They Were Here Before Us: A Novella in Pieces
- Downloads：7922
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-13 08:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Eric LaRocca
- ISBN：B0BBXQ8TCB
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Sadie Hartmann
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They Were Here Before Us: A Novella in Pieces/Eric LaRocca （Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke， You've Lost A Lot of Blood）Release Date: October 2022General genre: Adult Horror/Hear me out， these are like modern Grimm FairytalesSubgenre/Themes: body horror， gross-out， relationships， love， the cruelty/brutality of nature，Writing Style: Lyrical， Experimental， Ambiguously Cautionary， Social Commentary， Imaginative/Fantastical/Whimsical/GrotesqueWhat you need to know: The description sets They Were Here Before Us: A Novella in Pieces/Eric LaRocca （Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke， You've Lost A Lot of Blood）Release Date: October 2022General genre: Adult Horror/Hear me out， these are like modern Grimm FairytalesSubgenre/Themes: body horror， gross-out， relationships， love， the cruelty/brutality of nature，Writing Style: Lyrical， Experimental， Ambiguously Cautionary， Social Commentary， Imaginative/Fantastical/Whimsical/GrotesqueWhat you need to know: The description sets early reader expectations by suggesting how to read this book: "a novella written in pieces， designed to be consumed as a single， thematically cohesive work。"This suggestion prepared me to see the mechanics of a novella restructured in a creative way。 I anticipated a cast of characters and a linear plotline broken apart but then puzzled back together。 I don't think the idea of a novella in pieces was executed to meet this expectation。 However the theme， "The only thing more brutal than nature is love。" was present throughout the entire experience。 If you have read Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias and enjoyed that mosaic style; connected vignettes， this book has a similar structure with no recurring characters， but a repeated theme。 My reading experience: I am an Eric LaRocca fan。 My favorite works are The Strange Things We Become and Other Dark Tales （soon to be re-released from Titan as "The Trees Grew Because I Bled There"） you can read that review here:https://www。cemeterydance。com/extras/。。。And， Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke （also re-released from Titan）https://litreactor。com/reviews/things。。。I have a lot of favorite authors and I don't love everything they release。 I'm not that kind of fangirl。 Admittedly， I wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to a few favorites （King） but I know when to dust those glasses off to see clearly and confess when I don't love a book （I have a least 7 King books I don't recommend to people）。 All of this prefacing is to say that I feel fine saying there are LaRocca books I didn't enjoy so much。 We Can Never Leave This Place was not a hit for me。 This book is not a favorite either but it did offer me more than the previously mentioned work。 There are 6 short stories:All That Remains is Yours to KeepDelicacies From a First CommunionA God Made of StrawTo Hurt the Weakest OneBird and Bug are HappyWhen It's Dark Out Of these 6， I thought To Hurt the Weakest One was very strong。 It played with the theme， "The only thing more brutal than nature is love。" in a clever， thought-provoking way that stuck the landing。 I did not care for the rest。 The first three stories lacked the vulnerability I feel is necessary in order to ask readers to suspend disbelief or push beyond boundaries。 I just didn't feel anything and I didn't feel invited to feel anything。 I was a casual observer of some repulsive activities/behaviors without a requirement to invest in the story which means I can take it or leave it， so I left it。 The last two stories felt like the first three with the exception of Bird and Bug are Happy， that one just had some consistency issues that pulled me out of the narrative but I liked the vulnerability。 My final recommendation: I think Eric LaRocca fans who show up for everything will find something to love。 I think Eric is long for this game and will continue to find success。 I believe his talent will only grow sharper and develop clarity and insight that will gather new fans with every release。 I'm excited about everything LaRocca has in store for his audience。 Comps: The upcoming release， The Trees Grew Because I Bled There， Grimm's Fairy Tales， especially the story of The Juniper Tree， and also the tale "Diamonds and Toads" or "The Fairy's Mistake"。 LaRocca's storytelling with the gruesome mixed with whimsical reminds me of modern dark fairy tales。 。。。more
* serena *
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this is by far my favorite I’ve read of this author so far。 I like keeping my reviews vague so that’s really it。 the book was amazing and i read the stories in between taking breaks with other books I’m reading currently。 i would have to force myself to stop reading the book so i could continue my other books。 the chimp story had me so fucked up。
Tim McGregor
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I am constantly amazed at LaRocca's imagination and willingness to dive into truly dark places。 As disturbing as these stories are， there is always a raw， beating heart at their core。 The first two tales will probably stay with me forever。 I am constantly amazed at LaRocca's imagination and willingness to dive into truly dark places。 As disturbing as these stories are， there is always a raw， beating heart at their core。 The first two tales will probably stay with me forever。 。。。more
tam *。✧
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unsettling and at times uncomfortable to read， but the writing was beautiful
Curtis
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Everyone's favorite eyeball-fetishist is back with some fucked up short stories （and IMO this is a themed short story collection rather than a novella， if anyone cares about such distinctions） My favorite stories were the ones with animals as narrators。 Who knew beetles and birds were so interesting？ Would love to see more stories like those from LaRocca in the future。 I'd also like his editor to have him stop using so many unnecessary emdashes in the dialogue， but who knows， maybe that's the hi Everyone's favorite eyeball-fetishist is back with some fucked up short stories （and IMO this is a themed short story collection rather than a novella， if anyone cares about such distinctions） My favorite stories were the ones with animals as narrators。 Who knew beetles and birds were so interesting？ Would love to see more stories like those from LaRocca in the future。 I'd also like his editor to have him stop using so many unnecessary emdashes in the dialogue， but who knows， maybe that's the hip new literary style and I'm behind the times。 。。。more
Maggie Ignasiak
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Stories in order of personal preference:1。 All That Remains is Yours to Keep2。 To Hurt the Weakest One3。 Bird and Bug are Happy4。 When It’s Dark Out5。 Delicacies from a First Communion （the metaphors are unreal in this one）6。 A God Made of Straw
Karlee Krauser
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I have really loved all of Eric LaRocca's novellas so far。 This one was no different。 All I have to say is。。that monkey story。。whaattttttt？？？ So messed up。 I have really loved all of Eric LaRocca's novellas so far。 This one was no different。 All I have to say is。。that monkey story。。whaattttttt？？？ So messed up。 。。。more
LB Only
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Caitlin Hackett， the cover artist， is one of my favorite artists of all time， so I foolishly bought this book。 Even more foolishly， I finished it。Queer nature horror， I thought， that sounds great！ Bestiality apologist slasher fic is what I got， with terribly thought through anthropomorphism。
Jan Agaton
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Loved the first few stories， it lost me at the Bird & Bug one at first， but when I understood a little more， it definitely earned that 5 star rating。 This was my 4th Eric LaRocca。 He has yet to fail me， but I'm convinced he truly never will。 Loved the first few stories， it lost me at the Bird & Bug one at first， but when I understood a little more， it definitely earned that 5 star rating。 This was my 4th Eric LaRocca。 He has yet to fail me， but I'm convinced he truly never will。 。。。more
Mique Watson
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As someone who reads the most disgusting， dark， and depraved extreme horror books like it’s a 9-5， I will admit that the reviews of this book had me excited。 Unfortunately—despite having its moments—not much here really shocked me。 The story with the monkey was probably the most boundary-pushing one; everything else didn’t really GO THERE。 Still， LaRocca’s writing is beautiful， and the stories they tell are unique and bizarre in ways that constantly kept me on my feet， expecting the unexpected。 As someone who reads the most disgusting， dark， and depraved extreme horror books like it’s a 9-5， I will admit that the reviews of this book had me excited。 Unfortunately—despite having its moments—not much here really shocked me。 The story with the monkey was probably the most boundary-pushing one; everything else didn’t really GO THERE。 Still， LaRocca’s writing is beautiful， and the stories they tell are unique and bizarre in ways that constantly kept me on my feet， expecting the unexpected。 This artsy type of horror isn’t really my thing， though， so I STRUGGLED to care about/get through some of these （I DNFed the one of the Bug and the Bird）… but there’s definitely an audience for this who I’m sure will love it， and deservedly so。 I loved THGWSWLS， but I think my relationship with this author’s work ends here。 。。。more
Tiffany
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Simultaneously horrifying and captivating， this book is written art。
Donald Armfield
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From sadness to karma LaRocca takes a surreal horror， grotesquely novella and feeds us in pieces。 ”All That Remains is Yours to Keep” the opening story is amazing， and to go along with the meerkat’s deathly decision round in my two favorite from the novella in pieces， but as a whole this horror is remembered way after reading。Such lovely art from Caitlin Hackett too！
Tiffany Daniels
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3。5
Zina
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It was 。。。 Odd
Wyeth
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I've read three of his novellas now， and each time I think， "maybe I won't hate this one！" And each time I'm proven wrong。 I want to like his work SO BADLY but I just can't stand it。 The worst part is， a lot of his ideas are really really good！The issue for me is this: his work feels like a high school kid who thinks they're the best writer in the world took to making something gross in the name of profoundness。 It just feels like it tries so hard to be smart when in reality it's just a nasty bo I've read three of his novellas now， and each time I think， "maybe I won't hate this one！" And each time I'm proven wrong。 I want to like his work SO BADLY but I just can't stand it。 The worst part is， a lot of his ideas are really really good！The issue for me is this: his work feels like a high school kid who thinks they're the best writer in the world took to making something gross in the name of profoundness。 It just feels like it tries so hard to be smart when in reality it's just a nasty book（no shame in that， splatterpunk is one of my fav genres！）。 It's not that I dislike the deeper meanings behind the book's stories， it's just that I feel it's hamfisted。On top of that， his writing feels like it never touched the hand of an editor， I've caught quite a few times over the course of the three novellas where descriptive words were reused one line from another and other easily fixed things like that。 It distracts one from reading and it's irritating as it is so so avoidable as a published writer。 。。。more
Casey Masterson
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Amazing。 I bought a signed copy that I have been meaning to read for a while。 I am glad I finally made the time！ Each short story was well crafted and interesting。 The Bird and Bug story was particularly powerful！
Cook Memorial Public Library
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Recommended by Mark。 Check our catalog: https://encore。cooklib。org/iii/encore。。。 Recommended by Mark。 Check our catalog: https://encore。cooklib。org/iii/encore。。。 。。。more
Meghin
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I have no idea to rate this so I’m just going with 3 stars。 Maybe 3。5？ It’s a short story collection most of which are told from the perspective of animals。 All have to do with love and the things we do for it and how sometimes love can feel inconclusive。 There is some animal cruelty in a couple of the stories which isn’t my thing to read about。 Some of the stories I absolutely LOVED （the first one） and some of the stories I was so confused as to what the point was （what was with the gay man and I have no idea to rate this so I’m just going with 3 stars。 Maybe 3。5？ It’s a short story collection most of which are told from the perspective of animals。 All have to do with love and the things we do for it and how sometimes love can feel inconclusive。 There is some animal cruelty in a couple of the stories which isn’t my thing to read about。 Some of the stories I absolutely LOVED （the first one） and some of the stories I was so confused as to what the point was （what was with the gay man and the chimp？？？？）。 I overall am definitely too stupid for his books。 。。。more
Sara
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That was a truly gruesome experience。The author truly has a gift for the macabre
Nicole Failing
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DNF - noped out after the first story， not for me
cara
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This was a beautiful and unique little short story collection。 My favorite was the opening story， told from the POV of a beetle in love the corpse he made a home in。 LaRocca has a lyrical， poetic style that makes even the most gruesome moments strangely beautiful。 The cover art was perfect as well。
Grace
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Definitely picking up the rest of LaRocca's works after this one。 This gruesome little novella was every bit my kind of creepy。 Every single tale unleashed unpredictability and had a sense of poetic blasphemy from beginning to end。 I loved every single one of them， not one of them comparable to the rest。 I still got lines from the penultimate story running through my head， "How does it go？""Bird eats Bug。""Bug feeds Bird。""Bird and Bug--""--are happy。" Definitely picking up the rest of LaRocca's works after this one。 This gruesome little novella was every bit my kind of creepy。 Every single tale unleashed unpredictability and had a sense of poetic blasphemy from beginning to end。 I loved every single one of them， not one of them comparable to the rest。 I still got lines from the penultimate story running through my head， "How does it go？""Bird eats Bug。""Bug feeds Bird。""Bird and Bug--""--are happy。" 。。。more
Melissa Entzminger
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I'm addicted to Eric LaRocca ❤ I'm addicted to Eric LaRocca ❤ 。。。more
Shell
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Strange， disturbing and original。
Tulu Mussger
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I just couldn’t finish it， nothing about the authors writing style only the subject matter was too sad for me。 I was looking for a quick interesting read to help towards my 100 books in 2023 goal but this just isn’t for me at all。Tbh I try to always finish a book that I start but nope， not this one。
Worm
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Underwhelming but fast read。 Giving animals and insects the inner thoughts and feelings of humans does not make their daily lives and behaviors scary or horrific in any way。 The last story had some promise。
Brandon Baker
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A quick， weird， messed up read。 Animal POVs FTW
Grayson Jeanneret
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This book was dark， strange， and unpredictable。 I'm obsessed。 This book was dark， strange， and unpredictable。 I'm obsessed。 。。。more
Beth
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I was really looking forward to this one but it really turned out quite meh for me。 I usually love Eric's writing but this one fell flat。 I was really looking forward to this one but it really turned out quite meh for me。 I usually love Eric's writing but this one fell flat。 。。。more
Sam
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