Eric LaRocca is a writer I see everywhere on social media. And like many people, I was first drawn to the covers. The first work I read from LaRocca was Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and I really liked it. The salamander scene was rough, not going to lie, but I love the innovative and modern writing style. For that story specifically, I loved how the book was written through a series of emails and IMs. I grew up in the early days of email and AIM, so that book also brought me a huge sense of nostalgia.

I think the reason why I like LaRocca so much is that the writing style is different than mine. He’s very poetic yet morbid. I’ve always been a novel person, poetry was never my strong point. Even though I’m picky about poetry, I do love the way that LaRocca writes. LaRocca’s imagery is very ornate but the subject matter is so dark. It’s a very interesting contrast.

I wanted to write a LaRocca review but also wanted to focus on a book I hadn’t read yet. He recently re-released You’ve Lost A Lot of Blood. What I got was that same innovative writing style that I saw in Things Have Gotten Worse, but so much more.

Keep in mind that this edition features the Lost A Lot of Blood novella plus the shorts “Stories You Can’t Tell at Parties” as well as various other shorts and poems. You find out why at the end of the “Stories”/Martyr/Ambrose story, but I’m not going to give it away.

These stories are interwoven throughout the book. I’ll be honest, this was a little confusing at first. Eventually, the reader gets the rhythm. I do compliment LaRocca on this unique way of presenting these various stories and poems. But for the sake of the review, I will separate this review into different sections: one for Lost A Lot of Blood, one for “Stories,” and a general section for the various other poems and shorts.

I purchased this book with my own money and the review of this is very much my own. This review is also spoiler-free.

You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood

Tamsen is much like Things’ Agnes in different ways. Tamsen is hopeful as she approaches the Zimpago mansion. She just landed the gig of a lifetime — helping her favorite video game creator with designing his next game. She’s so enthralled that she doesn’t notice every red flag in her wake.

Tamsen arrives at the mansion with her little brother, Presley. Early on, we learn they have a strained relationship when Tamsen almost leaves him at the gas station. We learn more about their relationship and how Tamsen was forced to take on a guardian role, one she clearly didn’t want. But that will change as we near the end of the book.

Tamsen and Presley meet Nadia, the housekeeper who seems nice at first. But you know something is off. We also meet Dani, who’s the groundskeeper for the property. Again, she seems nice, but you know something else is going down at this mansion — and it has more to do than with video games.

As with all of LaRocca’s stories, the descriptions here are beautiful. We can visualize the exquisite mansion while also picturing the obscene statues that litter the property.

I couldn’t help but think that the mansion was too nice. I mean, I know video game designers, and they’re definitely not living in mansions of that caliber.

The book reaches its peak when Nadia directs Tamsen and Presley to a warehouse a slight way off the property. Here, they find something beyond a virtual reality device — players can become a simulation in the game You’ve Lost A Lot of Blood. Of course, Presley had to play — albeit him being a 10-ish year old in a horror game. Therefore, Nadia went with him. Again, typically horror trope — it would make more sense for Tamsen to go with him, but common sense takes the fun out of horror stories.

After this point, the reader has to pay close attention. LaRocca creates a mindfuck. I can’t describe it — even if I wanted to give out spoilers, I don’t think I could. The reader knows one thing: the Zimpago mansion, the game, and the characters aren’t what they think. But what that really means is a mystery that the reader will have to unfold.

One thing I will say is I love the almost steampunk vibe the book gives off. LaRocca uses imaginative skills to create something horrifying yet so individualistic — centipedes, motor oil, wires, and machinery are the monsters here.

I also appreciate the unique setting and themes. So many horror stories are exactly the same and follow similar characters. LaRocca’s characters are so individualized yet are realistic. This especially goes for Tamsen, who is flawed yet is powerful. Plus, the video game theme is cool. Video games are such a massive trend and influence people’s lives in various ways. Not enough writers use the video game theme in their stories.

Because of this, I honestly think Blood is one of my favorite works from LaRocca. This book is heart-racing and mind-boggling. I definitely recommend this one.

Stories You Can’t Tell at Parties

First, I want to say I honestly have no idea what this story is actually called. Stories You Can’t Tell at Parties is just the title of the first section of these conversations, so that’s what I’ve been calling this story. I will also refer to this as the Martyr/Ambrose story. Feel free to correct me if this story has a different title.

“Stories You Can’t Tell at Parties” is the perfect example of LaRocca’s unique approach to storytelling. The story follows a transcript of conversations between serial killer, Martyr, and his partner, Ambrose.

Martyr forces Ambrose to help him do his bidding. And as you can tell, Martyr is just…well a terrible person overall. I won’t give away the story, but he’s a sadist and antisocial person who has no care in the world for others. Deep down, you know he doesn’t care about Ambrose. LaRocca portrays Martyr well to where the reader knows he’s a sick person. There is no glorification for the killer here.

Even though Stories and Blood are different, they still intertwine really well. They are both so unnerving that it’s not a huge adjustment to move from one to the next. If anything, after reading a chapter of Blood, you get excited to learn what Martyr and Ambrose are up to.

Because of that, I think I like “Stories” more than Blood. Reading the conversations between Martyr and Ambrose is so compelling. Plus, you can’t predict the ending.

Other Stories and Poems

Other than these two stories, LaRocca features many poems and other short stories throughout this text. You’ll find out why, but I won’t give it away here. Here’s a review of each of them.

Relics From the Night We Both Perished

In a way, this short reminds me of the Martyr and Ambrose stories. It focuses on a serial killer who murdered his lover. It’s written more like a confession after the murder and how the killer still obsesses over his actions.

In typical LaRocca fashion, it’s a very gloomy story with beautiful writing and powerful imagery. The character lusts after the victim but also resents certain qualities, such as his chapped lips surrounding the ball gag. This is an example of the many ways that LaRocca plays with the reader’s mind.

The pain in the story doesn’t get to me as much as the main character’s confessions. The character describes going on moonlit drives in the countryside and deciding when to kill his lover. It’s a scary thought — that the person you love and trust may be contemplating your death. It’s also scary knowing that there really are people like this in the world.

You have to wonder if that’s how killers really are. They lust over you and believe they’re killing you for your own good. It’s almost a way to justify their own sadism. That murder is just a fucked up way to express the power you have over another.

I Search for You Until My Lungs Sprout Metal

Even though all of these stories and poems are different, LaRocca has a theme going. As you can see from the title, this poem features some vile imagery with steampunk themes. This poem is very short, only one page long. There is a footnote here (LaRocca included footnotes for references he made in each story). However, this footnote kind of gives the ending to the Martyr/Ambrose story away, so I wouldn’t read that footnote until you finish that story.

Toothpick

When I read extreme horror, I usually don’t question what goes on in the writer’s mind. I am a horror writer, after all, and I know we write this fucked up stuff because we read other fucked up stories. But this poem is an example of one of the few times I question what went on in the writer’s mind. The scene of sticking the toothpick in the ears and the description of bleeding bubbles are unsettling.

This is a poem, so it’s very short — only a little over a page long. But it’s one of the most disturbing works in this entire book. I’m usually not a fan of poetry, but I do like the theme of violence and lust here.

I’d Drown You in Dark Water If You Weren’t So Beautiful

LaRocca and long titles go together like peanut butter and jelly.

But seriously, LaRocca continues the theme of bleak murderous stories. This story begins when the main character slits the throat of his victim. But this one hits harder than the rest here. The character mentions early on that he started killing because his father gave him a pocketknife in an attempt to “correct that behavior.” In other words, the character’s father didn’t approve of him being gay.

There are two types of horror: the horror we see in fiction and real-life horror. Even though this is a fictional story, LaRocca conveys a very true horror. The character here was obviously not accepted by his family and is acting out that trauma in a violent manner.

What I find surprising about the killer in this story is how he personifies his victims. Most killers see their victims as an object. LaRocca sets up this killer as someone who knows his victims enough to call them by name and even knows their basic information, such as where they’re from. And he describes their beauty.

The title comes from our killer meeting his first victim, Carlos, and how he didn’t want to drown him because he was so beautiful. That the unsavory after-effects of drowning weren’t good enough for Carlos. Slitting his throat and covering his body with black blood did more justice to the attractive young man Carlos. The killer wants to remember Carlos as a good-looking man with blood encircling his neck, not a bloated figure bobbing in the water.

This is one of my favorite stories in the entire collection. The killer has a soft spot for his first kill — the mood is sensual yet somber. At the end of the story, we can only focus on the beautiful Carlos and how blood covers his flesh.

The Invention of Skin

The title explains it all — LaRocca is reflecting on the first being to ever have skin. For some reason, I’m just picturing a bunch of humans and animals walking around with their organs hanging out. Then, someone purchases a layer of skin, and then everyone starts wearing skin. Maybe I’m the weirdo.

Seriously, LaRocca is using skin as a metaphor for the secrets we hold. Our skin safeguards us from being exposed. If you look at it that way, the poem becomes even more disturbing.

Diaspora

I’m not sure about this one. “Diaspora” is a word that refers to those of the Jewish faith who live outside of Israel. There aren’t specific Judaic themes here, but religion is a theme. The poem centers around a person watching a group of people from a window. They’re described as undead and inhuman. This poem is a little perplexing so I would be curious to hear other opinions on this one.

The Bone King

The story focuses on death — not a theme that’s completely revolutionary, especially in horror lit. But I do like LaRocca’s take on this trope. When we think of death, we tend to think of what will happen to our souls — not what we will look like or what will happen to our bodies. LaRocca delivers this realization and makes us question if survival is even worth it.

Of course, our character here is a killer. But this killer is unlike the others we saw in this collection. This killer doesn’t care about life. As a killer, the world hates them. They’re only struggling to survive, like everyone else. But at the same time, they believe life is meaningless and are only trying to prove it.

LaRocca also has another theme with this collection: bugs. I hate, hate bugs! We even see pictures of a centipede throughout the book. I actually found a centipede in the apartment the other week so this book just fueled my summertime bug paranoia. The part about the decapitated cockroach reminded me of a time when my friend chopped a massive cockroach in half and it was still alive! Eeeeeek!

But I understand why LaRocca brought bugs into this story. Bugs are often symbolized as death. Salvador Dali is the most famous example of this — ants often appeared in his paintings to depict death.

Chernobyl

This poem also has a footnote. Again, I don’t suggest reading the footnotes until you’re done with the book.

This poem is different from the rest because it was written from the POV of a victim. But this murderer is different from the rest. The killer here is cancer. Brain cancer, to be exact.

Going back to the theme of real-life horror, getting terminal cancer is more a likelihood than getting murdered by a serial killer. I actually felt a bump near my breast a few years ago. The best way to describe the way I felt was a cloud of panic. Fortunately, the bump disappeared and my doctor said it was likely nothing.

Cancer is such a grisly way to go. You can feel yourself getting weaker, feel your life slipping before your eyes until death grips you. Again, real-life horror is the most terrifying type of horror out there and LaRocca conveys this theme well.

Eucharist

LaRocca wrote another book, You Can Never Leave This Place. I haven’t read it yet (it’s on my TBR) but from what I know about that book, this poem follows a similar war theme. With all of the imagery and symbolism, this poem just reflects on the atrocities of war and how it changes people. Again, all of the stories and poems make an appearance in this one poem, so it fits right into this collection.

Where to Buy You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood

I bought You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood on Apple Books. You can also buy it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.