Modern Short Stories

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.

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.

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 • ...

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 ...

Read FREE now on Kindle Unlimited! Slow down. Take a breath. And no—there are no monkeys, donkeys, or pails of water here. Let’s be honest. As comforting as traditional Zen parables can be, they don’t always land when your biggest challenge isn’t carrying water up a mountain—it’s answering emails, navigating relationships, overthinking everything, or wondering why you walked into the room in the first place. Daily Zen is a collection of zen stories for adults who live in the modern world—where enlightenment happens somewhere between your coffee getting cold and your phone ...

Read the story that inspired the 2026 film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi — the complete tale, retold for modern readers "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." You know the story. Or you think you do. On the wild Yorkshire moors, a foundling named Heathcliff and a girl named Catherine form a bond so fierce it will destroy everyone it touches — and outlast death itself. But you've never read it like this. Wuthering Heights in One Hour is a complete literary adaptation of Emily Brontë's masterpiece — not a summary, not a study guide, but the full story ...

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, ...

A Collection of Short Tales is an anthology of unique stories that will capture one's imagination. Characters that you might cheer or jeer for are woven into these stories. Maybe... just maybe you will get lost within a tale and emerge a new person. Or maybe... just maybe you will have a good laugh. Either way dive into this compilation of distinctive stories and have fun.

A short, strange story for every week of the year—about the systems we live inside and rarely question. This book is a collection of 52 observational stories, each one capturing a small, familiar moment that quietly shapes how modern life works: the email thread that never ends, the approval that’s never stated, the shortcut that becomes mandatory, the default no one questions, the ending that never quite arrives. Nothing dramatic happens in these stories. And yet, something always shifts. Each piece stands alone, written in a calm, precise, almost documentary style—examining meetings...

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...

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.

When the boundary between the living and the dead dissolves, technology offers no protection—and sometimes, it becomes the doorway. Echoes in the Static delivers twenty spine-tingling tales where modern life collides with ancient terrors. From smart homes that remember the dead to mirrors that reflect something other than reality, these stories prove that ghosts have evolved for the digital age. Experience hauntings that will make you question every notification on your phone, think twice before checking your security camera footage, wonder what's really watching through your baby monitor...

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.

🌟 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,...

"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...

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.

This star-studded anniversary collection features over 25 unforgettable stories from internationally best-selling authors and literary legends. From the Nordic noir of Jo Nesbø and the lyricism of Tennessee Williams to the timeless imagination of Ray Bradbury and the courtroom wit of John Mortimer, these vivid tales reflect the range and tone that have defined The Strand Magazine for a quarter century.

Creepypasta - Omnibus One gathers all 150 terrifying stories from Creepypasta: Volume One, Volume Two, and Volume Three into a single, definitive omnibus, a dark archive of internet horror born in inboxes, comment threads, sleepless nights, and flickering screens. Pulled from the viral Fiction by Mark Watson Substack, these stories aren’t polished campfire tales. They’re warnings. Whispers passed along too quickly. Fragments of nightmares that feel uncomfortably familiar. Together, they chart the evolution of modern horror as it spread through forums, emails, corrupted files, and half-...

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.

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...