A review by minayana
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca

dark
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke - 3.75⭐️
Really intriguing premise, but I think this would’ve done a lot better with another hundred pages. There’s no build up once the contract is made, things get very graphic very fast and it kind of tampers the tense atmosphere a bit. Loved the mixed media format!

The Enchantment - 2⭐️
Although this one has an interesting premise, the shocking moment at the beginning of the book is very similar to something that happens in the first story. And then, the story just goes on…..and on…..and on……with nothing interesting happening.

You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over - 1⭐️
This was dumb as hell. Nothing intriguing, scary or fun about this story, and the overall “theme” makes no damn sense considering what actually happens in the book. The author says it’s about what we’ll let happen to ourselves in order to remain polite…..to me it seemed like he just needed the money cause he was struggling with bills ???? And then the inner monologue at the end of the story couldn’t have been more in your face. This 20 page story made me want to DNF the whole book at the very end.

My advice: not every idea needs to be written, and not every story needs to be published. This is my second collection by this author, and it’s really just made me realize that he writes short stories cause he’s not a strong enough of a writer to write a full length novel. I’ll try another collection of his, as I do think his premises can be pretty good, but overall this collection was underwhelming.