First of all let me just say the Vampire Chronicles are GORGEOUS. So sensual, and when reading the passages in Queen of the Damned involving Armand and Daniel (the human interviewer of Interview) I still get so hot that I have to throw down the book at some point and jack off. I confess I've only read the first three: Interview, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Of these three, Queen of the Damned is my favorite, because its like those special issue comic books where all the superheroes come together to fight some larger enemy. I also love the ongoing bickering-husband-and-wife relationship of Louis and Lestat that carries through from book to book. I agree Gabrielle RULES and deserves her own book. Rice creates such mystique, such otherworldly intrigue and makes New Orleans seem like the most exotic place on Earth.
Kimmi - your comparison of the vampires to the trannies is so apt and brilliant. Glamourous creatures of the night that come out only after dark, living on the fringe of society, and alternately feared/loved/hated by the mainstream populace.