Favorite Short Stories

[HolmfirthNJ]

I don’t think we’ve had J G Ballard yet… I’d have to go with The best stories of J.G. Ballard (now out-of-print, I think). His stories are so interesting and coherent in their vision and ideas. He says it in interviews much better than me but, for instance, talking about an abandoned casino, he says ‘It held a deeper meaning for me, the sense that reality itself was a stage set that could be dismantled at any moment, and that no matter how magnificent anything appeared, it could be swept aside into the debris of the past.’ That idea runs through his work.

 

[pmacaula]

Have enjoyed many of the stories others have listed. Here are a few additions:

The Kugelmass Episode by Woody Allen.
The Gernsback Continuum and Red Star, Winter Orbit by William Gibson

Jeffty is Five and The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World by Harlan Ellison
The Ellison-edited anthology Dangerous Visions has some really great stories in it (same for the sequel Again, Dangerous Visions)

Cheers. Patrick.

 

[Vibroluxer]

I remember the story about a little girl with a match. Was that O'Henry?

I don't know. Actually I only know 2 of his stories: RoRC, and The Gift of the Magi and I'm going to post that one in a few.minutes.

I did a quick search on "little girl with a match" and a story by Hand Christian Andersen wrote a story called " The Little Match Girl". Maybe that's it?

 

[Vibroluxer]

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

Written in 1948 but pertinent

A FANTASTIC suggestion!! Thank you!

 

[Vibroluxer]

I only know 2 O Henry stories and this is the 2nd of them. The Gift of the Magi

It takes about 15 minutes to read. I can't think of anything to say about it cuz I don't want to a spoiler. It's a very good book is a few ways.

Hope you check it out.

The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

americanliterature.com

 

[Fendereedo]

Anything by M.R James, and H.P Lovecraft. I also have soft spot for the selected writings and essays by George Orwell.

 

[uriah1]

I don't know. Actually I only know 2 of his stories: RoRC, and The Gift of the Magi and I'm going to post that one in a few.minutes.

I did a quick search on "little girl with a match" and a story by Hand Christian Andersen wrote a story called " The Little Match Girl". Maybe that's it?

Yep

 

[WalthamMoosical]

“The Laughing Man” by J.D. Salinger

I gave your post a like, HootOwlDude--among the dozen or so stories you mentioned, this is the one that occurred to me immediately when I read the thread title.

 

[Silent Otto]

Ray Bradbury - The Martian Chronicles

 

[Vibroluxer]

I'm so glad you mentioned "Sandkings." I was going to list it, but I thought it was a little too long to be included as a short story. As a kid in the 80s I would regularly check out sci-fi collections and anthologies from the local library which is where I came across Sandkings. The story stuck with me for years, although I had long forgotten the name of the story and its author. Decades later I was surprised to learn that it was written by George RR Martin!

I remember buying that issue of Omni, I think I was in 9th grade, but over the years I lost it and it was tough looking for it in card catalogs.

 

[dean]

Always liked this guy . .

An Imperial Message​

by Franz Kafka Translation by Ian Johnston


The Emperor—so they say—has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun. He ordered the herald to kneel down beside his bed and whispered the message in his ear. He thought it was so important that he had the herald speak it back to him. He confirmed the accuracy of verbal message by nodding his head. And in front of the entire crowd of those witnessing his death—all the obstructing walls have been broken down, and all the great ones of his empire are standing in a circle on the broad and high soaring flights of stairs—in front of all of them he dispatched his herald. The messenger started off at once, a powerful, tireless man. Sticking one arm out and then another, he makes his way through the crowd. If he runs into resistance, he points to his breast where there is a sign of the sun. So he moves forwards easily, unlike anyone else. But the crowd is so huge; its dwelling places are infinite. If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvellous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to fight his way down the steps, and, if he managed to do that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to stride through the courtyards, and after the courtyards through the second palace encircling the first, and, then again, through stairs and courtyards, and then, once again, a palace, and so on for thousands of years. And if he finally burst through the outermost door—but that can never, never happen—the royal capital city, the centre of the world, is still there in front of him, piled high and full of sediment. No one pushes his way through here, certainly not someone with a message from a dead man. But you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes

 

[HootOwlDude]

I gave your post a like, HootOwlDude--among the dozen or so stories you mentioned, this is the one that occurred to me immediately when I read the thread title.

Yeah. I didn’t read Catcher until I was like nineteen or early twenties. I immediately read all the rest of Salinger. I love Catcher, have a real relationship with it still, and once thought it was his best work, but as I’ve aged, I have less patience with Holden and realize that “The Laughing Man” is probably the best that Salinger ever wrote. Of all his short stories, especially, it’s the only one I really remember very clearly. That’s big. It’s a beautiful piece of writing.

 

[Brent Hutto]

It's an entire collection called Fidelity: Five Stories by Wendell Berry.

But I'll specifically mention the story "Pray Without Ceasing" as my favorite of the collection and therefore my favorite short story.

I know our reactions to reading fiction are very personal and idiosyncratic but it is possible that your life might be changed by reading that story and letting its meaning soak in. To me its themes are the desire for vengeance when confronted by a great wrong, the power of forgiveness and how grace can be too much to bear when we encounter it undeserved, unexpected, unasked-for.

The other four stories are excellent as well, especially "Making It Home" about a man who has been away, fought a war and returned to where he belongs.

 

[Stringbanger]

What in the heck is wrong with you squirrels?

Five pages and no Herman Hesse??

Everyone who likes short stories should own this book!

My favorites are “November Night” (1901), and “Inside And Outside” (1920). If you like the philosophical side, then this is the good stuff.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Isn't that (I haven't read it) The Green Mile? Richard Bachman is a Steven King pen name.

Edit: I don't read short stories very often, and when I do I usually read collections of them (all by the same author). Anyway, like several others here, I'm a Flannery O'Connor fan. Wise Blood caught me personally enough that I wrote a bluesy song by that name, with some imagery borrowed from the story, four thumpin' chords, and some dark lyrics inspired by the personal mess I had going at the time.

I think “The Green Mile” was a “King” novella that was released one chapter at a time…if I remember correctly. It was made into a movie with Tom Hanks and Michael Clark Duncan.

“The Long Walk” was a novella/short story released under the nom de plume of Bachman, in order to prevent over saturation of the market with King’s work.

Vastly different stories…although both involve extreme power exercised by governmental/authority figures over common and uncommon people.

 

[HootOwlDude]

Have enjoyed many of the stories others have listed. Here are a few additions:

The Kugelmass Episode by Woody Allen.
The Gernsback Continuum and Red Star, Winter Orbit by William Gibson

Jeffty is Five and The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World by Harlan Ellison
The Ellison-edited anthology Dangerous Visions has some really great stories in it (same for the sequel Again, Dangerous Visions)

Cheers. Patrick.

Yeah—I remember that Woody Allen story. That’s the one where the guy can go into books and has a fling with Madame Bovary, I think. So funny. Winds up stuck in a Spanish textbook—right?

 

[pmacaula]

Yeah—I remember that Woody Allen story. That’s the one where the guy can go into books and has a fling with Madame Bovary, I think. So funny. Winds up stuck in a Spanish textbook—right?

Yup. My post includes a link to the story.

 

[Engine Swap]

Big SciFi guy here.

Here is a novelette by Georg RR Martin called Sandkings. it was 1st published in Omni magazine. Its a scifi work that won quite a few awards: 1980 Hugo, 1980 Best Science Fiction and a few more. Its good enough for me that I read it the 1st time in one sitting.

This is the best I could find: This was made by photocopying the actual magazine pages so you cant really adjust the font but I could read it, so Im posting it. Hope you all enjoy.

Edited to add: I could read it on my phone as well.

William Flew Omni Magazine SF Short Stories August 1979

www.williamflew.com

I was intrigued - great story! Thanks for posting!

Here it is in a cleaner format: Sandkings

 

[Vibroluxer]

Thanks so much for posting this and for the kind words.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

The short story that made the most impact on me as a young reader was Jack London's " To Build A Fire ". That & Bierce's Owl Creek Bridge which has already been mentioned.