The Vampire Lestat premiered on AMC and AMC+ on June 7. It is the third season of the Interview with the Vampire series, and it moves off the first novel and onto the second, so the book behind the season on screen is not the one most people know. This guide covers the three books to start with, lays out all thirteen Vampire Chronicles in reading order, and links the audiobook, print, and Kindle editions of each.
Audible is also running a Prime Day deal that covers the audio editions below. Prime members new to Audible get 3 months free. Those without Prime are likely to see 3 months for $0.99/month. Eligibility applies if you haven’t had Audible in the past 12 months. Details are at the bottom.
Where to Start
Thirteen books is a lot to start cold. These three are the entry points. Simon Vance narrates much of the series on audio, so a long run of it holds together if you listen.
The Vampire Lestat
Audiobook on Audible
This is the book the new season is built on. In it, Lestat wakes in the modern day, reads Louis’s account from Interview, and tells his own version of events: his mortal life in France, his making by the ancient vampire Magnus, and his ties to the musician Nicolas and his mother Gabrielle. He also becomes a rock star, which is the thread the season follows. The book introduces the wider mythology the rest of the series runs on, including Marius and Those Who Must Be Kept. For viewers starting with the current season, this is the matching book.
The Queen of the Damned
Audiobook on Audible
Lestat’s music wakes Akasha, the six-thousand-year-old mother of all vampires, and the story widens from one vampire to the whole bloodline and its origin. Akasha is cast for the season (Sheila Atim), so this is the next book after The Vampire Lestat. Read in publication order, the two run directly into each other.
Interview with the Vampire
Audiobook on Audible
The book most people know, and the basis for the show’s first two seasons. Louis tells a reporter the story of two centuries as a vampire: his making by Lestat, the child vampire Claudia, and a long stretch across New Orleans and Europe. Start here if you want the series in the order it was written rather than the season currently on screen. Everything after it builds from this book.
The Full Reading Order
All thirteen books in reading order, which is publication order. The three above are the entry points. The full run is here, with the season each one maps to noted where it applies.
| # | Book | Year | In short | Listen / Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interview with the Vampire | 1976 | Louis’s story across two centuries. Basis for Seasons 1 and 2. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 2 | The Vampire Lestat | 1985 | Lestat tells his own story and becomes a rock star. Basis for Season 3. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 3 | The Queen of the Damned | 1988 | Lestat’s music wakes Akasha, mother of all vampires. Where Season 3 is heading. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 4 | The Tale of the Body Thief | 1992 | Lestat swaps bodies with a mortal thief and works to get his own back. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 5 | Memnoch the Devil | 1995 | The Devil takes Lestat on a tour of Heaven and Hell. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 6 | The Vampire Armand | 1998 | Armand’s origin, from Renaissance Venice and Marius to the present. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 7 | Merrick | 2000 | A crossover with the Mayfair Witches, featuring Merrick Mayfair and the ghost of Claudia. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 8 | Blood and Gold | 2001 | Marius tells his own two-thousand-year story as guardian of Those Who Must Be Kept. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 9 | Blackwood Farm | 2002 | Quinn Blackwood, a young vampire haunted by a spirit double, comes to Lestat for help. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 10 | Blood Canticle | 2003 | Lestat narrates again and closes out the original run, tying the witch and vampire threads together. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 11 | Prince Lestat | 2014 | The series revival after eleven years. A Voice drives vampires toward destruction and Lestat is pushed to lead. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 12 | Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis | 2016 | The mythology expands to Atlantis and the spirit Amel, the source of the bloodline. | Audiobook · Kindle |
| 13 | Blood Communion | 2018 | Lestat as prince of his court. The final book in the series. | Audiobook · Kindle |
Want to see some other TV shows that were books? See 11 TV Shows Based on Books.
The Prime Day Audible Deal
Prime Day is the cheapest time all year to start. Right now, Prime members new to Audible get 3 months free, with a new audiobook to choose each month plus the Plus catalog of podcasts and Originals. Not a Prime member? You get 3 months for $0.99/month, still a steep discount on the same thing. After the intro it auto-renews at $8.99/month, and you can cancel anytime in a click. If any of the books above caught your eye, this is the moment to grab one.
Prefer paper or ebook? Every title above is in print and on Kindle too, the audio route is just the one that’s nearly free right now.
Reading and Audible FAQ
Which book is the new season based on? The Vampire Lestat, the second book. The Queen of the Damned, the third book, feeds the Akasha thread this season. The first two seasons covered Interview with the Vampire, the first book.
What order should I read them in? Publication order, the same as the list above. Start with Interview with the Vampire for the series from the beginning, or with The Vampire Lestat to line up with the current season.
Is it really free? For Prime members new to Audible, yes. The first three months cost nothing, and you receive three audiobook credits plus access to many titles in the Plus Catalog. Non-Prime listeners will usually see a promo for $0.99/month for three months or one month free. Eligibility applies if you haven’t had Audible in the past 12 months.
Do I need Prime? No. Prime members get the better version (3 months free); without Prime you are likely to see a promo for 3 months at $0.99/month. Either way you can cancel anytime.
What happens after the trial? It auto-renews at $8.99/month. Cancelling takes a click, and you can do it before you’re charged.
