Dive into the Best Short Stories of All Time

Labyrinths

496 pages

Borges' short stories are a unique experience that can redefine your understanding of the genre. His work is mystical and mysterious, offering a refreshing perspective that feels both profound and accessible.

Switch Bitch

186 pages

Switch Bitch is a fantastic read that showcases Dahl's unique storytelling style and wit, making it a must-read for fans of clever and engaging narratives.

Overcoat

82 pages

The Coat is a famous story that highlights Gogol's influence on Russian literature, as Dostoevsky noted that all Russian writers came from it.

The Island

374 pages

Chekhov's Sakhalin Island is an almost unknown gem of non-fiction, reflecting his cynical perspective after a life-changing trip.

The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol

463 pages

Gogol's St. Petersburg Tales delve into a more depressive tone, showcasing the darker side of life in the city.

The Yellow Wallpaper (Illustrated)

49 pages

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a 6,000-word short story by the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's physical and mental health. Presented in the first person, the story is a collection of journal entries written by a woman whose physician husband has confined her to the upstairs bedroom of a house he has rented for the summer. She is forbidden from working and has to hide her journal from him, so she can recuperate from what he calls a "temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency," a diagnosis common to women in that period. The windows of the room are barred, and there is a gate across the top of the stairs, allowing her husband to control her access to the rest of the house. The story depicts the effect of confinement on the narrator's mental health and her descent into psychosis. With nothing to stimulate her, she becomes obsessed by the pattern and color of the wallpaper. "It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw - not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things. But there is something else about that paper - the smell! ... The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper! A yellow smell." In the end, she imagines there are women creeping around behind the patterns of the wallpaper and comes to believe she is one of them. She locks herself in the room, now the only place she feels safe, refusing to leave when the summer rental is up. "For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow. But here I can creep smoothly on the floor, and my shoulder just fits in that long smooch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way." A woman gradually suffers a mental breakdown as a result of confinement and denial of her creative energies by her husband.

Stephen King, American Master

403 pages

Fascinating facts, trivia, and little-known details about the Master of the Macabre’s life from the “world’s leading authority on Stephen King” (Entertainment Weekly). New York Times–bestselling author Stephen Spignesi has compiled interviews, essays, and loads of facts and details about all of Stephen King’s work into this fun and informative compendium for the author’s many fans, from the casual to the fanatical! Did you know. . . ? In his early teens, Stephen King sold typed copies of his short stories at school. King originally thought his novel Pet Sematary was too frightening to publish. King’s legendary Dark Tower series took him more than 30 years to write. Thinner was the novel that revealed his “Richard Bachman” pseudonym to the world. King wrote The Eyes of the Dragon for his daughter Naomi. He has never liked Stanley Kubrick’s film version of his novel The Shining. It took him four years to write what some consider his magnum opus, IT. The 2017 film version of IT has grossed more than $700 million worldwide. In addition to novels, King has written essays, plays, screenplays, and even poetry.

The Langoliers

304 pages

A captivating narrative where a group of passengers is unexpectedly teleported to a different dimension, leading to intriguing twists.

Blade Runner

138 pages

More than just a box office flop which entered the midnight movie circuit, Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' has gone on to become a cult classic which continues to inspire and influence the latest cinema releases. This book studies the legacy of the film.

Werehunter

378 pages

This novella is a brilliant example of how Lackey excels in shorter formats, providing a tight and engaging story without the padding found in her longer works.

Maps in a Mirror

686 pages

If you're into sci-fi and weird fiction, this book is a must-read, showcasing Card's imaginative narratives.

Skin and Other Stories

216 pages

This story captures the intense experience of a WWII soldier facing a life or death situation, making it a gripping read.

Nine Stories

157 pages

This story features the unforgettable Seymour Glass, a character that truly resonates and leaves a lasting impression.

Rikki-tikki-tavi

52 pages

A fascinating tale about a brave mongoose who protects a family, showcasing themes of courage and loyalty.

Ray Bradbury Stories

980 pages

This collection is a treasure for any fan of Ray Bradbury, as it encompasses all his short stories, offering a comprehensive look at his unique storytelling.

THE WILLOWS

46 pages

This eBook edition of "The Willows" has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. The Willows is one of Blackwood's best known works and has been influential on a number of later writers. Horror author H.P. Lovecraft considered it to be the finest supernatural tale in English literature. Throughout the story Blackwood personifies the surrounding environment—river, sun, wind—and imbues them with a powerful and ultimately threatening character. Most ominous are the masses of dense, desultory, menacing willows, which "moved of their own will as though alive, and they touched, by some incalculable method, my own keen sense of the horrible." - Two friends are midway on a canoe trip down the Danube River. After managing to land their canoe for the evening, during the night and into the next day and night, the mysterious, hostile forces emerge in force, including large, dark shapes that seem to trace the consciousness of the two men… Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre.

SONNY S BLUES

88 pages

Genius Loci

70 pages

Genius Loci, the spirit of a place… Amberville attempts to capture the genius loci of a strange and haunting place…

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream

167 pages

Seven stunning stories of speculative fiction by the author of A Boy and His Dog. In a post-apocalyptic world, four men and one woman are all that remain of the human race, brought to near extinction by an artificial intelligence. Programmed to wage war on behalf of its creators, the AI became self-aware and turned against humanity. The five survivors are prisoners, kept alive and subjected to brutal torture by the hateful and sadistic machine in an endless cycle of violence. This story and six more groundbreaking and inventive tales that probe the depths of mortal experience prove why Grand Master of Science Fiction Harlan Ellison has earned the many accolades to his credit and remains one of the most original voices in American literature. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream also includes “Big Sam Was My Friend,” “Eyes of Dust,” “World of the Myth,” “Lonelyache,” Hugo Award finalist “Delusion for a Dragon Slayer,” and Hugo and Nebula Award finalist “Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes.”

The Overcoat

49 pages

It is the story of a sincere young clerk who makes great sacrifices to attain an "overcoat" of untold value and power. Representing the mighty bureaucracy, Akaky dies of a broken heart when his beloved smart coat is stolen. The story takes an interesting turn when he returns for his coat from the buyer. This story symbolizes the reprisal of lower class against the dominance of the ruling class.

Hanns Heinz Ewers Volume I

262 pages

Short Stories and essays by Hanns Heinz Ewers and now translated by Joe E Bandel. Stories include: The Spider, The Crucified Clown, Delphi, The Curve, My Burial, Anthropoovaropartus, The Death of Baron Jesus Maria von Friedel, The Button Collection, Bible Billy, The Blue Indians,My Mother the Witch, Sibylla Madruzzo,Intoxication and Art and Edgar Allan Poe.

The Cold Equations & Other Stories

304 pages

This is a collection of stories by a master of science fiction adventure, with added dimensions of speculation and cold, hard realism.

Conversations with Ray Bradbury

252 pages

Presents a collection of interviews with twentieth-century novelist, short story writer, and playwright, Ray Bradbury, that covers five decades of his life and works.

Short Friday

258 pages

The short story 'Cunegunde' is a standout in this collection, making it a must-read for anyone who appreciates captivating storytelling.

The Nightingale and the Rose

11 pages

The Nightingale and the Rose - Oscar Wilde - A nightingale overhears a student complaining that his professor's daughter will not dance with him, as he is unable to give her a red rose. The nightingale visits all the rose-trees in the garden, and one of the white roses tell her that there's a way to produce a red rose, but only if the nightingale is prepared to sing the sweetest song for the rose all night, and sacrifice her life to do so. Seeing the student in tears, the nightingale carries out the ritual, and impales herself on the rose-tree's thorn so that her heart's blood can stain the rose. The student takes the rose to the professor's daughter, but she again rejects him because another man has sent her some real jewels, and "everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers." The student angrily throws the rose into the gutter, returns to his study of metaphysics, and decides not to believe in true love anymore.

Welcome to the Monkey House

308 pages

This collection of about 25 short stories showcases Vonnegut's unique storytelling style, making it a must-read for fans of thought-provoking fiction.

The Neil Gaiman Reader

700 pages

This collection is particularly enjoyable, with October being a standout month that captures the essence of Gaiman's imaginative storytelling.

What Do I Read Next? 2002

710 pages

By identifying similarities in various books, this annual selection guide helps readers to independently choose titles of interest published in the last year.Each entry describes a separate book, listing everything readers need to know to make selections. Arranged by author within six genre sections, detailed entries provide: Title Publisher and publication dateSeriesNames and descriptions of charactersTime period and geographical settingReview citationsStory typesBrief plot summarySelected other books by the authorSimilar books by different authorsAuthor, title, series, character name, character description, time period, geographic setting and genre/sub-genre indexes are included to facilitate research.

Trigger Warning

362 pages

Multiple award winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman returns to dazzle, captivate, haunt, and entertain with this third collection of short fiction following Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things—which includes a never-before published American Gods story, “Black Dog,” written exclusively for this volume. In this new anthology, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction—stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013—as well “Black Dog,” a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods, exclusive to this collection. Trigger Warning explores the masks we all wear and the people we are beneath them to reveal our vulnerabilities and our truest selves. Here is a rich cornucopia of horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, fabulism and poetry that explore the realm of experience and emotion. In Adventure Story—a thematic companion to The Ocean at the End of the Lane—Gaiman ponders death and the way people take their stories with them when they die. His social media experience A Calendar of Tales are short takes inspired by replies to fan tweets about the months of the year—stories of pirates and the March winds, an igloo made of books, and a Mother’s Day card that portends disturbances in the universe. Gaiman offers his own ingenious spin on Sherlock Holmes in his award-nominated mystery tale The Case of Death and Honey. And Click-Clack the Rattlebag explains the creaks and clatter we hear when we’re all alone in the darkness. A sophisticated writer whose creative genius is unparalleled, Gaiman entrances with his literary alchemy, transporting us deep into the realm of imagination, where the fantastical becomes real and the everyday incandescent. Full of wonder and terror, surprises and amusements, Trigger Warning is a treasury of delights that engage the mind, stir the heart, and shake the soul from one of the most unique and popular literary artists of our day.