The Vampire Chronicles is a series of Gothic-style vampire stories and a collection of books, movies, and other media created by American author Anne Rice. The series focuses on a fictional character named Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman who becomes a vampire in the 18th century. In a 2008 interview, Rice explained that her vampires represent a “symbol for people who feel lost.” The series includes themes that focus on relationships between people of the same gender, which are widely recognized.