In this collection of short stories Richard Thomas shows us in dark, layered prose the human condition in all of its beauty and dysfunction. A man sits in a high tower making tiny, mechanical birds, longing for the day when he might see the sky again. A couple spends an evening in an underground sex club where jealousy and possession are the means of barter. A woman is victimized as a child, and turns that rage and vengeance into a lifelong mission, only to self-destruct, and become exactly what she battled against. These 20 stories will take you into the darkness, and sometimes bring you back. But now and then there is no getting out, the lights have faded, the pitch black wrapping around you like a festering blanket of lies. What will you do now? It's eat or be eaten-so bring a strong stomach and a hearty appetite. Praise for ''Staring into the Abyss'' "The stories in STARING INTO THE ABYSS are little literary predators that are smart, savage, and stealthy, with a lethal pounce at the end. Readers who enjoy finely-crafted and genuinely disturbing dark fiction will love Richard Thomas's outstanding collection." -Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Monsters in L.A. "STARING INTO THE ABYSS by Richard Thomas is an outstanding book, a grim tapestry of broken lives and shattered dreams, of dark fantasies and dark reflections. It's one of the better single-author collections I've had the pleasure to read in recent years, and as such, gets my highest recommendation. It's also a fine testament to a talent I suspect we are going to be hearing a lot more from, and soon." -Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, and Kin. "With STARING INTO THE ABYSS, Richard Thomas takes you on a ride into a world of darkness and despair, punches you in the gut, and leaves you breathless. You'll hug your psyche a little tighter after reading." -Damien Walters Grintalis, author of Ink "STARING INTO THE ABYSS is gritty and ugly, seductive and sexy. Inside these filthy walls you will find everything you've ever feared you'd become; thugs, drunks, cons, prostitutes, murderers. Think of these pages as a mirror of what anyone--even you--can become, after just a few critical mistakes in life. Richard Thomas has proven time and again that he is one of the rising stars in the neo-noir culture. With Staring into the Abyss, he proves he has mastered it." -Max Booth III, author of True Stories Told By a Liar and Black Cadillacs "NO ONE DOES IT like Richard Thomas. Dark and disturbing, his unique blend of horror and noir digs its way into your psyche and leaves you begging for more." -C. W. LaSart, author of Ad Nauseam Reviews: "Richard Thomas may well be the best author that you haven't heard of yet...The longest story in the collection ['Victimized'] is...one of the best short stories that I've ever read. This kind of transgressive fiction is absolutely my favorite style of writing, leaning close enough towards horror to satisfy all of my darker urges." -P.M. Buchan, Starburst Magazine "Richard Thomas is a workhorse who is no stranger to dark fiction. But with his newest anthology of short fiction...[he] cranks the intensity up a notch while simultaneously turning the dimmer switch all the way down...Richard Thomas presents his gritty vision of despair at an unflinching, rapid-fire pace." -Sean Leonard, Horror News "This collection examines darker elements of the human condition with a mixture of wit and unflinching brutality...There are some great stories here, ranging from subtle humor 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." -The Indiscriminate Critic

The sequel to London Shah's thrilling futuristic mystery The Light at the Bottom of the World, perfect for fans of Illuminae and These Broken Stars Leyla McQueen has finally reunited with her father after breaking him out of Broadmoor, the illegal government prison—but his freedom comes at a terrible cost. As Leyla celebrates his return, she must grapple with the pain of losing Ari. Now separated from the boy who has her heart and labeled the nation’s number one enemy, Leyla must risk illegal travel through unchartered waters in her quest for the truth behind her father's arrest. Across Britain, the fallout from Leyla's actions has escalated tensions between Anthropoid and non-Anthropoid communities, bringing them to an all-time high. And, as Leyla and her friends fight to uncover the startling truths about their world, she discovers her own shocking past—and the horrifying secrets behind her father’s abduction and arrest. But as these long-buried truths finally begin to surface, so, too, do the authorities’ terrible future plans. And if the ever-pervasive fear prevents the people from taking a stand now, the abyss could stay in the dark forever.

New York Times bestselling author Ian Douglas's virtuosic Star Corpsman series proves one thing: The Marines are still the toughest sons of guns in the galaxy. As Bravo Company defuses a hostage crisis on an orbiting mining station, Navy Corpsman Elliot "Doc" Carlyle not only saves the lives of a wounded Marine and two extraterrestrial friendlies—he averts a terrorist strike intended to kill billions. His reward? Deployment on a recon mission into the darkest depths known to man. Abyss Deep is a foreboding ocean planet torn by extremes: boiling storm world on one side, unbroken glacier on the other. Humans established a research colony there to study the planet's giant sea serpents—but the colony has gone ominously silent. When Carlyle's team arrives, they discover a vessel belonging to a warlike alien species hovering above the atmosphere. But below the ice lurks a mystery so chilling it will make even Elliot Carlyle's blood run cold.

Cassandra Leung’s been a sea monster trainer ever since she could walk, raising genetically engineered beast to defend ships crossing the NeoPacific ... until pirates snatch her from the blood-stained decks.

The sea holds many mysteries . . . but one is truly out of this world! When divers attempt to retrieve a sunken U.S. submarine, they discover a powerful force lurking deep beneath the sea, ready to unleash war, chaos and destruction! Ties in to the sensational summer movie.

Eighteen-year-old Cas Leung struggles with her morality and her romantic relationship with fellow pirate Swift as she and the Minnow crew work to take down wild sea monsters, dubbed Hellbeasts, who are attacking ships and destroying the ocean ecosystem.

A passionate meditation on the consolations and disappointments of religion and poetry