Christopher Rice A Density of Souls 6 cassettes (unabridged)

Reader: James Daniels

Remember how you felt the first time you read "Interview With The Vampire"? Remember how you were torn between staying up all night to finish it, or savoring it slowly so you would have those wonderful characters and images in your head for as long as possible? That's what I remember reading Anne Rice's book for the first time all those years ago. There have been few books since then that have drawn me in so completely, and how wonderful that the latest one to do that was written by Anne's son, Christopher.

"Unsuspecting" customers will see the gothic cover and the huge RICE name on the jacket and think they are getting a supernatural thriller along the lines of Mama Rice. At first, it seems like that is the case--and there are touches of it in the novel--but these bits of otherworldly business are just some of the many New Orleans touches that make THE CITY as much a character as the four lead characters. Stephen, Brandon, Meredith and Greg are a close group of friends until a shared incident occurs just prior to them entering high school. While the other three become popular, Stephen is hounded and is made miserable simply because he is, in the teenage world, something worse than vampire, witch or werewolf: a homosexual.

Oh, but Mr. Rice doesn't stop there--a huge supporting cast of well-drawn characters all play vital roles. For once, the parents also have juicy history and scenes. Everyone gets resolution or retribution. While he may not have his mother's knack for swoony prose (maybe NOT such a bad thing), he has a style all his own, and he certainly inherited her ability of lending a cinematic feel to his words. It's quite appropriate that this book was published by Miramax. I wouldn't be surprised if the movie rights haven't already been secured. I'm casting my vote right now for Kim Basinger and Ryan Phillipe for the plum roles of the mother and son team of Monica and Stephen! I do wonder if the current crop of young actors would be willing to play the gay sex scenes...and there are a LOT of them! It seems Christopher inherited his mother's talent for writing erotica too....But don't read the book for JUST that. It's the story that reels you in. Some of the action moves at such a heady pace, I felt my head swoon and had to re-read passages. And some I had to re-read just for the sheer beauty of the prose.