You've Lost a Lot of Blood Paperback – March 11, 2022

After reading "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke", I've been following Eric LaRocca's work with bated breath, and I preordered this book on faith in the author alone- honestly, this is my recommended way to experience it: totally blind and with no idea what you're getting into. But I'd be loathe to say nothing, because this is one of my favorite books I've read in a GOOD while, and one I'll be thinking about nonstop.You've Lost A Lot Of Blood is multilayered, nonlinear and at times opaque, but these are all to its strength. One narrative is the fiction-in-a-fiction novella "You've Lost A Lot Of Blood" by author Martyr Black; the other narrative is an account of Martyr's published works, audio logs and journals. Over time the two weave together, and in the end the book leaves you going back and combing through previous chapters and works for hints, clues, details. I finished reading it and immediately started compiling notes on publication dates so that I could piece the sections into chronological order; I'm absolutely ITCHING for my friends to read this so we can theorize and discuss it together.At its heart, this book speaks to a narrative about queerness and desire and self that feels *deeply* relatable and stuck with me; multiple times when reading, I commented to friends that it felt like LaRocca plucked his narrative out of my dreams, so specific was it to my interests and tastes. Without spoiling the central ethos, this is a book to read if you've loved any of the following: House of Leaves, The Secret History, Exquisite Corpse, NBC's Hannibal, or Netflix's Bly Manor. Afterwards, I recommend making a cup of tea and sitting down with friends and chat about the relationship of the book to its thematic peers, and how that relates to Martyr Black's story and work as a creator. Overall an incredible piece of work, one that I can already tell I'm going to reread.

The book is split into two narratives -- a first person narrative from a serial killer, and a third person narrative about a software developer who goes to a spooky mansion to develop a strange video game for a mysterious benefactor. The third person narrative is supposed to be a story the serial killer was writing when he was apprehended.I really enjoyed the first person narrative -- LaRocca's lyrical prose really shines here, and the way we see this deranged man's relationship with his lover unfold is fascinating to watch. Some really beautiful turns of phrases in this part. Unfortunately, most of the story is the third person narrative, which I found boring. The prose is extremely stilted and basic, at times reading like a first draft or list of basic action descriptions. It doesn't really reveal anything special about its creator's mental state or mood. I wouldn't say it has a very formulaic and predictable plot per se, but I wasn't particularly drawn to or impressed with any part of it. I kept wishing these sections would be done soon so we could return to the first person narrative.Overall, I will continue to follow LaRocca's work, but I wasn't as impressed with this one as I was with Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with ‘You’ve Lost A Lot of Blood’, but I couldn’t put it down once I started. Eric LaRocca has such a unique way of writing/storytelling. This is such a bizarre but brutally imaginative read. I haven’t read anything quite like it yet. I don’t know exactly what I can (or should) say since I don’t want to spoil this. There is just so much going on in this multilayered novella. There is poetry, a novella in a novella and a dark story underneath that ties everything together. The characters are incredibly dark and unsettling in a way that made me feel almost uneasy to read about them at certain parts. All in all, I thought this was quite a unique book and definitely a great new addition to the horror realm (especially as it feels like its own genre of horror).“Each precious thing I show you in this book is a holy relic from the night we both perished-the night when I combed you from my hair and watered the moon with your blood. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” -Excerpt from the back of the book.Before embarking on this read; know there are plenty of trigger warnings.

This book reads very differently than a typical story due to being broke up with another being told in parallel along with short poems of sorts. The main story “You’ve Lost a lot Of Blood” is a mind bending rabbit hole where to give one much of the premise; it can lead to spoilers that would be truly disappointing; especially for Eric LaRocca fans and fans Horror in general. This is very different from “A Lot Has Happened Since We Last Spoke” and considerably better in my opinion, that’s saying something since the for mentioned is an excellent read! Just know that a older sister now responsible for her younger brother with both parents deceased, is doing her best to survive and believes an opportunity to work on a video game in a live in environment and workplace is the break they have needed. The video game is called “You’ve Lost A lot Of Blood”, and for a very good reason. This story is very dark, definitely engaging and moves epically fast with twists out of nowhere to spin one out just as you think you have it figured out; but NO you don’t! Like Brian Everson, Chuck Palahniuk, and Windig, writing; this book is absolutely the same kind of disturbing bizarre journey in horror storytelling, the best kind there is. (Excellent narration for my fellow whisper-sync users!)

I was hoping both stories being told would tie back to one another at least a little bit but they didn’t.

Really enjoyed this book. It flows well, has a wonderfully dark tone. Exactly what I was looking for in browse for a good horror. Might be one I even read again. And that’s saying something for me.

The prose in the book is beautiful, but I feel very neutral about most of the story. I'll try to read some more of Eric LaRocca's work in the future! I don't think it is nearly as disturbing as everyone else seems to believe.

Totally got absorbed in the story and read it in one rainy afternoon. Creepy, well written, and kept me interested the whole way through.Loved it.

Llegó en la fecha esperada y en perfectas condiciones.Muchas gracias.

The "found horror" vibe is absolutely impeccable. I loved the bits of dialogue between Martyr and Ambrose, as well as Martyr's poems. But the real kicker was of course Tamsen's story. Makes me want a more classic type of gothic horror from this author, as I'm sure they'd handle it perfectly!

About the book: This is my first horror read and let me tell you, this book is not for people who are easily disturbed by brutality and less you know about the plot of this book, the more you'll enjoy it. Take my words and go into this book with no knowledge of what it is about. I ended up loving it and definitely happy that I made this purchase!Product quality: The book came in a common plastic package with no bubble wrap or extra protection yet it was delivered to me in a good condition. There's no visible dents, creases, scratches or tear.It's a 5 star for both quality of the product and the book itself.

Okay, boys, girls & nonbinarys pals, time for another ‘what the hell did I just read?’ which always seems to be the case when it comes to LaRocca and his books. They could probably write a 500 page book on blood drying on a plaster wall and I would think it’s a masterpiece, a sensation to the world, something so magnificent that us readers don’t deserve it.You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood is a clever, sneaky and thrilling novella. I went into this having no clue what to expect, I didn’t even have any expectations set, yet this little monstrosity managed to surpass what I tend to expect from Eric.This novella is a…novella within a novella. I don’t want to give much away because you seriously need to go into this knowing nothing. Nothing. Hell, even if I wrote paragraph upon paragraph of what this book entails, it still wouldn’t prepare you for the roller-coaster that LaRocca so brilliantly crafted. If you’ve read THGWSWLS, you’ll definitely appreciate the format of this book, how the novella is constructed with texts, poems and transcripts, all crafted into one disturbing little archive.We follow several characters, Martyr, Ambrose, Tamsen & Presley, alongside several other characters who are just as important to the book as the main characters. As I said, I don’t like giving spoilers, I hate even giving hints into what to expect, but your brains ain’t ready to comprehend what Eric LaRocca has created. You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood is a mind boggle, it had my brain churning non-existent gears, it had me swiping to past pages to make sure I was reading correctly because I was not coping. The novella was building so much dread and anticipation that I felt like I was suffocating, wanting to know what was going to happen, what is happening. I promise you, by the end of the book, you’ll be left speechless because this story takes you on a disturbing and anxiety-inducing ride.I’ve said countless times before, LaRocca is changing this genre. His writing, their ideas, how he’s able to craft such magnificent stories and how well they’re able to draw the reader in, strap them to the chair and keep them there is a talent I admire.I’m borrowing a quote from the great Zimpago- “You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood will be an experience like no other.”