DNF ( )

**Review originally published in SCREAM Magazine**

I am fond of the short story format, but when it comes to short story collections, there aren’t many that hit a five star recommendation. They tend to be a mixed bag and invariably contain tales that miss the mark. But, every once in a while, a collection comes along that blows my mind. I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the pull quote for Spontaneous Human Combustion was Chuck Palahniuk comparing the author to Lovecraft, Bradbury, and Gaiman.

This collection presents fourteen stories that run the gambit of horror, science fiction, fable, and dark fantasy. It’s an engaging blend of genres that offers a refreshing variety of settings and situations. “Requital” has a man caught in an endless loop of hells, suffering for his various transgressions. “Saudade” is about a nomad who travels the post-apocalyptic world seeking a better future while also trying to contain the beasts he harbors inside himself. In “Undone”, we see a man who takes his trapped-on-an-island virtual reality game a little too seriously, the story playing out like an episode of Black Mirror. “From Within” takes us to a dystopian future, where a man tries to protect his son from the alien colonizers that have overtaken earth.

And so it goes.

While all the stories contain interesting concepts and fun twists, what really stands out is the storytelling style of author Richard Thomas. The writing features much showing and little telling, focusing mostly on images, mysterious events, and emotions. The writing also pulls back the cover on humanity, revealing monsters both literal and metaphorical as well as showcasing the enumerable consequences of their twisted dark desires. Thomas has this innate ability to take a fantastical story and draw it out on a granular level that we can sympathize with, mixing raw human emotions with extraordinary circumstances.

Despite the diversity of stories, there are a few running threads that tie the collection together. One such aspect is the emphasis on the supernatural. From cults to the cosmos, every tale is suffused with the uncanny and otherworldly. Some stories reach deep into the well of magic and occult, yet even the ones that don’t still shimmer with an air of the paranormal. Another uniting aspect is the running theme of what one will do in the face of misery and trials. There are plenty of brutal and despicable moments, but Thomas is much more interested in the how and why, exploring each character and meditating on humanity’s darkest corners.

Spontaneous Human Combustion is a gathering of ideas that are both provocative and transformative. You’ll be scared, disgusted, appalled, saddened, and utterly engrossed by the events that transpire. These stories will slither under your skin and burrow into your brain; they’ll lay eggs in your sinus cavity and stay with you long after you’ve closed the cover. As short story collections go, this one certainly stands out from the pack. ( )

So apparently even though I consider myself to be well read, I have been living under a rock because this is my first read by this author.
There are a wondrous range of stories here from dark fiction to fantasy and horror, some with elements of sci-fi. Not all were a perfect hit with me but all are beautifully written which may seem like an odd thing to say about horror and yet I did find beauty even in the ugly situations.
These are not stories to be devoured when you want to drift off to sleep but tales best to ponder when your mind is at it's sharpest because there are events that really made me think.
It should be noted that I read an advance copy which states that the finished product will contain illustrations that are not present here. Even though I did not get to see the artwork I feel I should mention how much I love when a collection has a picture to go with each story.
4 out of 5 stars
My thanks to Turner Publishing for the review copy. ( )

Thomas writes well enough, in the sense of putting together sentences and paragraphs that make sense. He has some ideas that might make for good stories. But the end result is usually mediocre. Maybe two or three stories in this whole collection stand out, and they do so for being average. The same few themes tend to recur throughout the stories as well, and no story makes you feel like you haven't read (or listened to) the same thing many times before. The author adds an afterword to each story and several times notes that the story was longlisted for the Best Horror of the Year. That must be a VERY long list.

I listened to the audiobook version, which had several different narrators, all of whom were okay, but perhaps a single narrator would have made more sense. ( )