In the Shadow of the Vampire: Reflections from the World of Anne Rice
This is an intriguing concept for a book of photo interviews. But then, award-winning documentary photographer Jana Marcus has always been drawn to the fringe; And one of her earlier collections was entitledMidnight in Manhattan: A Decade of Subcultures and the Alternative Scene.In the Shadow of the Vampire, her first book, assembles portraits of and interviews with the devotees and disciples of the Queen of Vampirism herself, Anne Rice. And who are these people? Office administrators, translators, shop owners, students, and the more flamboyant (blood drinkers, S&M;'ers, role-playing gamers)."Her books allow people to think about their place in society and identify their feelings through her characters' exploration of unconventional lifestyles," she opines. "It is extraordinary how many people I've spoken to who had never read a book before they read an Anne Rice novel." Ever think of Anne Rice as an inadvertent champion of literacy?  As may be expected, the reflections are a mixture of the banal and the more thought-provoking. The phenomenon of Anne Rice's celebrity is after all--well, phenomenal. The enormity of her appeal has given birth to the annual Gathering of The Coven Ball in New Orleans, movies, an Anne Rice tour company, a perfume line, a Lestat wine, and T-shirts emblazoned with an MRI of Rice's brain. And if all that leaves you colder than sleeping alone in a casket, then you might want to pick up a copy for great tips on wardrobe and make-up.