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Summary: Aesthetically pleasing
Review: Poppy Z. Brite ceases to amaze me. Almost every story she wrote is completely beautiful to me. She uses intimate details and her sensual detail and words create a perfect mood in each story. Each story in this book is different and interesting, filling with dark and hauntingly beautiful themes. This book is breathtaking and a must have.
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Summary: Dark, terrifying, wonderful short stories!
Review: Poppy Z. Brite has officially become a favorite author of mine. Her books are dark, disturbing and literary. And the fact that her stories have gothic elements makes them all the more appealing. Having read Are You Loathsome Tonight?, I couldn't wait to pick up another one of her books. Wormwood caught my attention the moment I lay my eyes on it. I am so glad I gave it a whirl. The stories here are dark, horrifying and full of beautiful prose (at least that's my take on them). Brite has incredible talent. My favorite stories are "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves," "Xenophobia," "How to Get Ahead in New York," "The Elder," "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood," and "The Sixth Sentinel." I devoured these stories from beginning to end. The stories are sheer horror. I recommend this anthology to those who like to read about things that go bump in the night with a literary twist.
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Summary: A new voice in horror fiction is calling out to us!
Review: Poppy Z. Brite seems to know our secret hopes and dreams, our untold fears and inhibitions....and with her intriguing style and fresh creative ability, she turns them into the dark and twisted tales which never stray too far from the imagination. From the walking dead in Calcutta to the cesspools of NYC, Brite raises page-turning suspence to new vistas. The reader is left with a new sense of horror, and a preternatural craving for more..
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Summary: Squirming with possibility, but disappointing overall
Review: Poppy Z. Brite's first short story collection shows a great deal of potential but ultimately fails to live up to its own possibilities. Far too often this author will give her readers a lovely mise en scène... and then do nothing with it. In most Brite stories, the writing is like a string of polished jewels, but nothing much actually *happens*. Fans of her novel "Lost Souls" will appreciate that there is a Steve and Ghost story; however, it is in fact a dismally predictable love-among-freaks tale... it's moving, but you see the ending coming a mile away. Brite's much-lauded "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves" is beautifully phrased and believably set, but again,anticlimactic... basically a chase scene. Of the stories in this volume, "His Mouth Shall Taste of Wormwood" and "The Ash of Memory, The Dust of Desire" are probably the best. The former is another variation on Brite's hackneyed "perverse young gay gothboys in lust" theme, but it plays out with the inevitability of a classic ghost story
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Summary: Quiet and tight.
Review: Poppy Z. Brite, Wormwood (Dell, 1994)This relatively early collection of stories (her first collection, and third published work, previously known as Swamp Foetus), collects stories written between 1986 and 1992. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the book is watching the progression between the earlier and the later stories; you can tell before getting to the end (each is dated) which are which, after an example or two of each. This isn't to say the earlier stories are bad, they're just raw. And raw is not a bad thing. In fact, it can be quite charming, especially when one encounters another two Steve and Ghost stories ("Angels" and "How to Get Ahead in New York"), which also happen to be two of the longest in the book. It's rather odd to have watched an author create her own shared world and remain its sole inhabitant. Steve and Ghost aside, there's a lot of fun stuff here for the discriminating fan of viscerally atmospheric (if that makes sense) horror. Brite's tales are not for the squeamish, but she never treads into the realms of Robert Deveraux (or, for that matter, her own novel Exquisite Corpse). Even the zombie story, which is a genre that basically invites excess gore (especially since Peter Jackson's wonderful film Dead Alive), has more of a quiet, dignified air about it (albeit one with some language that may make some neophytes squirm a bit in a different way). Very good stuff. It's easy to say in hindsight this is the beginning work of a very gifted author, so imagine I'm saying it in 1994 and have amazing powers of presentiment. *** ½
Rating: 
Summary: A second rate collection of horror fragments.
Review: The characters in every story are just about the same; dirt poor teenage-young adult southern goth musicians, complete with homosexual lovers and no place to go. Some die, some don't, but who really cares. The couple things I did enjoy out of Wormwood were grizzly death scenes and well established, disturbing settings. A little black humor here and there at least contributed something towards overall enjoyment, but no enough. Variety would have helped out considerably, as would plots. Brite isn't a terrible writer, but dosen't do anything her pal Caitlin R. Kiernan couldn't do a hell of a lot better.
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Summary: Menacing Poetry
Review: There are times when I am reading a Poppy Z. Brite novel and I feel bogged down waiting for action, utterly bored with the nth sexcapade of the main characters. This might be why I love this book of short stories more than anything else she's written. While some stories show signs of youth, more often Ms. Brite's fluid prose is utterly seductive and disturbing. Where other writers either clunk along or try to poetry us to death, Poppy Z. Brite maintains the perfect balance between plot and style. Her stories are scary, menacing and beautiful at once. She says what needs saying and then breaks off leaving the images to fester in our minds for days, weeks, years. Possibly one of the most worthy-of-repeat-viewings collection in short story history
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Summary: Whirl wind of the spectacular
Review: This book is just so awesome, its got lust and decrepid story lines. The stories wrap you up in them,never leaving anytime to escape. My personsal Favorite is The options for Piano and Music. I can't give everything away, Can I? There all very original tales of which the likes you'd be lucky to see in any other writer. FANTASTIC BOOKS AS WELL AS EVERYTHING ELSE SHE'S WRITTEN. :)
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Summary: A nice introduction to Poppy!
Review: This book takes you on a ride through Calcutta, New York, and of course, New Orleans. The characters seem to jump out and take you by the collar just to say, "Stop for a second. Please just listen to my story!" This was the first book I've read by Poppy and it hasn't been the last. This book is perfect way to explore Poppy's mind.
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Summary: A perfect first taste
Review: This book was my first exposure to Poppy Z. Brite, and I read it all in one sitting. Sure, some of the stories far outshine some others, but this is almost always the case in a collection such as this. What is so great about this format is you can sample a writer or a genre without a huge investment of money or time. I have gone on to read The Lazarus Heart and her Vampire Erotica Collection, Love in Vein. Poppy's material packs enough punch for the harder horror readers, but she also paints enough atmosphere for the literary side of us. Particularly good in this collection is His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood. But be warned, this collection is not for the faint of heart or stomach.
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