible (AND sometimes visible) non-physical entity 👹 called an incubus/succubus is visiting you at night, striking you paralysis while you are wide awake 😬, and mole$t'ing you (which I HAVE experienced)--- well, now THAT'S just ridiculous 🙄🤨!! My question to her readers is why can't all these beings co-exist? I mean, most people nowadays believe there is life on other planets 🪐 or in other dimensions besides are own. We have our own "Realm of Worlds 🌌," to borrow Anne's phrase from "Realms of Atlantis 🧜." So why shouldn't all the different beings in this book or any book exist in their own "Realm of Worlds 🪐🌌 🌏🌠?? Is there a limit to the # of supernatural beings that can exist within the same cosmology --- fictional or otherwise?? But in my opinion, the MOST IMPORTANT ☝🏾point you made is that we the audience cannot expect Anne --- or any other author for THAT matter --- to change as a person in real life & not expect her characters to change as well. I'm a writer myself (though I haven't written any books or long-standing characters over a span of decades) & I didn't even think of that perspective 😶!! Just as it would be boring to interact with the same person in real life for years & years & witness that person NEVER evolve, it's the same with fictional characters. Especially characters that we've come to love ❤ over time to the point where we experience their "souls" to be just as real as our own, as if they were flesh & blood. I was elated to see Louis 👦🏻 finally stop hating himself & stop fighting his love ❤ for Lestat & just give into it. It warmed my heart to see Lestat 👱🏼 finally open up & make himself open & vulnerable to Louis & stop putting on this "I'm too manly to show my soft-side" machismo, as well him finally "putting down roots 🌳" & taking his place as the leader he was always meant to be, instead of always having a "Plan B & C" in the background, like having yet ANOTHER chateau 🏘 hidden somewhere for him to run off to, or him hibernating for a decade or so in the Earth when life above ground got too tough. He didn't lose his impetuousenes & hot-headedness his fans have grown to live him for so-2-speak ---- he just learned not to rely on & resort to them so much now that he's come into his destiny. Yes. Characters MUST evolve as do there creators, lest we forget 🧠☝🏾 --- a writer's characters are only extensions of the writers him/herself. Even if the character is so far-removed from the author's personality in real life or too heinous/ too weak or too embarrassing in some other way for the author to claim as part of themselves, muchless admit as much to the public. Even those characters are a fragment of the writer's personality, & most often an aspect of the writer's so far removed from their dominant personality that the writer themselves isn't totally unaware or only faintly aware of his kinship with the character. Sometimes those characters' existence is the only way the writer can bear to let that part of themselves have movement & "breathe 🌬."

I loved price lastat but the aliens were a bit much in the next one. Still enjoyed it though.

That shirt is epic. Own those spiders (from an arachnophobe, lol)! Nice video. I am down with your brand of loyalty.

Great video. You hit home on all the important points. Can you please make a new video about these books? Thanks

I personally didn’t like Realms of Atlantis, but for the fact of it was one of those books that just falls short. In a long running series there will always be books in it that fall short and will never be favourites. I didn’t like Realms same as I didn’t enjoy Memnoch, but that’s okay. I want read Blood Communion and see what it’s like.

While I personally have some issues with Realms...I do really like all of the books in and of themselves AND I do highly respect you pointing out that Lestat is a different person, Anne is a different person, and I like that. In general, I really liked this video.

I'm so grateful for this, even if I am two years late. I'm currently reading and listening to the audiobook of Realms, with Blood Communion to go and I love it. It was really disconcerting to hear that it wasn't well received, but I have total faith in Anne and her characters. I personally love that she's delved so deep into the science of the vampires, it's what has helped reignite my own passion for the novels and the stories. So excited for the Hulu series to come out!

Answer right. Then she's trying to go back and claim old success and doing exactly what she accused me of the damn doing. Using her same names to invent new characters

I agree with you. In fact I enjoyed all of her Prince Lestat novels, almost as much as I did The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. In fact there's hardly a novel by her that I haven't enjoyed thoroughly except maybe Memnoch the Devil, and that only because of the grotesque menses eating part (the rest of the book was amazing). And now that I've read all of her vampire books, I'm dying for the next one! What do I do now? I guess I could go back to my beloved science fiction but I'm so caught up in Anne Rice's vampire world that I just want another one! Lacking that, I'll probably read her witch series next.

You should upload more. I love your content

I'm impressed with your research. I didn't like Prince Lestat that much but you made me like it more by helping me understand the character more. Thanks!

I cannot accurately convey how refreshing it is to hear another passionate fan (such as myself) defending _Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis_ . Thank you. I agree with every single one of your points. 👏👏👏 Oh, and it's thrilling to know that you're a fellow Spice fan as well. 😁

I've read all the series but when it came to Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, it was so amazing that I overloved it, it's a masterpiece for me. Hope she writes more about Amel, Memnoch, Replimoids and about those aliens that feeds from evil energy.

Nice video even though I loved realms of atlantis. I thought it was a good story to come up with to explain why Amel was different than other spirits....and the fact that he was modified with alien DNA makes it make sense. I get people like the mysterious part but as for me, I like explanations, and this book definitely explained it. I mean before this book it was "OK there's tons of spirits, but this ONE spirit makes vampires, and you just have to accept it". I prefer the explanation in this book much better. To each his/her own I suppose, can't make everyone happy.

I respect what you said..good dude.

A badly written novel is a badly written novel. Who are these facelessly posh characters such as Sevraine, Zenobia, Avicus, Seth, Cyril, Thorne, Gregory, Notker, Everard, etc, etc? Couldn’t give a damn about any of them. Blood Communion is annoying and irritatingly boring. Done with Anne Rice.

I havent read these books but I agree with you the author and characters have had years of change. I did see the movie of Queen Of The Damned and Interview With The Vampire.

Just like Trent Reznor he grew up.