Many years ago, Anne Rice was my introduction to vampires. I don't read extensively in the genre (since I'm not huge on romance), but Rice's vampires were always these tragic, heart-rendingly beautiful figures that I couldn't help but fall in love with. (For the record, Marius is my favorite.) I've read several, though not all, of her Vampire Chronicles over the years, and I was pleased with the recent Prince Lestat, enjoying the dive into vampire history.