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where
short story collections step into the
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13 Phantasms and Other Stories by James P. Blaylock ... a smorgasbord of Blaylock's best short fiction, including the World Fantasy award-winners Thirteen Phantasms and Paper Dragons. 18 Lies and 3 Truths: 2007 StoryQuarterly Annual by Various ....some stories sparkled more than others, especially those from newer writers whose trajectories are surely on the rise. 29 Ways to Drown by Niki Aguirre ....The best stories here were warm, surreal and surprising. I loved the variety of situations, the underlying humour, and ended up caring about the characters.
A Different Kind of Love by Jay Mandal ...A book of stories based around boy meets boy provides the consolations of genre without escaping the drawbacks. A Faker's Dozen by Melvin Jules Bukiet ....Bukiet's writing is nothing if not innovative All Over by Roy Kesey .. In love with language and unconstrained by the bounds of realism, Kesey's wordplay is wondrous and astonishing American Cool by Susan DiPlacido .. hard-baked and brash on the surface as Las Vegas itself, the best stories have a quiet heart, shaped by dreaming and wanting. Apologies Forthcoming by Xujun Eberlein .. A sensual immersion in the Chinese Cultural Revolution, with stories that expose the everyday hardships of citizens, yet sometimes veer off their narrative course or flounder under weak prose. . Aromabingo by David Gaffney .. An economy of language matches a rewarding vision of the many lives and voices of irreal, sad and hopeful strangers NEW As In Music by Kathy Page...The best of these stories are bizarre, striking and unsettling, providing intricate detours from everyday reality. Astral Bodies by Jay Merrill ... Seductive... Every story demands time, demands thought....
Back Burning by Sylvia Petter ... A mixed bag, with some stand out pieces. The best displayed a dazzling sense of place and a sympathetic understanding of fractured relationships Balancing on the Edge of the World by Elizabeth Baines ... a temperament both in control and struggling with private rage, corrosive humour, then a gentle, dry empathy which reminds the reader of the inner conflicts of those in and out of power Bang Crunch by Neil Smith ... A witty and tender collection. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
... Sometimes
wistfully sad, yet displaying the extraordinary variety and vivacity of
human life Barcelona Plates by Alexei Sayle ...
full
of
detailed observations on the peculiarities of human existence, moving
between pathos, exasperation, warmth, violence The Best American Mystery Stories 2007 edited by Carl Hiaasen ..Wide ranging collection that should reach beyond mystery lovers to appeal to fans of plot-driven fiction. The Best American Short Stories 2007
edited by Stephen King, Heidi Pitlor ..Despite
polished writing and some great stories, the collection felt
patchy, never really took off for this
reader.
Best of Best American Erotica 2008 edited by Susie Bright .. Demonstrates that erotica is an organizing principle, not a genre laden with pre-conceived notions about sex. Binding
Energy by Daniel Marcus ...Binding Energy
is a tour de force of the major themes that make up science fiction and
fantasy today. The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin .. An exploration of a world unlike ours, yet peopled by characters very much like us. Black Tickets by Jayne Anne Phillips ... Unflinchingly honest in its portrayal of characters at the margins of American society, written in spare, powerful prose Bodies in Motion by Mary Anne Mohanraj
... The
first collection I read for which the label novel-in-stories felt
appropriate. Body Parts: An Anatomy of Love by Richard Bardsley ... an eclectic bunch, historical, futuristic, or recognisably contemporary, while some are set in a mysterious other-where Bonne Route edited by Ian Daley ... This book is a lucky dip, with something for everyone. Maybe you won’t like ‘em all, but they keep you reading to the end. The Book of Other People edited by Zadie Smith ... A real mix: some blah, some good, a couple of stunning short stories. All proceeds to 826 New York Brace by Various, Jim Hinks (ed) ... English not-for-profit publishers succeed in turning in an anthology as bracing and sharp as a cold north wind. Breaking it Down by Rusty Barnes ... Barnes' characters stay with you for a long while afterwards, the ultimate test of a great short story collection. Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology 2008 by Various ...A wonderful selection running the gamut of genres, every one combining a well-told tale with a fresh perspective and a distinctive voice. Broken Doll by Neil Campbell ...What marked it particularly for me was the immediacy of the voices, the characters, and the meld of humour and pathos. Ordinary lives, beautifully captured. Button, Button: Uncanny Stories by Richard Matheson ... As a raconteur of ordinary folks thrust into extraordinary situations, no one spins a yarn like Matheson. Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor ... William Trevor’s 12th short story collection spins 12 sad tales of infidelity, hopelessness and death. Close Encounters by Jen Michalski ... A competent collection, the prose is solid, the imaginative tales read well. The Collected Short Stories by Katherine Mansfield .. Belie the perception of a whole class and generation of writers (and women) as closeted, white-gloved, garden party-goers. Come Together, Fall Apart by Cristina Henriquez ... Paints a lush portrait of everyday people craving connection in these beautiful stories set in modern Panama. The Complete Short Stories by Muriel Spark ... From ghost story to surreal fantasy, social commentary, murder mystery, psychological thriller The Complete Short Stories by JG Ballard ... Ballard doesn’t just stretch your mind – he twists it, snaps it and then reassembles it in the wrong order. Crimini: The Bitter Lemon Book of Italian Crime Fiction ed Giancarlo de Cataldo ... a collection for devotees of the bleak and cynical and for those willing to view Italy in the light of a flickering flashlight beam which may at any moment fade to black. The Cusp of Something by Jai Clare ... an original and often beautifully written collection, which challenges and occasionally frustrates readers with its lyrical prose and complex characters. D Dangerous Space by Kelley Eskridge ... Poignant, sensual and often poetic stories of love, gender, identity and passion that redefine the term "science fiction". The Deportees by Roddy Doyle ... In Roddy Doyle’s first collection, he writes humorous tales about Irish immigrants that usually hit the mark.. The Devil's Larder by Jim Crace ...A cracking example of what can be whisked up with the ingredients of short-short fictions. Crace’s imaginary foodscapes include dishes that stretch from here to the horizon. NEW Dial M for Monkey by Adam Maxwell ...Short flash fiction full of energy and humour. NEW Dirty Girls edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel ...Proof that it takes more than Mr Darcy in breeches (wet or dry) to turn women on The Dream Lover by William Boyd ... describes the miserable burdens of humanity, but his approach is humorous, not grim – a bit like Graham Greene with jokes EarthFuture by Guy Dauncey ...not literary stories, they are the author’s perspective of how life could be, with ecological effort.... I like the style, once you understand the writer’s intention and ..limitations. Emerge (New Australian Writing) Philip Edmonds, Dominique Wilson (eds) ...Emerge is a perfect title, representing the freshness, edge and spirit from over 30 new Australian writers. The End of the World by Paddy O'Reilly ...a deeply satisfying collection, beautiful writing, original and often painful stories that don't shy away from violence or tragedy
Family Connections by Chrissie Gittins .. She’s like a female Alan Bennett, such is the power of her observation. Famous Fathers & Other Stories by Pia Z. Ehrhardt ...Stories of sex and infidelity are marked by moments of stark beauty and truth, but sometimes marred by heavy-handed metaphors and over-telling. The Fantastic Book of Everybody's Secrets by Sophie Hannah ... Masquerading as provincial tales of domestic intrigue, the best of these stories packs a terrific and memorable punch.. Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction by Alison MacLeod ... A fearless writer, pushing at the shape of short stories. For the Relief of Unbearable Urges by Nathan Englander ... this beautifully-written collection reveals universal truths about human beings,
heights we
can rise to and depths to which we sink. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman ... fans will feel cheated as all but one have been published before, newcomers will wonder what the fuss is about. G Galileo's Children: Tales of Science Vs. Superstition edited by Gardner Dozois ... a rewarding and sometimes fascinating look at the constant battle between science and superstition. Gaza Blues by Etgar Keret and Samir el-Youssef ... Darkly funny, surreal and moving God Lives in St Petersburg by Tom Bissell ...By turns witty and withering, Bissell's stories offer a sharp portrait of post-Soviet Central Asia and the Americans abroad in these strange lands. Heavier than Air by Nona Caspers ... Richly humane, compassionate, unassuming stories with a touch of the darkly comedic HeavyGlow Flash Fiction Anthology by Various ...Wonderfully rich and eclectic mix of stories How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan ...Teens fall in and out of love and lust while navigating the minefields of school, parental expectation and sexuality with some moments of warmth and genuine appeal. Human Is? A Philip K. Dick Reader by Philip K. Dick ...A fascinating, but dark trip into fearful future worlds tempered by sensitive humanity.
I I Could Ride All Day in my Cool Blue Train by Peter Hobbs...Peter Hobbs is an exceptional writer and his first collection of stories is lucid, varied, reflective, far-ranging, both comic and sad. ID Crimes of Identity:The Crime Writers’ Association Anthology by Various ...Beautifully packaged, eclectic, surprising stories from new and established crime writers In a Bear's Eye by Yannick Murphy... An astonishing, perturbing collection of short short stories, lyrical, dizzying and affecting. In Dreams Begin Responsibilities by Delmore Schwartz ... Eight stories of such intellectual brevity as to make your nerves twitch. Insects are Just Like You and Me Except Some of Them Have Wings by Kuzhali Manickavel...Inventive, magical stories told with humour and sparky language. In the Land of the Free by Geoffrey Forsyth...A chapbook of short-shorts that hits its highest notes in character-defining moments that yield to absurdity and mystery. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino ... About as close to poetry as fiction can come without developing unexpected line breaks. Full of mystery and beauty rather than plot and characters. NEW The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke ...This gorgeously written and lavishly illustrated short story collection is a must-read for anyone who is interested in myth and the fantastic. Later, At the Bar by Rebecca Barry ... a clear-eyed look at a boozy world. Barry's wry humor keeps the dark territory from getting tedious. I liked it a lot. Leading the Dance by Sarah Salway ... Raw and edgy fiction, tackling modern subjects of love, sensuality and betrayal in appealing, stylistic language. NEW Ledra Street by Nora Nadjarian...Poetic, dreamy, yet political, these stories examine fractured relationships through the prism of Cyprus's history, with compelling linguistic exuberance. Let's Be Alone Together edited by Declan Meade ...A highly readable and entertaining anthology giving voice to new writing talent from Ireland and abroad. Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories by Various edited by John Klima ... Inspired by hard-to-spell words ...authors rise to the challenge with wit and imagination The Loudest Sound and Nothing by Clare Wigfall ... A dark, disturbing and quite beautiful collection Loud Sparrows: Contemporary Chinese short-shorts by Various, transl. by Aili Mu, Julie Chiu and Howard Goldblatt. A multi-textured and fascinating collection of short-shorts, China’s &nbs |