01 Nov 2011 10:14:24
Rice, whose vampire characters Lestat and Louis put the blood into bloodthirsty in her bestselling novel Interview with the Vampire, said her creations "feel sorry for vampires that sparkle in the sun". In Meyer's Twilight books, her vampires – some of whom attend high school to avoid detection – sparkle revealingly in sunshine. Writing on Facebook, Rice said that Louis and Lestat "would never hurt immortals who choose to spend eternity going to high school over and over again in a small town – any more than they would hurt the physically disabled or the mentally challenged". "My vampires possess gravitas. They can afford to be merciful," the author added.
Her comments were prompted by an article, "Should Vampires Sparkle?", in the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, and quickly provoked almost 2,000 responses from fans of both Rice's own Vampire Chronicles and Meyer's bestselling Twilight series. "Totally disappointed you would stoop so low and knock another author. Feeling a bit smug? It's unbecoming, so stop," wrote one. "Anne Rice's vamps would destroy those Twilight wimps," responded another.
The row became so heated that Rice was prompted to clarify, writing: "There's plenty of room for a little humour in talking about the various interpretations."
"I think this is a new golden age for lovers of fantasy fiction; so many new and talented writers offering their vampires, werewolves and other supernatural heroes," said Rice, who has recently written a new series about a contract killer recruited by a seraph, as well as two novels about the life of Christ. "It's all there for our enjoyment, and it always has been. I like the new authors, as well as the old."
She later said that Lestat "has watched every episode of True Blood", adding: "I very much love the new vampire authors, no doubt of it. I have unqualified praise for the originality of Charlaine Harris and Stephenie Meyer and for their success. This is fun, guys, all these new vampires roaming the fantasy world. And a little humour about it is not out of place."
Rice is not the first vampire author to criticise Meyer's Twilight novels, which follow the romance between vampire Edward Cullen and human teenager Bella Swan. According to Stephen King, "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good."
