Set in the long since fallen empire of Hollywood and modern metropolis Toronto, Apparitions on the Rocks is a gritty portrayal of a successful alcoholic writer who is anything but happy, as he, one ounce at a time, descends on a path of total self destruction while searching for his sanity and the remaining scattered fragments of the American dream. Begun when he was twenty-three following several trips to Los Angeles, Apparitions on the Rocks is Acker's first novel to be released, a cautionary tale stressing the importance of moderation in a world dictated by harsh extremes.