things have gotten worse since the last time we spoke

The third story isn't very good either, although it at least is written slightly better. The writing is dull as dishwater, structurally boring and repetitive, very uninspired. I could be wrong, but it reads like a detailed film treatment, badly rewritten to novella format. It's some of the most amateurish writing I have come across in a published book, in a long time.

That's bad enough, but then the story's writing is also terrible. (Also, how exactly is crucifying yourself to a cross supposed to work.?) It feels like LaRocca has a bad grip on his characters, and a worse grip on what he is trying to say. Characters' motivations make little sense, and change at the drop of a hat, without even leading to the story becoming more interesting. The second story, The Enchantment, is really quite bad. This is a refrain that comes back to haunt us in the other two stories. Now it's more of a glass of water in the face, short and semi-sharp, but also over quickly. my problem is that it isn't slow enough, and could've been a real sea of dread washing over you. Things Have Gotten Worse (the story) starts very promising, a set up that slowly unfolds into scarily shifting barriers.

It's certainly the best story here, but sadly that isn't saying much. 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. What have you done today to deserve your eyes? Three devastating, beautifully written horror stories from one of the genre’s most cutting-edge voices.

Winner of the Splatterpunk Award for Best Novella.Ī whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s-a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires.Ī couple isolate themselves on a remote island in an attempt to recover from their teenage son’s death, when a mysterious young man knocks on their door during a storm…Īnd a man confronts his neighbour when he discovers a strange object in his back yard, only to be drawn into an ever-more dangerous game. For fans of Kathe Koja, Clive Barker and Stephen Graham Jones. Three dark and disturbing horror stories from an astonishing new voice, including the viral-sensation tale of obsession, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. 'Amongst the Top 50 Horror Books of All Time' - Cosmopolitan

Things have gotten worse since the last time we spoke