When I first started reading horror novels, admittedly late in life, I’d become quite the fan of Stephen King. As far as I knew at that time, King was the penultimate writer of the horror genre. Now, I’m not looking to provoke a debate over who the world’s finest horror author is, but when a co-worker suggested I look into an author named Poppy Z. Brite, I have to say I had no real interest. She thought I was fascinated by vampires, but I wasn’t then and I’m not particularly keen on them now any more than I dig elves or Ewoks or any other fictional creation.

However, vampires aside, good writing is good writing and that’s the point of reading, isn’t it? When we can uncover a buried gem, to me, that’s even more valuable than reading yet another literary home run from an author we already trust. Poppy Z. Brite, for me, was a little bit like striking not gold, but oil. The characters, the prose, the story itself flew straight up off the pages and into my mind, saturating and darkening everything else I cared about during the time that I read this book. There is scarcely a way to describe how profoundly penetrating Brite’s writing is. The words caress, lash, curl, slice and land like a hail of machinegun fire at times. If your typical vampire novel is charming and evocative of social undertones we don’t always talk about in our society, hers is pitch black napalm poured out over our civilization. Perhaps I’m dramatizing, but she is absolutely one of my favorite writers living today.

Lost Souls was my introduction to Brite and I absolutely push this as the first of her books to read. It covers several intertwining story lines that tell the overall tale from the perspective of both humans and vampires. These vampires are unique in their own way, but isn’t that how everyone defends a vampire novel they like? I won’t bother getting into that debate since you’ll need to read the tale for yourself, but I will say that I found them interesting even though I would not place them as the centerpiece of this book, nor anything more than a great visual piece and fascinating side venture for the reader.

Instead, Brite’s true strength lies in her ability to not only accurately portray human behavior to uncomfortably effective levels, but also her vivid portrayal of time periods and the backdrops behind the action. Where another writer would give a nice shot of an era, considering that this book was set in the relatively unglamorous era before its publication in 1992, Brite distills the late 80’s / early 90’s into exactly what I remember. The geographical and cultural settings of New Orleans and North Carolina are not quite what I’d expected from a gothic novel, but Brite makes you want to be there, if for no other reason than to watch her scenes unfold in person–because many of the scenes are dramatically violent, illegal or otherwise something to avoid.

That’s the one disclaimer I feel you should definitely have before you venture into Brite territory: it’s dark in there. Yes, there is humor and compassion and throbbing vitality, but there are plenty of situations that are bound to make taboo seem like an understatement. If you can handle this, then take the time to read her work and you will be indelibly marked in a very good way.

There are few novels as properly titled as Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite and I believe that reading this novel summarizes not only an era, but a generation as tidily as anyone could. This is a read you will not regret, whether you’re a fan of horror or simply tales of life, so make sure not to overlook it as easy as that would be.

Visit Poppy Z. Brite’s website to learn more about her books: http://www.poppyzbrite.com/

Click here to get your hands on “Lost Souls”

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