Are You Loathsome Tonight?: A Collection of Short Stories

by Poppy Z. Brite

Book Overview

This collection by Poppy Z. Brite, author of Exquisite Corpse and Love in Vein, among others, features anew story, Monday's Special. Poppy contributed story notes as well as the Preface. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887368256
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Gauntlet Pr
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant short stories -- Ms. Brite is a gifted writer!

Having read Liquor, I wanted to read more of Poppy Z. Brite's work. Are You Loathsome Tonight? is quite a surprise. I hadn't expected this sort of writing from Ms. Brite, but I'd been told that this work is right on her alley and that she had branched out of the gothic genre with Liquor. These short stories are a mixture of gothic, paranormal and magic realism with some adult fairy tale elements thrown in for good measure. The writing is incredible -- dark, disarming and creative. My favorite stories are "Vine of the Soul," which from what I've read is the update of a previous story, "Monday's Special," "Self-Made Man," and "King of the Cats." I marvel at how marvelously written these stories are. I have placed Poppy Z. Brite in my "must-read" list. She is a very talented, gifted writer. I cannot recommend this short-story collection enough...

A collection to be devoured without compassion

Are You Loathsome Tonight? Is a remarkable collection of twelve short stories by the Queen of the Macabre Poppy Z. Brite. In Vermis Veritas paints with all the tasty details the world seen through the eyes of maggots. Arise tells the story of a rocker that who gets help for his come-back from a long forgotten friend. Saved (written together with Christa Faust) is showing the readers the danger of weapons used in bed. King of the Cats (written together with David Ferguson) is a fairy-tale about the love a simple miller's apprentice and the ruler of the Kingdom of Cats. In Self-Made Man a serial killer searches for true love that will never leave. In Pin Money an old debt is settled by the dead. America is a snapshot of a conversation between traveling lovers. Entertaining Mr. Orton shows us the reason why possessed guys are better in bed. In Monday's Special Poppy explains what would have happened if she never started to write. Vine of the Soul starts on the eve of the new millennium, the ideal time for new kicks. Mussolini and the Axeman's Jazz is an historical fantasy about the beginning of World War II. Are You Loathsome Tonight? is the perfect illustration of the downfall of a super-star.Every story of this collection breathes the true spirit of the Gothic genre of which Poppy is a true emissary. Sometimes the reader becomes engulfed by gruesome and detailed descriptions of the most inhuman acts, whereas at the same time the romance seeps slowly through the pages. It is clear that I would not recommend this collection to the faint-hearted, but lovers of Exquisite Corpse will devour this book with an unhealthy, but nevertheless satisfying, voraciousness!

A Different Take

Are You Loathsome Tonight is another verdant collection of raw and oozing tales with the ever present scent of eroticism. For this collection we get a greater variety of tales from Brite's mind. I especially liked the introductions to each tale which gives better insight into Brite's writing career. Great characterization, well written plots - a good companion to Wormwood.

THE "MAVEN OF MACABRE" RETURNS!

What more can one say about Poppy Z. Brite that hasn't already been said a million times? What more can I, personally, say her about her that I haven't already said in my reviews of EXQUISITE CORPSE and WORMWOOD? Once again, with ARE YOU LOATHSOME TONIGHT?, Miss Poppy delights us with her unique blend of terror, torture and erotic suspension. Once again, she proves to us in her inimitable way, that there really is a fine line between pleasure and pain. LOATHSOME, however, is a slight departure for our Maven of the Macabre. While she still serves up a heapin' helpin' of thrills, chills, seductions and gooseflesh, she also spreads her wings a little ... tries out a new format or two, collaborates darkly with other Dark Geniuses, and gives us a few new insights into some very old and very familiar themes. The result? We continue to squirm with every turn of the page.As with WORMWOOD (a.k.a. SWAMP FOETUS), each story in this latest anthology to emerge from the dark, dank sepulcher of Brite's obscure universe, takes you to a place you have likely never been before ... a dark place with no windows, no way out and the fetid stench of decay at your back. Each story challenges you to wake up from the everyday daydream of sunshine, suburbia and mediocrity and to look deep into your own soul. She challenges you to confront the fears that are latent within you.This time, however, Brite challenges you to go a step further. From the opening story, "In Vermis Veritas", she eloquently uses first person perspective to convey a unique view on death and decomposition ... from the stance of a maggot in a slaughterhouse. In "Saved" she brews a heady stew of gender roles, violence and murder ... and in the end, we somehow find ourselves identifying with both the slayer and the slain. For an extra special treat, Brite throws in three additional gems that parlay her unique perspectives on some rather well-known historical figures - Elvis Presley, Joe Orton and Benito Mussolini - into a divinely decadent dance with history. It is clear from LOATHSOME that Brite remains the unchallenged Vixen of Viscera. Has she taken us a step too far? Perhaps. But like with all good fiction, the choice is yours. Pick your own poison. If you can't stand the raw honesty of Brite's world, you can always put her book aside, bury your dark side deep in your subconscious where it can fester and get your daily dose of the willies from the next riveting episode of "The Jerry Springer Show".

Poppy Z. A master of purple proze!

I've been waiting for the soft cover edition forever and after buying it i finally sat down and devoured the contents spellbound, Even though every novel of Miss. Brite is a masterpiece, her true strenth lays in the form she cut her teeth on. The short story. Every story is a beautifull gem,a self contained work that i find different, more literate, more culturaly aware than every other dark fantasy/horror writer out there, The storys here are newer than the ones in her other collection (wormwood, most of it's storys written in the 80's) so these reflect her newer interests along with her old (voodoo,serial killers, asian culture,gothic/deather trappings, the american south)all told in a poetic, purple, lirical voice, buy imediatly!