A Density of Souls

Rating:
Summary: Dense Plot, Shallow Characters
Review: Christopher Rice's first novel, A Density of Souls, is a complex web of deeply disturbed characters. I can't recall one individual who does not have some dark secret, psychological problem, or confusion over sexual orientation. Unfortunately, and contrary to the title, none of these characters are developed thoroughly enough so that the reader feels the denseness in their soul. Much of the character development left me with a ghostly outline of each character's true nature. I came closest to understanding Stephen, but even then his personality becomes unrealistic because of his relationships. I think that the author takes certain liberties in assuming the secret desires or sexual wants of men in general. I would be surprised if the sentiments expressed in the book are truly normal. It seems as though the author is expressing a desire for other men to be more like himself by developing many of the male characters this way. Perhaps men do have these deep feelings of sexual repression, but being a woman, I cannot be certain.

Despite this flaw, the book is engaging; I completed it in one night. I needed to know what was going on and how the book was going to end. The rapid transitions between settings are frustrating, but they contribute to the suspense of the novel. Beyond the action and twisted story line, however, the book has little underlying meaning. I would recommend this book for amusement only, not for intellectual stimulation.

Rating:
Summary: A Density of Soap Operas
Review: Although Christopher Rice's A Density of Souls is filled with such entertaining subjects as murder, madness and sex, the book fails to create a believable atmosphere. Unrealistic scenarios, such as a naked teenager hugging his mom, plague this rather interesting plot. Through the tragic lives of Meredith Ducote, Brandon Charbonnet, Greg Darby, and Stephen Conlin the reader sees friendships destroyed because of sexual conflicts. Although this touches on a very serious and engaging subject the book gives off a "soap opera" type of feeling. It deals a lot with rumors and secrets that torment and destroy many characters' lives, particularly Stephen who becomes an outcast. Like in many soap operas, character development is a major weakness, which further adds to the idea that this book deals with only one level. At times, Rice appears to be too focused on showing how evil some groups can be, rather than trying to develop the characters. One of the most unfortunate things about this show of rage is that it attacks stereotypes, which weakens Rice's message. In the end the reader does receive a strong sense of satisfaction because of the shocking conclusion, but looking back on the book it is clear that it conveys ideas at a low level. So if you would like to enjoy a simple, soap opera book that scarcely stimulates the mind, Rice's first book is for you. But don't ask for much more...

Rating:
Summary: A Density of Twists
Review: Christopher Rice's debut novel, A Density of Souls, portrays a gothic tale about friendship, betrayal, envy and rage. Rice has a very mature and well-crafted writing style that will enable him to improve as he gains experience. In A Density of Souls, Rice centers on four childhood friends from New Orleans who take separate paths during high school. Stephen, Brandon, Greg and Meredith encounter a painfully realistic high school atmosphere that is sure to impact anyone who has ever had an experience as an athlete or as an outcast. However, while the beginning of Rice's novel arouses interest, the following chapters lack coherence and become too far-fetched. There are an overwhelming number of characters as the novel thickens. It is as if every character has a mother, father, daughter or brother that some how plays a role in the novel. Accordingly, there is a lack of focus and character development. Rice is continually throwing spins at the reader as the story unfolds, making it difficult to pin a focus down on Rice's agenda. Rice has a solid idea for a novel, but unfortunately, he never ties everything together. While it is not perfect, Rice's novel is sure to keep one turning pages in suspense. Rice addresses many uncomfortable issues in a mature manner. Further, Rice's portrayal of a hurricane is magnificent. Rice's novels can only get better with time and experience. It may have been better for Rice to have taken on the publishing process without the help of his mother, Anne Rice, who has already achieved literary success. It isn't fair to place such high expectations upon Christopher due to Anne's achievements. One is led to believe that Christopher Rice's future efforts will show improvement.

Rating:
Summary: Seeking for reasons why
Review: In Rice's debut novel, one finds oneself in the heart of New Orleans, silently watching the lives of four main characters and their families. Rice uses a dark setting and a twisted plot that give the reader a sense of the evil lurking in the souls of the characters. Ultimately, the characters lie to one another, keep secrets and gossip, all of which draws them close together and then pulls them apart. Each character has his or her own issues that they, and everyone else, must deal with. Because of this, it turns out to be a soap opera that is intent on coming up with every possible twist a story can have.

Essentially, this novel contains everything that is wrong with American society. However, it is difficult to determine what Rice is arguing or saying in this novel. This novel deals with those things that no one likes to talk about that still need to be addressed. One does not feel any sort of connection with the characters (unless one happens to be homosexual), leaving the reader feeling left out. Secrets plague the lives of these characters, yet they keep the reader reading. A chain reaction of the revelation of secrets comprises most of the novel.

While showing a true talent for writing (with wonderful descriptions of places in New Orleans), Rice may have wanted to consider some more revision. On the other hand, if he wants to leave his readers with a confused look on their faces, asking themselves, "Why?" or, "What was that about?", then he has accomplished his goal. He does address the issue of homosexuality and society's general discomfort with the subject, but he does not offer an agenda or a solution to society's problem. He does address the danger of keeping secrets and lying, yet he does not allow his characters to overcome the habit of it. On this point, there is not much character development to begin with. With the exception of one or two characters, most appear very flat. One cannot look for answers or ideas in this book. One can read it merely for amusement.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but nothing more
Review: Christopher Rice's A Density of Souls reminds me of a bad made-for-TV movie. His plot and characters are overly dramatic. The story is rich in scandal and twists of plot, but lacks meaning. By the end of the novel, Rice leaves his readers exhausted from the action-packed story and clueless as to the message that he is trying to convey. After finishing the novel, readers shut the book just like they switch off a bad television drama, and never think about the story or its characters again. Having said this, once one starts reading this novel, he will finish the book, because it is compelling. The first half of the novel contains so many ambiguities that the reader wants to discover the truth. Density of Souls entertains its readers, but nothing more.

Let us take a look at the characters. First we have the alcoholic, bulimic wonder girl, Meredith, who is abused by her boyfriend, almost drinks herself to death, and has dysfunctional divorced parents, but still saves the day. Next we have, Stephen, a homosexual, who is ostracized by his high school classmates. Finally we have Brandon, grade-school buddy turned villain and Greg, another sexually confused boy. What do they all have in common, you ask. Alcoholism, sexual dysfunction, scandal, poor parenting, and too much disposable income. Based on this work, Christopher Rice should consider screenwriting soap operas.

Rating:
Summary: typical movie plot
Review: I felt that Density of Souls by Christopher Rice was an interesting book. It was definitely a page turner. I ended up reading it within twenty four hours of starting it. I had to know what was going to happen next. However, the book was quite disturbing. There were many scenes that are a little "out there." Rice creates this elaborate, strange situations that you would normally find in a big time movie. There are many odd events occuring all at once. A villain who seams almost too cruel. Odd twists occuring in a young man's love life. The book seems almost too weird to be believable. Many of these strange events are somewhat distrubing. The violence is a little too much, and the many romance plots running through the story are also a little hard to believe. These factors make it hard to swallow the story as real life. Another failure of Rice's is his character development. It is hard to understand the characters, even the main characters, because they are not well developed. The reader is not placed in the main characters shoes as is the case with most fiction novels i have read. It is hard to really understand why the people of this tragic novel act the way that they do. Where Rice lacks in technical aspects of the novel, he makes up for in suspense. Whether you read it because you are incredibly interested in the what is going to happen or you just want to finish it and see how it ends, Rice's novel is full of suspense. There are no real slow points in the novel, which makes it a quick read. The book is packed with lots of action and very interesting, though disturbing, plot twists. Rice is very clever with the way he adds in characters and changes what you believe to be the truth. You will definitely be thinking about the book days after you have finished it. It is a decent effort at a first novel and could have been better with more editing. Overall, it is an interesting story worth reading if you don't mind some of the strange plot twists. There is plenty of room for improvement, but the potential is definitely there.

Rating:
Summary: Young and proud.....
Review: .... even though he shouldn't be. This young new author started off his career with real dud. It is a wonder how it ever got published. Oh that's right, His mom is Anne Rice, One of the most famous writers around.

This story goes way over the top in portraying a group of youth in a New Orleans setting. Christopher Rice takes all the modern day stereotypes and squeezes it into this 270-page book. The main focus in this book was a boy named Stephen trying to find his sexuality. Take what you have seen in soap operas these days and xxx-rate them, and you got this book. Rice was so graphic in his sexual details. They were not needed at all. How does such a young author have such a dirty imagination? What was his point in writing this book? Did Rice have some kind of political agenda, or what? I don't think that there was a single character in this book that was portrayed realistically.

I truly had a hard time reading this book. I was forced to read this. So after every page, I hoped that the book would get better. My hopes were crushed. This book definitely does not compare to Anne Rice's books. I don't see how she let her son go through with this book? The only reason I gave two stars for this book is because it takes courage to come out with a book like this. Also, he is young, and has a lot of opportunity to improve on his writing. Even though I will not be reading it.

Rating:
Summary: An Evocative but Convoluted First Try
Review: In the chilling thriller A Density of Souls by newcomer ChristopherRice, the convoluted and often twisted plot overshadows the sensitiveand sympathetic writing that occasionally peaks through. I didn'tlike the novel, but it made me think about taboo activity, such asincest, and its place in society. The gentle treatment of Stephen inthe novel gives fleshes out this one character that grounds the novel,but the plot line often introduces very 2 dimensional supportingcharacters that to further the action. This novel reminds me of thework of V.C Andrews and the teen novels now based on her work. Thehomosexual themes that ran through the novel are not as realistic as Iexpected, but the ideas behind them were genuine. The book wasextremely graphic which gave the reader unusual insight into theauthor and gave the book a realistic feel. But the homosexual desirethat touched almost every character in the novel presented a tabooidea that everyone has a bit of homosexuality in him or her. Riceconfronts readers with taboo ideas and makes them think aboutit.....In conclusion, Rice has a good first novel that addresses veryevocative questions but needs to decide what he wants in and what hewants to save for later.

Rating:
Summary: More please! I'm addicted!
Review: I can't say I'm a book worm or that I read on a regular basis. But I wholeheartedly agree with every single one of the other reviews. I picked-up this book Saturday afternoon and could not put it down until I was finished. I have this feeling...of...wanting to meet Stephen. Christopher Rice is a great writer and I really hope to see more of his works very soon. I'm so depressed...I want more! Does anyone know of a Christopher Rice website/fan page? Please let me know! [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: If you like General Hospital or One Life to Live..
Review: ...then you will probably enjoy reading this book. Personally, I have a strong dislike for soap operas, so I had to plug through Christopher Rice's debut novel. Although most people might think this novel is a "real page-turner," I found it unbearable, and I could not wait for it to be over.

You might ask, "Why is this girl so adamantly opposed to drama?" Well, drama can be good...IN MODERATION. A Density of Souls, however, is over the top. The basic plot of childhood friends growing apart and changing is a solid one. Without all the unrealistic and perverted subplots, the novel might be worthwhile.

Each character is unrealistically messed up (psychologically) and they face a multiplicity of problems that I found to be almost laughable. If Rice would have streamlined the character's problems, I think the novel would have been more believable, thus, more of a "page-turner."

Basically, I felt that A Density of Souls lacked substance. Not substance, in the sense that it lacked action! Rather, it lacked the deep element that leaves you thinking about the novel for the next week. I finished the novel and felt unsatisfied, wanting more.

I do have to applaud Christopher Rice for two things: His willingness to write honestly about his feelings towards growing up gay in the Southern city of New Orleans, and his boldness to pursue his dreams of being a young writer, and even dropping out of college to do so. If he felt college would not get him where he wanted, then I applaud him for taking a risk. It looks as if his decision was beneficial for him.