This sounds a bit like the Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton, which are two books where the main threat to humans is a colony organism that behaves much like your description. There are significant portions of the books which are written from the colony organism's point of view, which has evolved to eradicate all other life and even other rival colonies in its homeworld.
In the first book, Pandora's Star, Humans travel to the star system where the organism has been trapped, inadvertently disable the mechanism trapping the creature and causing two of the humans to be captured. The organism is rather indelicate in extracting information from one of humans - which may be the gore you remember.
The second book, Judas Unchained, goes on to cover the subsequent invasion of human worlds by the colony, and attempts by humans to defeat it.
Other aspects of the books that might resonate if this is the correct answer:
Humans typically travel between worlds via artificial wormholes - meaning interstellar travel is by trains rather than ships (although, a ship is built to reach the colony's homeworld).
Humans have incorporated cybernetic technology to various degrees, including weapons and the ability to experience simulated emotion as entertainment. They also have neural backups and cloning - essentially allowing immortality through transference.
There are other alien in the books, including an apparently advanced elf-like race which seems to live a post-technology existence.