Rating: 
Summary: Time, age and practice will discipline this youthful pen...
Review: I must admit that Christopher Rice shows promise in his very first publication. He tells us a story of teenagers, who have found that the transition from childhood to young adulthood may find them baffled over all of those growing pains that divide us as we grow older. The characters sport those popular names of 1980's soap operas, "Brandon," "Jordan," "Meredith" and "Stephen" who tend toward the teenage misconception that their parent's earned affluence somehow makes their own place in the world by birthright. We all grow up to find out that we earn our place in the world, just as Rice is attempting to do with this novel. The characters also display the illusion of our youth that everything is an earth-shattering crisis and that the world revolves around us. Yet, I enjoyed the story. Or more correctly put, I enjoyed the promise of what Rice may come up with in the years ahead.Although the story becomes somewhat overly melodramatic in places, I found instant hope for his future writings as soon as I read a series of pages that describe the whereabouts and reactions of the main characters when strangely enough, this thing called "snow" fell from the skies of New Orleans. The imagery and cadence of the entire passage shed a small light of hope on the potential of a writer in the making. Rice writes with a youthful lack of discipline that may only improve with age and practice as he learns how to convey to dear reader just exactly the story he is trying to tell, without losing our attention. I do hope that Rice chooses to write about stories of a wider variety and that he doesn't get stuck on a formula, as so many authors do. I am hopeful that Rice looks around and discovers that the overwhelming theme of his current creation... "being young and gay" is not the be all, end all of life. This point of view would seem narrow-minded and would deny so many people who maintain certain literary prejudice, the experience of reading a story written by someone who seems to display the potential talent for telling one. So to you, dear reader who obviously has so very much reading experience and selects allegiance to the authors you like, I suggest that we keep an eye out for this budding talent. We must feed him praise when it is deserved and provide him discipline when he strays toward the bad. And some day when he ventures forth of his own accord, we may smile with the pride of knowing that this writer, for whom we've stuck by all of these years will make his own mark upon the earth and we shall thank ourselves for helping.
Rating: 
Summary: Rice stands on his own two literary feet!
Review: I have never read an Ann Rice novel, and probably never will. I picked up a copy of Christopher Rice's novel because of the fascinating cover art and the great poem on the back cover. It was only after I finished the book and read the bio that I realized Christopher was Ann Rice's son. Rice's descriptions of New Orleans are fantastic. He paints a vivid picture of the unique city with his poetic words. Indeed, since reading the book I am longing to visit the city once again. Throughout the book, as the mystery unfolds, I felt a connection with each one of the main characters. I saw a bit of myself in everyone of them at some point. Love, anger, frustration, longing and passion are the threads that hold this story together. I will look forward to a film version sometime in the future. I think the book lends itself well to film as long as the film makers don't lose the essence of the book in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Talent
Review: As a big fan of Anne Rice I was skeptical about reading her son's work because I wanted to like him for who he is and not from who he came. However, after completing this book (which was a gift to me) in just 2 days, I have developed a great respect for Mr. Rice. I understand that this book is not autobiographical, but every gay guy in school can relate with the betrayal of friends and ostricism which happens in High School. Great job and I can't wait for the next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Density of Prose
Review: This book has some nice descriptive snippets but that's not enough to sustain a story even Tennesssee Williams would have felt was overblown. If you absolutely love Southern Gothic and feel deeply moved by gay fiction, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Density of Plot!
Review: Given the family he was born into, I suppose this book was bound to happen. It's the story of four young friends and the youthful indescretions that plunged them (and half of New Orleans) into unbelievable (and that's a literal use of the word!) chaos. It reads like Faulkner Lite on speed. High school hell, homosexual longings, homoerotic obsession, rape, alcholism, adultry, accidental death by garbage truck, madness, terrorism, militia groups, and a really big hurricane. I'm sure I've left a couple out, but you get the idea. I found the characters to be unlikable, and rather poorly drawn. Rice could not make me believe that these happenings were a natural and inevitable outcome for the characters as he defined them. The whole scenario seemed false and contrived. The editing seemed a bit shaky in places, also. I assume that the gay, artistic, and sensitive Stephen was intended to be Rice's alter-ego, and that the high school slings and arrows he suffered were similar to Rice's own. The book would have worked better as the story of a homosexual youth finding his way to self-acceptance, minus the action movie background. Much less would have been much more. If you're looking for high school hell, watch "Popular" on TV. If it's Southern Gothic you seek, stick with Faulkner.
Rating:
Summary: Not yet ripe - I wouldn't pick this one . . .
Review: I asked for this book for my recent birthday, based on an ad I saw which quoted the New York Magazine review. The comparison to Donna Tartt was enough to sell me on it - but sadly, it is not deserved. Rice's characterizations are shallow and shorthand, the "life-changing" events that motivate his characters are anti-climactic and underdeveloped (as well as improbable), and the emotional level throughout this book is simply not mature. Donna Tartt's The Secret History, by comparison, was a rich study of human behavior and an exercise in evocative storytelling. She may have been in her twenties while writing her novel, but her voice and skills were so mature as to make her age a non-issue. Not so with Christopher Rice. I don't wish to be hypercritical, but this book does read as though the author is freshly out of high school. I think Rice had some great ideas for a story, but his writing is not of a caliber to express them in a compelling manner. To me, a great book is partly defined by a sense whilst reading of being "in" the story, and not reading at all. I never felt that with A Density of Souls. I realize I am in the minority, so this review is not going to be for everyone. If your expectations are not high, or if you read mainly popular fiction (much of which I find unreadable), or if you watch and enjoy most American television, you probably won't be disappointed . . .
Rating:
Summary: An Intensely Beautiful Debut
Review: DENSITY OF SOULS is one of the best literary debuts of the past decade. Christopher Rice weaves a complex tale of friendship gone awry, murder, and betrayal that is nothing short of stunning. The author's understanding of the characters is clear...they come alive with every word. And not only does DENSITY OF SOULS realistically capture the essence of adolescene as well as of identity crises, it embraces it as something to make us stronger, make us into the people that we become. I can only hope that Christopher Rice continues to write, and to transfix, and to invoke all of the feelings that he brought to his first book with subsequent ones. He is a talented, fresh, and unique voice in fiction and is perhaps the first true literati of our young generation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent 1st novel.!.!.!
Review: I couldn't put it down! Can't Wait for his next work.
Rating:
Summary: Density is heavy with Cliches
Review: As a mystery it works, but like I wrote it is so heavy with unvbelieveable Anne Rice cliches.. ie everbodys gay, incest, and spanish moss. I liked it despite these things. I anticipate Chris Rice will come into his own style in the future. That i cannot wait for.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing First Attempt
Review: Anyone who thinks that Christopher Rice writes like his famous mom should just stop at that thought. In his own unique way, and with skillful maturity, Mr. Rice has written a smooth, absorbing novel. I was entranced from start to finish, the story and characters held their own and I found it hard not to phone up friends and convince them to buy a hardcover book for once. Suffice it to say, despite Mr. Rices youth, he writes as one who has "an old soul". I look forward to your second novel.
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