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Title: A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice, James Daniels ISBN: 1567404758 Publisher: Brilliance Audio Pub. Date: August, 2000 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 6 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.97
Rating: 4
Summary: Not bad for a first novel
Comment: Ok, the big uproar about this book is that people think it was only published because his mother is Anne Rice. It's probably true. How many people get published that young? Anyway, who cares? It's a decent novel and people should just shut up about his mother. I'm also not gonna compare him to her in this review. Another thing people just can't seem to shut up about is that they think the main character, Stephen, is Christopher Rice. I can't help but think that people say this because he is gay. I don't really care if it's true. Many other writers do the same thing and Stephen is developed well enough that it doesn't matter.
Now that I've cleared that up here's the actual review. I liked this book. It's not the best book I've ever read but it's far above average. Christopher Rice's style is descriptive with out getting stale and it has just a touch of gothic. I also liked most of the characters. Usually in books that switch POVs there are a few characters that bore me to tears but I didn't really have that with this book. A few of them could have been developed a little better though. The plot was also interesting enough to hold my interest through out the whole book but it can be a bit jumbled in places. There were also a few typos. If he used an editor they need to get smacked. My favorite scene is when Stephen's boyfriend breaks up with him because Stephen didn't share his dots with him when they went to see a move. So then Stephen buys a huge box of dots and leaves them on his door. There are more dramatic scenes in the book but that one is just so funny and cute I can't help loving it.
Overall this is a good first novel. Christopher has all the makings of a great writer. His skills just need to be polished a bit. Slash (male/male or female/female sexual relations. In this case male/male) fans should enjoy this book a lot. If you aren't a slash fan you might not like it too much but it is still worth reading. I'm defiantly going to buy his new novel when it comes out in February. Hopefully it'll be even better than this one.
Rating: 3
Summary: Too much of a good thing
Comment: Christopher Rice deserves to have his book published. Though Rice's name may have merited extra attention from publishers, A Density of Souls contained both the writing style and intriguing plot to make it a good book.
There's no doubt Rice can write. His style is fast-paced and effective. The novel sucks the reader in by bouncing around from one engaging account to another, and utilizes vivid description. His development of the characters evokes emotion. I felt sorry for Meredith and her struggles with adapting to high school. I felt anger towards Brandon for his heartless cruelty.
However one emotion that seems to be dulled by the novel is shock. The novel begins with a surprising cemetery scene, and it's this scene that draws the reader in. But after this, Rice continues to shock readers with astonishing events, to the point where murder seems like nothing new. His sensationalism is excessive. The novel contains suicide, murder, hate crimes, sex, and even a hurricane, more than any reader can ask for. Toward the end of the novel, it seems as if Rice is resorting to sensationalistic events to keep the reader interested, instead of relying on his own writing skill.
Unfortunately, it's this saturation of wild events that clouds the substance of the novel. The general plot keeps the reader interested, and Rice uses it to convey his message. He attempts to expose the problems of homophobia. Instead he winds up writing a book that's 'a good read.' He has way too many plot twists to keep the reader focused on any particular idea. The book is more of a page-turner than it is a thought-provoking novel.
Writing runs in the Rice family. Christopher Rice's debut novel proves it. But it also reveals his immaturity as a writer. It seems he got too excited with his first book, and tried to utilize every possible plot twist he could. Had he eased up a little, A Density of Souls may have been a more emphatic and profound novel. I would read his second book, but what more could Rice write about to keep readers interested?
Rating: 3
Summary: A Good Read (reviewed by Jennie Wu)
Comment: Christopher Rice in his first book, A Density of Souls, managed to capture my attention and imagination from the very first page. His story of four friendds and their relationship is written in such an interesting way that it makes you never want to put down the book. It is overall a very good read, but it has its faults as well. The numerous typographical mistakes throughout the novel(due to a poor editor) disrupt the overall flow of the story. Also, Rice introduces so many new characters over the course of his novel in addition to his main characters that it may become confusing to follow. I found myself going back to parts of the book I had already read every time a new character is introduced in order to figure out how that person was related to the rest of the characters. None of the characters are developed fully, which makes relating to them very difficult. A Density of Souls reads like a soap opera, too many things are happening with every turn of the page which makes the novel very hard to believe. Despite all these faults, I will believe that Rice's novel is definitely worth reading. It is a book read for its entertainment value and nothing more. Though hard to believe, it manages to keep the reader trying to guess what will happne in the next page and the ending is a guaranteed shocker. Rice is an excellent suspense writer if anything, and you can count on him to keep you at the edge of your seat as you read of all the experiences that the main character, Stephen, goes through. A Density of Souls is an enthralling and one-of-a-kind read.
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Title: The Snow Garden: A Novel by Christopher Rice ISBN: 0786868139 Publisher: Miramax Pub. Date: February, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Metes and Bounds by Jay Quinn ISBN: 1560231858 Publisher: Harrington Park Pr Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill ISBN: 0743222946 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: March, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Blackwood Farm (The Vampire Chronicles) by Anne Rice ISBN: 0375411992 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 29 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy ISBN: 0312289480 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: July, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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