Modern Short Stories

In the past 50 years, the American short story has changed dramatically. New voices, forms, and mixtures of genres have brought this unique US genre a thrilling burst of energy. This rich anthology celebrates this avalanche of talent. Beginning in 1970, it culls together a half century of powerful American short stories from all genres, including - for the first time in a literary anthology - science fiction, horror, and fantasy.

A terrifying, thrilling collection of must-listen horror stories chock-full of nightmarish supernatural beings and the murderously disturbed that are sure to keep you up all night long.

Every city has a story. Some will chill you long after the last page. From the neon glow of Las Vegas to the haunted tunnels beneath New York, America hides dark secrets in every skyline. This gripping anthology dives into 50 terrifying urban legends, each rooted in real locations, whispered folklore, and chilling mysteries that refuse to stay buried. 👻 Inside, you’ll discover: • Ghostly apparitions roaming iconic landmarks • Cursed objects and sinister doppelgängers • Unexplainable creatures lurking in lakes and alleyways • Vanished souls who demand to be remembered • ...

After the loss of her mother, a woman returns to the San Fernando Valley only to uncover a haunting secret about her childhood friend. A visiting professor at a charming but strange California liberal arts college must face her past in order to protect her son. A sister, lost in the woods, confronts the dangerous truth about her brother, her stepmother, and herself. Rose's dog Wolfie has died, and three seductive women offer to help return him to her. But only if she will pay the price.

When David McClure buys a second-hand laptop from a Camden Market stall, he’s looking for anonymity, not connection. A way to disappear quietly online. Instead, he finds a message waiting for him. It isn’t addressed to his name. It isn’t dated. And it seems to know far more about him than it should. As the messages continue, David becomes trapped in a tightening psychological exchange—one that blurs the line between coincidence and design, sender and recipient, choice and inevitability. Each response pulls him further into a conversation he never agreed to start, with consequences ...

The prestigious annual story anthology, featuring prize-winning stories by a diverse and exciting array of writers, including Wendell Berry, Alice Hoffman, Dave Eggers, Ling Ma, Lori Ostlund, and Anthony Marra. Continuing a century-long tradition of cutting-edge literary excellence, this year's...

Are you ready to learn Latin American Spanish through modern, engaging short stories instead of outdated textbooks and stiff dialogues? This book offers a fresh, practical approach designed for real learners who want real results—and content that feels useful from day one. Inside you’ll find 27 contemporary short stories filled with everyday vocabulary, natural conversation, and relatable situations—digital nomads living abroad, content creators on the road, tech-savvy travelers, remote workers adapting to life across Latin America, and more.

Step back into Baker Street with a Sherlock Holmes who feels as sharp and readable as if he were written today. This refreshed edition of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes presents Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tales in clean, contemporary typography and carefully clarified language, preserving every twist, deduction, and dry joke. Archaic phrasing and cluttered layouts have been gently updated, making Holmes’s brilliance and Watson’s narration instantly accessible for modern readers and new fans alike. Set against the fog-bound streets and drawing rooms of Victorian London, these stories...

Mysterious, funny, insightful, and heartbreaking, these are tales of expatriates and exiles, wise children and straying saints. They compose a secret history, both intimate and panoramic, of modern times, and offer a kaleidoscopic impression of the world within a world that is Paris.

Rediscover the magic and menace of Grimms Fairy Tales in a fresh edition crafted for today’s readers. This Adapted for Modern Readers version keeps the original plots, moods, and morals intact while refining archaic phrasing, cleaning up inconsistent punctuation, and presenting clear, contemporary typography. Enjoy smooth, consistent formatting on every device, lightly clarified language that never talks down to you, and a reading experience that lets the stories shine without distraction. Rooted in the oral traditions of nineteenth-century Europe, these timeless tales explore justice, ...

Are you bored with bedtime stories about princes and princesses, gnomes, wizards, and dragons? Do you want something more realistic, closer to our time? Do you also need bedtime stories to make sense, teach a moral lesson, and raise interesting topics? Everything you need is here! A Collection of Fantastic Short Bedtime Stories for kids contains 10 five-minute fantasy stories that you can read aloud to your child before going to bed. No princesses here–these stories are about space, other planets, aliens, artificial intelligence, robots, cloning, portals, and modern technologies. There ...

"Haunted Realms Short Ghost Stories" is an anthology that brings together over fifty tales of terror, each one a unique exploration of the supernatural. The stories in this collection span a wide range of settings and scenarios, from haunted forests and abandoned buildings to modern urban legends involving social media and technology. The authors, Lars Lexis and Sebs Svekis, have masterfully crafted each narrative to evoke a sense of dread and suspense, capturing the essence of classic ghost stories while infusing them with modern elements. The collection begins with "The Whispering Shadows...

The Ultimate Modern Classics Collection: Volume One is the first instalment in our classics collection focusing on the most important and iconic novels, stories, and poems of the 20th century. Featuring 22 essential modern classics from Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Herman Hesse, Agatha Christie, Virigna Woolf, and many more, and read by a cast of incredible narrators including David Rintoul, Robert G. Slade, Karen Cass, Nathan Osgood, amongst others, this is an essential addition to your library.

🌟 50 Must-Read Books – Volume 2 🌟 Dive into a world where stories shape souls, ideas spark revolutions, and imagination knows no bounds. 50 Must-Read Books – Volume 2 brings together timeless classics, modern masterpieces, and life-changing nonfiction—all in one collection. From the haunting depths of Beloved to the epic struggles in Les Misérables, from the philosophical insights of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to the life lessons of Atomic Habits, this volume is your gateway to the most powerful books ever written. Whether you crave the drama of literary fiction,...

Featured in the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his multiple award-winning stories for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume. With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu...

Twenty-three stories, all unabridged, from a diverse group of star writers and readers. A truly memorable collection with a wide appeal. Includes "The Years Midnight" by Helen Simpson, read by Harriet Walter; "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful Morning" by Haruki Marukami, read by Walter Lewis; "Bablady" by A. S. Byatt, read by Roslaind Eyres; "Hotel des Vaoyaguerus" by William Boyd, read by Martin Jarvis; and "Who?" by Fay Weldon, read by Julie Christie.

Paul Auster's signature work, The New York Trilogy, consists of three interlocking novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room - haunting and mysterious tales that move at the breathless pace of a thriller.

- During the Great Depression, a young boy confronts zombies - In the present day, a software salesperson discovers that he can commune with the dead at airports. - A business trip is cut short when three corporate colleagues stray into a den of vampires near a major interstate. - A Russian gangster makes a killing in America---murdering romantic rivals for hire. These are just a few of the bizarre scenarios that you will find in the pages of Hay Moon and Other Stories… Sixteen modern tales of horror and suspense. 270+ pages in print. ***Hay Moon*** In the summer of 1932, the undead ...

College never felt this exhilarating. I felt crushed under the weight of college life, watching my confidence shrink with each passing day as I pined after a girl I couldn't bring myself to approach. Then Claire walked into my life with her knowing smile and an offer I couldn't refuse - she'd teach me everything I needed to know about being a man. My education started in this little café downtown, the kind of place where the coffee came in actual cups and the pastries looked like art. But it was her home that changed everything--that first night with her blew past every fumbling fantasy ...

Ketamine: A Collection of Dystopian Fiction Short Stories Step into the shadowed corridors of power, deception, and human frailty in Ketamine, where dystopian landscapes collide with raw satire and the haunting absudity that is modern American politics. From the fall of clown-governed republics to corporate empires fueled by greed, this collection explores the grotesque tragedy of humanity’s struggles against its own creations. James Bachman delivers an unflinching vision of society’s descent into chaos, where rebellion simmers, power corrupts, and survival demands a price. Perfect for ...