Exquisite Corpse

By: Poppy Z. Brite

Narrated by: Joshua Saxon

From the author of Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Wormwood comes a thrilling and chilling novel that best-selling author Peter Straub says serves as a “guidebook to hell”.

To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his “art” to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his “art” to limits even Compton hadn’t previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim.

Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London’s Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. Exquisite Corpse confirms Brite as a writer who defies categorization. It is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.

©1996 Billy Martin (P)2020 David N. Wilson

so basically

It's like if David Attenborough made an 8 hour documentary of "1 Man 1 Jar."

A Beautiful Disgusting Book

This is a book with some bite. Literally! I was looking for disturbing literature when I stumbled on this. It did not disappoint. A very good piece of literary art. Every passage and chapter is a combination of amazing descriptions and gory horror. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach it, it is a wild ride.

Dam, what a ride.

Poppy Z Bright, you are a disgusting, foul minded, perverse human being. And I love it.

first poppy

my first poppy and it was exquisite. the narrator only enhance the lurid story with his growling dark voice.

Damn

Who knew that the grotesque could be so beautifully and eloquently written.
I am blown away by this book as well as the performance.
Definitely gruesome (I had to leave and come back several times) so be prepared but I def recommend!

Not Sure What I Was Expecting

Beautifully written! Masterfully performed! The most soul crushing and upsetting thing I've ever read! I regret it! Do not read this, ESPECIALLY if you're LGBT and maybe going through a break up! Jesus Christ, this ruined my WEEK! I feel empty!

So gay, but worth it.

Was the story worth the gay parts? It’s a toss up. So many words dedicated to anuses. Great story. Great British dude.

Loved It!

The only reason I gave the performance four stars, and this is just a nitpick, is this: The voice the narrator does for Andrew Compton just sounds too old. Compton is supposed to be 33. But the voice he is given sounds like a 70-year-old man. It was hard for me to picture a 33-year-old while listening to that voice. I kept picturing a gray-haired old grandpa, lol.

I loved the story, though. Not for the faint f heart, but really well written.

Extreme Horror Classic

Poppy Z. Brite was writing extreme horror before extreme horror was a thing. I read this great over fifteen years ago and thanks to Crossroad Press for producing this as an audiobook I was able to revisit this classic read during my work commute. The narration by Joshua Saxon is perfect for this book, fantastic all the way around.

Buckle up

Weird, gruesome and fantastic! It's a gay Hannibal Lecture! Blood and guts! No detail left behind!