Tribulations
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Stories in this new collection by Richard Thomas cover a wide range of dark fiction—from fantasy, science fiction and horror, to magical realism, neo-noir, and transgressive fiction. The common thread of Tribulations weaves these tragic tales together. They evoke suffering and sorrow, and the ways we emerge from such heartbreak stronger, more appreciative of what we have left—a spark of hope enough to guide us though the valley of death. Fireflies and wolves, ghosts and golems, tentacled beasts and demonic spirits—these psychological thrillers will hypnotize you as they slide the blade between your ribs, up close and personal, whispering in your ear as you gasp and pull them closer.
Tribulations contains 25 short stories by rising genre star Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration and Breaker, as well as two previous story collections.
“Richard Thomas is on the cutting edge of neo-noir fiction and I dare anyone to say different. Tribulations is his best yet: elegantly twisted, superbly creepy, and dripping darkness. This is required reading for anyone into the shadow side of literature.”
—Dread Central
“These stories speak to the things that haunt the darkest corners of the mind.”
—Hellnotes
About the Author:
Richard Thomas is the author of six books—Disintegration and Breaker (Random House Alibi), Transubstantiate (Otherworld Publications), and two short story collections, Herniated Roots (Snubnose Press) and Staring Into the Abyss (Kraken Press), as well as one novella in The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books). With over 100 stories published, his credits include Cemetery Dance, PANK, Gargoyle, Weird Fiction Review, Midwestern Gothic, Arcadia, storySouth, Qualia Nous, Chiral Mad 2 & 3, Gutted and Shivers VI. He is also the editor of four anthologies: The New Black and Exigencies (Dark House Press), The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Black Lawrence Press) and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk and Dennis Widmyer. In his spare time he is a columnist and teacher at LitReactor, an instructor at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press. His agent is Paula Munier at Talcott Notch. For more information visit www.whatdoesnotkillme.com.
Reviews
“The stories Richard Thomas tells are dark rooms. Sometimes they are filled with terrors—ghosts and jealousies and strange beasts. Sometimes they are empty. And this might be the most terrifying thing of all. At times sharp and biting and other times dreamy and lyrical, Thomas is a powerful writer and Tribulations is a stellar collection.”
—Kristi DeMeester, author of Split Tongues
Customer Reviews
Superior Storytelling
TRIBULATIONS by Richard Thomas is a collection of short stories that showcase human response and behavior when faced with sorrow and suffering. Do the characters succumb? Do they come out of the other side of tunnel stronger for what they survived, hopeful for what tomorrow brings?
This was not my first dance with the beauty of Richard Thomas's writing. I previously read his newest collection, SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSION and I was completely smitten with his storytelling ability. What I love most about reading his work - the story isn't over just because you've closed the cover or read the last page. These stories stay with you, in your thoughts as your imagination runs wild with all the possibilities of what could have happened, or maybe would have happened if it were a piece of longer fiction.
I love and appreciate how some of the stories tie in together. That always makes it so much fun for the reader to make the connection between locations or characters in a story that appears later in the collection. That's the sort of feeling we readers talk about when we say rereading a book feels like "coming home" - you feel like you've experienced something with this character or characters, you're invested and it always warms the heart to encounter them again.
There are 25 stories included in this collection and there is not a single one that I would remove. Each one I would rank individually as a top tier read. While they may all rank high up - it's for different reasons. Some filled me with hope, others filled me dread, terror. Some had me thinking about them for days, sifting through the information given and deciding just where I thought it would track if it were to continue. I experienced some that I thought were heartwarming, some that in turn broke my heart.
I would recommend Richard Thomas to anyone who loves stories that make you think, stories that run you through the whole spectrum of emotions and leave you breathless with just how freaking good they are.