Well, I have the invention of the subtle ebook reader to thank for completing this trilogy, as there's no way I'd have sat on the train at peak commuting hours reading the hard copies! ;-)
There are two sides to the trilogy: Anne Rice writes the one that is an erotic journey of self discovery, but you can't shake the other one from the back of your mind, that being the abduction, rape and abuse of young men and women who develop Stockholm syndrome then return to their lives sociopathic sex offenders unable to cope with the real world. The latter is a more realistic take I think but I'd rather have gouged my own eyes out than read it. I can't help wondering if she watched Pasolini's 'Salo' and enjoyed it.
Don't get me wrong though, I think it's a very good trilogy(!), and with some convenient mental glossing over it is eye-opening and educational, allowing the reader to explore and reflect upon sides of human nature that are only truly exposed under extreme circumstances, from the comfort of a train carriage.