Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Product Information

Indie superstar Eric LaRocca presents three novellas that capture profound pain and unthinkable horror… With shades of Nicole Cushing and Caitlín R. Kiernan, LaRocca’s book is the ideal choice for readers who want depraved and disturbing horror that scares the living daylights out of them.”

Bleak, clever, edgy, and vicious. Eric LaRocca draws his readers in for something they will never expect and never forget.” -Sadie Hartmann, ‘Mother Horror’ That hasn’t stopped it from going viral. It may have even helped. Things Have Gotten Worse has sold more than 20,000 copies, making it by far the most successful release to date for Weirdpunk Books, the Minneapolis-based DIY horror imprint that published it. I shouted to the world how much I loved the titular story when I first read it. You can read my review of it here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... The ferryman and the steward arrive at the small cottage, Olive trailing close behind. They cover their mouths , coughing, the stench of gas greeting them as soon as they enter. “Gas. The stove,” the ferryman says. The steward dashes into the kitchen. He turns off the gas stovetop. Then, flings open a window.Sometimes I really don't get what it is that makes something like this so freaking popular. Apparently people love disturbing and completely unsatisfying. I don't mind disturbing, but I need some questions answered. If they never found the 2 murdering people then how did they get the recordings? How was Martyr able to record over some of his writing if he was dying? How did they know he was the one committing the murders? So many plot holes. That's bad enough, but then the story's writing is also terrible. It's some of the most amateurish writing I have come across in a published book, in a long time. I could be wrong, but it reads like a detailed film treatment, badly rewritten to novella format. The writing is dull as dishwater, structurally boring and repetitive, very uninspired. An evocative tale of sapphic love in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by religious zealots and supernatural monsters.

The Enchantment has a very powerful opening (reminds me of the suffocating dread of a Ari Aster film), and some beautifully depicted imagery, but it also meanders aimlessly (particularly during the middle), and never fully explores the intriguing spirituality inquiry it puts forward at the start.Three devastating, beautifully written horror stories from one of the genre’s most cutting-edge voices. This was a big disappointment, mostly because I had seen how many people loved the first and titular story of the three published in this collection. It's certainly the best story here, but sadly that isn't saying much. There are moments of this brilliance in the other two stories, but Things Have Gotten Worse… doesn’t again reach the consistent quality of its titular tale. Unsettling. Unusual. Ultimately satisfying. These are the words that come to mind when I think about this collection.

Anyway, how the hell do you talk about horror: “I was deeply discomforted by these stories but in a way that reflected well on the skill and intentions of the author”? I admired the tonal and stylistic range between all three stories, although the first is probably the most impressively “voicey” of the three. In fact, it was probably a little bit unbalancing because, for me, it was the most striking and also incidentally the longest, taking up about the first 50% of the book, while the middle story is takes you to about 85%, and the final story fills up the last 15%. It’s probably an unfair quirk of perception, but the fact there’s only three stories, and they decrease so noticeably in length … it kind of makes the book as a whole feel like it’s deflating as it goes? Like an old party balloon. Or, um, a post-ejaculatory penis. The last story is the closest to optimistic that they get (which is, y’know, a highly qualified statement) so in that respect it’s a softer landing for the reader. But it also, perhaps inevitably, felt like a weaker one.

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Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing. So why—and how—did this independently published epistolary novel gain so much recognition? Their next best-selling title has sold around 500 or 600 copies. It’s a question Weirdpunk gets from other indie writers and publishing houses all the time. And Richard… well, he doesn’t really know.

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author. Appeal is a way of determining why people enjoy the books they read. Some readers already have a good vocabulary for talking about the books they love, while some do better in talking about books they never want to read again – but framing these conversations around appeal is the foundation for helping people find what to read next. I have never read Goosebumps but this is what I imagine Goosebumps is. The creepy factor is now in sub-zero territory. i don’t even know how to rate this book #thingshavegottenworsesincewelastspoke ♬ Island In The Sun - Weezer There's something Godlike about holding something so small - something that solely depends on your kindness, your generosity. I had never thought about hurting something before. Until now. I imagined what it might be like. I imagined closing my hand to make a fist until its tiny body was squished, its innards squeezed out like toothpaste from its mouth open in a muted scream."There is no happily ever after to be found here. These stories are bleak, powerful, and ugly, showcasing the darkest side of human nature.