Short Stories

For thousands of years, we have set out sailing for all kinds of reasons - for battle, for infinite wealth, for the excitement of exploring the unknown, and for escape from the mundane. We have always had a primal relationship with the sea - even those who have never been to sea remain fascinated by the seafaring life and tales of salty adventure. Now in a brand–new series collection, The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together such diverse authors as Charles Dickens, Jack London, John Masefield, Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, and dozens more.

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.

Rebekah Daniels is just your ordinary spunky nine-year-old girl living in the small town of Curtis Bay…EXCEPT she is determined NOT to be ordinary at all! Her small town is filled with mysteries and Rebekah is sure that she, along with her best friend Mouse, will be able to solve every last one of them.

Every woman wants them. Only one can have them. I never thought the four alphas would notice me. I'm plain. Average. Boring. And they're... incredible. When I attend their mating ball, I expect them to ignore my presence. All of a sudden, all four of them are claiming me. And they won't take no for an answer. They're best friends. They do everything together. Why shouldn't they take a mate together, too? And when they make me theirs, what heights of erotic bliss can they show me? (Mating Their Omega is a standalone paranormal reverse harem romance with dark elements. For mature readers only!)

“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.”

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.

From the writer whose name is synonymous with the science of robotics comes five decades of robot visions - 36 landmark stories and essays, plus three rare tales - gathered together in one volume.

New adventures of the iconic sleuth, an icon of detective fiction. Readers, listeners, investigators, and artists have come across Sherlock Holmes and his mythical stories of crime and adventure for generations. Now comes an outstanding anthology of never-before-seen short fiction stories featuring the much-loved powers of deduction and unerring quest for the truth - however improbable it might first appear. The Book of Extraordinary New Sherlock Holmes Stories brings together some of the most renowned American and British crime and thriller authors of today.

Arthur Conan Doyle was the greatest genre writer Britain has ever produced. Throughout a long writing career, he drew on his own medical background, his travels, and his increasing interest in spiritualism and the occult to produce a spectacular array of Gothic tales. Many of Doyle's writings are recognized as the very greatest tales of terror. They range from hauntings in the polar wasteland to evil surgeons and malevolent jungle landscapes. This collection brings together over 30 of Conan Doyle's best Gothic tales

A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant fan. "I made them especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."

Her fantasy is coming true – but can she trust it? Ever since Barb’s friend Vanessa got into a committed relationship with two men, she’s been fantasizing about what it would be like to have two people focused on her and giving her pleasure. But when she meets best friends Aaron and Carter at a nightclub, it seems too good to be true. These hot younger guys can’t possibly be interested in her, right? But they keep coming around, chipping away at her resistance until she starts to believe that maybe she’s finally found the two guys who can give her the happily ever after she’s ...

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?

Like many well-to-do Upper East Siders over the age of 65, esteemed art appraiser Percival Skinner had planned to spend his retirement living off his savings. But a market correction has left him living below his prior means. One day he’s visited by a dapper fixer in search of a famous work by a Renaissance master. Skinner knows the work well: The original was owned by his ancestor, and was passed down through his family over the generations. If, as an intermediary, he can coordinate a sale, a small fortune awaits. Problem is, he might not be the only one on the make.

Ghost stories became very popular in the first half of the nineteenth century and this collection by Andrew Barger contains the very scariest of them all. Some stories thought too horrific were published anonymously like “A Night in a Haunted House” and “The Deaf and Dumb Girl.” The later story is collected for the first time in any anthology since its original publication in 1839. The other ghost stories in this fine collection are by famous authors. “The Mask of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe; “A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family,” by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu; ...

Naughty Hookups and Dirty Flings Quickies ~ 30+ Short Stories Keith’s Story: More Than Amused at the Amusement Park Ethan’s Story: Rediscovering Sex with His Best Friend's Sister Erik’s Story: A Dirty Swim Deanna’s Story: Hotwife’s Unexpected Hookup Doug’s Story: Let Me Float Your Boat! Kevin’s Story: My Office Party Hookup Sam’s Story: Nailing My Girlfriend’s Sexy Sister Rory’s Story: First Time With a Wild Goth Girl Ford’s Story: The Candy Striper Brian’s Story: A Hot Tamale Andy’s Story: Weekend Swingers Setup! Joey’s Story: Sharing With Our New Neighbors Wes...

A collection of 98 enthralling and pulse-quickening stories, spanning five decades, venerates the remarkable imagination of J. G. Ballard. With a body of work unparalleled in twentieth-century literature, J. G. Ballard is recognized as one of the greatest and most prophetic writers in the world. With the much-hailed release of The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, readers now have a means to celebrate the unmatched range and mesmerizing cadences of a literary genius.

In this romantic and comic story about class, language, and the art of reinvention, “Nebraska Jack" Rigel is about to quit his Latin studies program at the Vatican when he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the mysterious and ethereal Angelina Amadio, the famous Angel of Rome. Hired to translate the romantic feelings of the unpredictable former TV detective Ronnie Tower, Jack must navigate these two forces of nature in a Rome of late night bars and fancy villas, as he searches for his own role to play.

Welcome to Briarcliff House—a haunted hotel nestled deep in the woods outside Salem, Massachusetts, where time folds, mirrors whisper, and every room holds a secret. In this chilling collection of 20 short stories, guests encounter ghostly apparitions, cursed objects, and supernatural forces that feed on memory, identity, and fear itself. From possessed rooms and vanishing children to looping timelines and evil reflections, Haunted Hotel is a gripping horror anthology that will drag you screaming down haunted hallways you’ll never forget. Perfect for fans of The Sleep Experiment, The ...

Award-winning author Jae penned 13 short stories that range from sweet and romantic to hot and erotic, and from humorous to heartfelt. Whatever you're in the mood for, you're sure to find it in this collection of lesbian short stories.

Meet the swooniest billionaire of all time in one awesome and hilarious romantic-comedy collection. This collection includes Tapping the Billionaire, Tapping Her, and the novella Be My Billionaire Valentine.