The Crow : The Lazarus Heart [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Poppy Z. Brite (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crow (Turtleback) | Publication Date: March 24, 1998

At our human limits, when we've gone as far as flesh and imagination can take us, we meet the Eternal One. The Crow. Immemorially old, and inconsolable, he is there only for those who seek both revenge and love, and are willing to go all the way--and beyond.

Five, four, three, two...Jared Poe counts the days on Louisiana's Death Row. The controversial S&M photographer has been condemned to die for killing his lover. He doesn't know who did it. Only that he didn't.

Can he clear his name and find the real killer in time?

No. For this is no ordinary thriller. We are in the dark realm of The Crow, and Jared must feel the cold shudder of Death; must hear the beating of black wings; must prowl the shadowy goth netherworld of New Orleans, to prove he was no killer when he died.

And find out what kind of killer he has become.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The man who wears the names of rivers knows that he is no longer like other men, that some part of his fearful work has changed him forever and he can never return to the simple, painless life he lived before.... The invaders are everywhere, and Their agents are everywhere.... In [his] dreams They walk the streets without fear, spreading the androgyne contagion, and the sky burns with the roaring engines of Their warships."

In a novel about a serial killer, the evocation of the killer's madness can make or break the book. In The Crow: The Lazarus Heart, Poppy Z. Brite delivers her usual complement of gay/transsexual pale-faced lovelies dressed in black Lycra and lace, giving just enough of a spin to their aesthetics that they are mildly entertaining to read about. But the way she puts the good gory meat into the story is through the character of a mesmerizing serial killer whose unique brand of paranoia serves as a sly commentary on Brite's own fiction. This is a short and relatively simple novel for Brite, but its narrative momentum never lapses: the plot structure hangs together better than in her longer, more ambitious works. It's overwritten in places--Brite wants to use two similes where one will do--but it's fun. And that's what horror is all about. --Fiona Webster

About the Author

Poppy Z. Brite was born on May 25, 1967, in New Orleans. She has worked as an artist's model, a mouse caretaker, a stripper, and (since 1991) a full-time writer. She has published three Novels, Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Exquisite Corpse, and a short story collection,Wormwood. Her work has appeared in numerous markets including Rage, Spin, and The Village Voice. She is the editor of the anthologies Love in Vein Iand II. In 1997, she published the biography Courtney Love: The Real Story. She is currently working on a new novel and readying her second collection of short stories for publication. Poppy Z. Brite lives in New Orleans with her husband Christopher, a chef and food writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; First Thus edition (March 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061058246
• ISBN-13: 978-0061058240
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,312,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of eight novels, three short story collections, two nonfiction books, and some miscellanea. My earlier books -- LOST SOULS, DRAWING BLOOD, WORMWOOD, EXQUISITE CORPSE, THE LAZARUS HEART, ARE YOU LOATHSOME TONIGHT? (a.k.a. SELF-MADE MAN) -- tend toward the twisted, horrific, and frequently erotic. I still have a definite interest in this sort of thing, but my writing doesn't reflect it as much these days. My recent books -- THE VALUE OF X, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, LIQUOR, PRIME, and the forthcoming SOUL KITCHEN -- all have to do (in varying degrees) with a couple of young New Orleans chefs named Rickey and G-man, their families, and their restaurant, Liquor. I've been married to a chef for 16 years now and he's still bringing me new stories. We lost our home in Hurricane Katrina, but we are back in New Orleans and doing our best to help rebuild the city. I'll note new books, anthology appearances and such here, but to read my day-to-day blog, please visit http://docbrite.livejournal.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brite Creates Yet Another Amazing Book, March 12, 2000

By 

Anon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lazarus Heart (Crow Novel Series) (Hardcover)

First, let us establish that through the movies I never got overly attatched to the Crow series. I thought the movies were ok, but not great; not to mention that the sequel appeared to be a regurgitation of the original plot. But since Poppy Z. Brite is one of my absolute favorite writers, I had to give this book a chance (and even sprung for the nice $50 edition--this is how sure I am of Brite's writing.) This novel holds up to all of Brite's previous novel-length work, and quite possibly exceeds it. The characters are amazingly developed--but aren't they always--and for once one of her major characters is a woman! Ok, so she used to be a man, but the point is that she's strayed from the teenage gay mail a little. Brite also expands on the Crow mythos, and writes a powerful story. The main antagonist is the complete embodiment of hate and bigotry, and the hero's purposes are genuine and satisfyingly revengeful. I recommend this book for anyone who loves good horror, but I warn you that Brite is a very dark writer when it comes to her horror. Her fiction makes the works of Steven King look as cozy as a Charles Dickens novel.

Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brite Creates a Great New Addition to THE CROW Franchise, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crow: The Lazarus Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

The was the first book I read by Poppy Z. Brite, and I do not regret it one bit. I recognized the name, but the main reason I bought it was that it was a The Crow novel that didnt cost 13-20 bucks.
Brite's dark style of writing and chracterization was great. She went a little away from the Crow mythos, but did a great job none the less. I love all of her referances to Edgar Allen Poe and the main charater's (a crow and RAVEN are relatives)were interesting. But going away from The Crow mythos was probably her only flaw.
This inspired me to test her other stuff out, so I read Lost Souls, which was really great. I would definately suggest this one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Horror Novel, May 18, 1998

By 

P. Legerski (Corona, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crow : The Lazarus Heart (Paperback)

The problem with the concept of these CROW novels that are going to be coming out is that the mythos has been so prevalent through comics and movies that the original motive of the idea has been so watered down, it would seem to lose its impact in each succeeding volume. That is the biggest obstacle to the writers who accept this challenge.

Poppy Z. Brite meets and supersedes all of these problems and actually flourishes under the tight reins she was given as guidelines for using this licensed character.

Ms. Brite puts The Crow in her familiar, if alluring, New Orleans with Jared Poe, a photographer based a bit on Robert Mapplethorpe, an artist who is pushing the envelope of kinky. At one of his shows, he meets Benjamin and his transsexual twin, Lucrece. They make a fearsome threesome...until somebody murders one of them, another is found guilty of that murder and dies on Death Row and the other, with her guilt/grief, calls back the "innocent" Death Rower to reek revenge on all of those responsible.

The writing is poetic, the story captivating and Lucrece is Brite's first true "female" star (if you don't count Courtney Love) to evolve into a serious character. No gore is spared when needed and Poppy has mastered the art of moving from present to past through flashback scenes that are so real, I actually had to stop reading at work for a while because NOTHING was getting done!

Ms. Brite has accomplished something only a few gifted writers can; using a limiting character and mythology that's been so overexposed it seems to cry out for monotony, and just kick its butt to make it your own unique and lasting own.

Most Highest Recommendation! END