Lost Souls
Lost Souls
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992
Book Brief
Beta356
Novel • Fiction
•
Fantasy•
Horror & SuspenseMissing Mile, North Carolina, and New Orleans, United States, in the 1990s.
•
Religion & Spirituality1992
Dell
Mass Market Paperback • 1993
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
In Missing Mile, North Carolina, outsiders gather at a nightclub in search of acceptance. Among them are the perceptive Ghost, lonely Ann, and Jason—who calls himself Nothing—newly awakened to a deathless truth about himself. When three seductive, bloodthirsty vagabonds arrive, Nothing and Ann are swept into a wild road trip toward New Orleans, with Ghost following to save them.
Dark
Unnerving
Gritty
Emotional
Suspenseful
Reviews & Readership
20,006 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Reviewers praise the novel’s inventive vampire mythology, vivid New Orleans atmosphere, distinctive characters, extreme darkness, and forceful prose. One admirer also finds its plotting and characterization unusually mature, while another considers the bleak ending satisfying and believable. Criticism centers on excess: graphic sex becomes repetitive and tedious, teenage angst overwhelms the story, and some readers find the plot unclear or virtually nonexistent. The intensity is repeatedly flagged as divisive, even for experienced horror readers.
Who Should Read Lost Souls?
Lost Souls is best suited to adventurous adult horror readers who want a provocative, stylishly written vampire novel steeped in youthful alienation and gothic atmosphere. Its blend of music, blood, sex, and belonging may especially appeal to readers drawn to feverish Southern gothic fiction and unconventional vampires. Be prepared, however: the book contains graphic violence and forbidden sexual material and is considerably darker than many vampire novels, so readers sensitive to extreme content should approach cautiously.
20,006 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Steve’s compassionate best friend and Lost Souls? vocalist, whose clairvoyant visions warn him that danger is approaching their North Carolina town.
Ghost’s childhood best friend and Lost Souls? guitarist, a stubborn record-shop employee whose excessive drinking contributes to violent outbursts.
The charismatic, dangerous leader of a nomadic vampire coven; he is Nothing’s biological father and encounters him without initially recognizing their kinship.
Steve’s painter ex-girlfriend, whose difficult relationship with him and strained relationship with her father shape her defiant behavior.
A centuries-old New Orleans vampire and bartender who shelters the pregnant Jessy, then takes her newborn away hoping he can live normally.
Twig’s slightly shorter twin and one of Zillah’s vampire companions, distinguished by round, childlike features and a preference for sweets and cakes.
Molochai’s taller twin and Zillah’s sharp-featured vampire companion; he drives the trio’s van during their travels around the country.
356
Novel • Fiction
•
Fantasy•
Horror & SuspenseMissing Mile, North Carolina, and New Orleans, United States, in the 1990s.
•
Religion & Spirituality1992
Dell
Mass Market Paperback • 1993
Adult
18+ years
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