Best of
Short-Story-Collection

2002

The Emperor of Dreams


Clark Ashton Smith - 2002
    In the enchanted regions of Hyperborea, Atlantis and Xiccarph, encounter malefic magic and demonic deeds beneath the last rays of a fading sun . . . For the first time ever, this volume encompasses Clark Ashton Smith's entire career as a writer. Smith virtually stopped writing stories in 1937, for reasons that have never been satisfactorily explained, but he left behind a unique legacy of fantasy fiction which is as imaginative and decadent today as when it was first published in the pulp magazines more than half a century ago.

Atticus the Storyteller


Lucy Coats - 2002
    He leaves his family in Crete and sets off on a year-long journey round Greece with his donkey, Melissa; and wherever he goes he tells his favourite myths to anyone who'll listen.The 100 myths include all the favourites, such as the wanderings of Odysseus, the labours of Heracles, the stories of King Midas, Daedalus and Icarus, and Theseus and the Minotaur. Atticus's journey takes the reader to all the sites of the myths and gives a captivating glimpse of how life was lived in Ancient Greece.This is an unparalleled introduction to the Greek myths for younger children, excitingly told, wonderful to read aloud, and illustrated on every opening with lively, engaging, colourful pictures full of authentic detail. In Orion's tradition of extra-large great-value story books, this is an outstandingly good resource for every family.

The Hermit's Story


Rick Bass - 2002
    In the title story, a man and a woman travel across an eerily frozen lake—under the ice. “The Distance” casts a skeptical eye on Thomas Jefferson through the lens of a Montana man’s visit to Monticello. “Eating” begins with an owl being sucked into a canoe and ends with a man eating a town out of house and home, and “The Cave” is a stunning story of a man and woman lost in an abandoned mine. Other stories include “The Fireman,” “Swans,” “The Prisoners,” “Presidents’ Day,” “Real Town,” and “Two Deer.” Some of these stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, but for many readers, they won’t even be the best in this collection. Every story in this book is remarkable in its own way, sure to please both new readers and avid fans of Rick Bass’s passionate, unmistakable voice.

The Colour Out of Space: Tales of Cosmic Horror by Lovecraft, Blackwood, Machen, Poe, and Other Masters of the Weird


Douglas ThinHenry James - 2002
    An atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; a hint of that most terrible conception of the human brain--a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space." --H. P. Lovecraft This new collection features some of the greatest masters of extreme terror, among them Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Bram Stoker, and Henry James, and includes such classic works as Arthur Machen's "The White People," Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows," and of course Lovecraft's own weird and hideous "The Colour Out of Space." Contents: Edgar Allan Poe, "MS. Found in a Bottle"Bram Stoker, "The Squaw"Ambrose Bierce, "Moxon's Master"Ambrose Bierce, "The Damned Thing"Ambrose Bierce, "An Inhabitant of Carcosa"R. W. Chambers, "The Repairer of Reputations"M. P. Shiel, "The House of Sounds"Arthur Machen, "The White People"Algernon Blackwood, "The Willows"Henry James, "The Jolly Corner"Walter de la Mare, "Seaton's Aunt"H. P. Lovecraft, "The Colour Out of Space"A Note on the Selection by D. Thin

Feesters in the Lake & Other Stories


Bob Leman - 2002
    A Window into the Fiction of Bob Leman - Introduction [Jim Rockhill]PrefaceWindowThe TehamaIndustrial ComplexThe Pilgrimage of Clifford M.Change of AddressSkirmish on Bastable StreetOlidaHow Dobbstown Was SavedThe Time of the WormBaitLoobUnlawful PossessionCome Where My Love Lies DreamingInstructionsFeesters in the LakeCover Illustration by Allen Koszowski

The Nimrod Flipout


Etgar Keret - 2002
    Weekly, these short stories include a man who finds equal pleasure in his beautiful girlfriend and the fat, soccer-loving lout she turns into after dark; shrinking parents; a case of impotence cured by a pet terrier; and a pessimistic Middle Eastern talking fish. A bestseller in Israel, The Nimrod Flipout is an extraordinary collection from the preeminent Israeli writer of his generation.

The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories


Jeffrey Ford - 2002
    One tale recounts the author's search for a Kafka story that can only be found in an elusive and quite possibly cursed edition. Other stories feature humans dressing in full-body protective exoskins in the personas of old Hollywood movie stars to barter old Earth movies for an alien aphrodisiac and a young boy coming to terms with creation and moulding his own man out of detritus from a nearby forest. In the title story, a great fantasy writer loses touch with the world he has created and pleads with his young assistant to help him visualise the story's end and enable him to complete his greatest novel ever.

The Stories of Alice Adams


Alice Adams - 2002
    Now, with this posthumous compilation, readers can become reacquainted with Þfty-three of Adams's best-loved stories, culled from her Þve award-winning collections. A Þtting tribute -- and an extraordinary primer for those new to Adams's work -- The Stories of Alice Adams celebrates the voice, vision, and spirit of one of America's most beloved writers.

Minnie's Room: The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes


Mollie Panter-Downes - 2002
    Contains ten stories describing aspects of British life in the years after the war.

Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury


Louisa May Alcott - 2002
    Louisa May Alcott has been loved by generations of readers for her timeless stories like Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys. Few authors have equaled her ability to bring characters to life in such a way that readers truly care for and believe in them-and are inspired to be like them. Now for the first time, all of Alcott's known Christmas short stories and novellas have been gathered into a single exquisite collection, which is sure to brighten the holidays for book lovers. Readers of all ages will cherish these fifteen enchanting tales filled with hope, sorrow, faith, joy, redemption, strength, and goodness. Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury is a wonderful gift for oneself or a loved one.The quiet little woman --A hospital Christmas --What Polly found in her stocking --Rosa's tale --Mrs. Podgers' teapot --Peace from heaven --A country Christmas --Gwen's adventure in the snow --A Christmas dream, and how it came true --A song --A merry Christmas (Little women) --What love can do --Tessa's surprises --A Christmas turkey --Becky's Christmas dream --Kate's choice --Bertie's box --A new way to spend Christmas --Tilly's Christmas --The virutes of Louisa May Alcott's characters

The Collection


Bentley Little - 2002
    And that's a scary place to be.

The Occult Detectives of C.J. Henderson


C.J. Henderson - 2002
    Teddy London were being read and enjoyed by fans around the world. Now, for the first time ever, the absolute best of his supernatural sleuthing tales have been brought together in one incredible collection. Join him in the pages of fright-filled compilation as he furthers the careers of Lin Carter's remarkable Anton Zarnak and H.P. Lovecraft's resilient Inspector Legrasse. Experience his haunting takes on the mythos worlds of both Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley. And immerse yourself in stores featuring all the characters of his London universe. Here are thirteen tales of the greatest otherworld investigators ever created--private eyes, college professors, police officers, and even TV reporters--tackling witches, werewolves, and every other terror that crawls, flies, or creeps through the night. It's the best stories ever from the reigning monarch of macabre mysteries!

Great American Short Stories


Paul Negri - 2002
    Scott Fitzgerald's "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," plus stories by Mark Twain, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charles Chesnutt, Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, Ambrose Bierce, Theodore Dreiser, and others. Perfect for classroom use, this outstanding collection of tales will also prove popular with fiction readers everywhere.--back cover

Lies & Ugliness


Brian Hodge - 2002
    While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Roofwalker


Susan Power - 2002
    Many of the "histories" repeat subjects and themes found in the "stories," making Roofwalker a book that in which spirits and the living commingle and Sioux culture and modern life collide with disarming power, humor, and joy. The first seven pieces in the book are "stories," fictional accounts primarily of girls and women. In the title story, a young girl believes in the power of the "roofwalker" spirit to make her dreams come true. In "Beaded Souls," a woman is cursed by the sin of her great-grandfather, an Indian policeman who arrested Sitting Bull. "First Fruits" follows a native girl’s first-year at Harvard. The nonfiction pieces include Power’s imaginary account of the meeting of her Phi Beta Kappa father and Sioux mother, a piece about the letters of an Irish ancestor and another in which Power and her mother visit the Field Museum in Chicago, where a native ancestor’s dress is on display.

Murphy's Lore: Through the Drinking Glass


Patrick Thomas - 2002
    For the troubled, it is a place to find those who will help them in beating back the darkness. For those lucky enough to find it, their lives will never again be the same. The name of the place is Bulfinche's Pub. These are their stories. This is Murphy's Lore. In the 3rd book in this critically acclaimed fantasy humor series, a hitman attempts to cheat the devil; a knight tries to save a dragon in the sewers under NYC; Death witnesses a murder so foul that even he cannot allow the killer to go free; Uncle Sam is found to be running a not so secret government agency; Coyote answers a prayer; Guardian Angels try to capture the renegade seraph Mathew & his succubus wife Ryth; the Devil tries to take his revenge on Paddy Moran & friends; & Paddy finds the ultimate billboard-the Moon. Includes stories published in FANTASIC STORIES, PADWOLF PRESENTS, THE DNA HELIX ed. by Warine Lapine & THE 2nd COMING anthology. Praise for Murphy's Lore "HUMOR, OUTRAGEOUS ADVENTURES, & SOME CLEVER PLOT TWISTS."-Don D'Ammassa, SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE "Don't miss the latest installment of this wonderful series."-Ed McFadden, FANTASTIC STORIES "SLICK... ENTERTAINING."-Paul Di Filippo, ASIMOV'S Don't miss MURPHY'S LORE: TALES FROM BULFINCHE'S PUB & FOOLS' DAY

The Ogre's Wife - Fairy Tales for Grownups


Richard Parks - 2002
    The introduction was written by Parke Godwin, who has followed the author's career from first bloom in 1978 until today. All but one of the stories have been previously published in either magazines (mostly Realms of Fantasy) or anthologies. That one, Doing Time in the Wild Hunt, was written especially for this collection.

The World-Thinker and Other Stories


Jack Vance - 2002
    (1951), The Absent Minded Professor (1953), The Devil on Salvation Bluff (1954), The Phantom Milkman (1955), Where Hesperus Falls (1955), A Practical Man's Guide (1956), and The House Lords (1956).This collection was first published as volume 1 of the Vance Integral Edition.

Smoke Ghost & Other Apparitions


Fritz Leiber - 2002
    Many of the stories herein have never appeared in a collection under Leiber’s byline prior to this publication. Noted author Ramsey Campbell has provided an introduction and editors John Pelan and Steve Savile provide some bibliographic notes on the texts of this volume and the preceding collection, The Black Gondolier.

Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West


Marianne CarusJane Yolen - 2002
    Ferocious fire-breathing dragons face off with clever princesses and courageous village girls in a riddle match. But the last dragon in the world is a kind, gentle beast who sheds tears of joy when a princess calls him “dragon dear.” Ferocious or kind, wise or wicked, these mythical creatures transport readers to the far corners of the world.

Eternal Frontier


James H. Schmitz - 2002
    One is the Swimmers, who have adapted to living in zero-gravity, and regard themselves as the next step in evolution, and those who prefer to live on the surface of a planet as little better than apes. The latter group, the Walkers, are not about to say farewell to the planets they grew up on, and think the Swimmers are not so much advanced as deranged.Crowell, born a Swimmer but now a Walker by choice, is caught in the middle as the two sides seem headed for war. Then he discovers the true cause of the altercation: a hidden alien race moving behind the scenes to provoke a war so that they can pick up the pieces after the two sides have obliterated each other. And if Crowell cannot head off the war and convince both sides of the existence of the real enemy, both branches of the human race may be headed for untimely extinction.This full-length novel and much more, fill a huge volume from the master of science fiction adventure.

Love In Bloom: Love's Masquerade\Forbidden Fantasy\Teacher's Pet


Francine Craft - 2002
    John. Now, as midnight nears, two people who have known heartbreak may discover that dreams can still come true.Linda Hudson-Smith's Forbidden Fantasy brings social worker Ashleigh Ayers together with Austin Carrington, the football hero she has adored ever since she was a lonely, unwanted orphan.But a Caribbean cruise offers unexpected surprises...and the passionate fulfillment of a long-ago promise.In Janice Sims's Teacher's Pet, literature professor Bethany Porter meets self-made millionaire Colin Armstrong, and she's hooked. But it will take the help of two romance-minded friends for this by-the-book woman to learn that love has its own thrilling lessons to teach.

Water Street


Crystal Wilkinson - 2002
    One story that the light of day shines on and the other that lives only in the pitch black of night, the kind of story that a person carries beneath their breastbones for safekeeping. WATER STREET examines the secret lives of neighbours and friends who live on Water Street in a small town in Kentucky. Assured and intimate, dealing with love, loss, truth and tragedy, Wilkinson weaves us in and out of the lives of Water Street's inhabitants.