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A review by brandonotis
Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca
2.0
2.5 (but rounding down :/)
I've been an avid reader of Eric LaRocca's books these past few years, and this definitely isn't the "worst" one in my opinion, but it is the one I've been the most frustrated with narrative wise.
This is his first full novel as opposed to novellas and short stories, and ultimately I do think he is capable of moving into the full novel range, the prose is classic LaRocca and there are some really great moments that I come to expect for his writing.
But, I ultimately felt frustrated reading, the book just isn't for me. Basically all narrative beats go in a different direction from what I personally would've wished to read or saw happen, and maybe that is slightly petty sounding because, that just not what the book was, but a lot of the choices that happen throughout the novel fall into a place that I don't want to personally see in fiction.
The book is dark and bad things happen, this is fine. But, for me I'd love to see gay characters get the best of their oppressors, I'd want to see a god who looked away from gay people bow to an old gay man who's HIV positive. Instead the book goes down a more traditional path, and I don't think that's wrong, I don't think that's homophobic, but it is just not what I want to see from LGBT fantasy and horror stories.
Regardless about how I feel about the literal choices made in the story, it still just wasn't my favorite book. I think that it easily can be someone's favorite, it just isn't mine.
I've been an avid reader of Eric LaRocca's books these past few years, and this definitely isn't the "worst" one in my opinion, but it is the one I've been the most frustrated with narrative wise.
This is his first full novel as opposed to novellas and short stories, and ultimately I do think he is capable of moving into the full novel range, the prose is classic LaRocca and there are some really great moments that I come to expect for his writing.
But, I ultimately felt frustrated reading, the book just isn't for me. Basically all narrative beats go in a different direction from what I personally would've wished to read or saw happen, and maybe that is slightly petty sounding because, that just not what the book was, but a lot of the choices that happen throughout the novel fall into a place that I don't want to personally see in fiction.
The book is dark and bad things happen, this is fine. But, for me I'd love to see gay characters get the best of their oppressors, I'd want to see a god who looked away from gay people bow to an old gay man who's HIV positive. Instead the book goes down a more traditional path, and I don't think that's wrong, I don't think that's homophobic, but it is just not what I want to see from LGBT fantasy and horror stories.
Regardless about how I feel about the literal choices made in the story, it still just wasn't my favorite book. I think that it easily can be someone's favorite, it just isn't mine.