Lost Souls is a 1992 horror novel, the first written by Poppy Z. Brite. It is the first and only novel-length adventure of Brite's Steve and Ghost characters, popularized in her numerous short stories. The novel is an extended version of the short story "The Seed of Lost Souls".

Several characters introduced in the novel make appearances in Brite's second novel, Drawing Blood, though it is not a direct sequel

Steve Finn
Steve was raised in Missing Mile, North Carolina. He works in a record shop in his home town called the Whirling Disc. He is tall and wiry, a hawkish nose, and long (mostly unwashed) black hair. Steve is proud and stubborn, a man who drinks too much and has a bad temper when provoked, and he is haunted throughout the novel by memories and fleeting glimpses of his ex-girlfriend, Ann.


Ghost
Ghost is Steve's best friend and though their relationship throughout the novel often has homoerotic undertones, they're not lovers. Ghost is described to appear much like to his namesake, very translucent skin, white blond, wispy hair and huge blue eyes. Kind and compassionate, Ghost often has unexplainable visions, and sometimes they are even a foreshadowing of things to come.


Ann Bransby-Smith
Ann, Steve's ex-girlfriend, plays an ambiguous role throughout much of the novel, but she becomes helplessly intertwined in the plot once Zillah, Twig, Molochai and Nothing roll into Missing Mile, North Carolina.She has long, red-gold hair and spends most of her time early in the novel fretting about her increasing dislike for her new boyfriend, and her longing for Steve. She is one of the most tragic victims of the story.


Lost Souls?
Steve and Ghost's band. Ghost is the vocalist, and Steve plays guitar. Lost Souls? has toured across the United States, and they frequently perform at the local club in Missing Mile, North Carolina, a place called The Sacred Yew.


Other Appearances
"Angels" (printed in Wormwood)
"The Seed of Lost Souls" (short story of which Lost Souls is an expansion)
"The South Central Rain Story"
"Stay Awake"
"America" (printed in "Are You Loathsome Tonight?)
"How to Get Ahead in New York" (printed in Wormwood)
"Con Party at Hotel Calfornia" (original first chapter for the unfinished novel that would be the sequel to Lost Souls)

Vampires
The vampires of this novel are quite dissimilar to those of traditional lore. Rather than being a human changed to the undead, these people are another race entirely, born as vampires instead of being sired. While many feed on blood, this is not always the case (e.g. feeding on love and beauty). Those who do drink blood do not even have naturally sharp teeth, due to their inbreeding with humans but older vampires born before the inbreeding have fangs that come out when about to drink blood. The younger vampires file their teeth to sharpen them. Another thing about Brite's vampires is that they do not seem to have many supernatural powers. They are immortal to some extent however can be killed if their heart of brain is destoyed. They also have some heightened abilities, including great strength and quicker healing processes than humans have as well as heightened senses of smell and taste. The younger vampires are shockingly mortal in many ways - they can walk about during the day, although they do seem to be sensitive to sunlight and are more prone to a nocturnal schedule, and they eagerly consume human food and drink. One of the most prevalent drinks in the novel is Chartreuse, a green, Absinthe-like liquor that serves almost as an accessory to the vampires' New Orleans revelry.


Nothing (aka Jason)
A teenage vampire taken in by humans as a baby. Born in New Orleans, he was taken (by Christian) to a small town in Maryland after he was born and left on the doorstep of an unsuspecting couple. The story is centered around him and his journey to find his real family. It should also be noted that Nothing's name means that he is a b