This is not a duplicate. Since most people picking in that other Lestat preference pick are thinking of how well the actros did in the films which is not only unfair as Townsend had a horrific script to work with while Cruise had one written by Anne Rice herself...

But in any case I want this to be entirely purified of any thoughts on the film relations.

Think ONLY about the books.

Pretend there never was any film adaptations made but the only Lestats we know are the one from Interview with the Vampire book and the one after it.

Which of them do you like better?

I vote for the final version of Lestat. Louis's bitter lies made him ok character but my heart belongs to the true, childlike rebel, who loves humanity and enjoys killing but is not a psycho and is not aggressive (that much at least) and is in constant need of love and attention, and is held together by Marius's love, in other words, without it, he'd fall apart. It's utterly fascinating.

There are many more in-depth reasons why I adore the true Lestat:
link

The way i see it, Lestat's a self admitted narcissist and so when he writes in the first person he will make himself seem bettr than maybe he is. Also Louis has a love-hate relationship with Lestat, and so he does make Lestat look worse than he is (possibly, who knows).
As much as i love reading from Louis' perspective,he doesnt seem to be able to think as deeply as Lestat does, or it could be Lestat making himself seem better than Louis. i don't know. it all confuses me a bit.

Either way, Lestat seems better in his autobiogriphal books. jees my spelling sucks.

Good points. But since the Lestat describes himself to be is the only alternative Lestat we know to Louis's, it's what we have to believe. Until someone else comes around telling their point of view. Someone who doesn't hate him at all but naturally being someone else, doesn't love him either the way person's love themselves, especially persons like Lestat.

Someone like Marius should give a third opinion. Damn, that would be an interesting point of view story about Lestat. xD Or Garbrielle's. Then again I don't feel she understood her son well enough to write too accurate point of view on him. But for what I saw and even according to Lestat himself, Marius always was the one who understood him. And no wonder, Marius being an ancient one who must have become quite a master in observing and analysing people, plus he looked at Lestat from a point of view of a close friend and a devoted father. So I think he's point of view might be the most accurate, if we wanted to get more honest opinion on how Lestat's like.

But as said, until a third POV is heard, Lestat's own description probably is closest to the true him. I guess I should've used the word "final version" or something, as in, how Anne Rice chose Lestat to be seen like.

And however, it's not even the point but just which version do you prefer. :D

well then id say him from The Vampire Lestat, i.e. the young man, b'coz thats the version of lestat (or faze of his life) that i understand the best. what i mean to say is, when he's not fitting in well with his family, and his existentialism begins. someone should probably do a pick about what faze of lestats life do u like the best, like him as a young adult, him after memnoch started to talk to him, b'coz i find his character keeps changing. maybe its well thought through character development or its Anne Rice changing, not too sure. but now im rambling.

With the whole 3rd pov, i think Marius loves Lestat too much to write an account thats unbiast. Maybe someone like Daniel Malloy, hes a gernalist or something, and hes not close to Lestat in any way. Maybe the only way to get an acurate account of lestat is to merge many opinions.

Well, this question is still meant to be over-all which is preferd as the versions do drastically differ from each other. (:

"With the whole 3rd pov, i think Marius loves Lestat too much to write an account thats unbiast. Maybe someone like Daniel Malloy, hes a gernalist or something, and hes not close to Lestat in any way. Maybe the only way to get an acurate account of lestat is to merge many opinions."

Yes, you're right. Daniel would probably be better for that, and many differen pov might be the best, since evryone naturally notices things the other might not or that the other is for one reason or another willing to dismiss.

either way the question askes which version do u like better, not is most accurate. and i prefer lestats version of himself, b'coz its easier to understand him, what with him explaining his actions etc. =D

I love him in both even though in interview with the vampire he acted differntly because Louis saw him as evil
in the rest of the books you get to see his side and nobody can resist lestat after reading queen of the damned

Both versions are awesome, but Louis did have a lot of problems with him, so he may have stretched the truth from time to time to make him sound like a bigger monster then he probably ever was. Who would know Lestat better then himself, you'd have to go with his POV when it comes to the stories.

i love both books. but i have to chose lestat from the later book.

I really like lestat from the vampire lestat. we get to know his true story, his true self

I love lestat overall but I love Louis's description

both