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

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.

Beautifully told stories

Anthologies have always been my favorite and this was a collection of jewels. The very last story was especially good and told with heart.

Story titles better than "Chapter 1" etc.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

On the basis of content and narration, yes I would reccomend to a friend. There were a few duds (I'm looking at you, Michael Moorcock), but most of the stories were entertaining and thought-provoking

What did you like best about this story?

It wasn't one story, it was anthology of stories. A few had a Christmas theme, but it wasn't a Christmas-themed anthology overall.

Any additional comments?

Please consider listing story titles instead of merely chapter headings for anthologies such as this.

Not quite what I was expecting

If you are a Neil Gaiman fan like me, you might have some expectations for these stories, in which case you might be in for a bit of a shock. I have not finished all of this by any means yet - but the first 2 or 3 tales were a bit of a shock - stronger language and subject matter than I was prepared for. I'll come back and say more when I'm done...

amazing stories and performances

This recording was a testament to the magic of the short story, the importance of story telling, and the limitless possibilities of the human imagination.

Amazingly Entertaining

What made the experience of listening to Stories the most enjoyable?

All the stories were unique, some of them where quite odd. I found myself wishing some of them would continue.

What did you like best about this story?

Variety

Adult Bedtime Stories

Really amazing adult bedtime stories. Found myself dreaming and day dreaming about so many of the stories. Some slightly disturbing, but so creative and brilliant.

Listening Pleasure

I was more invested in some than others but I was left pondering and remembering these intriguing and well crafted stories. Well worth your time.

Many genuine “stories” that each deliver different flavors of strange, magical, and ominous effects.

This book took me by surprise - I had one audible credit and love strange fiction/horror anthologies, I saw this book, got hooked by the sample, and the rest is history. You can listen to these stories again and again and enjoy them each time.

poor description of book

The description could have said "mostly stories of deranged murderers." If you like that, excellent.