Vittorio, the Vampire

Anne Rice

Nov 2010 · New Tales of the Vampires Book 2 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • With Pandora, Anne Rice began a magnificent new series of vampire novels. Now, in the second of her New Tales of the Vampires, she tells the mesmerizing story of Vittorio, a vampire in the Italian Age of Gold.

Educated in the Florence of Cosimo de' Medici, trained in knighthood at his father's mountaintop castle, Vittorio inhabits a world of courtly splendor and country pleasures--a world suddenly threatened when his entire family is confronted by an unholy power.

In the midst of this upheaval, Vittorio is seduced by the vampire Ursula, the most beautiful of his supernatural enemies. As he sets out in pursuit of vengeance, entering the nightmarish Court of the Ruby Grail, increasingly more enchanted (and confused) by his love for the mysterious Ursula, he finds himself facing demonic adversaries, war and political intrigue.

Against a backdrop of the wonders--both sacred and profane--and the beauty and ferocity of Renaissance Italy, Anne Rice creates a passionate and tragic legend of doomed young love and lost innocence.

Ratings and reviews

For an Anne Rice vampire novel it is unfortunately a bit short, though New Tales of the Vampires are marketed as side stories for a reason I suppose. Otherwise this is yet another very well written novel. Vittorio is a very staunch Catholic Italian individual, which colors his perspective dramatically, making this a very different read from the main series. He has to deal with some very brutal, medieval era violence that leads him into the dark underground world of the vampires in a wonderfully intricate, unique way, and things take a highly romantic, gothic turn from there that I think anyone could enjoy. The attention to detail and historical accuracy is immaculate as usual for Rice, and it's just a beautiful read.

I only give 3 stars because the writing is good but the story was drawn out and not very interesting, vittoro doesn't have the same flare as ann rice other books, Lestat is more of a interest than any other vampire, I found vittoro rather dull

Very boring thought there would be some excitement or action. Talk more about the landscape, geography, and art more than anything

About the author

Anne Rice is the author of thirty-seven books, including the Vampire Chronicles, the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, and the Wolf Gift book series. Rice was born in New Orleans in 1941 and grew up there and in Texas. She lived in San Francisco with her husband, the poet and painter, Stan Rice until 1988, when they returned to New Orleans to live with their son, Christopher. In 2006, Rice moved to Rancho Mirage, California. She died in 2021.