So, I read this book originally in the 80s. It's aged like fine wine, which I'm sure Lestat would appreciate.

Anne Rice was a trailblazer. I won't say she's the first person who did a sympathetic vampire protagonist, because there was a 19th century serial called Varney the Vampire that did that. But Anne Rice vampires shaped all the vampires that came after, with their ethical struggles and their existential crises and their QUILTBAG rep--aside from the oft-mentioned bit where all Anne Rice vampires are bi poly, there's also Lestat's mother Gabrielle who, upon being turned, immediately says "F*** this" to living as a woman, dons men's clothing, and vanishes into the wilderness to be her own person at last.

This book is mostly setting up how vampires work and their history, and ends on a megacliffhanger. But..... yeah. Good stuff. If you like vampires and haven't read the first three of this series, what are you waiting for?