My life changed on December 11, 2021. I woke up to find that prolific author Anne Rice had died in the night. This incredible woman whose work had influenced so many parts of my life was gone forever. I didn’t know how to process that. I’m still not sure that I have.

In the early 90s I discovered Interview with the Vampire, first as a film. The next time I was in my local library, I picked up the book and I felt like a door had opened. I’d read vampire novels before, but never one that centered on the vampire’s story rather than humans running for their lives from the evil bloodsucker. These vampires had lives, souls, conflicting desires, moral codes. They were…human.

I was soon devouring everything Rice had written, and became one of those fans who anticipated the next release, counting down the days and reading them all, often in one sitting.

Over the years, certain characters have emerged as favorites, of course. I return to their stories over and over again. They comfort me, and challenge me. As 2021 comes to a close, I thought I’d share my list with you, and maybe you can share yours with me in the comments on social media.

These are listed in no particular order. I refuse to rank them! I don’t even know if I could.

Lestat de Lioncourt

Of course, the Brat Prince of vampires made this list. He is, perhaps, the most magnetic of her characters. He draws you in with a mischievous smile and seduces you into seeing the world from his perspective. Sometimes brutal, often emotionally conflicted, he was brought into the vampire world against his will and I feel like that informed every decision he made throughout his immortal second life. If you’ve never read The Vampire Lestat, you know nothing of this brilliant character. Do it.

Louis de Pointe du Lac

The first vampire we met, Louis is the polar opposite of his maker, Lestat. He is the moody, somewhat depressed vampire who is intensely aware of his humanity no matter how long his immortal life stretches into the future. I wanted to have adventures with Lestat, but I feel like Louis and I could sit together and just talk philosophy and religion and all the things that matter.

Tonio Treschi

Oh Tonio…

The central character from Anne Rice’s Cry to Heaven, a dramatic thriller set in the decadent world of the castrati, young men who were castrated to preserve their soprano singing voices. Tonio was castrated against his will and sent away for political reasons. He becomes a rock star of the opera world, sought after for his brilliant talents, and eventually uses some of his new skills to take an exacting, brilliant revenge on those who harmed him. I completely fell in love with him. It’s an incredible novel, and if you’ve never read it, you simply must.

Reuben Golding

I’ll admit that despite my love of Anne Rice, I was reticent when I heard she was writing a werewolf novel. I mean…werewolf novels and movies have never quite been quite on par with their vampire counterparts. I should not have doubted her. Reuben Golding begins the story as a young reporter trying to find his place in the world. When he’s attacked by a werewolf in the middle of the night, he becomes something so much more. What’s so amazing is that Rice gave her wolves real sentience. They are aware in the wolf form; they know what they’re doing. It gave us a perspective so rarely given in this type of literature. Reuben emerged as an incredible loving, protective wolf that verged on a superhero. I  wish we’d had more of him.

Azriel

Azriel, like so many of Rice’s characters, comes with a tragic backstory. As a young man in Babylon, he was tricked into being a sacrifice in order to become a powerful genii tied to the Master who controls his golden bones. After centuries of sleep, he awakens just in time to witness the murder of a young woman whose stepfather leads a growing, global church, feeding his fantasies of being a great Messiah. Azriel will do anything to stop Gregory Belkin, but can he deny his nature? This is an incredible story told by a truly amazing character.

Akasha

The Queen of All Vampires, half of the original power couple, Akasha became a vampire after her subjects attempted to assassinate her and her husband Enkil in Kemet. Seeing an opportunity, the spirit Amel entered their bodies, transforming them into nocturnal creatures. After thousands of years, she and Enkil slipped into a deep sleep, their skin hardening almost to marble. They stayed there until they were awakened by Lestat’s music. She was powerful, ruthless, and so confident that she was right. Also…while Queen of the Damned was an incredibly flawed film, I will hear no unkindness about Aaliyah’s work. She WAS Akasha.

Rowan Mayfair and Michael Curry

These two characters are inextricably linked in my mind, so their entries are also combined. Introduced in The Witching Hour, the first novel in the Lives of the Mayfair Witch trilogy. Rowan is a powerful witch, the thirteenth in a powerful line, with, among other things, the power to kill with her mind. Michael nearly died in a terrifying accident and when he wakes, he begins having powerful psychic visions whenever he touches objects or people. Their meeting is electric and their relationship, potent. I won’t spoil anything else, but I’m serious when I say you must experience their stories to know them.

Aaron Lightner

Of all the things Anne Rice created, the Talamasca was my favorite. The idea of a secret society of scholars entirely committed to studying the paranormal and supernatural sets my imagination on fire. Of all the members who showed up from time to time, Aaron Lightner, the English gentleman, was my favorite. Though he could certainly be secretive and deceptive, he generally wanted to help those around him. I loved his demeanor. I loved fashion. I loved that he ended up marrying one of the members of a family of witches.

Memnoch the Devil

Before the television series Lucifer, there was Memnoch, the most “human” of any version of the infamous fallen angel I’d ever read. Anne Rice created an immaculate story and a version of the Devil unlike anything we’d ever read before. He tells Lestat that it is his job to prepare souls to enter Heaven, purifying them via punishment. The ending of the book in which he was featured sent shockwaves throughout Anne Rice’s fandom. You simply must meet this Devil if you haven’t.