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A review by xterminal
Are You Loathsome Tonight?: A Collection of Short Stories by Peter Straub, Poppy Z. Brite
4.0
Poppy Z. Brite, Are You Loathsome Tonight? (Gauntlet, 1998)
I've read some of Poppy Z. Brite's novels over the course of the last ten years, but have somehow not read any of her short stories until now. Perhaps, judging by the reviews, this wasn't the best place to start. If so, I can't wait to get to the other collections I have lined up.
Most fans (and professional reviewers) seem to consider this one a weaker piece of output. While some of the criticisms are justified (not knowing some of the characters are from previous novels, for example, may confuse), they don't take away from the writing in general. And it's the quality of the writing in this collection that makes it worth reading. It's rather like Caitlin R. Kiernan's From Weird and Distant Shores; the subject matter may not be what the more plot-centric fans were hoping for, but the style is unmistakable, and wonderful. Probably the best book I've read in the past three weeks (and that's not as left-handed a compliment as it sounds, since that encompasses some twelve books). ****
I've read some of Poppy Z. Brite's novels over the course of the last ten years, but have somehow not read any of her short stories until now. Perhaps, judging by the reviews, this wasn't the best place to start. If so, I can't wait to get to the other collections I have lined up.
Most fans (and professional reviewers) seem to consider this one a weaker piece of output. While some of the criticisms are justified (not knowing some of the characters are from previous novels, for example, may confuse), they don't take away from the writing in general. And it's the quality of the writing in this collection that makes it worth reading. It's rather like Caitlin R. Kiernan's From Weird and Distant Shores; the subject matter may not be what the more plot-centric fans were hoping for, but the style is unmistakable, and wonderful. Probably the best book I've read in the past three weeks (and that's not as left-handed a compliment as it sounds, since that encompasses some twelve books). ****