Product Description

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is a tradepaperback edition of the sold-out limited edition of Poppy's latest short story collection.

In her third short story collection, Poppy Z. Brite finds fresh ways of exploring territory both familiar and strange. Here you’ll meet the Devil and his giant cat last seen in the pages of Bulgakov, the gourmand coroner of New Orleans, the mad-genius chef who can’t stand to have his cheese list criticized, and an assortment of Crescent City characters who also appear in Brite’s novels Liquor and Prime.

Poppy Z. Brite has found a way of writing about New Orleans that bypasses the clichés and approaches the city’s true heart: the hard-working, hard-partying cooks; the ways in which race, class, and sexual orientation do and don’t matter; the love of bottom feeders, be they crustaceans or politicos; the million little juxtapositions of sacred and profane, bizarre and mundane, sublime and ridiculous that make up the everyday life of New Orleans. Some of these stories are set elsewhere, but Brite always returns home in the end.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159951 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 173 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781887368773
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Once both cult-worshipped and mainstream-reviled for her edgy investigations into supernatural and human horror, Brite (Lost Souls) is now more concerned with the more-or-less ordinary side of life and her home turf of New Orleans, as shown in her provocative third story collection. Four out of the 13 tales lie somewhere between the weird and the mundane and feature Brite's alter ego, Dr. Brite, the coroner of Orleans Parish, who loves to eat. The droll but dark "O Death, Where Is Thy Spatula?" involves raising the dead. In "Marisol," Dr. Brite literally tastes the consequences of revenge. Three tales, notably the bleakly nihilistic love story "Nothing of Him That Doth Fade," involve gay but otherwise run-of-the-mill couples who have some connection to the restaurant world. Abandoning past gothic trappings and using a cleaner, simpler style, Brite emerges as a writer of honesty and wit who may yet find favor with a broader literary readership.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Brite, a well-known figure in horror fiction, has been focused on New Orleans as of late, and this collection is one result of her exploration of the city beyond its stereotypes. In the title story, the devil's cat plays mind games with the racist leader of the New Orleans Krewe of Onan. Brite's alter ego, New Orleans coroner Dr. Brite, stars in several stories, including "O Death, Where Is Thy Spatula?" which also appears in the thirteenth Mammoth Book of Best New Horror [BKL D 15 02]. In "Marisol," the chef at one of Dr. Brite's favorite restaurants takes revenge on a critic who failed to mention his fine selection of cheeses. "System Freeze" is set in the world of the movie The Matrix and features a young woman who is saved by one of the mysterious agents only to find out how dangerous it is to defy him. Brite describes sumptuous meals at swanky restaurants and icy death with equal aplomb, and her stories are spirited and snappy. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Throughout the collection, the writing is tight, the author's sense of humor soars and the dialogue especially rings true. -- Bookgasm

Customer Reviews

Brite new collection!
After a hiatus of a few years, Poppy is back with a brilliant new short story collection, through Subterranean Press. There's no picture of the book here, so I will give a short description of it: Teal. It's teal. It's very, very teal. The dustjacket shows a very *odd* looking cat (you can see it at the Subterranean Press Website), and the interior pages are oddly textured, giving the book an overall quirky and endearing feel. Like all of her books through Subterranean, the front page is signed.

And as for the stories...

Dispatches from Tanganyika: A Foreword--Reminds me of the forward to Neil Gaiman's "Smoke And Mirrors." Here you will find brief notes Poppy has written on many of her stories, as well as an...explaination for her new (remarkable) writing style.

The Devil You Know--Cute. This story is nowhere near as "horrific" as many of her earlier short stories. Instead, it wonderfully reflects the front cover's "quirkiness."

O Death, Where Is Thy Spatula?--Reintroducing Dr. Brite, coroner of New Orleans and Poppy's alter-ego. (You may remember Dr. Brite from "In Vermis Veritas" in her previous short story collection.)

Lantern Marsh--Very sweet, and vaguely Ray Bradbury-esque. An odd story of childhood and change. Not scary at all.

Nothing Of Him That Doth Fade--This is the only story that really left me cold. It's definately not one of her best--Brite admits as much in the forward.

The Ocean--A dark story of Orpheus in modern times. Poppy's kind of, um, *intense* about people who think that this is a vampire story. Because it's not.

Marisol--More fun and games with Dr. Brite in the kitchen of New Orleans. This story gives a strong message out to all us reviewers out there...be careful what you say!

Poivre--Not really fiction at all. This is more of an anecdote about an incident that happened at one of the author's favorite restaurants. Very cute, really.

Pansu--Hysterical. Just very, very funny. Spoofs "The Exorcist." When I first heard descriptions of this story ("An ancient demon from the East seeks the pleasures of the flesh...") I thought that this would be a serious story. It's really definately NOT.

Burn, Baby, Burn--I forget what this story was based on, but it was good. Very "Firestarter."

System Freeze--Written in the same world as "The Matrix." It's okay. Not being a big fan of the movie, I'm not one to judge.

Bayou de la Mère--We get to see Rickey and G-Man (of "The Value of X" fame) on vacation in this short piece. G-Man is still trying to reconcile Catholisism and his sexuality, making this a very poignant piece.

The Heart of New Orleans--Probably one of the BEST things Poppy has ever written, and the last Dr. Brite story in here. This story is humerous and sad and really, really shows the true heart of New Orleans. Anne Rice, eat your heart out.

A Season in Heck--A little taste of what's to come, methinks. This story takes place at Rickey and G-Man's restaurant, Liquor. However, Our Couple is not the focus of this story. No, this tale concentrates on Paul, a young line chef in the restaurant, and who has a *terrible* crush on G-Man. Bad boy!

All in all, this is an A+ collection from one of my personal favorite authors. Her new, sparser, more honest voice makes all of these stories seem a little more realistic than her earlier volumes--not in the sense of the supernatural, but in the sense of human behavior. Poppy remains one of the few authors who can take me from laughter to tears and back again in ten pages, and this collection is proof of that.

Brite's Best Collection Yet
Poppy Z. Brite has moved away from the horror genre in recent years, and in doing so has found an electrifying new voice. "The Devil You Know" is Brite's third collection of short stories, a style in which she excels. It is the best of her collections so far in that there are really no weak points to be found. The stories are incredibly diverse, some introducing new characters and others revisiting old favorites. Here's a rundown of the stories themselves:

"Dispatches From Tanganyika" is a delightful foreward by Brite, in which she discusses her move away from horror and how each story came to be written.

"The Devil You Know" is an interesting, slightly creepy/comic appetizer which features briefly a charcter from "Exquisite Corpse."

"O Death, Where Is Thy Spatula?" reintroduces the character of Dr. Brite, Poppy's alter-ego first seen in her previous collection, "Are You Loathsome Tonight?" A great fun read.

"Lantern Marsh" is an old style Brite tale, much more on the supernatural side than the others.

"Nothing of Him That Doth Fade" is simply one of the saddest, most depressing things that Brite has ever written. It can also be seen as a final farewell to the angsty gay characters that she made her name on in her early work.

"The Ocean" is, as Poppy herself says, her last story about rock stars. Quite disturbing it is too, and no, it's not about vampires.

"Marisol" is another great Dr. Brite story, and also a love letter to Poppy's favorite restaurant.

"Poivre" is a true restaurant story by Poppy, very light and humorous.

"Pansu" is an over the top demonic possession tale, and you can tell Brite had a good time writing it.

"Burn, Baby, Burn" contains probably the most interesting female character Poppy has written about to date, even though the character is not of her creation. A troubled girl who starts fires with her mind.

"System Freeze" is an eerie story set in the world of the movie "The Matrix."

"Bayou de la Mere," which stars "The Value of X" characters Rickey and G-man, and "The Heart of New Orleans," which stars Dr. Brite, compete to be the best pieces of fiction that Poppy Z. Brite has ever written. Together they are so honest, real, and beautiful. Well done.

"A Season in Heck" is the novella that concludes the collection, and it deals with Paul, a young gay cook who works for Rickey and G-man. Also incredibly honest about New Orleans and its people.

To conclude, "The Devil You Know" contains some of Poppy Z. Brite's most original, honest work to date. She is my favorite author, and I have no doubt that she will continue to grow into exciting new directions.

THE LATEST COLLECTION FROM POPPY
In her first new collection in a couple of years, Poppy Z. Brites "The Devil you Know" focuses many of its stories in and around her beloved New Orleans and often travels in the restaurant world (her husband is a chef). Less gothic than her previous works, one might even consider "The Devil You Know" somewhat whimsical in certain spots. She certainly is prone to using humor and irony more so than in the past. But don't think that Brite has lost her edge. While she continues to explore new avenues she can still hit you right between the head although she does so with a skillful, subtle hand in this collection of 13 stories.

Several of the tales feature Poppy's alter ego, Coroner Dr. Brite such as the black humor tale "Marisol" about a restaurant critic who writes an unflattering review of a restaurant and then promptly disappears as the chef introduces his newest dish. The "Ocean" brazenly shows the high cost of fame in a story about a dysfunctional, drug addicted rock band, being fed upon by their fans.

"System Freeze" seems a bit out of place with the other stories in the book, being as much a Sci-fi story as anything else. After a fatal fall from a mountain during a climb, a woman finds she's been given a second chance at life by the mysterious Agent Fine, as long as she completes the new AI program that she is working on. The story is supposed to be a Matrix-esque type tale and is short but effective

"Burn Baby Burn" will have people thinking of Stephen King's "Firestarter" with its tragic tale of pyrokinetic Liz Sherman (of Hellboy fame) and the destruction she causes to friends and family...not to mention her entire neighborhood when her powers go out of control. Liz finds her only place of comfort and safety is at the governments Bureau of Paranormal Research---with the other freaks.

My favorite story was "Lantern Marsh" as it evoked the feelings of youth when our own little worlds and suburbs were filled with mystery and enchantment. We firmly believed that the big old house down on the corner was home to a mad scientist. Set again in the Deep South, three young friends frequent a local swamp where odd lights are seen to float and dance about. Noel especially us drawn to the area over and over, even after he's warned to stay out by the man who owns part of the land it rests on. Years later, Noel returns home from college to find that Mr. Prudhomme now owns all of the land and plans to fill in the swamp for development. Noel knows he'll have to do something drastic to save the swamp, and whatever it is that lives there.

This diverse collection of short tales shows Poppy's development and comfort with various forms and settings as well as her enormous skill as a storyteller. A must have for her fans and a great place to start for new Brite readers!

Reviewed by Tim Janson