bananabreanna 's review for:

Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas

4.75

dark tense medium-paced

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Every once in a while, I will be walking along at the library, and a random book somehow pops out at me out of nowhere. I've learned to follow this inexplicable instinct because I have come across some of my favorite books this way without any prior knowledge. This was one of those instances, and I am so grateful for the eerie 6th sense that alerted me to it. 

I took my time with this one because I really wanted to enjoy each story and let it sink in on its own. Short stories, particularly those which are dark in nature, are some of my favorite things to read, and this collection was solid. I will definitely be picking up more of Thomas' work in the future. 

Standouts: 

"In His House": a Cthulhu recruitment letter 

"Repent": one of the best short story endings I've read; a terrible human being turns to the dark arts to try to give his life purpose 

"Hiraeth": fantasy and horror mixed for a wonderful dark tale about a boy, a girl, and some horrible parents