Short Stories

Read this with Vincent Price's voice in your head. In the world's forgotten corners of the darkness, where shadows stretch long and whispers never fade, Stories that will make you Sh17 yourself, weave together a chilling collection of ghostly and supernatural tales. Each of the 40 stories explores a different haunted place, where the past refuses to stay buried and fear takes on a life of its own. From eerie carnivals and cursed paintings to malevolent mansions and spectral islands, these stories delve into the unknown, where the boundary between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Within...

Step into the world of Morally Grey Billionaires—a collection of seven standalone romances where powerful men meet their match in strong, independent women. Each story is a rollercoaster of emotions, featuring fake relationships, arranged marriages, and heartwarming happily-ever-afters. Also features a Champagne swigging Great Dane called Tiny, who plays cupid by mistake.

When Chet and Bernie happen upon a prison work crew that includes Frenchie Boutette, an old criminal pal they sent up the river, getting a new case is the last thing they expect. But Frenchie, who comes from an old Louisiana family full of black sheep, needs help finding his one law-abiding relative, his brother Ralph, a reclusive inventor who has gone missing with his houseboat.

It is one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the twentieth century: the story of Elric, emperor of the dying kingdom of Melniboné. For a hundred centuries the Melnibonéans have ruled from the Dragon Isle of Imrryr. Now, after years of corruption and decadence, Elric’s amoral cousin Prince Yyrkoon, the brother of his beloved Cymoril, sets his eyes on the Ruby Throne. Elric must face his treacherous cousin not as a warrior but as a sorcerer king once again in league with the ancient gods of Melniboné, the Chaos Lords, and thus sealing his inexorable fate.

Murder at Ivy Close "Murder Most British" Set in 1936, amidst a glittering dinner party held by Lady Battersea, in the happy atmosphere of Farnley Place, Pauline meets Hattie Davis - the new wife of George Wellburn. When Inspector Grosvenor arrests Hattie, a few days later at "Ivy Close" for the murder of Wellburn's first wife - Charlotte, Pauline finds herself going down a historical rabbit hole, to unravel a mystery that started way back, in Africa, during the Boer War. All of course, with the help of her stylish and elegant Aunt Angela and the Irrepressible Lady B. This is Episode 2 in "...

Seabury Quinn's short stories were featured in well more than half of the pulp magazine Weird Tales' original publication run. His most famous character, the supernatural French detective Dr. Jules de Grandin, investigated cases involving monsters, devil worshippers, serial killers, and spirits from beyond the grave, often set in the small town of Harrisonville, New Jersey.

Science Fiction Stories 9 is a riveting collection of short stories that will transport you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and beyond. Immerse yourself in tales of advanced technology, alien encounters, and the human spirit's resilience against the unknown. This anthology, penned by various talented authors, offers a diverse array of narratives that explore the limitless possibilities of science fiction. The Computational Gambit by Nelson W. Clark: A cunning salesman introduces a revolutionary financial planning computer, but not everything is as it seems. Hiding by William S. Harper...

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

An arresting collection of short stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortazar, by an exciting new international talent.

Neil Horowitz is a real stud. He’s the star of his college football team and the guy that everyone looks up to. When one of the team's top players gets injured before the big game, the coach asks Neil to train the only replacement they could find: the aloof and devil-may-care AJ Doyle. Personalities clash, and when two hunky college guys spend all day on the field together, things are bound to heat up in the locker room – in more ways than one. What kind of hot testosterone fueled action will become these two bros' dirty locker room secret? Satisfy your gay best bro fantasy and get this...

“There have never been as many exquisitely built stories in existence than there are now,” proclaims guest editor Lauren Groff in her introduction. This abundance led to a volume of robust stories with the nerve to push against narrative expectations. The Best American Short Stories 2024 boasts a collection of twenty stories that “buzz with their own strange logic.” Daring and resonant, the stories in this volume invite in Groff “a feeling that both the author and I were simultaneously discovering something together.”

A collection of classic works by Edgar Allan Poe, American author, poet, editor, and literary critic. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts is a fresh collection of original short stories on themes of risk and resilience, written and performed by Latina womxn across the USA. Curated by Teatro Luna West: America's All Latinx and All Women of Color Theatre Ensemble, these stunning stories are combined with original music by Maria Chavez and poetry by Gabriela Ortega in order to fully transport the listener to each individual life and journey.

Including the stories "Lispeth", "Beyond the Pale", and "In the Pride of His Youth", this collection tells of soldiers, wise children, exiles, forbidden romances, and divided identities, creating a rich portrait of Anglo-Indian society. Originally published for a newspaper in Lahore when Kipling was a journalist, the tales were later revised by him to re-create as vividly as possible the sights and smells of India for readers at home.

This bundle includes What Doesn't Destroy Us, The Scars That Define Us, The Fear That Divides Us, The Lies Between Us, and What Might Kill Us.

RJ Spencer is a lucky 12-year-old. He lives in the big city and his parents are landlords of the high-rise apartment building that is his home. The many tenants in the building, along with the endless possibilities of adventures in the city itself, are the perfect setting for the young detective as he sets out to solve every case he can get his hands on.

The Grand Hotel is a horror novel by esteemed best-selling author Scott Kenemore ( Zombie, Ohio) that takes the reader on a thrilling ride through an interconnected series of stories narrated by the desk clerk and the residents of the hotel itself. And while it is not known whether or not the desk clerk is actually the devil incarnate, it is strange that so many visitors who come for a tour of the hotel have a way of never leaving.

What defines a modern short story is much more than a question of length. Despite the efforts of early pioneers like Edgar Allan Poe, the genre was originally synonymous with the anecdote or tale and seen more as entertainment than art. However it has become far more than that, and this Very Short Introduction considers afresh the form's ongoing innovations in plot construction, capacity for psychological insight, and ability to offer intensely concentrated perceptions.

The snick of a lock. The squeak of door hinges. The creak of a floorboard... Nothing is more mysterious than footsteps in the dark. Are those approaching steps that of friend or enemy? Lover or killer?

In the first of six witty short stories, 60s-something English barrister, Horace Rumpole, takes on the younger generation both at home and in the hallowed courtroom—while offending his esteemed colleagues and his draconian wife, Hilda.