Staring Into the Abyss by Richard Thomas

Staring Into the Abyss Reviews

• 
  Richard

  Many of these aren't stories in the traditional sense. They are mere portraits, moody snapshots, fragments of broken lives, each one sharp and dirty with rust. They're short, bold, uncompromising pieces that pummel you in various ways, leaving you stunned. Basically, the kind of short fiction that I adore. Even though they're unconventional, they are all still highly engaging and satisfying. This is a collection of some of the most original stories I've read in a while.
  
  I was extremely impressed by the creative talent shown here, whether it's the chronicling of a "Twenty Dollar Bill" as it travels a grimy and depressing journey, the look at fight clubs as a new form of criminal justice in "Victimized," a bizarrely sad take on the author's fate in "Stephen King Ate My Brain," after an encounter with the titular author, a dark, uncomfortable "Interview" for a babysitting job, or a twisted take on the choose-your-own-adventure story in "Splintered."

  Every time she looked at me, she saw him, our son, that generous boy, and it was another gut punch bending her over, another parting of her flesh, and I was one of the thousand, and my gift to her now was my echo.

  If you like work that focuses on building atmosphere and tone, work that sinks under your skin and lingers way past reading, then buy this and dive in. I can't wait to read more from Richard Thomas. I've been reading many great short story collections in recent years, with very clever and fascinating writing. But I have to say that Thomas's work is definitely some of the most exciting and stands out in the crowd.
• 
  Christopher Mattick

  I think Richard Thomas is a normal guy. He lives in, like, Chicago-ish, maybe. I think he's married and maybe has a kid and a job. Probably has a car. I don't know. But, you know, I think he's a normal guy.
  
  Something happened to Richard Thomas. Something bad. I can only imagine. His stories aren't Dark; they're Black.
  
  Richard is a good writer. Tells a good story and tells it well. They're finely-crafted writing and the chisel marks don't show like they so often do with clumsier writers. "Wordsmith" is an ugly and pretentious word used by people who wish they could write like Richard Thomas. By writers whose chisel marks all-too often show. But Richard has a delicate hand and the words flow like water.
  
  It's just that they're so very very Black.
  
  Hope doesn't occur in a Richard Thomas story. And "comedy relief" to lighten the effect of the brutality of the stories is so rare that it is more like chuckling around a knife-wound. The only thing resembling "comedy", or indeed "light" in Staring Into The Abyss is the title of one of the later stories, "Stephen King Ate My Brain", which is only humorous until one reads to discover that the story is quite literally about horror novelist Stephen King cutting into the author's skull and eating a large portion of his brain.
  
  The only negative in Staring Into The Abyss, if any, is that all of the stories are short, many of them extremely so; more freeze-frame snapshots of something terrible, like black and white grainy photographs of horrible industrial accidents where only the blood shows in Technicolor red so real you can taste the copper in the back of your throat. Perhaps here brevity is a mercy.
  
  I'm glad I don't know Richard. If I did, I would constantly feel bad for him and, I'm sure, never really know why. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would open up and let you know what terrible weight he was carrying, just accidentally drop occasional hints at the crushing darkness that was eating him up inside.
• 
  Mark Matthews

  I am not an anthology reader typically. I don't like investing pages and pages into a story and characters, only to have it cut short. This anthology was different. I agree with the review that stated Staring Into the Abyss makes you rethink the short story. The author is able to pull you right into the tone and the character and gives you dark slices of their life and then pull you right out. You're better for it each time. A couple of times the author winks at you. Many times a few lines make you smirk right back. Nothing is typical. The pieces both fully respect the intelligence of the reader yet do not ask them to work too hard. Some stories I soaked up in a few minutes. And in each sitting, I thought to myself 'just one more'. No, this is not flash fiction, but the pieces are offered in perfect, bite-sized yet rich morsels.
  
  The darkness and horror here is of the real world. Despair, isolation, desolate characters who the author treats with a touch of stoicism. You've probably met these characters you'll be reading about, but closer still, you've probably been them. Even when the horror is traditional in vampire fashion it is never traditional.
  
  While it is not the deepest of the bunch, I promise you will enjoy "Stephen King Ate My Brain." The ending of this story will make you want to have coffee with the author.
  
  I confess, I wasn't sure what the author's described 'neo-noir transgressive slipstream fiction' was, but after reading this, you'll see that if fits.
• 
  Benoit Lelièvre

  Richard Thomas has this very peculiar, transcendent writing style, but his collection STARING INTO THE ABYSS contains some of his most realistic work, so far and I found myself enjoying the personal stories of his misfits and his marginals facing the abyss. My favourite stories were: SPLINTERED, STILLNESS, FRINGE and TRANSMOGRIFY, which all explored a different side of human darkness.
  
  SPLINTERED, while being incredibly sad, has this playful throwback to choose-your-own-adventure style and can be read over and over in different manners. I think I read it three or four times in a row. Richard Thomas is one of the most unique, original writers out there. He's got an uncanny talent for painting the most extreme sides of the human condition and STARING INTO THE ABYSS might be the best example of that, yet.
• 
  Uninvited

  This is one of the books that I got due to GoodReads super-positive reviews. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the expectations.
  Don't get confused by the title, this is not a collection of Lovecraftesque horror. The stories are all pretty dark (some actually extremely dark), but not within the horror genre. More like dark fantasy and dark sci-fi and, well, dark reality. This is not bad at all, of course, however, several of them are just bland ("Underground Wonder Bound"), some are pointless ("Twenty Dollar Bill") and quite a few can be predicted after reading the first couple of paragraphs ("Paying Up") - and most are a combination of the above. That's not to say there aren't some gems among them too. "Steel-Toed Boots" is superb, really feels like a steel-toed boot kicking you in the stomach. "Interview" and "Ten Steps" are also excellent, despite their predictability - "Interview" especially is brilliantly written. "Stephen King Ate My Brain" is as darkish fun as it sounds. And then there's "Victimized", the crown jewel of the collection - this story alone made buying this book worth it, and I now definitely want to read the extended version.
  The author has a very distinct writing style, which may or may not appeal to one. I would describe it as "poetic prose", and he certainly paints some beautifully dark pictures, which at least made reading even the blandest stories not feel like a waste of time. Judging by the reviews I read here on GR, I guess that there's no way one can tell what will appeal to whom when it comes to this book.
• 
  Brian Steele

  Sometimes you walk into a book without too many expectations and you are wonderfully rewarded for it. That’s what happened with “Staring Into The Abyss” by Richard Thomas, a collection that gripped me from the first tale to the last. Tales that Thomas has journeyed down into the abyss itself for to bring back to us.
  
  First off, these twenty tales are closer to flash fiction in length than short stories, but that doesn’t in any way negate their potency. In many ways, it makes them sharper, more intense. These are not your traditional horror stories with vampires and ghosts, but tales with human suffering and vulnerabilities. Broken souls and flawed minds, these are characters you’d find littering the landscapes of Chuck Palahniuk, Cormac McCarthy, and Bret Easton Ellis novels. This is darkness all too terribly real, delivered to us in uppercut fashion.
  
  That fashion is both brutal and beautiful, the style employed by Thomas leading us down shadowed roads to visit every type of misery. Some take us exactly where we expect, some twist and turn. No matter the outcome, the journey is always satisfying. I have to make a quick comment of the paperback edition I got, which is quite a beautiful piece of production. Ultimately, I highly recommend this book, brilliant slivers of human darkness.
  
• 
  Jess

  Richard Thomas is a master at creating short stories, and each story in this dark collection makes you feel like the author respects the time you put into reading his work. Richard does not waste words and each piece is carefully constructed, written with visceral imagery -- at times beautiful and at times brutal.
  
  I've given this collection a 4 purely because Goodreads won't let me give it a 4.5/5. There were a few stories I didn't like, but this was personal taste and nothing to do with the quality of the writing. For a collection of this impressive size and quality, there was always going to be one or two I didn't gel with. My personal favourites were Transmogrify and Stephen King Ate My Brain, two of the best horror stories I've read in recent years.
  
  My full review can be read at:
  
  http://parablepressmag.com/2013/02/01...
• 
  Nick Borrelli

  First off, let me say that I’m usually not a fan of short story collections. I would rather sink my teeth into a 300-500 page book where I can get into a story and live it for a few weeks, than the immediacy and instant gratification of reading a short story. So when I found out that Staring Into the Abyss by Richard Thomas was a short story collection, I had my misgivings to say the least. I am pleased to say that Staring into the Abyss may have changed my attitude toward the short story format, it’s that good. There are 20 stories that span a number of different styles and genres. Yes there are straight-up horror stories, but smattered among the 20 gems are also stories that have obvious science-fiction and fantasy themes. Take for instance the story Stillness which pays an obvious homage to Vincent Price’s The Last Man on Earth. Then there is Maker of Flight about a mysterious mechanical bird maker locked in a room where his only task is to make a certain number of toy birds every day. For what purpose and for who, you’ll have to read it to find out. But of course, this is a horror collection by and large. And there are plenty of intense and downright horrific stories here to satisfy any horror reader’s cravings. Committed tells the story of a video-gamer with serious anger-management issues. Steel-Toed Boots is an especially disturbing entry describing what happens when a wife decides to find out what is really going on when her husband goes out at night for a couple of beers. Splintered shares some insights into a situation that many people find themselves in: a relationship that just isn’t working anymore for one party. His girlfriend has an interesting way of addressing the problem and you’ll be both disturbed and delighted by how it turns out. These are just some of the horror treasures that you’ll find in this fine collection. The thing that I most enjoyed about these stories was the way Thomas told them through the characters’ own eyes as if you were seeing things in real time as they happened. The style of his writing really captured my attention. There was an almost poetic quality to the writing as well. Thomas used a lot of staccato sentences and sometimes fragmented thoughts as opposed to spelling out each and every detail of the story. I thought that this style worked very well and added to my enjoyment of the stories as a whole. My final thought on Staring at the Abyss is that it is truly aptly-titled in the respect that these stories come across as describing the human-condition at its worst and best. These are stories where the characters are forced to look at their lives (some of which have not been lived on the straight and narrow) and come to a final resolution that is both real and intense. If you are looking for a collection of stories that won’t take very long to read but will leave you forever changed, then Richard Thomas has a treat for you. It is called Staring into the Abyss and you should pick it up and read it. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
• 
  Gordon

  Richard Thomas is all about imagery, and there are many here that will remain seared into your cranium, such as the booby-trapped chastity belt worn by a fighter for whom death mightn’t be the worst part of losing. Or a steel-toed boot kicking someone who’s used to much smaller feet. Or a flaming pit overflowing with limbs (not the arboreal kind). Yes, this collection is heavy on visceral description and mood. Stock up on the antacid and Pepto.
  
  A number of flash stories keep things pacey (not that you’ll find any dull moments elsewhere), and of course there’s the long centerpiece, “Victimized.” Abyss certainly finishes strong, as the triple-play of “Twenty Reasons,” “Transmogrify,” and “Rudy Jenkins” are among the best work here, especially the closer. Same goes for the lead-off, “Maker of Flight.” Richard Thomas may be synonymous with neo-noir (my favorite genre), but I tend to prefer his stories that don’t lean as heavily on those conventions, as sometimes that darkness feels forced to me. The characters come from familiar stock, whether it’s a failed father or abused daughter or sex worker. His latter-day writing has found more balance between description and story, light and shade, and a few of those tales are represented here.
• 
  Sarah Read

  If you like dark stories that chew your mind up a bit, I highly recommend this collection. Richard paints mood like a watercolor artist. It looks like splashes of chaos until you get close, and then you see the shapes emerging in the layers, and you can't unsee them, no matter how hard you try. Victimized, Splintered, Twenty-Dollar Bill, and Maker of Flight were my favorites, and they will definitely stick with me. Victimized was actually painful to read, in that visceral way where you don't realize you're making funny sounds and pulling your hair while you read it until you spouse comes from the other room to ask if you're okay and you're not sure how to answer...
• 
  Erin Entrada Kelly

  In my opinion, TWENTY REASONS TO STAY AND ONE TO LEAVE is reason enough to have this collection; what a compelling piece of fiction. Same goes for COMMITTED, another piece that I loved. Both are difficult pieces to achieve as a writer, but for very different reasons. The first is richly complex, yet deceptively simple, in its approach. The latter achieves a voice that can be difficult to pull off well.
  
  A dark, disturbing and worthy collection.
  
• 
  Sean Leonard

  Having published over 65 stories in the past five years, in addition to a novel (Transubstantiate, Otherworld Publications) and a short story collection (Herniated Roots, Snubnose Press), Richard Thomas is a workhorse who is no stranger to dark fiction. But with his newest anthology of short fiction, Staring Into the Abyss (Kraken Press), Thomas cranks the intensity up a notch while simultaneously turning the dimmer switch all the way down. To say these stories are dark is somewhat of an understatement; they’re a razor blade slice away from pitch black.
  
  Staring Into the Abyss brings together twenty previously published short stories under one amazing cover (even if you’ve already read all of these stories elsewhere, the value of the convenience is doubled by the fantastic cover art by George Cotronis). The styles featured here run the gamut of dark and depressing literature, from neo-noir to speculative to the oft-undefinable label of transgressive. The monsters featured in these stories aren’t zombies or werewolves or aliens, they are us; a father full of regrets, a cheating wife, a girl looking for vengeance, a brother and sister following in their parents footsteps. Oh, and Stephen King. For real.
  
  The writing throughout is great, the short story format allowing Thomas’ style to shine as he creates the bleakest of settings, then drops unsuspecting victims in and lets them fight, suffer, and fail. Although occasionally stumbling into clichéd territory (mainly the women, who are often painted as either submissive, beautiful playthings for the dominant male characters or conniving, beautiful playthings for the dominant male characters, which is unfortunately fairly commonplace in this style/industry), almost any of these stories would still stand out in most neo-noir or dark fiction collections.
  
  In “Splintered,” the author presents a choose-your-own-adventure style format that is far darker than the typical find your lost dog story. We are plunged into a depressing story from the perspective of a man who is beginning to suspect that he is being cheated on. At first just a suspicion, things keep getting worse as we read on, confronted with choices like “If you decide to be a man, go to page 6. If you decide to live in denial, keep reading.”
  
  “Victimized” presents a dystopian world where the justice system has opted for a Fight Club-meets -Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome approach in punishing crime. Now the victim (or victim’s family) is given the option to take on the guilty party in a fight to the death, while a motley crew of onlookers place bets on the participants, only here, the Van Damme character is traded in for a girl named Annabelle. The story goes back and forth from the present day, as our protagonist watches in the arena, then back to her memories of what happened to her and who was responsible, all culminating in a final, brutal showdown.
  
  First appearing in a collection alongside Stephen King and Peter Straub, “Stillness” is a very dark story in the vein of Last Man on Earth about Michael, a man all alone with his automated home as his only companion. He pushes back distant memories of a family long gone as he trudges through each day, fighting off the creatures that have taken over his world. Two years since his last contact with another living human being, Michael waits and clutches onto the hope that one day he can leave his post. But what then?
  
  Throughout Staring Into the Abyss, Richard Thomas varies his approach to story-telling, much to the enjoyment of the reader. “Twenty-Dollar Bill” focuses on four broken down, sad characters, but following a twenty-dollar bill through their hands to tell the story. It’s like wheresgeorge.com, but with “backslash misery” added at the end. In “Stephen King Ate My Brain,” we have a humorously dark story where the narrator/King fanboy trades a part of his brain to the author in exchange for an unpublished but guaranteed best seller. “Ten Steps” advances the story of a dangerous human being in ten gradual sections, each detailing the next step in creating a monster. “Interview” tells the story of a man who is at odds with his wife while also attempting to hire a babysitter, the suspense and horror increasing with each mention of an item recently purchased at the local hardware store. Also included in this collection are “Twenty Reasons To Stay and One To Leave,” a Pushcart nominee, and “Rudy Jenkins Buries His Fears,” a story first published alongside horror legend Jack Ketchum in Slices of Flesh.
  
  Richard Thomas presents his gritty vision of despair at an unflinching, rapid-fire pace; twenty stories appear in just over one hundred thirty pages, making this collection a very quick read. The depressing, creepy feeling that he leaves you with, however, will linger much longer. Always disturbing, mostly original, and with an occasional pinch of (dark) humor sprinkled in for good measure, Staring Into the Abyss deserves a place on any fan of the genre’s bookshelf.
  
  
  (Originally published at Horrornews.net, 3/5/2013)
• 
  Dave

  In a Sentence:
  
  Your average writer is a white picket fence; Richard Thomas is a rusted strand of barbwire.
  
  The Details:
  
  I love live music. The energy, the roar when the headliners hit the stage, the brief moment before the audience figures out what song's next, everyone singing along to their favorites.
  
  To me, a short story collection should function the same way a good set list does. One story flowing to the next, subtle stories filling the gap between more powerful anchors, and one hell of an encore to make you want more.
  
  If you could turn Richard Thomas's “Staring Into the Abyss” into music, you'd have one hell of a concert.
  
  Let's look at the highlights.
  
  From his website: “Richard Thomas writes neo-noir transgressive slipstream fiction. It just means dark and strange.” If you like stuff by xTx, Craig Clevenger, or Chuck Palahniuk, you'll dig “Staring Into the Abyss”.
  
  The Set List:
  
  Thomas opens with “Maker of Flight” – I bought the anthology based on the first two paragraphs. I'm finicky like that – you have two paragraphs to convince me you know what you're doing. If I don't trust the writer, I don't buy the book. I would give Thomas a bit more room than most thanks to his excellent articles on Litreactor. Maybe three paragraphs.
  
  Thomas puts his own spin on the classic “choose your own adventure” stories with “Splintered”. I suspect it's meant to be read straight through, and the 'choose your own adventure' aspect says more about the state of the mind of the character. Back to the concert metaphor – “Splintered” isn't the chart-topping hit everyone loves, but it'll make the “Greatest Hits” album.
  
  “Fallible” reminds me of “HBO” by Roxanne Gay. Not for subject matter, but for impact. Thomas isn't as subtle as Gay – few are – but the impact is there. “Stillness” is a reminder that for the best writers, there's always something else going on. You're introduced to a character's reality, and you follow them through it – until the seams start to show. I almost missed the truth but for a late paragraph describing the protagonist's room.
  
  When you reach“Victimized”, the anthology takes off.
  
  “Victimized” is set in a world where victims of crime are able to confront the perpetrator – in a boxing ring. One on one, fight to the death. The story follows Belle, a victim looking for revenge. Through flashbacks, we see the crime committed while she prepares for the fight. Thomas skirts dangerous territory here – it's easy to stereotype a women into a victim and nothing more. However, he does well – Belle's an excellent character.
  
  “Ten Steps Up” took me through a range of emotions, from anger at the negligent parents, to hopefulness for their child's future, to the kind of dark place that nightmares come from. Like other stories in the collection, “Ten Steps Up” has the same effect as Pearl Jam's “Alive” or Foster the People's “Pumped Up Kicks” – once you discern the meaning, the story becomes considerably darker.
  
  “Stephen King Ate My Brain” is just as great as the title. It shows Thomas in a different light – a playful darkness. Like a cat plays with a dying mouse.
  
  He switches gears for one of my other favorites, “Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave”. I read this story four times. Every writer has their own idea of what makes writing great, and mine is: the best writers paint the clearest picture while using the fewest words. “Twenty Reasons” is heartbreaking. While Thomas does dark well, his best stories have a bit of hope and love to contrast against the darkness. White and gray against black.
  
  Then comes the encore.
  
  “Transmogrify” is fantastic. Imagine your favorite band coming on stage for the encore and playing your favorite song. The crowd roaring, lights flashing, pyrotechnics exploding. That's “Transmogrify”. I would've read that story forever.
  
  All of the stories are well-written – there's not much fat. You may not dig all of the stories in the collection, but I'd pay $4.99 for the hits. You can find two of his best pieces – “Victimized” and “Transmogrify” – on Amazon for a buck a piece.
  
  The best kind of concerts are the kind that make you want to play an instrument.
  
  “Staring Into the Abyss” makes me want to write.
  
• 
  Charlie

  Read other book reviews at
  Book Junkie Joint.
  
  Staring Into the Abyss is a very well-written mix of nitty-gritty short stories, each conveying a different message and emotion. Some of them lift up the spirit, others narrate about the dark visages in the human psyche, all of them haunting and insightful.
  
  I’ve always loved reading short stories, especially those bound in a single book or collection because they are quick to read and straight to the point. So it was such a huge treat for me to be given the chance to read review Richard Thomas’ collection of short stories. I was given twenty delightful stories to read in a single e-book!
  
  First of all, the stories in this book are all very well-written. They were obviously well-thought-of and planned. The words are vivid, and most of the characters are very well-defined.
  
  Also, some of the stories were written in unconventional styles, which I find really creative and unique. The unconventional writing style offered an alternative reading experience, and for me, it was such a pleasant deviation from what’s normal.
  
  As for the short stories themselves, I couldn’t possible review all twenty of them so I decided to pick the ones I really love.
  
  In Maker of Flight, I sensed the hope of an old man to gain his freedom again, and to enjoy even the simplest of things in life, such as being able to freely look at the blue sky. The short story brought a refreshing feeling even though the setting conveyed a picture of imprisonment and hopelessness.
  
  In Steel-toed Boots, I was just heart-broken. It was like I was suddenly bitch-slapped in the middle of listening to a long and compelling sermon. I had to take a pause from reading just to frown and sulk. (Internally, I was protesting. Why?! Why would you even write something like that?!)
  
  In Freedom, I seriously loved the ending. Seriously. It made me smile. And if my brother would ever come to the same desperate existence as the guy in the story, I would probably do the very same thing. This was a complete turnaround from the story before it. (Thank you, dear Author, for not letting me completely sink into despair by putting this story after Steel-toed Boots. There is hope in the world, after all.)
  
  I also liked Underground Wonder Bound because of the implications in between the lines. It’s definitely quirky and fun in its own way. And this story gave a whole new meaning to 9:30.
  
  Then there are also those stories which portray the less-amusing conditions or life, such as in Paying Up. It’s sad to see a father lamenting how his daughter turned out and blaming himself for it. Personally, I believe that how we turn out to be is not entirely controlled by our parents’ behavior. They may be contributory, but in the end, it’s our life.
  
  And of course, my most favorite one, Stephen King Ate My Brain. This one is definitely a Stephen King-esque explanation on how famous author Stephen King could churn out one best-selling book after another under the horror genre. This definitely hit my tickle spot even though it’s supposed to be dark. (I wonder what author Stephen King said when he read about fictional Stephen King in this story. Hmm.)
  
  All in all, I highly recommend this book for people who love short stories, be it horror, humor or just a really compelling story. This book is definitely a unique mix of short stories guaranteed to tickle your brain and make you crave for more.
  
  
• 
  Sally

  What's so remarkable about the stories contained within Staring Into the Abyss is not that they're often so short, but that they often work so well. Word count and issues of quantity aside, the shorter a piece is, the harder it often is to imbue it with any sort of quality. Fortunately, Richard Thomas knows precisely what he is trying to convey with each piece, and he does so without so much as a wasted word. I know it's a bit of a cliché, but what he's written here is really quite poetic.
  
  The collection begins with a trio of tales that really serve to set both the stage, and our expectations. 'Maker of Flight' is a tale of dreams, freedom, and subtle acts of rebellion; 'Steel-Toed Boots' is about fears, secrets, and the need to understand; and 'Freedom' is a tale of sorrow, loss, and the cathartic release of artificial solace. In those three tale we see the darkest, the saddest, and the loneliest aspects of the human condition, with the emotions laid bare for us to taste.
  
  Deeper into the collection, 'Splintered' is a fantastic sort of choose-your-own-adventure tale that forces us to assume responsibility for the protagonist's self-esteem; 'Fringe' is an ironic sort of tale that explores both sides of the coin that some call suspicion, and others call vigilance; 'Underground Wonder Bound' is an almost light-hearted tale of a withering relationship, complete with a twist ending; 'Interview' is an eerily banal tale of murderous plans couched in casually creepy conversation; 'Stephen King Ate My Brain' is a surprisingly straightforward tale of claiming your dreams, only to find they're too much for you to handle; and 'Rudy Jenkins Buries His Fears' is a perfect tale of adolescent fear, shame, and bravery in the face of abuse.
  
  Of the rest, some stories didn't quite work for me, with a few just too much tease, and not enough satisfaction. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't call out 'Victimized' as the standout entry in the collection. It's a dark and violent tale that explores the cycle of abuse, the hatred it breeds, and the difficulty involved in breaking that cycle . . . along with the responsibility that follows. It's almost post-apocalyptic in its idea of social justice the criminals among us, and could very well be considered a revenge fantasy, were it not for the consequences.
  
  These are dark stories, full of dark themes, that feed of dark emotions. They're sad and they're painful, but they're also a part of the human condition. The magic here is that, no matter how short the story, Thomas manages to make us care for - and often sympathize with - the characters, even if only for a brief moment. There is a lot of suffering in these stories, the kind that drags people down, detaches them from reality, and leaves them with nothing to do but lie there, Staring Into the Abyss. There are no easy escapes in Thomas' tales but there are a few happy endings, claimed by those who are strong enough to stare beyond the abyss, to create their own light on the other side, and to march (or crawl) fearlessly towards it.
  
  
  Originally reviewed at
  Beauty in Ruins
• 
  Eric Wojciechowski

  Richard Thomas disturbs me and I'm okay with that. I've spent a little time engaging with him through social networking and he comes off as a really nice, professional, sane guy. Then you read his stories and you're like, “Uh-oh, there's something crawling under this well vacuumed carpet.” It's that thing that keeps me coming back to his work. So with the latest collection of short stories, STARING INTO THE ABYSS, we can see more of that thing and keep pushing our comfort zones.
  
  If you've ever seen the Nine-Inch-Nails music video for Happiness In Slavery, you won't forget it. I haven't and I can't watch it again because it disturbs me. However, I consider it one of the best videos I've ever seen because it moved me, brought up an emotion and never let me forget it. Richard Thomas' writing is similar. With such stories as FREEDOM, FALLIBLE and VICTIMIZED, where running a razor blade around one's own flesh seems acceptable. And also in VICTIMIZED, where a preying uncle approaches and I'm thinking, “No, you're not going to describe this scene, are you?” Or one of my favorites, INTERVIEW, where the laundry-list of purchased items makes no sense in the beginning but, if you're paying attention, you can connect the dots and figure out the end isn't going to be pretty. And then there's SPLINTERED, one of my other favorites mainly because it's a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. With each story, no matter how grotesque, it feels normal. Normal, as in, these characters just gotta be like this. That the bourbon, beer, violence and blood are just routine. Each tale is written as casually as if I said I picked up some milk at the store. And that can be disturbing.
  
  On the flip side, what started off as positives, became negatives by the last fifty pages. You see, by the last quarter, I had seen my share of over indulgence in alcohol, razor-blades and blood that what was discomforting became less so. Perhaps a desensitization set in and what started off making me wince, only made me pass over, looking for something new. As an example, by the time I reached the story, HONOR, I was pleasantly happy to see the protagonist drinking Tequila instead of beer or bourbon.
  
  All in all, a fine collection of noir, grotesque stories and I recommend it to those who enjoy the genre. And perhaps the story similarities were intentional; in that, these represent Mr. Thomas' beer, bourbon and blood tales (although MAKER OF FLIGHT and TRANSMOGRIFY were exceptions, more fantasy/sci-fi). By the end of the book I was satisfied and looking forward to more of his work, hoping to see more diversity and what he can come up with next.
  
  A final thought of mine upon closing the final chapter was that, if Stephen King ever picks this up, will he wonder, “My God, what has Mr. Thomas turned me into? A Hannibal? Or maybe a Walker?” Check out STARING INTO THE ABYSS to answer that for yourself.
• 
  Joseph

  **This review was originally published at The Dying Goose**
  
  Richard Thomas is a literary force to be reckoned with! His writing is always on point, and ready to punch you in the face, make you feel humanity on his level. You can't get into the "indie literary scene" and not see his name pop up.
  
  His first novel, Transubstantiate (Otherworld Publications, 2010), was a multi-layered novel with a science fiction spin on what writing a literary novel is supposed to be. Then came Herniated Roots (Snubnose Press, 2012), a collection of short stories that beats you up, and shows you what broken people really look like. And now, there's Staring Into the Abyss (Kraken Press, 2013), another collection of short stories.
  
  Richard has done it again, and this time he's given the reader a glimpse into what The Abyss really is: a world of heartbreak, death, suicide, lust, sex, fighting, and lots of blood all strung together in the literary genre pulling bits and pieces from the science fiction and horror genres with hints of Bukowski and Palahniuk sprinkled in for good measure.
  
  There are twenty stories in this collection. Most of them are relatively short, some almost pushing the flash fiction line, and it can be read in one sitting. But it is good - really fucking good - and it makes you wonder if Thomas isn't really making most of this up, but writing from some sort of autobiographical perspective that he's calling fiction.
  
  There are ample amounts of darkness, people at their worst, versions of ourselves that may just hit a little too close to home. Thomas makes you wonder if the world is ending sooner than we think it might.
  
  Not every single story is literary genius, but the end reaction is a hard punch to the gut. His style is quick, swift, and poised. His prose is great, and each story doesn't feel like the same author trying to write in different voices. Each story is different, and you're not sure it is the same author as the previous one.
  
  Richard Thomas is a name that will continue to stay with you for a long, long time, because he writes like he has something to lose if he doesn't. Staring Into the Abyss will leave you wanting more, wishing the last page wasn't the last one.
  
  You may want to sleep with a light on after reading Richard Thomas' stories, not answer baby sitting ads, or be mindful of the girl at the bar that will too eagerly blow you. That $20 bill, you might want to trade it in for a different one.
  
  Staring Into the Abyss is the real deal!
• 
  Daniel

  A nice collection of dystopian short fiction that looks down the barrel of the gun from the wrong end. Using a jumble of present and future settings, darker elements of the human condition are examined with a mixture of wit and unflinching brutality.
  
  There are some great stories here, ranging from subtle humour to rushes of adrenaline. "Underground Wonder Bound" had me practically euphoric with its pitch-perfect ending. "Victimized" had me on the edge of my seat, completely wrapped up in the story and oblivious to the world around me. Sometimes, my appreciation was simply on account of the evocative language, such as this excerpt from "Freedom":
  
  

  A large scarlet blown-glass ashtray shaped liked a daisy on acid perched on the countertop stuffed with cigarette butts. Old cans of cat food lay in the corner in varying stages of fossilization next to a filthy tin of water. A vintage fridge and stove in aqua were witness to the neglect.

  
  On the not-so-effusive side, there were a few stories that left me scratching my head. I was also unable to hit upon any rationale for the arrangement of the stories. It all seemed so random.
  
  Then again, how can you not like a book of short fiction that includes "Stephen King Ate My Brain"? If you're looking for something dark, dirty and a little off the beaten path, this collection might just fit the bill.
  
  (I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review)
• 
  Jason Fylan

  I am fortunate enough to have had a professional relationship/friendship with Richard Thomas, and I can say with conviction he is a top-notch professional and all-around good man. So what about his work? I got to know and work with Richard before I'd read any of his books or stories, but recently I cleared out an evening and sat down with "Staring into the Abyss." Amazing. The guy just gets it. He doesn't tell stories, he paints pictures by planting a visual seed in your head and allowing your imagination to fertilize it and make it bloom. I teach writing, and I always tell my students: "beauty should be beautiful, pain should be ugly." Also, that a good narrative should drop us in and then take us away from such an immediate place, we should be scrambling around, looking for a previous or later page we think we're missing but in fact does not exist. These are lessons that Richard Thomas employs in his fiction. All of the stories here are strong, but a few really stayed with me after I'd put down the book. "Paying Up" twists expectation and then hammers you in the gut with it. "Stephen King Ate My Brain" is a delightfully twisted cautionary tale about idols and celebrity. "Honor" will leave you feeling like a scarred witness to human degradation and filth. If you like your fiction dark, and aren't afraid to go to the ugly, vicious locales of the human condition, this collection will thrill and satisfy. Just try not to look away.
• 
  Hecate

  Like Isis, I am no stranger to dark stories. I thoroughly enjoy them, and I love to pick apart the characters. And this anthology was especially dark and somewhat depressing.
  
  I have mixed feelings about this anthology, a few of the stories were really good, some just seemed way too short to fully grasp the reader, and some were just a little “ehhhh” – for me at least. I did enjoy the following stories:
  
  Steel-toed Boots
  Splintered
  Fallible
  Victimized
  Interview
  
  In the stories I listed, I felt that you could get a better grasp of the psychology (and sometimes psychosis) of his characters. Those were the stories that I connected to most because they had all the necessary details that could make you sympathize with a character. Those were the twists that I liked. However, I must admit that some of his other stories were a little off with the interesting resolutions. I felt that the endings were a little more random and were used as more of a flair.
  
  I really enjoy Thomas’s writing, however, I feel that it’s more suited to longer stories/novels. I admit that some of the stories were really intriguing and I thought they were brilliant. However, as an overall collection, I felt that there were equal parts of lacking stories to the exceptional ones. Don’t get me wrong, dear reader! I will try to look out for more of his works, but I just wish that I had more right now.
• 
  Laura

  *Book provided by Kraken Press in exchange for an honest review*
  
  This collection of short stories can only be described as dark. I guess it's a good thing I like dark. The writing is, to my mind, great. It flows, it is descriptive, and it sucks you in. What I like too is that each story was told with a slightly different style or tone, so I never felt as though I was reading the same narrator twice.
  
  The stories themselves were interesting, dark, and at times depressing. There were some that had wonderful twists in the end. There were a couple that I felt could have gone on longer, and the first story I felt wasn't totally explained as well as it could have been. However, I enjoyed each and every story, even though some were uncomfortable or, as I've said before, depressing. I feel though that the point of the stories was to be uncomfortable or depressing, and Richard Thomas dealt with the stories and the situations masterfully well.
  
  I would recommend this collection of short stories, but only if you like darker material. Obviously this is not something that would be everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay. As for myself, I'll have a second helping. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Thomas's work.
• 
  Nick

  For me, a novel and a short story collection aren’t that different. Sure, the characters change every few pages but, in a good collection, the tone and mood draw a thread that ties everything together. The reference in the title to the famous Nietzsche quote sets the proper stage for the thread that runs through this collection.
  
  The stories varied in subtlety and depth, but they all offered an aspect of the dark side of the human condition. This aspect of humanity on display contrasted with the prose and the word selection in a way that I’d never experienced before. I found it hauntingly, disturbingly beautiful.
  
  I found some of the shortest stories (Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave and Amazement, for example) offered textured worlds that demonstrated a great skill in Richard Thomas for efficiency and a confidence in his readers to read between the lines. Add this to some stories with unique structures and a couple longer ones with flushed out characters and you have quite a collection.
  
  I would happily recommend this book to anyone that was a fan of short stories, or a fan of horror but I don’t think I could drop it in anyone’s lap without a bit of a disclaimer.
• 
  Jack

  Richard Thomas is a master of the Neo-Noir short story. This collection continues the excellence he showed in his previous collection Herniated Roots. These stories are dark and gritty, but at the same time, I think many have a sort of twisted sense of hope about them. The characters are battered, broken, and scarred, but they do what they think is best. They continue making choices, even if they aren't always the right ones, or the easy ones. Make no mistake about it, though, the glimmer of hope is faint, and anyone expecting a collection of happy endings has best look elsewhere.
  
  Thomas is a fantastic writer. His prose borders on poetry, and some of his best work would be better described as literary art than stories. He has a tendency to play with structure, and time itself seems to dissolve within the present tense narrative, which is fitting. These characters are haunted by pasts that they can never seem to really leave behind.
  
  I will leave the story-by-story analysis for another review, but I highly recommend this collection for fans of dark literature. I specifically recommend "Splintered" for readers like me who grew up with Choose-Your-Own adventure. The structure could have easily failed, but Thomas handled it masterfully. The collection is well worth reading.
• 
  Steven

  The characters in these stories may be staring into the abyss, but as readers we are staring into damage, characters that are irretrievably damaged. And a lot of these characters are fond of razor blades caressing their wrists, or gun barrels caressing their lips. Thomas does not flinch from showing the emotional and the physical damage that these characters have experienced or meted out: he is an equal opportunity punisher. He’s also elevated this punishment to beautiful word art. The settings, the atmosphere, also inflict damage, so it is hard to read these stories and not feel a bit wounded as well.
  
  Structurally, not many of these are fully realized stories. Some experiment with non-traditional forms and those are quite interesting. Others, mostly the shorter pieces - and I hesitate to classify them as flash fiction (which I think of as being self-contained, complete) - seem actually to be either the beginning or endings of stories. They are scenes or atmospheric sketches. Some bring closure to the damage: endings to larger stories we weren’t shown. Others suggest the damage is splitting wide open: beginnings of stories we are left to imagine. Whether story, sketch, or other misadventure, I enjoyed the assault of these words.
• 
  Raelyn Falkin

  *Book provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review*
  
  I knew this anthology was full of dark stories but I wasn’t prepared for this. This novel is full of dark and twisted stories that are nothing more than the dark reality of human existence. I’m not sure how to rate or review this because it is not the type of book I read, nor do I think I’ve read something like it before.
  
  The writing itself was very well done. It was descriptive and to the point, fluid and stylistic at points, and quite effective. Of the stories that made sense to me, most of the time I was taken by surprised or just shocked into stunned silence.
  
  I’m not sure what else to say mostly because this isn’t my cup of tea. There was a handful of stories that made no sense to me and the rest just made me depressed – though that may be part of the point. If this is the type of stories you’re into then I can say with some level of certainty that you will enjoy it. It’s deep and thought provoking and most of all dark.
• 
  Thomas Van Boening

  Staring into the Abyss by Richard Thomas is a great collection of dark, gloomy, and refreshingly realistic short stories. Each short work of prose is a punch in the face with gritty, dirty, and highly memorable stories. I just learned of Mr. Thomas a month ago, and I know this horror writer is going to chill us more in the future.
  
  I enjoy stories of horror that is focused on grim realness. "Victimized" and "Rudy Jenkins Buries His Fears" are proof of Thomas's ability to craft swift horror stories. My personal favorite was "Stephen King Ate My Brain," a fictional meeting between Richard Thomas himself and Master of Horror Stephen King. Any fan of horror will get a kick out of that short story.
  
  I absorbed this book in about 2 days of reading, and after 20 short stories, you get a lot of memorable chills. If you are a fan of horror, this is for you. I hope to get more in the future.
• 
  Tracey

  I won this book through goodreads firstreads. I really enjoyed the book and it was very well written. It's a book of short stories which are very dark and mysterious each story eats you in then spits you right out again you keep thinking of the story once you've read it and you just want more and more of each one that is all I can say that is wrong about the book is that I wanted more and more. I don't normally like short stories but this collection of stories and the great way they were written has changed my mind. Richard Thomas is a great writer I can say this just from reading this book and I surely will be reading more of his books in future. He brings the characters to life and they are all so realistic you an feel all the emotions they are going through. In this book they certainly had a lot of mixed emotions. Highly recommended.
• 
  Brandon Nagel

  STARING INTO THE ABYSS was phenomenal. Dark, Scary, Strange, and at times Disturbing. 20 outstanding, genre defying pieces of Richard Thomas that come together full circle. I was thrilled when a signed copy arrived at my office a couple of months ago. I picked the book up last night and finished it this morning. If you want a taste of something unlike anything you have ever read before, do yourself a favor and pick this up. Highly recommended for anyone with an open mind, looking for something to break up the monotony of genre fiction. The best collection of short stories I have read all year.