SHORT STORIES
A
ANDERSON, Poul & Karen
Faith 1992 Fantasy
(in ‘After the King: Stories in Honour of J.R.R. Tolkien’; Ed. M. Greenberg)
Excellent mood, a worthy tribute
DOYLE, Arthur Conan
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1892 Crime/Short Stories
Thoroughly enjoyable
My Object All Sublime 1961 Short Story/SF
In ‘The Giant Book of Science Fiction Stories’
Killer twist
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Ninth Annual Collection 1991 SF/Short Stories
Best of 1991. Consistently good
FORSYTH, Frederick
No comebacks 1982
Meticulous, able, satisfying
KEILLOR, Garrison
We Are Still Married 1989
Inconsistent but often manages warmth & whimsicality without sentimentality
KIPLING, Rudyard
The Jungle Book 1894
Entertaining, skilful, moving. Profound underlying myth
The Second Jungle Book 1895
Sequel atypically as good as original – ‘Undertakers’ brilliant
LE GUIN, Ursula K.
Semley's Necklace (in ‘The Wind’s Twelve Quarters’) 1964 Short Story/Fantasy/SF
Wonderful evocation of a fantasy legend somehow effectively incorporating SF elements
BACH, Richard
Jonathan Livingston Seagull 1972
Ultra optimistic anti-Ecclesiastes parable: every discipline is eternally meaningful
Richer moods than the usual SF single idea short stories
DOYLE, Arthur Conan
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 1893
Clever
ideas, engaging lead characters
The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1905
Clever
ideas, engaging lead characters
The Poison Belt 1913
Classic
SF model – a story based around a daunting ‘what if’
The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes 1927
Clever
ideas, engaging lead characters
Consistent, well-written, affecting
Magnificent Bastards 2009 Humour/Short Stories
Wonderfully laconic, entertaining narration around often surprisingly dark subjects
Nightmare Town 1923-34 Crime/Short Stories
Capable, original Chandler precursor
HARRIS, Robert
PMQ 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Amusing
frightfully British narration of PM in a sitcom style sketch
HARRISON, Harry
Stainless Steel Visions 1993
Ranging between action, humour, comment – pretty consistent
Galactic Dreams 1994
Ranging between action, humour, comment – pretty consistent
HERRIOT, James
If Only They Could Talk 1970
Light and formulaic, but charming and amusing country vet
recollections
Let Sleeping Vets Lie 1973
Light and formulaic, but charming and amusing country vet recollections
Every Living Thing 1992
Light and formulaic, but charming and amusing country vet
recollections
Lake Wobegon Days 1985 Short Stories/Historical Fiction/Humour
Nostalgic, languid, imaginative,
warm, whimsical, indulgently tangental
KIPLING, Rudyard
Short Stories: Volume 1 1901-1912
Pretty consistent
LE GUIN, Ursula K.
The Darkness Box (in ‘The Wind’s Twelve Quarters’) 1964 Short Story/Fantasy
Clever realisation of an evocative idea
The Word of Unbinding 1964 Fantasy/Short Stories
Great key elements already in place in early Earthsea musings
Tales from Earthsea 2001 Fantasy/Short Stories
Five tales, one great, three good, and one disappointing
LEVI, Primo
The Wrench 1978
Gracefully narrated stories of a tradesman’s jobs and values
A Tranquil Star 2005 (1946-86)
Understated yet engaging style. Mainly SF type ‘what if’s’
MARTIN, George R. R.
Tuf Voyaging 1978-1985 SF/Short Stories
Some flaws, but one good thriller and a couple of fascinating themes
What Good is a Glass Dagger? 1972 Fantasy/Short Story
(in ‘The Flight of the Horse’)
Great little mix of fantasy, action and humour
O’FARRELL, John
Walking Into the Wind 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Enjoyable, if pointed, picture of the highs and lows of a mime’s life
Beggars Banquet 2002 (1990-2000) Crime/Short Stories
Capable, interesting
Eyewall 1991 SF/Short Story
(in The Giant Book of Fantastic SF; Ed. Gardner Dozios)
Able development of a scientific idea into a story
Prayers on the Wind 1991 SF
(in The Giant Book of Fantastic SF; Ed. Gardner Dozios)
Capable dramatic yarn in a largely Hindu syncretic future
Consider Her Ways and Other Stories 1956 SF (Weird)/Short Stories
Able ‘weird’ tales around slips in time or parallel universe
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night 1300s? Fantasy/Short Stories
Constant blood, magic and sex.
Diverting but very repetitive
ASIMOV, Isaac
The Early Asimov, Volume 2 1940s
Definitive magazine SF, individual stories around a novel idea
I, Robot 1950
Average characters and dialogue flesh out novel dilemmas from the ‘three laws’ of his anthropomorphic robots
CARD, Orson Scott
Maps in a Mirror (Vol. 2) 1991
Collection of short stories – more a curiosity for fans
DAHL, Roald
Completely Unexpected Tales 1949-1980
Collection of ‘twist’ stories. Hit and miss. ‘Galloping Foxley’ is a cracker
DOYLE, Arthur Conan
The Land of Mist 1926
Doyle
courageously defends spiritualism, exploiting his popular ‘Challenger’ characters
When the World Screamed 1928
Professor
Challenger in an oddly Gaia setting
The
Conan Doyle Stories 1929
Large collection of ripping yarns from 1883-1922: sea, sport, war, supernatural, medicine and history
The Disintegration Machine 1929
Striking spin on how far scientists are responsible for the application of their research
EGGERS, Dave
After I was thrown into the river and before I drowned 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Dog’s enthusiastic new age perspective on
life and afterlife
FIRTH, Colin
The Department of Nothing 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Charming mix of child/grandmother’s
fantasy coping with everyday
GREENBERG, Martin H. (Ed.)
The Giant Book of Science Fiction Stories 1986 SF/Short Stories
101 1950s-70s magazine SF stories
HAŠEK,
Jaroslav
The Red Commissar 1923
Czech satire of bureaucratic absurdities
James musing on the changing female role in his time
KIPLING, Rudyard
Many Inventions 1893
Can’t remember specifics
Traffics and Discoveries 1904
Can’t remember specifics
Puck of Pook’s Hill 1906
Glimpses of English historical figures
Rewards and Fairies 1910
Sequel to ‘Puck of Pook’s Hill’
LE GUIN, Ursula K.
April in Paris (in ‘The Wind’s Twelve Quarters’) 1962 Short Story/SF
Competent early Le Guin magazine time travel ‘what if’; understandably (and unusually) twee
Making It Up 2005
Typically professional
alternative biographical musing
For the Patriarch 1981
Greek Australian perspective
Rumpole of the Bailey 1978 Short Stories/Crime
Courtroom wit and detection
The Trials of Rumpole 1979 Short Stories/Crime
Courtroom wit and detection
The Flight of the Horse 1974 SF/Fantasy/Short Stories
Pretty average pulp apart from the enjoyable ‘Glass Dagger’
A Good Hanging 1992 Crime/Short Stories
OK, but short form feels like
you’re on fast-forward
SMITH, Giles
Last Requests 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Dark humour improvising a monologue as a death-row canteen lady
B-
BANK, Melissa
The Wonder Spot 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
A woman’s romantic daydream about an ideal
night
Quicker than the Eye 1996 SF/Short Stories
Sentimental, indulgent, average
Love and Longing in Bombay 1997
Original but not engaging
DOYLE, Roddy
The Slave 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Mid-life crisis monologue
FIELDING, Helen
Luckybitch 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Ageing
hedonist diva’s vacillating monologue
GAIMAN, Neil and Sarrantonio, Al (Editors)
Stories 2010
Too similarly dark collection
HORNBY, Nick
NippleJesus 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Security guard’s quirky perspective on art designed to shock
KEILLOR, Garrison
Leaving Home 1987 Short Stories/Humour
Didn’t work for me this time – maybe just my mood?
The Book of Guys 1993 Short Stories/Humour
Improvisations around an indulgent theme: occasionally inspired technique but ultimately childish perspective
SMITH, Zadie
I’m the Only One 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Vignette
of teenager step to identity
C
LE GUIN, Ursula K.
The Masters (in ‘The Wind’s Twelve Quarters’) 1963 Short Story
Dumb, preachy demonising
C-
MARBER, Patrick
Peter Shelley 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Uglily nostalgic depiction of amoral punk adolescent first sex
D-
WELSH, Irvine
Catholic Guilt (You Know You Want It) 2000
(in ‘Speaking With the Angel’; Ed. Nick Hornby)
Stereotype
priest slander with naughty words and obscene action. Pathetic