Bent: Short Stories — Tom Lyons

An ordinary man living in a perfectly regulated society becomes discomfited by unbidden thoughts that question the status quo. Two Lebanese teenagers begin to drift apart as a civil war grows more violent. A retired Florida couple discovers that not all is well beneath the surface of their idyllic boating community.

"Bent" is a first-rate collection of riveting tales where intrigue, karma, and luck play out against a backdrop of geopolitical machinations careening out of control. Set in locales all over the globe, the stories explore a world in which greed, love, lust, and redemption are all intertwined. Taboos are broken, promises made and disregarded at will.

While an edict from Lyons's dystopian government in "Future Speak" states that there are "no questions, only answers," the stories in Bent serve to illuminate a simple truth: There are no answers, only questions. And those questions beget only more questions.

About the Author

Tom Lyons is the author of two novels, "Oink" and "Tune." He has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East, and has taken many overland trips to Asia, Africa, and South America. He produced the noted documentary "Secret Egypt."