Donovan NightWolf
Administrator
Jr. Member
Offline
Posts: 34
"Death is just a heartbeat away..."
|
|
« on: April 12, 2008, 09:02:27 pm » |
|
Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles are seductive and beautiful. A fantastic read for any vampire admirer.
Anne Rice's vampires are different in several ways from classic vampires like Dracula. Rice's creatures are not affected by the usual weapons against classic vampires: garlic, crosses, and they cannot be killed with wooden stakes.
They need blood, but in some cases not every night. Human blood is preferred as it is more nutritious, but animal blood can also be drunk. They do not age physically (instead becoming more "statuesque" as they age, developing very smooth, white skin), and in all but a few cases, vampires younger than a thousand years old can usually be killed by exposure to sunlight or fire.
They do not possess stereotypically "vampiric" magical powers, such as changing into bats, but some of the stronger, older ones do have the power to fly. Most of them also have the power to read the thoughts of mortals and weaker vampires. They have other physical abilities: they can move very quickly (faster than human eyes can see), and possess great strength and extremely keen senses. Very old vampires or ones who have been made or strengthened by feeding on blood that is close to the root of the vampiric mother may have additional gifts like the ability to move matter with the mind and the ability to set things ablaze by the force of will. They have many artistic talents, like singing, painting and acting, and a preternatural "understanding" of any type of problem, puzzle or machine. They also have the uncanny ability to almost perfectly mimic anything (movement, playing musical instruments, etc.).
The main characteristic of Rice's vampires is that they are all excessively emotional, sensitive, and sensual, being easy prey to intense suffering and aesthetic passions. They are usually quite attractive, even beautiful, as vampires tend to make fledglings from humans they have grown to love.
The physical changes are apparent-- their eyes become luminous, their skin pale and reflective, their fingernails like glass, and their hair will grow back during their sleep if it is cut. As they lose all natural bodily fluids, they are essentially rendered sexless.
In Pandora and The Vampire Armand, David Talbot makes the wry comment that with his entry into the pantheon, vampires have "evolved" somewhat, as David can see spirits, while other vampires such as Armand and Pandora cannot. This can perhaps be attributed, however, to David's limited control over Candomble spirits that he learned as a young mortal man.
|
"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."
|
|
|
|
|
|