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I was in a state of shock when I learned of Anne Rice’s passing. After I discovered that she had succumbed to the effects of a stroke that she had suffered two months ago, right around the time of her 80th birthday, the realization that the literary world had lost one of the all-time greats really set in.

Next to Stephen King, I don’t think there was a bigger literary name with the global success that Rice enjoyed. Of course, it all began with that classic first book, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, in 1976. I still remember taking my mother’s Book of the Month edition when I was a lad and reading what would become one of the best horror novels of all time.

It seems like yesterday that I saw an interview with Rice when the big screen version of her debut was being filmed. Initially she was not pleased with the casting of Tom Cruise as her beloved antihero, Lestat de Lioncourt; she had in mind someone like David Bowie or Rutger Hauer. Thankfully, Cruise won over both her and fans worldwide as the movie was a huge success.

I have had the privilege of reviewing many of Rice’s books over the past two decades. I recall the period in 2002, following the death of her husband, Stan Rice, a poet to whom she had been married for over 40 years. It was during this time of mourning that her writing took on a very religious spin. I covered her novels about a young Jesus Christ, as well as her nonfiction work, CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS. Alas, her disdain for some of the practices of the modern-day Catholic Church led to her turning her back on organized religion in 2010, and she returned to writing supernatural tales.

Her son, Christopher Rice, is a talented writer of fiction himself, so fortunately her legacy will continue through him. It is also comforting to know that AMC Networks has greenlit two series based on her Lestat saga and her Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels, both of which are set to premiere next year. Those who are not interested in the supernatural can enjoy one of the many romance-driven titles that she wrote under the pseudonyms R.N. Roquelaure and Anne Rampling.

Like all great writers, Rice’s words will live on in the hearts and minds of new generations of readers. I only hope that those who discover her work or reread old favorites from her weighty bibliography will understand that she was so much more than a supernatural author. She was one of the finest novelists in the world, and her success remains unmatched by any other female writing in these genres.

RIP Anne Rice, and thank you for sharing your abundant talents with us!