Pioneering horror and fantasy writerAnne Riceis best known forThe Vampire Chroniclesbut wrote many amazing book series before passing away in 2021 at 80. Rice focused on fantasy, with historical and spiritual elements pervading many of her books. She wrestled with faith her whole life, losing it and eventually finding it again. This process inspired two religion-tinged book series and mystical themes running throughThe Vampire Chroniclesand other novels. All Rice’s series had something unique to offer, but some may say they varied in originality and consistency, making a well-considered ranking worthwhile.
Anne Rice’s exploration of Christianity didn’t stop her from diving into erotic scenes in her books, with one series, in particular, standing out. Rice wrote a reasonably chaste first book forThe Vampire Chroniclesin 1976, which was adapted intoAMC+’s brilliantInterview with the Vampire. However, there were explicit chapters in Rice’s work by the time of the fourth chronicle,The Tale of the Body Thief, exemplifying Rice’s increasing boldness. Nonetheless, some of Rice’s better book series were decades in the making, published across the ’80s, ’90s, and well into the 2010s.
8The Songs Of The Seraphim
2009 - 2010
The Songs of the Seraphimis far from a bad book series, but may be the one with the narrowest appeal, considering the strengths of Anne Rice’s other work.Anne Rice wrote herSongs of the Seraphimbook series after returning to Christianity, and the series' spiritual figures reflect that. With a serious tone, this series suits lovers of historical fiction and philosophical meandering.
#1
2009
Of Love and Evil
#2
2010
Redemption loomed large in this series, paralleling Anne Rice’s own spiritual healing after spending years away from her God.The assassin main character is compellingin his search for forgiveness, leaning on angels to show him the way. Anyone struggling with loss of faith would find this series interesting.
7Ramses The Damned
1989 - 2022
Ramses the Damnedonly ranks higher thanThe Songs of the Seraphimdue to how wonderfully typical it is of Anne Rice and her writing style.Ramses the Damnedmay be a good next step for those new to Anne Ricewho have just finishedThe Vampire Chronicles. It echoesThe Vampire Chronicles’horromance leaning with a supernatural love interest for its protagonist, Julie.
The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned
1989
2017
#3
2022
This book series is not just entertaining in the horromance department but supplies the goods in the realm of action and adventure. TheseAnne Rice protagonistsexplored London and Egypt, allowing the novel to dive into globetrotting escapades and the myths of Ancient Egypt. Ultimately,there is excellent scope here for diving into Anne Rice as a new fanor an older one.
6The Wolf Gift Chronicles
2012 - 2013
Anne Rice’sThe Wolf Gift Chroniclesoffers one of Anne Rice’s best protagonists, so it may rank higher if it wasn’t for its convolution in places. All horror and fantasy demands suspension of disbelief, but sometimes the world-building inThe Wolf Gift Chronicleswasn’t quite enough to carry its bizarre plot twists. Nonetheless,these books are meaningful, sexy, and fun.
2012
2013
Reuben Golding is the main character ofThe Wolf Gift Chroniclesand made his heroism known at various points throughout the books.Golding is a strong herotransfigured by lycanthropy, allowing Rice to explore the books' central tenets of freedom, sexuality, and justice. Rice saw Golding andVampire Chronicles’antihero, Lestat, as would-be confidants, although they never met in her books (viaScreen Rant).
5The Sleeping Beauty Quartet
1983 - 2015
The Sleeping Beauty Quartetis an extraordinary example ofAnne Rice’s workand may be one of her best series if it weren’t for the incredible influence of some of her other publications. These books offer Rice’s one and only full series of erotic fiction. Since all of Rice’s series are so different, they’re very hard to compare, butthese novels offer rich allegoryas well as sensuality.
1983
1984
1985
#4
2015
Rice writes in her typical flowery style here, creating some of the most unique erotic fiction around. These books aren’t devoid of Rice’s dark philosophizing, making for reading that is both passionate and enlightening.The BDSM may be too much for many, tipping into very controversial territory by most people’s standards, preventing these books from being a read for everyone.
4Christ The Lord
2005 - 2008
Christ the Lordconstitutes some of Anne Rice’s most surprising and original novels, ranking highly in a reckoning of her best book series. The novels followed Jesus Christ through his childhood and adolescence, telling his story from his perspective. Although a thoroughly Christian pursuit on Anne Rice’s part,these novels were a bold move religiously, and were met with concern and outrage from much of the religious community.
2005
2008
Religious consternation was nothing new to Anne Rice, having struggled with the church’s rejection of homosexuality across her life. Rice’s complicated feelings about this were manifested inThe Vampire Chronicles, whereasChrist the Lordtells the story of Jesus as a paranormal heroand a teacher. His simple and childlike tone of voice may be grating to some, but it could be refreshing and inspiring to those who allow sympathy for the subject matter.
3Lives Of The Mayfair Witches
1990 - 1994
Anne Rice’s incredibleLives of the Mayfair Witchesis currently being adapted intoAMC+‘sMayfair Witches, which brings Rice’s work to a global audience and lays out her story reasonably faithfully.The Witching Houris probably the best book in the series,and one of Rice’s best books overall. This series exemplifies Rice’s strengths and favorite themes - horror and love combining to create power with huge potential for both good and evil.
1990
1993
1994
The witchcraft of these novels offers some of Rice’s best gothic horror, with the New Orleans setting delving into Anne Rice’s own experience of the location. Laying out solid southern gothic writing,the novel’s oppressive heat and voodoo-tinged occult are heavily symbolic and evocative. These books would be a great start for those curious about Anne Rice and seeking a female-oriented storyline.
2The New Tales Of The Vampires
1998 - 1999
Some considerThe New Tales of the Vampiresa part ofThe Vampire Chronicles, so by association, this can be seen as the second-best Anne Rice book series. With a couple of strong additions to Anne Rice’s vampire canon,these books build up the Anne Rice universe substantially. There is crossover between these novels,The Vampire Chronicles, and by extension,The Lives of the Mayfair Witches.
1998
1999
This crossover ensures a huge scope of Anne Rice’s work and an interconnectedness that enables an immersive experience. Rice’sNew Tales of the Vampirescreates historical worlds with beautiful imageryand intriguing detail. Pandora, especially, has period drama appeal and also sets up a huge amount of lore forThe Vampire Chronicles.
1The Vampire Chronicles
1976 - 2018
Anne Rice’s world-renowned 1976 novelInterview with the Vampireis arguably her best work, and if it isn’t,The Vampire LestatorThe Queen of the Damnedmay be. All three of these iconic Anne Rice books are a part of her seminalThe Vampire Chroniclesseries.These books set a high standard for vampire fictionacross the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, all the way up until 2018, when its final book was published.
Interview with the Vampire
1976
1988
1992
#5
1995
#6
#7
2000
Blood and Gold
#8
2001
#9
2002
#10
2003
#11
2014
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
#12
2016
#13
2018
The Vampire Chroniclesare undoubtedly Anne Rice’s best books and show the writer at her best in the realms of horror and fantasy, with each release in the series offering a radically different perspective.The series genre-switched fluidly, providing crime thrillers, gothic horror stories, and a wide range of tragic love stories.Interview with the Vampireon AMC+is currently adapting this book series and proves how pioneering and original it is.
