Tiny MTD Spoiler

Lestat Replies...

Hello, fiends and lovers. Lestat here. The REAL Lestat. Not that cursed Lewimp character Anne Rice put in her last "Vampire Chronicles." Vampire Chronicles, my ass. Yes, you could say I'm angry. In fact, I'm incensed, actually, at what has been done to me. I'm here to tell you the truth.

Anne claims I've "left" her since she wrote that dismal dirge she calls MEMNOCH THE DEVIL. Well, let me tell you, my faithful, I WASN'T EVEN THERE! I'd left her after QUEEN OF THE DAMNED. At that point, there were no more tales to tell. You'd heard what you needed to hear. You believed. Yet she, the one I'd chosen to "fictionalize" my accounts, couldn't stop. She had to go on. I've held my tongue, but after this MEMNOCH THE DRIVEL garbage, I cannot allow this blasphemy to continue!

I'll admit I tolerated TALE OF THE BODY THIEF. In it, Anne presented an intriguing possibility. Could I, the great and gifted Lestat, stand being human, even mortal, if I could find a way to try it? Of course, you, dear readers and devotees, you know I'd never try such a thing. I too much enjoy this preternatural body of mine; none other will ever do. Still, it was an intriguing idea, so I said nothing. I maintained my silence and let Anne tell the tale as she saw it. I know many of you easily determined I had nothing to do with it. To those who believed, I apologize for not stepping forward sooner. I did not foresee the harm. I did not see just how wrong things could become.

For the record, I never left my beautiful body, and David Talbot died of old age, content with who and what he was and pleased with our friendship. I do miss him greatly - I truly did love him - and I often wonder if he'd have been a splendid vampire, but of course he would have, had I made him! But 'tis a moot point. He's gone.

Yet as I said, I allowed Anne to get away with her fiction. After all, weren't my earlier tales couched as such? Granted, not all of the earlier tales were entirely true - she'd taken a few liberties - but perhaps I don't want the entire truth to be known. It's best to leave lingering traces of doubt with respect to larger than life creations, don't you think? But this last missive, this sordid tale of Anne's midlife epiphany... I will not stand for this! I have never met anyone, angel, mortal or vampire, named Memnoch. I have never been to Heaven nor Hell, at least not those places referred to with capital letters as some intimation of some god's idea of reward and punishment. I've survived my own hell at times, created my own heaven on occasion, yes, but I've not been to any Heaven or Hell, and God forbid, I've NEVER taken blood from a Christian deity! What an outrage!

Have I forgiven her, Anne Rice, for this heinous attack on my character? For blatantly using me and in turn deceiving my devoted fans? No. I'm not sure I ever shall. At first, I wanted to take her, violently, without mercy. But my dear Louis, gentle soul that he is, persuaded me otherwise. After all, she is only mortal, she is subject to her own needs and desires, and yes, perhaps it's even partially my fault. You, my faithful and loyal legions, find me so alluring and appealing that you don't ever seem to get enough of my exploits! Perhaps my dear Anne, whom I do still love, I suppose, felt somehow obligated to provide more, I don't know. I just know I wish she hadn't.

There. I've said what I had to say. I wanted you to know the voice labeled as "Lestat" in that book is not mine and never could have been. But then, you probably already know this. Take heed, my dearest followers: I am Lestat, the beautiful immortal, and I shall again slip into my endless sweet world of evil darkness and joy, and silence. You shall not hear from me again, either from my own lips or from the pen of any mortal biographer, for you know all you need to know. Yet I shall continue, of that have no doubt! And some night, if you should feel a chilled wind softly brush the back of your neck, you'll know you've been kissed - and spared, for now - by the Vampire Lestat.

Lestat de Lioncourt Paris, France August 4th, 1995

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