Lost Souls

book      fiction Lost Souls Author: Poppy Z. Brite Publisher: Delacorte Press Year: 1993 Country: US 359 pages

Warnings   Nudity: Sex: Violence: Incestuous overtones between two vampire brothers.

Description:
Zillah, Molochai and Twig are vampires that are a different species than humans are. This type of vampire can reproduce with humans, but the birth always kills the mother. They visit New Orleans and the bar of Christian, a fellow vampire that is older than the three. After Zillah impregnates a young girl named Jesse, the three take off leaving Christian caring for her until she gives birth and dies. Christian takes this baby and leaves it on a doorstep.

Fifteen years later, a boy who calls himself Nothing discovers that he wasn't adopted, he was found. Nothing becomes entranced by the music of the band Lost Souls, and becomes determined to find them, leaving behind the small town that he does not fit into. Upon leaving his adopted family, he ends up meeting the three and learns from them that he is a vampire. He and his father, Zillah, start and affair and he dimly understands that joining his new vampire family will cost him more of his humanity than he wants to give up.

Steve and Ghost are the vocalist and guitarist who make-up the Lost Souls, and they are having problems of their own in Missing Mile, North Carolina. The psychic Ghost knows that something major is about to happen, while his friend Steve only sees the world through the bottom of the bottle as he wallows in guilt over the breakup with his girlfriend Anne.

All characters eventually meet up in Missing Mile, and from there head back to New Orleans. Ghost and Steve want to save Nothing from himself and, ultimately, his fate. Steve's former girlfriend, Anne, winds up on the road with the monsters, pursued by our rock star heroes.

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Although there was quite a bit of violence and bloodshed, I guess it was par for the course. I liked that the author broke what seems to be an unwritten rule in that her characters actually listened to Bowie, Bauhaus,..etc. as opposed to just listening to the radio or playing a tape in a general non-descript way as so many authors do. It's a litle thing but it goes such a long way in giving so much more depth to the characters and helps to give the storyline a different feel from other books I've read. I also liked that Brite wasn't afraid to let her characters do copious amounts of drugs. While I'm not a heavy user, I did find the drug references almost comically amusing in this 'Just say NO' day and age. This book is definitely not for everyone, But I think it's a safe bet if you're visiting this site, it IS for you. Pick it up and enjoy its wild ride!

This book is one of my personal favorites. You can't help but fall in love with the characters that Poppy has so poetically breathed life into. She combines the gothic subculture with homoeroticism and naive vampiric sensuality that makes the lost soul in you beg to be suddenly wisked away by beautifully pale, lipsticked boys with a divinity for darkness, Bauhaus, and blood.

Okay, this book is not really horror, but what can you say about PZB. I love everything I have read of hers, and Lost Souls is one of her best.

This is one of my favorite books, and the erotic scenes between all the vampire boys are very nice indeed.

Excellent book. The author is one of my favorites. The only book of hers that I've read thus far and preferred over this one is 'Exquisite Corpse,' which is about necrophilia. This is probably a better one to start with though, as the characters are more approachable and the the sex and violence are a little less intense (although it is still fun and impressively creative). The relationship between Ghost and Steve was especially poignant. I freely recommend ANYTHING by this author, particularly her earlier horror fiction.

This book was amazing...I was around the same age as the character 'Nothing' when I first read it and it really opened the doors to new thoughts and a new world of writing for me. It inspired me to continue my own writing and to be much more bold in it. This book became magical for me, like a window into a wolrd where I feel that I belong.

I like very much I am a Poppy Z. Brite fan, I read Exsquite Corpse before this book. My God, what a descriptive writer. I like Lost Souls better though, especially the sex parts!!

This was one of the first queer horror books I've ever read. It was highly recommended by two of my friends. It's by far one of my favorite books, along with Poppy being one of my favorite authors. This book is a good read for nearly anyone.

Poppy Z.Brite is one of my favorite authors. 'Lost Souls' is a great book because of her writing and her characters, who have their own charisma, even when they're not main characters. I recommend this book (and every other one of hers) to anyone.

This book certainly includes some queer (male) vampires, but I found as I read through the book that I cared about none of them. Nor did I care about any of the nonvampires (also male). (The author reduces the two female characters in the book to baby-producers.) Brite put a great deal of effort into making vampire Christian a sympathetic, tragic figure, but the fact is still that he kills people, and he rationalizes that he's doing them a favor when he does it. I am wary of the people who would find such a character appealing (as many do), but I understand this is something of a staple in queer (or gay) vampire fiction, as in Michael Schiefelbein's unappealing 'Vampire Vow.' Does it reflect a revenge fantasy in which queer characters kill off their oppressors (including those who love them)?

On the other hand, her descriptions were well written.

I thought it was great. Nothing being with his father was kind of crazy. The three guys traveling together and then poor Christian left all alone. There was definitely queer content in this book.

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