Lost Souls ~by~ Poppy Z Brite
Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's:
Sex, blood and rock'n'roll - presented here from the master of gothic horror. At a club in Missing Mile, just outside New Orleans, the children of the night gather. They dress in black and they're looking for acceptance. There's Ghost, who sees what others do not; Ann, looking for love; and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, seeking the deathless truth about his father - and himself. But into Missing Mile tonight come three beautiful, hip vagabonds: Molochai, Twig and seductive, green-eyed Zillah. They are on their own lost journey, slaking their ancient thirst for blood, aching for supple young flesh. In Nothing and Ann they find it. Now Ghost must pursue them all. To save Ann from her new friends, to save Nothing from himself. First published in the early 90s, "Lost Souls" redefined the vampire novel for a new generation and remains unsurpassed in its dark wit, graphic descriptions and its power to send shivers of panic and pleasure down your spine...
I was looking forward to reading this so much that it was a bit of a let down when I didn't get drawn into it straight away. The story is told from the perspective of several of the characters and while it was easy to follow, it just didn't hold my interest as much as I'd hoped. This is supposed to be a disturbing read but what I find disturbing is the fact that it didn't disturb me at all! If you are squeamish be aware, it does include sexual content (including incest) and violence along with the usual spatterings of gory murders. I did like the character Ghost, however I found myself wanting to either slap or give the others a good shake. The storyline was a bit slow and although I wouldn't say it was a bad read, it wasn't as good as I'd hoped for.
6/10