Rating: 
Summary: Adolescence - Not An Easy Passage
Review: I bought this book without expecting much. I was probably even a little prepared to dislike the book as I thought Chris Rice might have gotten published as a result of his mom's fame. Well, I was amazingly wrong in not expecting much and in being suspicious.Christopher Rice is a major talent who has much to offer the written word. In Density, he takes us through the adolescence of four childhood friends. Rice portrays that agony that adolescence can be for the normal kid; better, he writes poignantly and courageously about the challenges a young man who finds himself gay has to go through in order to traverse adolescence. Rice does an outstanding job in character development. Each of the four kids are very real. We feel the anger and the confusion that they seem to be going through. We recognize the hostility that can come of confusion and self doubt. A fascinating story; an outstanding first novel!
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary!!!
Review: This book is Extraordinary. What a wonderful piece of work!! Christopher Rice is an amazing writer. I was so moved by this book, I can't stop thinking about it. I look forward to his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Fame By Association
Review: Okay, let's get this straight -- just because he's Anne Rice's son AND he's gay, he gets to be on the cover of The Advocate. Not only that, but he gets a publishing deal too? Woah, was I born into the wrong family or what? If my mom was someone famous, I'd be able to pass off a terrible novel like this too!
Rating:
Summary: Buy something else
Review: Yes, it's easy to turn your high school diary into a novel, isn't it. Unfortuately, the author doesn't shed any inight on his position in this thinly veiled autobiography which takes his real life and then distorts it with, oh, a rape here, some sex there, gothic this, gothic that, blah blah blah. Read "Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim; pick up "Dream Boy" by Jim Grimsley; or, try "A Boy's Own Story" by Edmund White. There are some EXCELLENT books out there about young gay men and their struggles. "A Destiny of Souls" is not one of these excellent books.
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Summary: INCOHERANT
Review: I had to stop reading the book about 3/4 the way through because it was just a jumble of words. I was looking forward to this book for a long time, but I am truly disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good first book
Review: As a first novel, this book was a difficult write. Mulitple points of view, especially in each chapter can easily become confusing if not well done. Christopher handled this task well. The obvious problems with this book were several grammatical mistakes and typographical errors which slipped though the editing process. The obvious strength was the description of settings and characters. Even though I've never visited that locale, I felt as though I was seeing the people and their surroundings as I read. Christopher captured the experience of a gay youth dealing with prejudice and open hatred quite well. Although the emotions are general to humanity, the nuances specific to that experience might be overlooked by a non-gay person without the emotional descriptions provided throughout the book. They were appropriate and well written, based on my experience. I'm looking forward to reading Christopher's next offering.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!
Review: this is the most amazing, hypnotising and emotional book i have read. ever! i started it in the afternoon and stayed up all night to read and i literally couldn't put it down. the characters were so real i could practically reach out and touch them. anyone who has ever lost friendship, been rejected by people who barely know you, or felt different will relate to the emotions and events in this book. coming to the dinner table i had been so absorbed that i couldn't understand why everyone was acting so normally, i wanted to know why they weren't as upset by the events as i was! i laughed, i cried, i wanted to reach out, wrap stephen in a hug and take his pain away... everyone should read this book. for understanding, for help or for a connection to a world that you existed and that never knew was universal. As stephen finds out: being a 'freak', you have a deeper understanding and connection to the world and people.
Rating:
Summary: You can't put this one down!
Review: i could not put this book down. Christopher Rice's debut novelis full of twists and turns that makes the reader turn each page in anticipation of the next shocking event. "A Density of Souls" is shocking, sexy, romantic, violent, scandalous, and mysterious. It has the makings of an excellent feature film and keeps the reader glued to the page until its scandalous and shocking ending. Buy this book today!
Rating:
Summary: This is a great first book!
Review: What a great book. I could not put it down. A great first book for Mr. Rice. He has his mom's writing styles and ability to capture the feel and emotions of people, places, things. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting and captivating...
Review: Christopher Rice has written a bold and dark novel that explores the depths of a person's soul. Stephen Conlin, Greg Darby, Brandon Charbonnet and Meredith Ducote share a bond that has been laid open before us in haunting detail. This is Christopher's first novel and I cannot wait to see how his talent grows with future works. Most expect him to live up to his mother's reputation but I believe that he will follow his own path of brilliance. I applaud his first novel and anticipate his future works. If you enjoy reading a story that surrounds you and takes you into it's soul than I highly recommend this novel.
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