Stories

All-New Tales

By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, Joanne Harris, Richard Adams, Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, Euan Morton

Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Stories is a groundbreaking anthology that reinvigorates, expands, and redefines the limits of imaginative fiction and affords some of the best writers in the world—from Peter Straub and Chuck Palahniuk to Roddy Doyle and Diana Wynne Jones, Stewart O'Nan and Joyce Carol Oates to Walter Mosley and Jodi Picoult—the opportunity to work together, defend their craft, and realign misconceptions. Neal Gaiman, a literary magician whose acclaimed work defies easy categorization and transcends all boundaries, and "master anthologist" (Booklist) Al Sarrantonio personally invited, read, and selected all the stories in this collection, and their standard for this "new literature of the imagination" is high. "We wanted to read stories that used a lightning-flash of magic as a way of showing us something we have already seen a thousand times as if we have never seen it at all.”

Joe Hill boldly aligns theme and form in his disturbing tale of a man's descent into evil in "Devil on the Staircase”. In "Catch and Release", Lawrence Block tells of a seasoned fisherman with a talent for catching a bite of another sort. Carolyn Parkhurst adds a dark twist to sibling rivalry in "Unwell”. Joanne Harris weaves a tale of ancient gods in modern New York in "Wildfire in Manhattan”. Vengeance is the heart of Richard Adams's "The Knife”. Jeffery Deaver introduces a dedicated psychologist whose mission in life is to save people in "The Therapist”. A chilling punishment befitting an unspeakable crime is at the dark heart of Neil Gaiman's novelette "The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains”.

As it transforms your view of the world, this brilliant and visionary volume—sure to become a classic—will ignite a new appreciation for the limitless realm of exceptional fiction.

©2010 Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Non stop hits. Each story is unique and beautiful.

These short stories come out of the gate swinging, and don't really let up the whole time. Surprisingly, each narrator is perfectly matched.

Not science fiction but highly entertaining

I liked and even loved a couple of stories in here. The stories in this collection are definitely different than what I am used to listening to. I purchased this accidentally thinking it was a Sci-Fi anthology and almost decided not to listen to it. I am really glad I took the time to listen to All of the stories because most of them where are excellent. there were two stories that actually brought tears to my eyes because they were so heart-wrenching. it is hard to classify most of them and I think the title does perfect Justice because they are stories with a little bit of horror a little bit of laughter a little bit of Science Fiction but most of them I found enthralling. I only skipped through two of them. So it was well worth the purchase.

Not for the faint of heart or stomach

First, the positive: there are a few gems here, among them, Elisabeth Hand’s “Maiden Flight of the Bellaraphon“. One of the best stories I’ve heard.
Second, if you like snuff movies, or stories of murder and rape, then this is your lucky day. An inordinate number of these stories deal with these topics and seem to be fascinated with horrific sex stories. Not anything you would share with your child. Not anything you would want to go to sleep listening to.
I suppose there is literary merit here, some sort of postmodern sensibility, breaking walls of convention, where morals don’t matter.
But there were quite a few of these stories that you ppnot that I couldn’t finish, or more often, regretted finishing.
Neil Gaiman wrote “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book” and so I expected something macabre, but not the tone of celebration of the most horrific impulses humans have.

Something for Everyone

There are 27 short stories in this collection, along with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Each story has its own chapter. I found it incredibly frustrating that Audible did not provide information on the individual stories, so I put together the following list of Chapter numbers, story titles, authors, narrators, and story lengths. My favorites include "Blood", "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains", "Juvenal Nyx", "Goblin Lake", "Catch and Release", "Loser", "Unwell", "A Life in Fictions", "Let the Past Begin", "Parallel Lines", and "The Devil on the Staircase".

1. “Introduction – Just Four Words” by Neil Gaiman – narrated by Neil Gaiman – 8:23

2. “Blood” by Roddy Doyle – narrated by Euan Morton – 22:24

3. “Fossil-Figures” by Joyce Carol Oates – narrated by Anne Bobby – 37:02

4. “Wildfire in Manhattan” by Joanne Harris – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 50:53

5. “The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman – narrated by Euan Morton – 1:03:19

6. “Unbelief” by Michael Marshall Smith – narrated by Peter Francis James – 16:33

7. “The Stars are Falling” by Joe R. Lansdale – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 1:10:39

8. “Juvenal Nyx” by Walter Mosley – narrated by Peter Francis James – 1:15:55

9. “The Knife” by Richard Adams – narrated by Euan Morton – 6:42

10. “Weights and Measures” by Jodi Picoult – narrated by Anne Bobby – 37:08

11. “Goblin Lake” by Michael Swanwick – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 35:04

12. “Mallon the Guru” by Peter Straub – narrated by Peter Francis James – 14:42

13. “Catch and Release” by Lawrence Block – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 34:04

14. “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” by Jeffrey Ford – narrated by Peter Francis James – 34:41

15. “Loser” by Chuck Palahniuk – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 16:50

16. “Samantha’s Diary” by Diana Wynne Jones – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 35:36

17. “Land of the Lost” by Steward O’Nan – narrated by Anne Bobby – 12:22

18. “Leif in the Wind” by Gene Wolfe – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 27:56

19. “Unwell” by Carolyn Parkhurst – narrated by Anne Bobby – 27:51

20. “A Life in Fictions” by Kat Howard – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 11:21

21. “Let the Past Begin” by Jonathan Carroll – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 31:13

22. “The Therapist” by Jeffrey Deaver – narrated by Peter Francis James – 1:25:59

23. “Parallel Lines” by Tim Powers – narrated by Anne Bobby – 26:34

24. “The Cult of the Nose” by Al Sarrantonio – narrated by Peter Francis James – 22:58

25. “Human Intelligence” by Kurt Anderson – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 45:04

26. “Stories” by Michael Moorcock – narrated by Euan Morton – 58:39

27. “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 2:23:02

28. “The Devil on the Staircase” by Joe Hill – narrated by Peter Francis James – 39:06
(The last 4:50 of this chapter is the end credits for the audiobook)

A Mixed Bag

This is a great collection of stories and I really loved some of them. As other reviewer‘s have said, not all of them are great but they were all well written and nicely performed. I certainly intend to go back and listen to a few of them again.

I’m was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for my unbiased review.

Best book I’ve read

So many wonderfully written, expertly narrated enrapturing stories into so many curious worlds. I loved this book so much I actually ordered a physical copy.

Best short story collection!

I love the originality of these stories
Unpredictable endings with great readers. I found I never wanted to
Put it down. Always curious about the next story.

Tales of the Macabre

Fall is the time for spooky stories and this collection suits the season well. Not tales of horror or ghost stories per se, these stories all deliciously skirt along the borderline between reality and unreality, the natural and the supernatural, wonder and horror. Almost all succeed in evoking an eerie dreamlike surrealism in settings ranging from an ancient Celtic island to modern day NYC.

As in any collection of stories, there will be some that appeal more than others. I was going to list some of my favorites, but the list got too long (although Gaiman's The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains is exceptional). The various narrators are each wonderfully suited to and adept at the stories they read.

If you prefer high levels of action and graphic horror, this book is probably not what you're looking for. But if you like stories which could be told around a fire on a stormy fall night and which will leave you with a prickly feeling on your neck, you will find this collection quite to your taste.

overall it's art,worth a credit few duds expected

i found it pleasant and conforting to be taken on a new journey by new authors, 8/10 were 4 stars or better. this book it setup to last a while, im on the hunt now for more like it.

quite a few of these authors were extremly gifted, the short story format allows some to twist a perfect tale. thanks for organizing these poets neil gamen.

great stories

at first I didn't know how to take the stories but then the stories became really great. I'm glad I got this and anyone who love horror will too.