Showing titles in Short Stories

A teenager longs for perfect skin. A scientist tends to fragile alien flora. A young man takes the night into his own hands. Each of these characters has a desperate desire. Can any of them be sated? Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humour, Eliza Clark's debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger.

In the four decades since his first book appeared in print, Terry Pratchett has become one of the world’s best-selling and best-loved authors. Here for the first time are his short stories and other short form fiction collected into one volume. A Blink of the Screen charts the course of Pratchett’s long writing career: from his schooldays through to his first writing job on the Bucks Free Press, and the origins of his debut novel, The Carpet People; and on again to the dizzy mastery of the Discworld series.

Morse had solved so many mysteries in his life. Was he now, he wondered, beginning to glimpse the solution to the greatest mystery of them all? How can the discovery of a short story by a beautiful Oxford graduate lead Chief Inspector Morse to her murderer? What awaits Morse and Lewis in Room 231 of the Randolph Hotel? Why does a theft at Christmas lead the detective to look upon the festive season with uncharacteristic goodwill? And what happens when Morse himself falls victim to a brilliantly executed crime?

Ursula K. Le Guin has enthralled fans with her imagination, clarity, and moral vision. The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and five Hugo and five Nebula Awards, this renowned writer has created a provocative, ever-evolving universe filled with diverse worlds and rich characters reminiscent of our earthly selves. Now, in The Birthday of the World, this gifted artist returns to these worlds in eight brilliant short works, including a never-before-published novella, each of which probes the essence of humanity.

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.

Pounamu Pounamu is classic Ihimaera and also classic New Zealand literature. First published in 1972, it was his first book, which as he says in his new introduction 'fulfilled a childhood vow: to write about Maori using his own self and home place'. The vivid stories in this collection not only explore but also celebrate what it is to be a New Zealander, and they do so from a lively Maori perspective.

Newly married to novelist Rosie M. Banks, Bingo bucks the current trend by being extremely happy, although he does tend to lose his shirt on various horses. This collection of wonderfully funny stories features a cast of outrageous characters.

This collection of Buk's grimmest diaries gives an insight into the noir and brutal Los Angeles that Bukowski observed and lived so well. He was a legend in his time: a madman, a recluse, a lover...tender, vicious...never the same. These are exceptional stories that came pounding out of his violent and depraved life - horrible and holy. You cannot listen to them and come away the same again.

Travis is convinced that he is being haunted by a doppelganger, a ghostly double. His therapist isn't so sure. Is this dead ringer just a look-a-like, a figment of his imagination, or a supernatural twin with a sinister purpose?

In the remote village of Ashbrook, the twelve nights leading up to Christmas are filled with a silence as thick and eerie as the snow blanketing the cobbled streets. Clara has returned to her childhood home after years away, drawn by an inexplicable urge to confront her past, but what she finds is a town gripped by terror. An ancient curse has reawakened, one that visits its wrath each night on those who harbour dark secrets.

Are you lost in the noise of daily life, searching for stillness and peace? If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or spiritually worn down, this gentle parable is your lantern through the fog. Step into the journey of a weary Seeker wandering through a misty world of confusion, guided only by the dim glow of a mysterious lantern. Along the way, each step reveals simple truths about clarity, self-compassion, and rediscovering your inner light.

Absolution is a haunting and psychologically rich short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1924. In this deeply introspective tale of guilt, imagination, and spiritual crisis, young Rudolph Miller—a devout eleven-year-old boy—finds himself entangled in a web of religious expectations, private transgressions, and the fragile dance between truth and illusion. When he tells a lie during confession, a crisis of faith erupts, leading him down a path of inner turmoil that starkly mirrors the disillusionments of adulthood.

Twisted Tales takes us through scenes of familiar human conditions. From complete inebriation through a marriage without love via a gambling addiction ruining lives past the sometimes mean streets of Hamburg then onto to the sunshine of Thailand.

Join the job search. Experience employment. A fun-filled non-stop comedy satire about employment counselling services and survival jobs.

In downtown Chicago’s festive Christmas market, strings of twinkling lights and carollers in Victorian attire mask an unimaginable horror. Gabe, a jaded mall Santa with a troubled past, Vicky, a desperate mother searching for her daughter, and Leo, a down-on-his-luck survivor, find themselves thrust into a nightmare as the idyllic holiday scene erupts into chaos. A mysterious snowfall triggers a horrifying transformation among the crowd, turning ordinary people into bloodthirsty, glowing-eyed predators.

Nilus the Marine Centurion and his young wife Viatrix sink their life savings into a part share in the Merchant ship Belisama and set out toward the Mare Nostrum to begin a new life and establish a trading business in an Empire falling apart at the seams. This is a short story based on characters first introduced in the dark age novel Evening of Empire and seeks to explain to the listeners of the original novel what happened to them when they left Britannia.

A medida que Lord Murchison intenta descubrir el secreto detrás de la enigmática belleza de Sibyl, se ve envuelto en una trama de intriga y pasión. La historia explora temas como la dualidad entre la apariencia y la realidad, la obsesión amorosa y las consecuencias de perseguir un ideal inalcanzable.

A medida que Hadaly adquiere conciencia de sí misma y de su entorno, comienza a cuestionar su propia existencia y a desear convertirse en un ser humano. La trama se desarrolla en un ambiente futurista y filosófico, explorando temas como la identidad, la moralidad y la naturaleza del deseo.

A medida que Carter se sumerge más en sus sueños, comienza a cuestionar su propia cordura y realidad. Pronto descubre que sus sueños están conectados a una dimensión más allá de la comprensión humana, habitada por seres antiguos y poderosos que desafían toda lógica y racionalidad. Con su característico estilo oscuro y atmosférico, Lovecraft explora temas como la locura, el conocimiento prohibido y la insignificancia del ser humano frente a fuerzas cósmicas insondables.

A medida que los cachorros y los niños experimentan el mundo natural, se desarrolla una profunda conexión entre ellos, basada en el amor, la lealtad y la supervivencia. Sin embargo, a medida que crecen, las diferencias entre las especies se vuelven más evidentes y los destinos de los cuatro personajes toman rumbos divergentes.