[.ca] The Vampire Companion (ISBN 0345397398)

From Amazon.com:
This is the completely revised and updated, ultimate reference guide to the world, history and adventures of the characters from Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Everything the reader might want to explore further is annotated and analyzed in this entertaining work: the unforgettable characters of Louis, Lestat, Claudia, Akasha, Armand, and Memnoch; the important points of interest on Lestat's fascinating tour through Heaven and Hell; ancient lore; Rice's unique contributions to the mythos of vampires; the literary inspirations that echo through the novels; Rice's own reflections and revelations about her work and the movie Interview with a Vampire; and more.

Not exactly what I was looking for:
Alright, when I got this book I was expecting an all out guide to Anne's land. Not an encyclopedia. In fact, I had to wonder what Anne was thinking when she allowed this to be printed. Most fantasy world guides go through the characters, settings, histories etc. This does do that, if you read from cover to cover and combine it in your mind. Skip this book and check out a few of the well researched and wholly satisfying web sites on Mrs. Rice's Vampires.

Great Reference Guide to the Vampire Chronicles:
"The Vampire Companion" is a very exhaustive encyclopedia of most of the terms, characters, locations, and events in the Vampire Chronicles series. It only covers the first five books in this series, though ("Interview With the Vampire", "The Vampire Lestat", "The Queen of the Damned", "The Tale of the Body Thief", and "Memnoch the Devil"), which may bother more die hard Vampire fans. Information on the other four books ("The Vampire Armand", "Merrick", "Blood and Gold", and "Blackwood Farm") is obviously missing since they were published after this book. Just about everything's included in this mammoth 500+-paged book: maps, illustrations and photos, bits of Anne Rice information, a time line, in-depth character biographies, etc. Even the unpublished short story of "Interview With the Vampire" is included, which originated the novel one year later. If you're an Anne Rice fan--and especially if you enjoyed the Vampire Chronicles--then I highly recommend this official reference guide to her popular vampire series, even though it only covers half the books in the series. (Hopefully, there will be another revised edition published soon.) But for what it does cover, "The Vampire Companion" is very thorough and worthwhile to Vampire fans. This is certainly a book worth owning, since it answers just about every question you've ever had about this series and then some. Also recommended: Katherine Ramsland's "The Witches' Companion."

An essential companion for fans of the Vampire Chronicles:
If you have read the first four books in the Vampire Chronicles and enjoyed them, then this book is for you. It cross-references characters, plots and themes from each of those books, plus contains exhaustive research. It should be on the shelf next to the books, almost as a study guide, certainly as a welcome addition.

An Excellent Reference Book:
"The Vampire Companion" is an excellent reference book for the "Vampire Chronicles". Katherine Ramsland's definitions are complete and very informative, and the pictures are superb. The time line and maps are essential, since there is a long history of these vampires and they traveled quite a bit. The original short story of "Interview with the Vampire" in the back of the book was a delightful bonus. Those who are reading the Chronicles for the first time, or reading them again for fun, this book is for you. Pick it up today!

A must-have for all Rice fans:
I bought this book having already read each of the vampire chronicles, as well as several of the "New Tales of the Vampires". It was probably a good thing too, as it's quite possible that if you haven't read all the books, the Companion will give away some very important plot twists. However, the book is obviously meant as a guide and reference point for people who are already very familiar with Rice's vampires, and not for people who are too lazy to read the books. A mind-bendingly comprehensive "encyclopedia" of everything you could possibly want to know about anything to do with the first 5 vampire chronicles. This book is made even stronger by the fact that it was written in conjunction with Anne Rice, and as such contains many asides and comments from her on the development of her characters, how she feels about them, and of course, the much-publicised parallels between the child vampire Claudia and her own daughter, who died of leukaemia at the age of 5. While there are many people who think Rice is extremely long-winded and a trifle strange to boot, those of us who thoroughly enjoy her fantastic novels and seductive characters will wonder how we ever made do without the excellent Vampire Companion.