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esorharas 's review for:

Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
5.0

I read this many years ago, pre-2002 at least. I suspect it was during my sixth form years, between 2000 and 2002. When I saw that a special 10th anniversary edition was being published, I bought one. I know the description for this edition says that a CD came with it, but none came with mine! I have the beautiful signed hardcover (number 696). It features the original story, along with some correspondence letters about the book, a chapter that was later removed, and a short story set after Lost Souls about Steve and Ghost ('Stay Awake'). It also comes with a separate chap book called 'Con Party at Hotel California' which is an an unfinished story about Steve and Ghost. I also seem to have acquired a further two chap books called 'The Seed of Lost Souls' and 'Pansu', the first being a self-explanatory origin novella for the finished novel, and the latter being a signed copy of a short story, seemingly unrelated to the actual book.

I'm writing this review to explain what I got when I purchased this, all those years ago. I've not even read this actual edition, as I had a paperback edition before this one (which I have long since given away to a friend), and have not read the book since, so this is in pristine condition.

I'm actually scared to re-read it. I was still a teenager when I read this, and I was obsessed with vampires! I worry that re-reading it as an adult who has fallen out of love with vampires if I would love the book quite as much. It meant a lot to me then, reading a gritty vampire story that wasn't at all like the ones I had been reading. Everyone was so messed up, and I loved them all, good and bad. The story has stuck with me ever since, and I remember it with so much fondness, that it has remained one of my favourites, despite the lack of re-reads.

Maybe one day I'll re-read it, but for now it can stay as a fond memory.