Rating: 
Summary: Different than her other stuff...
Review: When I first read this book I'll admit I was disappointed. I thought PZB was a sellout because that's how my immature goth kid mind worked. It had no death, no horror and no vampires, so therefore it was bad. That being said, it's a good book. It's a nice sweet, although slightly predictable love story; nothing more, nothing less. It's definitely more mainstream than her other books, which isn't a bad thing...if you're still a pretentious goth kid (and I'll admit I was when I first read it) you'll be disappointed. But if not, it's a nice light, enjoyable feel good kinda romance.
Rating: 
Summary: A long wait for a big letdown.
Review: Years after her last novel, The Lazarus Heart, Brite presents a novella-length work in direct opposition to nearly everything she's previously published. The Value of X will frustrate many fans of Brite's horror work, but that is not a commentary so much on the novella as it is fandom. Like any work of fiction, regardless of genre, Value of X must be judged as a stand-alone novella, not as a prequel (to 2004's Liquor) or a turn in direction. Value of X is published as a complete and self-contained work of fiction, and should be read as such.That said, the book is no good. The writing is bland and mostly expository. The characters are flat and mostly interchangeable. The cardboard monsters of the horror genre are missing their tails, but are there in the guise of wicked mothers (not stepmothers, at least) and bullying rednecks. The two main characters, Rickey and Gary, are just barely recognizable by novel's end, as we're given little time with them that's not bogged down in exposition and corny, pointlessly sappy dialogue. The plot will be immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the gay genre staple coming-of-age story. The adventures in bars are replaced, rather superficially, with adventures in kitchens, but this does nothing to detract from the tried-and-tried-and-tried-and-true "boy meets boy, boy loses boy" scenario. Hackneyed down to the pointless sex scenes, The Value of X is particularly generic. Brite spent years rising above horror genre restraints. She accomplished this not with extraordinary plots or characters, but through the sheer quality of her writing, refined to near perfection in Exquisite Corpse and The Lazarus Heart. The Value of X is the antithesis to singular, great writing. It sits comfortably in the midst of the gay genre heap, somewhere slightly north of slash. Not a book for even the most avid fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Big let down for such a long wait...
Review: Yes, I was a big fan of Poppy's, even got most of my friends to at least read one of her books. This book though did not grip me like the others. Even her spin on the Crow series didn't annoy me as much as this book did. This book had none of the qualities that I enjoyed in her past novels and shorts. It was a big let down to see such a great writer basically lose her touch.
Now don't get me wrong there was a lot of things I commend her on her take on the Catholic Church's view of the homosexual community. And showing the fine division between the stereotypical over sexed gay and the hopeless romantic gay.
This book just was not what I set my self up for. The characters were to plain, the set ups were just bland and very predictable. And I was still hoping for a morbid twist an unhappy ending or some kinda maiming. I gave it a mediocre rating for a her mediocre attempt at conformity. I recommend this novel to those questioning his or her own sexuality or are building up the nerve to come out of the closet. But, if your a die hard Poppy Z. Brite fan spare yourself the pain and reread one of her other novels.
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