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...sort of. First of all, I finally went through and did a grand total stats toll of my deathfic. For the purposes of this count, Deathfic is defined as fic focused around or on the death of one or more major characters.
Total: 23
I would just like you to look at those numbers for a moment. Just. Yes, look.
Moving right along.
So, because of that book of disappointing short stories, I got thinking about short stories I do like, and I decided that I wanted to have a collection of them somewhere. You know, like a recommendation post. And the more I thought about it the more I liked the sheer organization of this idea. And I could even give people the books I have them in! Or a link to them if they can be found online!
...so yeah, that's what this is. Recommendations, including a little blurb about what I loved. Though the links and book citations so to speak will have to wait a little. I have AP Government homework to do, whoooops.
1. Emma’s Daughter by Alan Rodgers in Best of Weird Tales. A mother just can't let her daughter go. Genuine horror, one of the more gruesome stories I have actually enjoyed.
2. After the Last Elf Is Dead by Harry Turtledove in Best of Weird Tales. A short little post-Tolkien story; basically, what the title says, playing with the idea of evil minions and just how evil they are. One of the only 'from the "orcs" point of view' stories I've read that I actually enjoyed.
3. The Statement of Randolph Carter by HP Lovecraft. One of the really classic H.P. Lovecraft stories, in terms of layout - and the one my first Lovecraft crossover was based on. Slightly more cautious young man with companion deep in eldritch craft witnesses unbelievable events. Oh, and the last line has to be one of the better ones in Lovecraft.
4. The Outsider by HP Lovecraft. The story that really sold me on H.P. Lovecraft. When I finished this one, I was gone, even if I wasn't beforehand. I can't really summarize anything here without giving it away, though everyone else who has read this except for me probably guessed the ending. >.> I'd never read any Lovecraft before, that's my excuse.
5. The Rats in the Walls by HP Lovecraft. So you know how I said that "The Statement of Randolph Carter" had the best last line? That is a lie. This has the best last line. If I wrote another song like I did this summer, I would base it on this story. So creepy and twisted and it's not clear what happened, and I don't even care what the cat is named, I love it. >.>
6. The Hound by HP Lovecraft. The story I introduce my friends to H.P. Lovecraft with. Classic horror. I love it. I haven't read enough good horror recently, I have to say. This needs to be corrected, goddammit.
7. The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi in Wastelands. Post-apocalyptic fiction! With mutated, grossly malformed people and animals, except for small remaining oases. Chaos. Corruption. Everything I like. And a dog. Don't forget the dog.
8. Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R.R. Martin in Wastelands. The first GRRM I ever read, actually. And I loved this one. Post-human, and an upside down and interesting perspective, especially when previously having read "The Lurking Horror." Though that may just be an indication of something wrong with my brain.
9. Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. I have not read very much H.P. Lovecraft derivative stories I have actually liked, but this would be one of them. Probably because it is thoroughly tongue in cheek and full of more silliness than serious, but still with enough of a twist of weird to it for me to enjoy.
10. The Sweeper of Dreams by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. Short, sweet, delicious. Everything short stories should be, and everything, furthermore, that I sometimes like to play with in my own writing. End of.
11. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. I have a thing for fairy tale retellings, and this is the best one I have ever read. Simply put, you'll never see Snow White the same way again. And it has the touch of the gruesome that you see in older versions of fairy tales that I just love.
12. The Fraud by Esther M. Friesner in Best of Fantasy 6. Doctors from the city go to examine a girl claiming to have been impregnated by a unicorn, shortly after the strange affair of Mary Toft. This story has stuck in my head since the first time I read it.
13. Monster by Kelly Link. A monster at summer camp. And it's worse than Propeller Man. Strangely - strange, at once playful and pretty grim, and the monster in this is - I kind of love it. At least, from a distance.
14. Still Life With Boobs by Anne Harris in Best of Fantasy 6. One of the weirdest yet best stories I've read in a long while. A woman's breasts go out at night without her. And keep bringing home strange penises, too. It's weird, and funny, and I liked it. >.> XD
15. Read It In the Headlines! by Garth Nix in Best of Fantasy 6. A story told entirely in headlines, largely about an invasion of monsters. It's silly. I like silly. That's all I've got.
16. Four Fables by Peter S. Beagle in Best of Fantasy 7. Fables for the modern day. Including the Fable of the T-Rex and the Fable of the Octopus, complete with morals. I love this structure, and I love seeing it redone by contemporary writers. Especially when they capture the attitude behind the original structure so well.
17. Thin, On the Ground by Howard Waldrop in Best of Fantasy 7. My introduction to the concept of Magical Realism. Two boys go to Mexico on a joyride and end up getting more than they bargained for. Part of that 'weird' genre, the twist on reality and the way things start out normal and then go cockeyed is probably what I love about this story.
18. Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy) by Geoff Ryman in Best of Fantasy 7. A story about redemption and the ghosts of the Cambodian genocide, haunting the titular hypothetical daughter. Another story that just stuck in my head and stayed there long after I'd forgotten title, author, and character names - and that, to me, is what really makes a good short story.
19. Sea Air by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in Best of Fantasy 7. A foundling returns home. Themes I really like: the sea, foundlings, returning home. Yeah, I know.
20. The Events at Poroth Farm by T.E.D. Klein. The other good H.P. Lovecraft derivative story I have read and actually liked. Zombie cats! Mysterious deaths! It is seriously a rip of "The Color Out of Space" but I like this one at least as much for all the similarities.
21. The Ball Room by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. Another deliciously creepy story involving children. And it's China, who I almost forgot here. But this story gave me the shivers in the best way. A...well, haunted ball room. Like the kind you see in Ikea. Only it's uglier than that.
22. Familiar by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. A warlock creates a familiar, and then forgets about it. It escapes, and grows. The story from the point of the familiar.
23. Different Skies by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. A man with a window looking out on an alley starts to see, and hear, things that aren't in the alley. Creepy, strange. All those other good things I like in my short stories. And that Mieville is so good at.
24. The Tain by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. Things have emerged from mirrors and are living in London. If this doesn't sound like my type of story, then sweet Jesus, I don't know what is.
25. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
26. I, Cthulhu by Neil Gaiman.
27. By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét.
That's what I've got, for now. Of I go to read for three classes, and wonder why I have never listened to much 30 Seconds to Mars before now. *is so secretly an emo kid it disgusts her sometimes*
And goodnight. Much love to you all. I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting to do.
(Probably babble about elves. I haven't done that in a while. Some of you are probably grateful for this.)
Also, Haiti fic. Tomorrow, you slacking little bitch.
Total: 23
A Song of Ice and Fire: 6
Caliban Leandros: 1
Doctrine of Labyrinths: 2
The Silmarillion: 14
Caliban Leandros: 1
Doctrine of Labyrinths: 2
The Silmarillion: 14
I would just like you to look at those numbers for a moment. Just. Yes, look.
Moving right along.
So, because of that book of disappointing short stories, I got thinking about short stories I do like, and I decided that I wanted to have a collection of them somewhere. You know, like a recommendation post. And the more I thought about it the more I liked the sheer organization of this idea. And I could even give people the books I have them in! Or a link to them if they can be found online!
...so yeah, that's what this is. Recommendations, including a little blurb about what I loved. Though the links and book citations so to speak will have to wait a little. I have AP Government homework to do, whoooops.
1. Emma’s Daughter by Alan Rodgers in Best of Weird Tales. A mother just can't let her daughter go. Genuine horror, one of the more gruesome stories I have actually enjoyed.
2. After the Last Elf Is Dead by Harry Turtledove in Best of Weird Tales. A short little post-Tolkien story; basically, what the title says, playing with the idea of evil minions and just how evil they are. One of the only 'from the "orcs" point of view' stories I've read that I actually enjoyed.
3. The Statement of Randolph Carter by HP Lovecraft. One of the really classic H.P. Lovecraft stories, in terms of layout - and the one my first Lovecraft crossover was based on. Slightly more cautious young man with companion deep in eldritch craft witnesses unbelievable events. Oh, and the last line has to be one of the better ones in Lovecraft.
4. The Outsider by HP Lovecraft. The story that really sold me on H.P. Lovecraft. When I finished this one, I was gone, even if I wasn't beforehand. I can't really summarize anything here without giving it away, though everyone else who has read this except for me probably guessed the ending. >.> I'd never read any Lovecraft before, that's my excuse.
5. The Rats in the Walls by HP Lovecraft. So you know how I said that "The Statement of Randolph Carter" had the best last line? That is a lie. This has the best last line. If I wrote another song like I did this summer, I would base it on this story. So creepy and twisted and it's not clear what happened, and I don't even care what the cat is named, I love it. >.>
6. The Hound by HP Lovecraft. The story I introduce my friends to H.P. Lovecraft with. Classic horror. I love it. I haven't read enough good horror recently, I have to say. This needs to be corrected, goddammit.
7. The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi in Wastelands. Post-apocalyptic fiction! With mutated, grossly malformed people and animals, except for small remaining oases. Chaos. Corruption. Everything I like. And a dog. Don't forget the dog.
8. Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels by George R.R. Martin in Wastelands. The first GRRM I ever read, actually. And I loved this one. Post-human, and an upside down and interesting perspective, especially when previously having read "The Lurking Horror." Though that may just be an indication of something wrong with my brain.
9. Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. I have not read very much H.P. Lovecraft derivative stories I have actually liked, but this would be one of them. Probably because it is thoroughly tongue in cheek and full of more silliness than serious, but still with enough of a twist of weird to it for me to enjoy.
10. The Sweeper of Dreams by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. Short, sweet, delicious. Everything short stories should be, and everything, furthermore, that I sometimes like to play with in my own writing. End of.
11. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman in Smoke and Mirrors. I have a thing for fairy tale retellings, and this is the best one I have ever read. Simply put, you'll never see Snow White the same way again. And it has the touch of the gruesome that you see in older versions of fairy tales that I just love.
12. The Fraud by Esther M. Friesner in Best of Fantasy 6. Doctors from the city go to examine a girl claiming to have been impregnated by a unicorn, shortly after the strange affair of Mary Toft. This story has stuck in my head since the first time I read it.
13. Monster by Kelly Link. A monster at summer camp. And it's worse than Propeller Man. Strangely - strange, at once playful and pretty grim, and the monster in this is - I kind of love it. At least, from a distance.
14. Still Life With Boobs by Anne Harris in Best of Fantasy 6. One of the weirdest yet best stories I've read in a long while. A woman's breasts go out at night without her. And keep bringing home strange penises, too. It's weird, and funny, and I liked it. >.> XD
15. Read It In the Headlines! by Garth Nix in Best of Fantasy 6. A story told entirely in headlines, largely about an invasion of monsters. It's silly. I like silly. That's all I've got.
16. Four Fables by Peter S. Beagle in Best of Fantasy 7. Fables for the modern day. Including the Fable of the T-Rex and the Fable of the Octopus, complete with morals. I love this structure, and I love seeing it redone by contemporary writers. Especially when they capture the attitude behind the original structure so well.
17. Thin, On the Ground by Howard Waldrop in Best of Fantasy 7. My introduction to the concept of Magical Realism. Two boys go to Mexico on a joyride and end up getting more than they bargained for. Part of that 'weird' genre, the twist on reality and the way things start out normal and then go cockeyed is probably what I love about this story.
18. Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy) by Geoff Ryman in Best of Fantasy 7. A story about redemption and the ghosts of the Cambodian genocide, haunting the titular hypothetical daughter. Another story that just stuck in my head and stayed there long after I'd forgotten title, author, and character names - and that, to me, is what really makes a good short story.
19. Sea Air by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in Best of Fantasy 7. A foundling returns home. Themes I really like: the sea, foundlings, returning home. Yeah, I know.
20. The Events at Poroth Farm by T.E.D. Klein. The other good H.P. Lovecraft derivative story I have read and actually liked. Zombie cats! Mysterious deaths! It is seriously a rip of "The Color Out of Space" but I like this one at least as much for all the similarities.
21. The Ball Room by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. Another deliciously creepy story involving children. And it's China, who I almost forgot here. But this story gave me the shivers in the best way. A...well, haunted ball room. Like the kind you see in Ikea. Only it's uglier than that.
22. Familiar by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. A warlock creates a familiar, and then forgets about it. It escapes, and grows. The story from the point of the familiar.
23. Different Skies by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. A man with a window looking out on an alley starts to see, and hear, things that aren't in the alley. Creepy, strange. All those other good things I like in my short stories. And that Mieville is so good at.
24. The Tain by China Mieville in Looking for Jake. Things have emerged from mirrors and are living in London. If this doesn't sound like my type of story, then sweet Jesus, I don't know what is.
25. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
26. I, Cthulhu by Neil Gaiman.
27. By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét.
That's what I've got, for now. Of I go to read for three classes, and wonder why I have never listened to much 30 Seconds to Mars before now. *is so secretly an emo kid it disgusts her sometimes*
And goodnight. Much love to you all. I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting to do.
(Probably babble about elves. I haven't done that in a while. Some of you are probably grateful for this.)
Also, Haiti fic. Tomorrow, you slacking little bitch.
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From:
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(In no particular order...)
"The Pedestrian" - Ray Bradbury
"All the King's Horses" - Kurt Vonnegut
"Skin" - Roald Dahl
"A Retrieved Reformation" - O Henry
"A Rose for Ecclesiastes" - Roger Zelazny
"The Last Defender of Camelot" - Roger Zelazny
"Down to the Scum Quarter" - Garth Nix (His parody of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. It's amazing.)
"Fire Watch" - Connie Willis
"Mama Gone" - Jane Yolen
"The Cask of Amontillado" - Edgar Allan Poe (A classic, but I couldn't not include my favorite Poe story)
"The Lottery" - Shirley Jackson
"Happy Endings" - Margaret Atwood
"All That You Love Will Be Carried Away" - Stephen King
"Murder Mysteries" - Neil Gaiman (Which I'm sure you've read, but I couldn't leave off)
That was hard, but fun! And now I'll have to hunt down those of yours I haven't read yet
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On the lighter side of short stories, we have An Old-Fashioned Unicorn's Guide To Courtship by Sarah Rees Brennan, which pokes fun at a lot of fantasy conventions. There are unicorn chaperones, it is amazing!
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But I would be curious to hear your thoughts - especially on some of the Best Of stories. Those collections are good, I should really look into getting the next (most current) one...
Thank you for the recommendations! Iiii have read, I feel like, There Will Come Soft Rains - I need to reread, though. I actually forgot a bunch of stories I wish I'd put on here, lolfail, so I shall have to add those now...
I'm writing all these down and going to reeeed them. If you remember more, of course, I'm always open to recommendations.
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I'd be very intrigued to hear what you think of any of them...some of them I seem to be the only one to have read them. That I know, anyway.
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And I'm running to read the unicorn one right now. I seem to like stories on one end or the other of the spectrum: dark as hell or silly as fuck. hmmm. I wonder what is the deal with that.
I need to make a proper list of these, though I'm not sure how I'm ever going to get all of them without checking out 290847859 books from the library.
ALSO, HOW'S IT GOING.
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/unsolicited gush.
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Hmmm, getting "Once Upon A Crime" may be hard because there's another anthology called the same thing, this one is edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H Greenberg. Or you might be better off googling the individual stories.
WE HAD A SLIGHT WEAPONS MALFUNCTION BUT EVERYTHING'S PERFECTLY ALRIGHT, WE'RE ALL FINE HERE NOW, THANKYOU, HOW ARE YOU?
From:
LOTS OF STORIES YAY
"The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge" - Ray Bradbury
"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" - Ray Bradbury
"Désirée's Baby" - Kate Chopin
"Hansel's Eyes" - Garth Nix
"Three Roses" - Garth Nix
"Eli the Fanatic" - Philip Roth
"Before the Law" - Franz Kafka
"The Balek Scales" - Heinrich Böll
"Children Are Civilians Too" - Heinrich Böll
"Swans" - Kelly Link
"The Wish" - Roald Dahl
"If Not Higher..." - Isaac Leib Peretz
"The Pious Cat" - Isaac Leib Peretz
"The Jewbird" - Bernard Malamud
There's some more Bradbury that I need to figure out the titles of. And a few stories that I cannot for the life of me remember title or author; I need to dig out my GIANT BOX OF PAPERS and find the hard copies of them.
I also really like both if these, but they might be more novellas than stories:
"Clockwork" - Philip Pullman
"Passing" - Nella Larsen
Also ARRRRRGH there's one called "Target Practice" that is just - absolutely wrenching, omg, and I CANNOT find the author's name. But I have a photocopy of it and will scan it if you like.