Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas

Spontaneous Human Combustion Reviews

• 
  Char

  Being that I am pressed for time, I will try to keep this review brief. SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION is an excellent collection of stories and well worth your time!
  
  Richard Thomas is a new to me author, though I've seen him around on Goodreads and other social media. It's always fun to read a new author. If I like their work, it's fun to go back and see what else they've written and that's what I plan to do.
  
  I read a lot of collections and anthologies. As with most, there were some stories that didn't work all that well for me, but looking at my notes indicates that most of them DID. I especially liked REPENT, BATTLE NOT WITH MONSTERS, NODUS TOLLENS, (Flip that coin!), OPEN WATERS, (a tale of virtual reality), and the Lovecraftian entry IN HIS HOUSE. These stories showed an ability to write in all kinds of genres, (though almost all of them dark), and an incredible imagination along with the skills to get everything down in a way that intrigues the reader and leaving them wanting more.
  
  The tales here are followed by a section of Endnotes, wherein Mr. Thomas gives us a snippets about the stories and how they came about. I absolutely loved reading these and read each one after I finished the stories, (because sometimes Endnotes can be spoiler-y.) It makes me feel somehow special knowing the history behind a tale and how it came about.
  
  Overall, SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION captured my attention and even though I was reading novels in between stories, I always felt the urge to go back and continuing reading these instead. For that reason, I'm giving this collection 4 stars and I am off to find other Richard Thomas books to add to my already massive TBR pile.
  
  Highly recommended!
  
  *Thank you to Turner Publishing for the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
• 
  Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative

  I received the ARC for this collection a few months ago so that I could have time to read it and chat about it before its release on 02/22/22. I wish I had read it immediately upon receipt because it's THAT good. So good that I will reread these stories, even have actually reread a couple already even though I just finished the collection recently. (I am determined that 2 stories were connected, that a character we meet in the beginning, we get his origin in a later story and I will die on that hill...but I won't tell you who so you can reach your own conclusions...)
  
  Each story is unique in its style and tone. Some are good old fashion classic horror, we have a few with sci fi elements, cosmic horror and magical realism. There were a couple I would have claimed were written by Stephen King and 2-3 I would have pinned on Stephen Graham Jones (two of my favorites, by the way) I did post mini-reviews of each story on my Instagram if you're interested, I can be found on IG @the_nerdy_narrative.
  
  I read one story per day and that is how I recommend approaching this collection because these stories will make you think. Some have those fun endings that give you plenty of fodder for your imagination to carry forward as to what could have happened going forward. Some are just thought provoking, ones that deep thinkers will enjoy exploring the meanings of actions of the characters or the underlying theme.
  
  I was blown away by the collection as a whole - I loved every single story. Honestly. There was one that I was lackluster about, but the ending flipped it and made the whole story SHINE. (I may not have had enough coffee and missed some connections as to what was happening, lol) It's rare I read a collection of this size and feel each story is a 5 star read, but this one is it...especially with all the stories being by the same author. Now I want to read EVERYTHING Richard Thomas has and anything he has coming out in the future.
  
  Top short story collection of the year for me - trust me, it had some steep competition too!
• 
  Pooja Peravali

  In this collection, Thomas presents fourteen short works of speculative fiction which blend science fiction, fantasy, and horror together in intriguing ways.
  
  It’s hard to write this review because of the diversity of the tales. The stories touch upon a plethora of genres and themes, including familial relationships, transformation, and atonement. A common device he uses is cyclical time loops, which often lends a dream-like quality to the story that is enhanced by his deft prose.
  
  One thing I really liked about the collection was how hopeful many of the stories were despite the dark subject matter – they fall under the genre of hopepunk in many ways, as the author himself notes once, with a view of human nature that is not quite positive but but looks upward to the future anyway.
  
  I did think some of the stories were sometimes difficult to follow in what was going on at times, with how surreal they were. The author commentary was really helpful in this regard, but I did wish that a few stories were a little more explicit about what was happening, especially “The Caged Bird Sings In A Darkness Of Its Own Creation.”
  
  I read this book in the audio format, which I really enjoyed. There were a number of narrators, with each narrator reading one or two stories, which gave the stories a nice variation in the way they were performed.
  
  Ultimately, I enjoyed this collection. My favorite works were “Battle Not With Monsters” and “From Within,” two very different stories that demonstrate the author’s range.
  
  Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
• 
  Ross Jeffery

  ‘Transgressive, dark and masterfully written - with ‘Spontaneous Human Combustion’ Thomas forces the reader to run the gamut of human emotions. With beguiling and devastating prose one can’t help but see the beauty in the macabre morsels Thomas has given us to consume. A truly breathtaking collection.’
  
  
  Repent
  
  I don’t know whether it’s because I’m a father or not, or that Richard Thomas wrote this story to within an inch of its life, but this story has all the feels. Unsettling, heartrending, tragic, painful - it ran the gamut of emotions and I for one couldn’t help but stand (or sit) back in amazement at what I’d just consumed. Our protagonist has a choice to make, or is it more a sacrifice to save his child from the cruel hand they’ve been dealt - it’s not easy but is love easy? The love that really means something, that sacrificial type of unity and devotion - this story is a perfect way to start this collection and showcases the powerhouse that is Richard Thomas.
  
  Clown Face
  
  This story is ominous, dark and so well done. Thomas makes you think one thing and then subverts that thinking to throw a fox amongst the chickens - this one really does have bite. The descriptions in this story showcase again the brilliance of Thomas and his grip on literary horror, there is beauty in his words, in his depictions of the macabre that you just don’t find in any book - these descriptions coupled with the wonderful sleight of hand in the story make this a wonderfully short but creepy read.
  
  Requital
  
  This is a story of pain and suffering and how much the soul can endure - our protagonist finds himself in a purgatory, eternal damnation awaits him and it’s all of his own making. Each time he wakes he sees the girl, it’s always the girl, and there is no escaping her or the pain and suffering that follows. I love how Thomas gives us just enough to make us know why he’s here, each part of the story builds the bigger picture and he allows the reader to fill in those gaps without overtly spelling it out (and i for one appreciated that) - many transgressions have led Graysen here and he’ll pay for every one…. ‘Open your eyes, Graysen.’
  
  Battle Not With Monsters
  
  A nightmarish vision into a serial killers mind - Thomas paints this in stunning lyrical prose, detailing fabulously the conflicting thoughts, the need to be discovered and the anxiety of the chase. This one builds to a fabulously dark and visceral ending (which I loved) which reminded me of American Psycho and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer in tone - also there is no mistaking there are some Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer seasoning too.
  
  Saudade
  
  A prophet like being walks a dystopian landscape in a never ending loop; trying to change what is to come. Think Groundhog Day blended with elements of Mad Max or a film where some virus has wiped out the population - or better yet a darl spin on Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’.
  
  
  Hiraeth
  
  A coming of age tale drenched in folklore and wonder. A young boy and his family struggle to survive in a desolate wasteland of a town, their only chance of survival selling their crop for things that will last them in the harsh winter - but the boy finds something else in the town that his heart desires more than the supplies he brings home after each trip.
  
  Nodus Tollens
  
  In ‘Nodus Tollens’ you would be mistaken for believing it were a long lost story by Richard Matheson. This one reads like the demented offspring of his story ‘The Box’ in tone and execution, but having said that it’s given that very Richard Thomas twist. A man at a poker game where the stakes are high gets more than he ever bargained for from a stranger.
  
  How Not To Come Undone
  
  After watching a meteorite shower a set of twins soon discover that they got more than they bargained for that night as they develop some additional skills, new attributes that some celebrate and worship, bringing offerings to the special children with the gifts from the stars.
  
  From Within
  
  This is an interesting story, I don’t think I’ve seen Thomas do science fiction before, but I have to say I’m a fan, this is dark sci-fi (is that even a thing?) - the story of a man and his son as they struggle to survive this new way of life, a life of mining and providing for those that watch over them, those that rule. But what can the boy offer that will suffice?
  
  The Caged Bird Sings In A Darkness Of Its Own Creation
  
  I was lucky enough to have read this story a couple of years ago now, Richard Thomas was invited to enter a story for an anthology I was pulling together with STORGY called ‘Shallow Creek’ - he was the perfect fit for our crazy little town, but he didn’t have an easy task, Richard’s story had to take in all of the stories before it and come up with a fitting conclusion - and he smashed it out of the park! This is Thomas at his lyrical best, a literary horror story told with beauty and an innate darkness that drips from every line, this ones about a clown again… but I don’t think anyone could guess where this story goes!
  
  In His House
  
  A story in the form of a rescue letter or suicide note… you make up your mind. This one has Lovecraft vibes and the writer of the letter really resonates with the reader. I enjoyed the aspect that this was a letter sent out into the world, so end up on lampposts, some on the internet, email and also some appearing in collections / anthologies. That was a cool twist!
  
  Open Waters
  
  What one will do to escape their current predicament, our protagonist escapes into virtual reality to flee from his life and the way the world is, but what happens when he decides to stay a little longer than he should? Another science fiction story from Thomas that has its feet firmly planted in something Philip K Dick would write - I figured the ending out a little earlier than I should but it still makes a powerful read!
  
  Undone
  
  This story would fit firmly in the weird fiction category; along with Thomas’ grasp on dark fiction - it’s a tale of survival, of birth and transformation, told under the canopy of a dystopian world. Where things are not as they seem, where birth is a transcendence into the great unknown.
  
  Ring of Fire
  
  The longest story of the bunch and with that comes a fabulously woven tale from Thomas which allows him time to craft a truly memorable tale that is dark and sinister in tone, told with the backdrop of confinement, isolation and dread. I won’t go into this story in too much detail because Thomas has many threads in this story and to pull on one will unravel it for the reader - I’ll just say that what he achieves is truly masterful!
• 
  Christa Wojciechowski

  Picasso is credited with saying, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” With Spontaneous Human Combustion, you will see how a master writer demonstrates this kind of virtuosity.
  
  Each story in this collection is rich in atmosphere, nostalgia, human connection, sociological questions, and psychological insight. Thomas makes us feel sympathy for the most heinous characters, forcing us to look within and confront our own flaws. There is the constant plea for forgiveness, and the always lingering hope that it will be given, or that it already has been.
  
  My favorite stories were:
  
  Battle Not with Monsters—a peek into a serial killer’s psyche and his lair (think of pillows stuffed with human hair).
  
  How not to Come Undone—magically written, foreboding yet whimsical, a story that proves no one is beyond saving if someone loves them enough.
  
  Hiraeth—a sweet, cozy fairy tale that leaves you with a lingering glow.
  
  In His House—wickedly fun, clever, and unsettling.
  
  This distinctive collection is for horror, sci-fi, and speculative readers who crave a deeper experience, as well as for writers who want to learn what exciting things can be done with dark fiction.
• 
  David

  14 stories, strange, odd, and most of them beyond my understanding. I know that is a weird thing to say, but it's true. Most of these stories were hard to wrap my head around.
  But I did really dig the shit out of three of them. Nodus Tollens, Open Waters, and Ring of Fire.
  
  The first of these having a real Twilight Zone vibe. Open Waters felt like and episode straight out of Black Mirror, which I love. Lastly, Ring of Fire which is haunting and leaves you with a feeling of Deja Vu or a glimmer of a memory from a dream. All in all an interesting read. Many thanks for my advanced copy for review.
• 
  Dale

  Review of the new short story collection, Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas. From Keylight Books – an imprint of Turner Publishing
  
  I was once very involved with the horror community. The genre changed completely over the years I was inactive and when I started writing again, I barely recognize the genre or most of the people in it. I wasn't familiar with the work of Richard Thomas.
  
  When his publisher’s PR department asked me if I’d be interested in getting a review copy of his new collection, Spontaneous Human Combustion , the press kit was key to getting me to agree. A blurb from the writer of Fight Club, convinced me that I wasn’t in for standard horror fare and the list of publications and awards (as well as reviews of previous work) confirmed that this is indeed a writer with some chops. So, I said yes.
  
  When the book arrived, I dove in with some anticipation and immediately regretted it. I hated the first story. An extremely passive and dry first person memoire from the POV of a horrible person, “Regret” pushed all the wrong buttons inside me. It felt stilted and cliched, full of telling instead of showing. If I had encountered the collection in the wild, I might have gone no further than that story.
  
  The second story, “Clown Face” did not sufficiently improve my opinion. There was some nice writing and a cool experimental idea at the core. But again – it was told through the perspective of a character that was even more despicable that the guy in the first story. Despite signs that Thomas is indeed a stylist of the first order, the subject matter grated against my sensibilities. Horror for the sake of being horrible is not enthralling. And here were two successive main characters who elicited neither empathy nor interest. Grey and offputting.
  
  I felt like I was trapped in a bit of a dilemma. A huge list of writers I admire had praised Thomas to the skies. A negative review from me would clash with the tastes of so many people I admire in the genre! It seemed to be what was on the horizon. I had agreed to write the review and my own integrity would be compromised if I was less than honest.
  
  No less than Chuck Palahniuk had said, "In range alone, Richard Thomas is boundless. He is Lovecraft. He is Bradbury. He is Gaiman."
  
  The dread with which I began the third story did not come from the frightening subject matter.
  As “Requital” starts, we’re still in the same territory as the first two tales, again in the head of a self-reflecting and nasty character. But there is something different – a florid elevation of the language, a pulpy, stream-of-consciousness voice that is both ridiculous and compelling. The story flips backward and forward in time without losing me. I realize that I am catching just a single tantalizing glimpse of something ancient and immense. And then it ends. Masterfully. A brilliant story.
  
  I am very encouraged.
  
  The next story, “Battle Not With Monsters” reminds me a great deal of “Regret” – with its unsympathetic self-hating main character moving through a much more involving, spiritual, and more proactive penitence.
  
  “Saudade” is surreal from tip to tail – a biblical hallucinogenic recurring nightmare. “Hiraeth” is a dark, magic realist fairy tale. There is a fascinating fusion of genres in both these stories, which both feel more allegorical than they actually are.
  
  “Nodus Tullens” revisits a more traditional American horror landscape. It’s well done but offers nothing I haven’t read many times before.
  
  Clearly “How Not to Come Undone” is not a horror story. It is a surreal, metaphorical, metaphysical, magic-realist, modern fable. Palahniuk was not exaggerating about Thomas’s range.
  
  “From Within” covers a similar range of genres, but with a breathtaking Lovecraftian bleakness. Maybe my favourite story in the book. The otherworldly child hero filled me equally with pride and horror – a strange and intriguing blend of emotions if there ever was one.
  
  Over the course of the next few stories, Thomas ably touches down in more classic Lovecraft territory; conventional near future horror land; and in a literary Last Exit to Brooklyn dystopian battle for survival against hopeless odds.
  
  The book ends with the surrealistic dystopian novella, “Ring of Fire,” Wherein a man with a strange sort of dynamic amnesia is put through a succession of nightmares that lead to an ending that is not just transformative but evolutionary. I was riveted to this simultaneously grim and hopeful story. My main beef about the book is probably the way that epilogue is separated from the main story. I thought it referenced the end of the book. I put the book away when I hit the blank page before the epilogue – because it didn’t even appear to be fiction, let alone the ending to the story I just finished. Had I not been about to write a review, I may not have looked twice. Hopefully someone will address that before the February 22nd launch.
  
  The redemption theme certainly runs through the collection. It’s strange that the further away the author got from traditional real world horror, the more the stories resonated with me. The more unfathomable the worlds he created, the closer to home the tales struck.
• 
  Claudia

  This is hard to review because I knew I was in trouble almost immediately. This is not my style for reading which is absolutely no fault of the story and author themselves. Most of these stories are conceptual horror, where the terror is seeping and slowly filling the story and things are not really explained at all.
  
  I know its common to complain about showing and not telling but this was all showing and very little telling in most of these stories. Which is fine! Its the better end of the spectrum but I think it would have worked better for me for most of these stories in print instead of audio. Because I got lost in what happened exactly for several of the stories.
  
  In the audio format there is actually author commentary which is super cool to hear about the writing process and the editing and anthology process that is involved in short story horror. I had no idea! After one story, the author commented that he was worried that people wouldn’t get what happened in a particular story and I hate to say that I totally didn’t get what happened. Again, this is on me for not being a particularly analytical reader (or listener in this case) so I think I just lost some threads or got lost in the visuals.
  
  I don’t want to summarize or review stories individually because I think horror is best gone into as blind as possible. Since they are short, there isn’t really a good way to talk about them without giving at least a bit away.
  
  My favorite stories in the anthology were ones that he said did not fit his regular style. So there ya go. Its not you, its me. If you like conceptual horror, want to think, and can definitely deal with some gore than this might be more for you!
  
  Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio for the copy of this audiobook!
  
• 
  Irene Well Worth A Read

  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.
• 
  Austrian Spencer

  This collection of shorts was my introduction to Richard Thomas’ work, and I’d heard good things about it from both Lezlie (Nerdy Narrative) and Ross Jeffery, and even though I’d bought the pre-order, Richard was kind enough to send me an ARC pdf copy.
  
  There are fourteen stories in the collection, including a longer novella “Ring of Fire” as the last piece. Of those fourteen, I marked six stories that stood out in my notes as “Good”, two as “excellent”, four as “Ok” and two “not my thing”.
  
  All fourteen of the pieces were excellently written.
  
  I wanted to make that distinction. The voice here is staggering. Richard’s writing is highly stylized, it is tight, bleak, poetic, tinged with regret and penitence. Also - all of the stories were vastly different from each other. Regardless of my opinions on the pieces themselves, this book sells itself on the unmistakable voice of Mr. Thomas. That elegance is continued in the presentation of the book, the illustrations both set the mood and highlight themes in the individual pieces. Richard’s poetic prose is backlit right from the beginning – the whole feels incredibly polished.
  
  My two favorite pieces, “Repent” and “Hiraeth” are so intrinsically different from each other, it complements the breadth of all of the pieces – Yes, there are a couple of pieces that center on clowns, but no, they are totally different in presentation. There are elements here that went over my head, I’ll be the first to admit. The ending of Hiraeth” for example, one of my favorite pieces in the book – did I understand the ending? Probably not. Did it stop me from appreciating the skill in which the stories were constructed? Not in the least. Was the piece still brilliant, despite my lack of understanding?
  
  Absolutely.
  
  Richard also experiments with form, the piece “Undone” is one never-ending sentence, Richard controlling the breathing rhythm of the reader to the same state as his MC, on the run from their own body, time the enemy. It’s brilliant, experimental, I am a fan of risk-taking, it compliments Richard that he is pushing the boundaries. Presenting horror in ways that challenge the expectations of the reader.
  
  The editing was perfect, there’s not a full stop misplaced.
  
  I’m giving the collection 4 out of 5 ⭐ ‘s. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Richard. I’ll be looking out for one of your novels in the coming months.
• 
  Ben Arzate

  4.5 Stars
  
  
  Full Review
  
  Spontaneous Human Combustion is a solid collection of horror tales with excellent prose. The underlying dread of something horrible having happened that requires an act of penance, and the terrible realization that it will be inevitably thrust upon you pulses underneath everyone. I highly recommend this book, especially to fans of horror.
• 
  John Collins

  Easily, one of the best collections I’ve ever read.
• 
  Alexandra

  Will have to try this another time its pretty good though!
• 
  J! (Paper Cuts Live)

  Video Review:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7aV...
  
  Here we have a new short story collection from Richard Thomas. And this is actually my first time reading anything from Thomas, so I was excited to jump in and explore a new adventure. A short story collection is a good way to see someone’s range. I was not disappointed, finding different genres and sub-genres in this collection from dark fiction to horror to sci-fi.
  
  Sometimes with a short story collection there is a theme. Sometimes something helps tie everything together, helps connect the dots. I’m not sure if I found the right theme or not, but I felt like every story showed every person has two sides. In some cases it seemed like the inner person in some of the stories was fighting to get out, to be released, while the person on the outside struggled to keep them in.
  
  This may be a stretch, but maybe it explains the cover showing a wolf or a beast of some sorts breaking out, and maybe it explains the title “Spontaneous Human Combustion” as in no longer able to hold in the creature.
  
  I enjoyed the collection for the most part. More than half of the stories grabbed my attention and kept me involved. On the other hand, I will say there were a handful I just couldn’t connect with. It seemed like a struggle and too much work to get involved. But the collection as a whole had many different concepts keeping my attention.
  
  This appears to be a good representation of Thomas’ range in different styles. Most were good, and enjoyable. But there were a few times where I felt the frantic style of writing wore thin and exhausted me. Most of the stories were inviting and grabbed you, getting you involved. But the ones that I felt were frantic pushed me away.
  
  There wasn’t a formula for the lengths of the stories, which I appreciated because it shows Thomas didn’t force extra words stretching out some of the shorter stories to make them longer. This helped with the pacing a lot. And really now that I think about it, I couldn’t tell while reading the collection which stories were longer than the others. The flow kept everything moving forward.
  
  I will however mention a few times on some of the longer stories I got wrapped up in, the ending came a little abrupt and the story was over, just like that. Almost like the ending was cut short. I only recognized that a couple of times though.
  
  CLOWN FACE stuck out for me. It’s a nice build up where you think you are reading about a sad lonely rodeo clown or circus clown going through the motions, until you catch the twist at the end.
  
  NODUS TOLLENS got interesting, like playing a game of chance, with a poker game and a twisted ending. I kinda wish the ending was expanded a little more on that one though.
  
  UNDONE is weird, but enough weird to keep me in it. Not weird enough to make me say screw it I’m giving up.
  
  RING OF FIRE is a good ending to the collection. In fact I could see this one being even longer, expanding some, because it felt like there were a couple of different paths the main plotline could go down.
  
  There are definitely more ups than there are downs in this collection. Thomas has a great voice in creating characters you’re not supposed to like, you should despise, but they have a small dim light fighting to shine through enough for you to notice, and maybe change your mind, until of course they let you down somehow. There also seems to be a lot of redemption, which could very well be the real theme.
  
  Richard Thomas can definitely write the grimy pulpy side of dark fiction while spanning across a handful of other genres.
  
  Thanks to Turner Publishing for sending over a copy for my opinion.
  This is Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas
  
• 
  Wayne Fenlon

  Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas is right up there with the best of them. It's line by line mastery. Chuck Palahniuk's quote on the front cover saying Richard Thomas is Lovecraft, Bradbury, and Gaiman is absolutely spot on. I was thinking the exact same thing.
  It's too difficult to pick favourites when a collection feels this complete, so I'm not going to. I'm just going to say you need to buy this now.
  If this one doesn't pick up any awards then something is seriously wrong.
  Five stars doesn't seem enough.
  Different class.
• 
  Bill

  An excellent, eclectic collection of shorts.
  
  4+ Stars
• 
  Chelsea

  I thought from the first story that this collection wasn't going to be for me, and I was right. Some of them were ok, but most were bad.
• 
  Ben Long

  **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.
• 
  Heidi

  Spontaneous Human Combustion is a short story collection that is a deep experience putting the reader on a different level.
  
  Gives off intermingled vibes of the 7 deadly sins woven within as the stories reach different plateaus.
  
  Usually with short story collections there will be some that "irk" me because they are just too short and don't complete some invisible circle in my head. Not so with these! I loved every story in their own ways. I did have to reread story #10 (A Caged Bird Sings In A Darkness Of Its Own Creation) to get a grasp because I got led off trail with that one but that's on me. Once reread understanding complete.
  
  My 3 favorites: Story #11 In His House
  Story #7 Nodus Tollens
  Story #14 Ring Of Fire
  
  Some of the best opening sentences I have come across. It sucks you in to the story rather quickly with opening sentences like these!
  
  "When the red sea of rage washes over me"
  (Story #4 Battle Not With Monsters)
  
  "In the beginning, there was no pattern to the sacrifice, merely one more thing to clean up after a long, hard day"
  (Story #1 Repent)
  
  "Have I told you about the monkeys?"
  (Story #14 Ring Of Fire)
  
  Richard Thomas knows how to hook the reader and set the hook deep!
  
  So if you are looking for cringeworthy & dark short stories that are told by a Master Storytelling Artist/Author look no further. Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas is the book to pick up!
  5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• 
  Bret Burks

  I received an ARC of this amazing collection
  last year and I have savoured it, devouring one story a week til the breathtaking finale of the novellette, Ring Of Fire.
  This collection is wonderful. The stories run from the subtle exquisite depravity of Clown Face to the stark horror of Ring Of Fire, worlds of madness spinning from one mind numbing scenario to the next with not a clue as to where the path leads...the one thing these tales have in common, the sole connecting thread is that they are all a part of the human condition. The threat may be monstrous but the solution is never beyond the realm of belief.
• 
  Stephanie

  ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.
  
  I really enjoyed this whole collection of stories! The audiobook was put together so well with intro music at the beginning of each story, a note from the author after, and different narrators for every story. Without giving any spoilers, my favorite stories were the one with the Halloween poker and coin flip, and the virtual reality takeover with the man living with his cat. So so good. If you like horror without all the bloody violence or jump scares, this is the book for you! I’m sure when this releases I’ll be buying myself a copy!
• 
  Stephen Bouren

  Easily one of the best short story collections I've ever read. Right up there with Stephen Graham Jones' "After The People Lights Have Gone Off," and Karen Russell's "Orange World." While it's definitely got a neo-noir bend throughout, it manages to inject a little hope as well. Not too much, mind you, which is just the way I like it.
• 
  Magen • Bone Chilling Books

  If you like short stories and horror, science fiction, and fantasy, I highly recommend this book by Richard Thomas.
• 
  C.B. Jones

  4.5 stars
  
  As I have delved more into reading horror and weird fiction over the past several years, Richard Thomas is a name that I’ve often seen floating around. He was an editor-in-chief at Dark House Press that released the fantastic Stephen Graham Jones collection, After the People Lights Have Gone Out. He is a promoter and mentor of up-and-coming authors, with many articles appearing on LitReactor. And he is an author in his own right, having published a few novels and collections (the first story I ever read of his is here: Twenty Reasons , stop now and read it. It will take less than 3 minutes and you won’t be disappointed).
  
  Spontaneous Human Combustion is Richard’s latest work. Debuting at Keylight Books earlier this year with a convincing blurb by Chuck Palahniuk emblazoned on the cover, one can’t help but think this is Thomas’s big swing for the fences, a breakthrough publication after paying his dues over the years.
  
  A friend of mine recently said that he prefers his short stories that leave him with a degree of uncertainty at the end, knocked out and a little unsure of what exactly happened. That is certainly the case in this collection. In many of these stories, there is a veil of obfuscation covering the resolution and answers. Understanding feels just out of grasp, your brain filling in the holes with unworded terrors. It is a stylistic choice that is meant to invoke a sort of wonder and awe (Either that or I’m just a bit daft.)
  
  The stories almost beg to be read a second time to look for clues. Thomas is not being frustratingly enigmatic; it feels like there are definitive answers to most of the stories, others seem a little open to interpretation.
  
  There are a wide variety of tales in here. “Repent” opens the collection with a dark neo-noir, whispers of witchcraft and dark magic at its margins, an examination of a life lived and all the bad decisions made. “Battle Not With Monsters” is a story in a similar vein yet with a serial killer vibe, a hallucinatory confession, the sum of a life and the dark deeds committed (or not).
  
  If crime and noir aren’t your thing, fear not. There are plenty more genres that Thomas is willing to explore. Fans of Black Mirror might be just as taken as I was with “Open Waters” and the turns it took. Ditto for the longer piece, “Ring of Fire”, that closes the collection.
  Post-apocalyptic sci-fi is the name of the game for the stories “Saudade” and “From Within”, both stories offering significantly different visions of humankind’s final days. One involves giant aliens that float across the sky like Goodyear blimps.
  
  “Nodus Tollens” is a favorite. It’s got a real Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt type of story, a moralistic fable. An old-school horror.
  
  I have never felt the pull to explore dark fantasy or any fantasy of the sort, but “Hirateth” got me re-thinking this preference. Still, there’s something more going on here. If you figure it out, let me know.
  
  Finally, you’d be hard pressed to find a better or more unsettling Lovecraft homage than “In His House.” It’s actually addressed directly to you. Better check it out while you can.
  
  In closing, Spontaneous Human Combustion, offers a thrilling and riveting collection of stories. There is deep emotion at the center of these and despite the oftentimes dark subject matter, it never loses sight of that human connection, that emotion. Thomas knows what it is that grounds us and uses that strength to guide these stories to their darkest corners and back again.
  
  
• 
  Kenneth Geary (KagedBooks)

  A dark and disturbing look into human psyche.
  
  ARC review; Releases 2/22/2022
  A collection of 14 stories that originally appeared in other collections, sort of a Richard Thomas primer; which is good for me as I somehow have never heard of the author before. These stories vary in almost all aspects: genre, length, POV, tone, etc, but all circle around a theme of the darker sides of the human condition consuming the characters sometimes even releasing the inner beast.
  
  I really enjoyed the majority of these stories, for me the top stand outs were Battle Not With Monsters because it felt real in way of what could happen if there are unanswered calls for help, and Nodus Tollens as it felt like it could have come out Tales from the Crypt, the story I least connected with was How Not to Come Undone and it still was a decent story.
  
  If you have triggers this probably is not the collection for you, but I really enjoyed it. I tend get bogged down in longer fiction as rule so it’s nice to break the mold occasionally.
  
  I consumed this book via audiobook; Each story has it’s own narrator which I really enjoyed for a short story collection. There were some issues with quality when changing the speed of narration. On Audible my baseline speed is 1.4X…this is my first book I’ve listened to in the Netgalley app so I’m not sure if this is due to it being an ARC and final audio editing is happening or if it’s just an issue with the app. You’d think the 1.5x would be 1.5x regardless of app but there are definitely difference if the file is not designed to be sped up.
  Special thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing access to this ARC.
  I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
  
  
  Forward
  
  I don’t always read the forward but as I’ve never read Richard Thomas before I decided to give it a shot. Brian Evenson delivers a compelling forward that definitely peaks my interest in the anthology. I do think it could have been cut down some to greater affect but all and all it does it’s job and makes me excited to dive in.
  ———
  Repent
  
  The noir feeling of a bad kid growing Into a worse cop felt gritty and plausible. I actually like that he was a pretty static character even a valiant act was done for his own desires and while there are nods to trying alternate routes he ultimately chooses a dark path.
  ———
  Clown face
  
  Umm disturbing yet not much to it. A decent micro fiction moment in time. I just prefer more to stories
  ——-
  
  Requital
  
  Dark insight into guilt consuming someone’s dark deeds. At least that’s how I read before the authors note mentions the little girl is something evil really makes you have to wonder if this is his guilt or something that is being done to him.
  ———
  Battle not with monsters
  
  This has been my favorite so far, ironic as in the authors note indicates this one had numerous rejections over 7 years.
  
  A dark look at someone that is truly disturbed, who is both aware yet completely obvious to their actions. A person that may have been helped but went unnoticed in a sea of more oblivious bad people and had to seek a darker absolution. To me it felt akin to Dexter if Harry hadn’t shaped him into the weapon he became.
  ———
  
  Saudade
  
  Even before the authors note this gave strong Dark Tower feels, with a dash of children of the corn. I actually really like these circular stories with a slight changes each in each loop. I’d like to see this one expanded and know more about the story.
  ——-
  Hiraeth
  
  As noted above the NetGalley app audio seems off but this one really hit robot levels of distortion.
  
  But the story itself, a darker less fantastical Jack and beanstalk feeling story, added into a young romance. And then takes a hard twist into the wtf just happened. I’m left feeling unsure about my feelings of the story
  
  I think this was more on me for not understanding mixed with the poor audio quality.
  ———
  Nodus Tollens
  
  Deals in the dark with strangers are rarely a thing that turns out well for those involved. This is an engaging cautionary tale, where your windfall may not be the saving grace you were looking for. I enjoyed it.
  ———-
  How Not to Come Undone
  
  Interesting magical realism involving twins but didn’t really engage me in the way I’d expect from the premise.
  ————
  From Within
  
  I liked this one it packs a lot into a short story. it has a bleakness not always seen in sci-fi, yet leaves room for hope. I’d read a longer form of this story.
  ———-
  The Cages Bird Sings in a Darkness of Its Own Creation
  
  This one took some time for me to find the grove and I had to go back and listen again but it’s well written and it ask some interesting larger questions and let’s the reader interpret them in there own way. For a story that didn’t immediately grab me I think it says something that I thinks it’s one of the top stories in the collection upon my second listen.
  ———
  In His House
  
  Definitely felt the Lovecraft vibes in this story even before the direct references. It’s interesting as it’s presented in the form of a missive that by the end seems as if it’s speaking to the reader themselves.
  ———-
  Open Waters
  
  A dark look into a plausible dystopian future. A little black mirror mixed with Phillip K. Dick. It’s sad in it’s possibility.
  ———
  Undone
  Told as a single run on sentence. Gives the reader a sense of anxiety and desperation for a period for an end, for a question unanswered, or even worse a question truly answered. It ramps up as it goes on leaving the reader feeling the fear, exhaustion, and terror of the characters.
  Leading towards the truly odd metamorphic ending.
  ———-
  
  Ring of Fire
  
  This one was lot. It’s the longest story of the collection that explores isolationism and change, but it’s hard to get into it without spoiling as it could go a lot of different ways. The inclusion of more “spice” was a little off putting not that I’m opposed to that in books it just seemed out of place with the rest of the collection. I did end up enjoying this story by the end.
• 
  Rhonda

  (A note about the rating: I think Thomas is still growing as a writer, and, as good as he is now, his best is yet to come. So I'm saving that last star.)
  
  I had read quite a few of Thomas's stories and two of his novels, Disintegration and Breaker before settling in to read my advanced reading copy of Spontaneous Human Combustion, his forthcoming collection of short stories. I thought I had some idea of what to expect, but what I didn't realize was the manner in which his stories would infect me. I held my judgment on the collection until I had finished it, and then I waited a few days to determine if that staying power was there, and what it was that would stay with me. I've discovered that I will be haunted by some of these stories for a very long time, perhaps always, as if they have squirreled their way into my DNA.
  
  Let me start by saying that these are not stories about what goes bump in the night. Most of them aren't stories about external threats at all, although one of my favorites is an exception to this (more on that later). Instead, in the manner of some of the original American gothic writers, Thomas's most fertile ground is the darkness of each human's heart. In the majority of the stories, perhaps eleven or twelve of the fourteen, he writes in first person, inviting the reader into tortured or tortuous souls of his protagonists. Most of the time (in perhaps all but two or three of the stories), that protagonist is the evil. But as with most human evils, that designation is complex. His protagonists are typically family men, who love wives and children deeply and tenderly.
  In fact, father love is a prevailing theme in Thomas's fiction. For that reason, readers can't help but to identify. We, too, love passionately, and, for that reason we hope that we can be redeemed by that love, as the father in "Repent" does. And like that father, we fear that our love for family is not enough to tip the scales against the darkness inside of us. Or we are helpless to protect those we love, as the father in "From Within" finds himself to be. The ache of this father love is part of what gives Thomas's work its staying power.
  
  This collection of fourteen stories shows an incredible range. It dips into Lovecraft's universe in "In His House." (Read carefully and you can avoid, as I did, repeating that phrase three times--why tempt those dark forces?) It gives some classic clown horror, a disturbing unmasking to reveal what so many of us have imagined. It shows us dark futures shot through with hope in "From Within" and "Ring of Fire" -- my personal favorites, perhaps because I, too, am a hopeful pessimist. Above all, this collection asks us to think about the true horrors of existence and about the sacrifices that must be made to hold those horrors at bay.
• 
  Grant Wamack

  I’ve known about Richard Thomas for years…always hearing great things about his work, but some reason never took the dive until now. On social media, he was offering up ARCs for his new short story collection and I decided to bite. Definitely worth it.
  
  I took notes in my phone while reading the book. So here they are below…
  
  Repent – nice prose and intense crescendo. Powerful descriptions. This man can write his ass off.
  
  Clownface – one of my faves…Thomas is flexing his writing muscles here and I’m here for it. Narrator shows us around this mysterious space that houses this Clownface figure. Thomas really knows how to move the reader emotionally. Slight undertones of Clive Barker.
  
  Requital – best story so far, Graysen keeps waking up in this heat shack in the desert. It’s like some strange form of hell, great prose and shape-shifting.
  
  Battle Not with Monsters – Cool Nietzsche reference. Serial killer cannibal…we’re immersed in this unhinged mind and Thomas puts us in the driver’s seat, plunging us deep into his disturbing reality/existence. Great story.
  
  Saudade – post apocalyptic landscape, angel thing walking around with visions of the future. Dark fantasy feel (wasn’t my cup of tea).
  
  Hiraeth – rural fairy tale, spells, magic…great descriptive writing. Immersive storytelling. Absolute standout in the collection.
  
  Caged Bird – ambitious tale of daunting clowns, shadows, a mysterious creator (slight Barker vibes), I wish Thomas wold write a full-length novel or novella focused on clowns because he really shines in this arena.
  
  In His House – cool Lovecraftian tale in the form of a letter.
  
  Open Waters – great sci-fi piece with hints of desperation…poetic prose; I like the way Thomas handles race in here as well. I want more of this.
  
  Undone – probably my favorite story, one long sentence drawn out over three pages. A couple’s car breaks down in the forest and it’s anxiety-inducing. The ending is chilling. This like watching Kobe put up 50+ points in a basketball game.
  
  Overall, Spontaneous Human Combustion is a great short story collection and Richard Thomas pulls off some masterful work. I can see myself returning to this exploring the themes of redemption, repentance, and transformation. I can’t wait to dig into the rest of his catalogue in the future.
• 
  Leanne Olson

  I went into reading this collection knowing very little about Richard Thomas’s work. What a fantastic surprise: this is a great collection of stories.
  
  Thomas’s work is dark, thoughtful, and immersive. There’s a vein of horror running through each of the stories, even when they at first seem to be science fiction, weird fiction, fantasy, or myth. At times, the stories in Spontaneous Human Combustion reminded me of the weirdness of Kristi Demeester or Jeff Vandermeer, or the bleak sci-fi of the TV series Black Mirror, but Thomas’s style is all his own.
  
  Thomas goes back to several themes throughout the collection: mistakes and forgiveness, choices, repentance, evolution. His characters are broken, sometimes evil people with a depth that is heartbreaking and hopeful. The writing is beautiful and every word is carefully chosen.
  
  A few of my favourite stories were:
  
  Repent - Where the author made me empathize with a seemingly irredeemable character.
  
  Saudade - A post-apocalyptic and mythic look at purgatory with a fantastic sense of place.
  
  Nodus Tollens - A tense deal-with-the-devil story (one of my favourite tropes) that stands out because of how Thomas gives his characters life.
  
  From within - A short, powerful sci-fi horror with a perfect opening sentence: “The first time they come to measure my son, he is only eleven years old.” Beautifully-written and quietly emotional.
  
  In his house - A complete surprise, very funny (or terrifying?), and I won’t spoil it for you.
  
  Ring of fire - A novella that made me think of the best Black Mirror or Outer Limits episodes, ending the collection on a hopeful and philosophical note.
  
  There were a few stories that didn’t work for me, or went over my head, but I found that even when I didn’t love a story, the imagery and prose was an absolute pleasure to read. I highly recommend this collection.
  
  Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy.