Short stories

Book SynopsisShortlisted for Best Collection in the British Fantasy Awards 2023Candescent Blooms is a collection of twelve short stories which form fictionalised biographies of mostly Golden Era Hollywood actors who suffered untimely deaths. From Olive Thomas in 1920 through to Grace Kelly in 1982, these pieces utilise facts, fiction, gossip, movies and unreliable memories to examine the life of each individual character set against a Hollywood background of hope and corruption, opportunity and reality.Trade Review★★★★★ Andrew Hook’s book is a gothic treat. I only wish he’d investigated and imagined the fast exit of Mike Todd, one of Elizabeth Taylor’s husbands, whose private plane blew up over New Mexico; or the drowning – homicide or otherwise – of Natalie Wood; or the fate of Gig Young, who shot his wife and then himself in Manhattan. Perhaps there will be a sequel, or a continuation. In particular, I much admired the heightened poetic style, which wholly fits the subject-matter. We are told about “Benny Goodman’s treacle-swing”; there are Chandleresque phrases such as someone or other emitting “a soft bubble of hostility”; and Hook is capable of epigrams worthy of Marlowe’s Dr Faustus, eg, “Guilt would be bearable, but innocence corrupts the soul.” Marvellous. -- Roger Lewis * The Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for The Edge Hill Short Story Prize 2023Ambitious and playful, darkly humorous and imaginative, these strikingly original stories move effortlessly between the realistic and the fantastical, as their outsider characters explore what it’s like to be human in the twenty-first century. Whether about our relationship with the environment and animals, technology, social media, loneliness, or the enormity of time, they reflect the complexities of being alive. Beautifully written and compelling, you won’t read anything else like them.Trade ReviewI've been waiting for a collection of Giselle Leeb's short stories for a few years, and it's just as wonderful as I'd hoped! With wry dark humour and a boundless and inventive imagination, Leeb makes us look at the familiar with fresh eyes, taking us out of our everyday realities to explore everything that makes us human or non-human. From the weatherman in the opening story onwards, you won't want to put this book down, but you will make yourself because you don't want it to end. Everything that makes a great short story is here. -- Tania HershmanIt is both thought-provoking and entertaining, perhaps because of the author’s constant focus on building a sense of atmosphere … A collection that manages to balance heavy topics, while also leaving the reader with a sense of hope, Leeb hits a balance … Skillfully ambiguous, dark and also optimistic, Mammals I Think We Are Called is a wonderful contribution to the local literary world. -- Lizzy O’Riordan * Leftlion *These stories are startlingly weird, blackly hilarious, raw and dreamlike. The common thread I think is a breathtakingly of-this-moment sense of alienation – from the natural world, from each other, from a sense of what's true and what's deception. But there's always a shred of hope somewhere in among the disaffection and pain, and that's what pulls me through the moments of horror … I was surprised by the range and breadth of these stories, and in particular was amazed at the poise of "The Goldfinch is Fine", in which a weatherman gradually loses his mind over an irrational, then increasingly certain terror of rising seas, “Hooked”, in which collective, hallucinatory dreams reunite an isolated city, and “Barleycorn”, in which a mysterious plague of spontaneous hair growth coincides with a hunt for a serial killer. These are challenging stories that invite the reader to engage in unexpected depth. -- Michael DeLucaThese eighteen short stories are fantastically imaginative and cover a wide range of themes including identity, psychology, and the environment. There is humour and darkness, joy and sorrow, realism and the Fantastick. There's extreme weather, toy apes coming to life, hauntings, cyborgs, and even cryogenics. Wide-ranging in theme and style, they were a delight. -- Rupert Dastur

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Book Synopsis"Great, beautiful little studies of unspoken fear and longing and love, told with a sure-footed delicacy rare in a debut" Sarah Moss, Irish Times"An exciting, original, and very welcome new voice" Donal Ryan"These are startling, adventurous and often wonderful stories. I loved this collection" Roddy DoyleA sharp and insightful debut short story collection about the pitfalls of ordinary life A wife yearns to escape the tight-fisted confines of a package holiday. A boy dreams of footballing greatness as his mother mourns a loss. A man tries to assemble an absent child's playhouse, with impossible instructions and too much beer. A woman seeks clarity from automated voices. A father is distracted from Christmas tree shopping with his son by the looming pressure of quarterly sales targets.Shine/Variance captures the tiny crises and wonders of daily life with warmth, wit and decisive clarity. Ordinary people - commuters, call centre workers, children and parents - struggle for stability while craving more, and the schism between expectation and reality is only rarely bridged. Yet, amidst the faltering, recognition and bright moments of hope still illuminate their days.Fresh, tender and darkly funny, these stories are a window into the longings, frustrations and painfully human connections of ordinary life from a remarkable new voice in fiction."The most powerful new collection I've read in some years" John Boyne"Brilliantly bats, staggeringly compelling, and ferociously funny. Stephen Walsh rips the concreteness of reality straight from us and reflects back a more wobbly version of our turbulent lives... Completely unique" June Caldwell"Full of assured originality and freshness - a new writer much to be welcomed" Bernard MacLavertyTrade ReviewGreat, beautiful little studies of unspoken fear and longing and love, told with a sure-footed delicacy rare in a debut. Walsh is playful and often funny... Walsh's voices are small but strong, his triumphs and tragedies no less haunting for their intimate scale -- Sarah Moss * Irish Times *These are startling, adventurous and often wonderful stories. I loved this collection -- Roddy DoyleImmensely readable... the collection's sharpness, poetics and wit make for an immensely pleasurable read... [Walsh] looks to be a writer of great promise -- Niamh Donnelly * Irish Independent *Stephen Walsh writes of the complexities of family life with insight and humour. The most powerful new collection I've read in some years -- John BoyneHugely original... I loved these zany, thought provoking stories and felt empathy with most of the protagonists -- Sue Leonard * Irish Examiner *An exciting, original, and very welcome new voice. Stephen Walsh draws unexpected beauty from the familiar, the tragic, the darkly comic situations any of us could find ourselves in, composing perfect little symphonies from the haphazard chords of existence. He is a witty, insightful and very skilled writer, and the voices in this collection sing from the page -- Donal RyanEach of the stories packs a particular emotional punch but this is punctuated by humour... Shine/Variance is a hugely accomplished debut from a writer who sees beauty, struggle, and redemption in the everyday -- Paul Ring * Irish Examiner *Heartbreakingly real characters dealing with everyday hurts and misunderstandings -- Orna Mulcahy * The Gloss *Stephen Walsh's first collection is full of assured originality and freshness - a new writer much to be welcomed -- Bernard MacLavertyStephen Walsh's writing is at once original, sharp and funny. The richness of his insight and storytelling fits wonderfully into the breadth and depth of Irish writing today -- Anne Griffin, author of When All Is SaidThis is a brilliant collection; formally audacious, darkly funny, utterly unique. Stephen Walsh's characters are so terrifyingly authentic I read through slotted fingers, mortified for them, and several times he had me on my feet. I loved this book -- Louise KennedyThese stories are brilliantly bats, staggeringly compelling and ferociously funny. Stephen Walsh rips the concreteness of reality straight from us and reflects back a more wobbly version of our turbulent lives. Characters are lost, lonely, restless, confused, but always gagging to roll out the very best of havoc humanity can offer. Voice, style and structure are completely unique. If someone shoved George Saunders into a giant kaleidoscope, along with a few episodes of Black Mirror, popping candy and a mescal worm, and gave it a good twist they'd get Shine/Variance -- June CaldwellInventive, dazzling, devastating and laugh out loud funny, the stories in Shine/Variance are all this and more. It's exhilarating to read such remarkable writing. An astonishingly good debut from a writer who clearly finds joy in language -- Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of FallingThis collection depicts with caustic wit and insight the undersides of Irish domesticity: the quiet angers and atrophying dissatisfactions. Flaunting an enviable dexterity in both voice and style, Shine/Variance is an addictive collection, rich in moments that linger in your consciousness -- Susannah Dickey, author of Tennis LessonsStephen Walsh's stories are often playful, sometimes twisted, in form and tone, but the dexterity on display allows for deep, subtle and profoundly moving explorations of modern life -- Tim Finch, author of Peace Talks

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Book SynopsisShort stories about the defiance of growing old, seeking new experiences in memorable images with vivid titles.

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Book Synopsis· · NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019 BY NYLON, ELECTRIC LITERATURE, THE MILLIONS AND LITHUB · ·____________________'Soulful, striking and ablaze with promise' Observer__________________At the Beijing Olympics, a pair of synchronized divers stand poised at the edge of success and sexual self-discovery. A Chinese-American girl in Paris finds her life changed when she begins wearing a dead person's clothes. And on a winter evening, a father creates an algorithm to troubleshoot the problem of raising a daughter across an ever-widening gulf of culture and experience.From second-generation rich kids and livestream stars to a glass-swallowing qigong grandmaster, this funny and wise debut collection upends the well-worn path of the immigrant experience to reveal a new face of belonging: of young people testing the limits of who they are and who they will one day become, in a world as vast and various as their ambitions.__________________'Artful, funny, generous and empathetic' Lauren Groff, author of Florida'Sublimely captivating' Vogue'Striking, soulful and ablaze with promise.' ObserverTrade ReviewStriking, soulful and ablaze with promise. * Observer *Remarkable...Wang captures the strivings and uncertainty of Chinese youth establishing themselves in America and beyond...[A] deft, striking debut. * New York Observer, Spring 2019 Must-Read Books *The sixteen stories in Home Remedies are so artful, funny, generous and empathetic that they'll linger in readers for weeks after you finish the book. Xuan Juliana Wang is a radiant new talent. -- Lauren Groff * author of Fates and Furies *In just 12 stories, Wang manages to whip up the portrait of a generation...Proving herself to be anincredible new talent and giving voice to Chinese millennials, this is a short story collection you need to read this summer. * Stylist *An exciting, electric new voice... Sublime. * Financial Times *The dozen stories in this dazzling and unclassifiable collection interrogate the fractures, collisions and glorious new alloys of what it means to be a Chinese Millennial. Xuan Juliana Wang has the dark soul of an old poet's inkwell, the deep knowing of an ancient remedy, and linguistic incandescence of a megacity skyline. Trust these stories to show you the way. * Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son *With style, verve and grace, Wang brings a new perspective to stories about family and community. Both modern and innovative, her stories surprise and challenge in wonderful, wonderful ways. * Weike Wang, author of Chemistry *Tasty little bits of perfection. One of the great debuts of the year. * Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story *The American dream goes global in Xuan Juliana Wang's spectacular debut.... Moving from lower Manhattan to mainland China, the dozen tales in the collection are peopled by immigrants in limbo and Asian millennials riding high on WeChat and rock'n'roll.... Sublimely captivating. * Vogue *Endearing characters with bizarre fixations fill Wang's superb debut collection, a perfect book to dip into this summer.... Wang's striking characters are fresh, clever, and shouldn't be missed. * Publishers Weekly *Bright * Elle *Studded with poetic lines... Home Remedies is full of soulful, Beijing-based coming-of-age stories. * Skinny *Clever and strange, these stories move from America to China and back again, with themes of identity, privilege and race. * Independent *Elements of the surreal and the elegiac mixed in with the comedy and social satire. A memorable collection. * Dan Brotzel, The Scotsman *A striking demonstration of Wang's versatile storytelling gifts, presenting a range of characters, perspectives, and formal choices that prove she has the tools to write a story in whatever way it needs to be written. Home Remedies is filled with characters facing boundaries to be crossed: cultural, familial, economic, political. The magic of these stories radiates from the friction created as characters enter new worlds and try, imperfectly, to make a home for themselves. * The Rumpus *Xuan Juliana Wang's remarkable debut introduces us to the new and changing face of Chinese youth... her dazzling, formally inventive stories upend the immigrant narrative to reveal a new experience of belonging: of young people testing the limits of who they are, in a world as vast and varied as their ambitions... In stories of love, family, and friendship, here are the voices, faces and stories of a new generationnever before captured between the pages in fiction. What sets them apart is Juliana Wang's surprising imagination, able to capture the innermost thoughts of her characters with astonishing empathy. * Book Riot *

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Book SynopsisDarkness Beckons is the fourth volume in the non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window. A terrifying cocktail of the familiar and the new, the established and the emerging. Previous titles in the series, all still in print are After Sundown, Beyond the Veil and Close to Midnight. Contents List: SAINT BARBARA by Nina Allan HARE MOON by H.V. Patterson UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS by Stephen Volk DUSK by Angela Slatter A FACE LEAVING NO TRACES by Brian Evenson GOOD BONES by Sarah Read FACTS CONCERNING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ORLOFF SIX by Alyssa C. Greene HE WASN’T THERE AGAIN TODAY by Peter Atkins DODGER by Carly Holmes FROM THE MAN-SEAT by Reggie Oliver THE SERVICE by Ally Wilkes THE LATE MRS. APPLEGARTH by Mark Gatiss THE FIG TREE by Lucie McKnight Hardy IF YOUR SOUL WERE A PITCHFORK I’D DESPISE YOU by Eric LaRocca HEEBIE JEEBIES by Amanda Cecelia Lang KILLING BONES by Simon Clark IL CREPUSCOLO by Helen Marshall REMEMBER ME by Ronald Malfi WITCH’S CLUTCH by Simon Strantzas CAMP NEVER by J.S. Breukelaar FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.Trade ReviewPraise for the first three books in the series: “Beautifully written pieces that lean into the intuitive and fantastic.” — Publishers Weekly "This rich and masterful collection of horror highlights both up-and-coming and established authors in an interesting twist on the standard anthology [...] Highly recommended for longstanding horror fans and those readers who may not think horror is for them. There is something for everyone in this one." — Booklist "There is no end to the talent Mark Morris has brought together here. Fans of the genre will be pleased to see new work from such favorites as Nathan Ballingrud and Gemma Files, among others. So if you’re ready for a long fall night, pick up a copy of this massive anthology and fall into the mysterious worlds Beyond the Veil." — Phantastiqa "This is a short story collection that does exactly what it sets out to, delight and scare. With stories from well-known authors in the genre as well as a few from emerging voices, After Sundown has something for everyone. Highly recommended." — The British Fantasy Society "An entertaining, slickly written, mainstream, fun, something-for-every-horror-fan anthology.” — HorrorTree “There’s a refreshing lack of pretentiousness about these stories. The authors span several continents so there’s a decent array of themes and styles. Each tale had a very distinct voice, with a superb variety that perfectly illustrates what a broad church the genre covers. I had a blast reading this book. It really has reinvigorated my interest in the horror genre.” — Stephen Bacon, author & critic “I'm impressed with the imagination and variety coming from the writers. Beyond the Veil, from Flame Tree Press, is another happy clump of ickiness...and I mean that in a good way.” — The Happy Horror Writer

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF EDGE HILL READERS CHOICE PRIZE 2021 'Taps into a deep and compelling strangeness with vigour and humour and heart... A disturbing and moving collection' Chris Power, author of Mothers In Paradise Block, mould grows as thick as fur along the walls, alarms ring out at unexpected hours and none of the neighbours are quite what they seem. A little girl boils endless eggs in her family's burnt-out flat, an isolated old woman entices a new friend with gifts of cutlery and cufflinks, and a young bride grows frustrated with her unappreciative husband, the caretaker of creaking, dilapidated Paradise Block. With a haunting sense of place and a keen eye for the absurd, these thirteen surreal stories lure us into a topsy-turvy world where fleatraps are more important than babies and sales calls for luxury coffins provide a welcome distraction. Lonely residents live in close proximity while longing for connection.Trade ReviewIn these brilliant stories Alice Ash taps into a deep and compelling strangeness with vigour and humour and heart. This is a disturbing and moving collection, an unusual combination I'd like to encounter more often. "I cannot look away", one of her narrators remarks; that's how I felt, too. -- Chris Power, author * Mothers *A collection to savour - strange, funny, touching; Paradise Block is bound to be one of the debuts of the year ... it's very good -- Eliza Clark, author of Boy PartsSearingly brilliant ... She is a witch with words. -- Emma Jane UnsworthAlice Ash's writing gets right at the rot underneath the polish of things, picking out the gothic in the full light of day. ... These are dangerous stories of the best kind: treading the line between terror and delight. I couldn't peel my eyes off them. -- Livia Franchini, author * Shelf Life *The best weird fiction holds up a fairground mirror to what we blithely call normal, reflecting a reality that warps and flickers. In Paradise Block, Alice Ash creates a world that is disturbingly Not. Restless and unsettling, these stories take a step sideways and away from the expected. Uneasy and deliciously wrong. -- Rosie Garland, author * The Palace of Curiosities *A powerful testimony to the reality of life on the margins. Raw, bizarre, disturbing, funny and uncanny. -- Cathy Sweeney, author * Modern Times *Engaging, funny and surprising in equal measure, these stories are the work of a wonderfully unconventional imagination -- Laura Kaye, author * English Animals *This is not a green and pleasant land, but something much more prevalent, over-looked and deeply English. These stories depict difficult, often cash-poor characters, but they are respectfully written with such texture and poetry that they give voice to the thousands of lives that they echo. Eclectic, dark, moving and sometimes very funny. -- Kate Sawyer, author of The StrandingLively, unerring, intimate and gorgeously grotesque! Sentences as satisfying as feeling the cool squish of silt between your toes. As you merrily connect the dots between crisscrossing lives, these stories will get under your skin & make themselves at home there. -- Gemma Reeves, author of Victoria ParkA matrix-like collection that reinvents the short story genre... the uneasy meshing of lives and stories is a reminder there is a strange poetry to co-existence. * Arts Desk *An unconventional collection that treads the line between the disturbing and the delightful... These stories get under your skin. * The F Word *Though dark, these stories are moving and funny, their stance on class and responsibility offering instances of bright clarity that turn the magnifying glass back onto the reader with a raised eyebrow ... read Paradise Block for a carnivalesque reflection of the world we live in. * Mslexia *Brims with honesty, humanity and a strong sense of the absurd, frequently tipping over into surrealism and comedy as well as pathos ... inventive and energetic, Paradise Block is also moving, and the device of recurring characters is cleverly and coherently used * TLS *Mesmerising ... Ash depicts these lives - and these impossible choices - with nuance and empathy ... The collection is made rich with these portraits of interior lives: characters' suffering brushes up against their pleasures, friendships, connections with one another * White Review *

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Book SynopsisAs one of Britain's foremost poets, Ben Okri brings both poetry and story together, paring writing and image down to their essentials. This significant title story 'The Comic Destiny' forms the centrepiece of this collection, complemented by thirteen magical stokus. In his new introduction Ben Okri describes it as a talisman, an alchemic instigator for much of his later work. The stoku is a blend of story and haiku. And thirteen, according to the author, is the number of liberation. All these stories are about freedom. They flow easily, but burn slowly. And they offer the possibility of freedom beyond the confines of our usual perception. 'Moments of genuine insight and poetry' Guardian. 'Okri's writing has a light-as-air elegance, yet its seriousness keeps the stories gravity bound' New Statesman.Trade ReviewOkri brings both poetry and story together in a fascinating new form, using writing and image pared down to their essentials where haiku and story meet * The Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisH.P. Lovecraft was a pioneer of modern horror fiction, his uncanny tales melding haunting gothic prose with colossal fantasy. This collection brings together 25 of his ''Dream Cycle'' tales which take place in an alternate dimension that is visited through dreams. These include: • Polaris • The Case of Charles Dexter Ward • The Color Out of Space • The Outsider • The Cats of UltharLovecraft has inspired countless horror and science fiction writers, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and China Miéville, and his storytelling remains enthralling, vivid and terrifying.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.

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Book SynopsisA volume of 7 short stories and 7 poems/brand new songs on the theme of wellbeing. Each one is uplifting, and is written by well-known authors such as Eurig Salisbury and Llyr Gwyn Lewis and new authors such as Nia Morais and Ifan Pritchard. Published jointly by Y Lolfa and the National Eisteddfod.

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Book SynopsisA collection of previously untranslated stories from a master of twentieth-century Austrian literature, Thomas Bernhard. “The cold increases with the clarity,” said Thomas Bernhard while accepting a major literary prize in 1965. That clarity was the postwar realization that the West’s last remaining cultural reference points were being swept away by the ever-greater commodification of humankind. Collecting five stylistically transitional tales by Bernhard, all of which take place in sites of extreme cold, this volume extends that bleak vision of the master Austrian storyteller. In “Ungenach,” the reluctant heir of an enormous estate chooses to give away his legacy to an assortment of oddballs as he discovers the past of his older brother, who was murdered during a career in futile colonialist philanthropy. In “The Weatherproof Cape,” a lawyer tries to maintain a sense of familial solidarity with a now-dead client with the help of an unremarkable piece of clothing. “Midland in Stilfs” casts a jaundiced eye on the laughable efforts of a cosmopolitan foreigner to attain local authenticity on a moribund Alpine farmstead. In “At the Ortler,” two middle-aged brothers—one a scientist, the other an acrobat—meditate on their unusual career paths while they climb a mountain to reclaim a long-abandoned family property. And in “At the Timberline,” the unexpected arrival of a young couple in a mountain village leads to the discovery of a scandalous crime that casts a shadow on the personal life of the policeman investigating it. Trade Review"Thomas Bernhard’s unparagraphed, splenetic monologues are bitter-tasting, outlandish concoctions that explore death, suicide, illness and disgust in all its forms . . . Much of the hypnotically corrosive power of Bernhard’s work relies on the reader being trapped in his textual monoliths for an extended period, allowing ideas and phrases to repeat, which makes it interesting to see what he could do on a smaller canvas." * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1.Ungenach 2.The Weatherproof Cape3.Midland in Stilfs4.At the Ortler5.At the Timberline

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Book SynopsisTwo Men in a Basket and Other Stories is another stylish and versatile selection from Colin Barker, with stories ranging from the hilarious to the deadly serious, but always well-crafted and thought provoking. Lovers of The Shell and other Stories will meet old friends here, as always fighting against the odds but somehow bumbling through. But there are others not so lucky in their dealings with deathly plants, stealing property from the spirit world or living for the first time right on the edge. Terror and tension run through many of the stories with a host of unexpected endings, but in the end it’s usually wry humour that wins the day! So, if you want a toe-tingling thrill, to gasp at the unexpected, roar at the absurd or quietly nod in agreement this is the short story anthology for you.

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Book SynopsisIn Truth or Dare we follow, spell-bound, as chance encounters bring violent pasts roaring into the present; we wait on tenterhooks as a woman sits by her husband's hospital bed as both their lives hang in the balance; we watch anxiously as a homeless man begs a woman with her life and career stretching ahead of her not to jump to her death. By turns comedic, heart-wrenching and moving, these stories paint powerful pictures of pain, love and empathy, and celebrate the power we have over one another. From the rain-soaked waterways of London to the bustling streets of Dhaka, Truth or Dare is a stunning collection that spans two continents and sees the best and worst in both.Trade Review'A powerful and riveting collection that will have you turning the pages until you've devoured every last word... to be cherished and savoured.' (Awais Khan, author of No Honour) 'These stories draw you in, hold you, speak to you, tell you secrets, and show you worlds, and then let you go at just that point when you can't stop thinking about them. Each one is a journey, each story a gem. Short fiction has a new torchbearer in Nadia Kabir Barb and this remarkable debut is just the beginning, I hope.' (Nadeem Zaman, author of The Inheritors) 'Nadia Kabir Barb writes with compassion and imagination about her characters, who are varied and richly drawn. She keeps the reader close to the stories, allowing us to experience their anguish, fears and joys on an intimate level.' (Sharbari Z. Ahmed, author of Dust Under Her Feet) 'Effortlessly switching between London and Dhaka, Nadia Kabir Barb's humanity shines through in this tender and diverse collection.' (Bee Rowlatt, author of In Search of Mary) 'Sharply observed and vivid in detail, Nadia Kabir Barb's stories lay bare the poignant, the powerful, the traumatic moments on which our lives turn. These delicate, penetrating vignettes are glimpses that encapsulate a greater whole. Hers is a memorable short fiction debut.' (Steven J. Fowler, author of The Guide to Being Bear Aware) 'The writer's wonderfully crafted language and commendable flair make the characters' emotions, their dreams, their fears, their disappointments, etc., recognisable and easy to empathise with. The plots are refreshingly different. The soul-stirring narrations as one engaging story follows another makes Truth or Dare a very worthwhile read. As we finish reading each story, we feel that we understand a little more about human nature, even though we experience a sense of loss at the same time.' (The Asian Age)

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Book SynopsisThere are around 7 million carers in the UK alone - unpaid people who look after someone who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, mental health problem or addiction and cannot cope without support. The Curae Prize was established in 2022 to offer a platform to these writer-carers, offering creative focus and access to the publishing industry. Attracting a wealth of extraordinary submissions, the inaugural prize has been widely praised for its inclusivity and spotlighting of neglected talent, and this anthology celebrates the works that made it on to the shortlist.

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Book SynopsisThe dark, funny and ambitious early writings of one of Britain's best-loved writers.Jane Austen's name is synonymous with witty, cutting novels about the manners and money of Britain's high society. This collection of her youthful writings shows the author grappling with the themes that would define her later writing and showcases her trademark irony. Containing the short epistolary novels Love and Freindship and Lady Susan, as well as an eclectic mix of early writings, this collection is a must-have for any Austen fan.Part of a boldly designed series of classics, with wider margins for notes, this book is perfect for design-lovers and students alike. With bold, eye-catching graphic covers by Evi O Studio, this collection aims to introduce a selection of the most celebrated works of the last thousand years to a new audience. Featuring tales of adventure, fiction from the 19th and 20th centuries, feminist writings, and reflections on art, politics, philosophy and the origins of man, this is a small, wide-reaching and essential collection.'His heart, which was as delicate as sweet and as tender as a Whipt-syllabub, could not resist her attractions.'

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Book Synopsis'One of my favourite books by one of my favourite Argentinian authors' Samanta Schweblin, author of Fever Dream 'Diamantine, intense and violent' Times Literary Supplement Dazzling and hallucinatory, the stories in this collection recall the masters of magical realism - but with Sara Gallardo's distinctive slant. An old man wakes up one morning to find that his beloved garden is floating away, with him on board. A young woman moves to Buenos Aires, bringing with her a replacement head. A meek German missionary leaves Paraguay for the Pampas, unprepared for what he will discover there. Resplendent with otherworldly imagery and beguiling prose, Land of Smoke presents a uniquely compelling voice in Latin American literature. Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe. Translated by Jessica Sequeira Sara Gallardo was a celebrated and prize-winning Argentinian writer, born in Buenos Aires in 1931. Her first book was published in 1958, and by the time she died in 1988, she had published novels, short stories, children's books, and essays. Written after the death of her second husband, Land of Smoke is the first of her books to be translated into English.Trade ReviewShortlisted for the Society of Authors Premio Valle Inclán Prize"Gallardo’s short story collection pushes the form in new and unexpected directions… This is a significant addition to South American literature in translation; the breadth of Gallardo’s imagination expands the canon." — Kirkus Reviews"Remarkable stories. . . a consistently surprising and enigmatic read." — Los Angeles Times"She writes with an air of authority (which Jessica Sequeira has translated from Spanish brilliantly) that begs your trust… Gallardo’s succinct descriptions define the tangible – the weather, the landscape, the physical circumstances – while her plots are fantastical. The former grounds the latter, making anything seem possible." — Chicago Review of Books"Translator Jessica Sequeira has made a fine rendition of this collection, with its several sections loosely linked by theme or motif, and its dazzling switches of narrative mode... The very short story, at which Gallardo excels, is a gift to the poet... massively ambitious, and often successful." -- Asymptote Journal"At all turns, these stories are unsettling, surprising, and unmissable. Land of Smoke is a bountiful collection of short stories, full of sharp edges, odd magic, and unexpected allure." —Foreword Reviews"[Gallardo] shines as a compassionate storyteller." — The National "The forty-six stories and fragments in Land of Smoke…offer a gamut of lengths, themes and moods… the best are diamantine, intense and violent." — Times Literary Supplement"[Land of Smoke] is a haunting cornucopia of the strangest fare Southern South America can possibly offer." — Agustin Pico Estrada, Bookanista"Masterfully crafted short stories… Gallardo's success lies in the unusual twists and turns of her narratives… This collection should be ranked alongside other great works of fiction by Latin American female writers." — Morning Star"Land of Smoke is my favourite book by one of my favourite Argentinian authors." — Samanta Schweblin, Man Booker International Prize shortlisted author of Fever Dream"Land of Smoke dazzles in its highly personal language... glowing with the most absolute desperation and the fierce joy of discovering, capturing and sharing the glory of one's experiences." — Leopoldo Brizuela"Someone who wears different coloured glasses to everybody else." — Mercedes Halfon"A wonderful collection. It reads like a selection from a lifetime’s work." — 1stReading (blog)"Sara Gallardo's work possesses such radical originality it would be most appropriate to categorize it with the kind of literature that doesn't seem like anything else, that doesn't even fit the canon of the established heterodoxy, and that will always be read as a discovery." - Martin Kohan

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the successful John Tedesco crime series' a collection of eleven short stories. The title story, A Salisbury Tendresse' introduces Stephen and Joanna, two middle-aged newcomers to Salisbury who set out nervously on what may or may not turn out to be a romantic adventure. In the other stories, we meet Maureen, who hates what has happened to her small town in Devon and decides to take matters into her own hands, the young artist and his wife whose struggle through the Covid pandemic is rewarded with the joy of an unexpected addition to the family and Rex, a widower struggling with grief. Other characters include Shane Meredith, a wannabe rock god from 1960's Plymouth, the denizens of the pub in Backwoodsmen' and a group of old friends from university clinging on to past glories in The Autumn Men'. For fans of John Tedesco, there is a bonus story featuring the familiar cast, A Close Encounter'.

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Book SynopsisIn this second collection of stories, T. P. Nash captures the distinctiveness of a fictional village in Norfolk, with its charming confines, differences of opinion and religion amidst a tight-knit community devoid of central authority.

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Book SynopsisA collection of sometimes semi-autobiographical short stories based around the author's past life travelling the world, and re-examining past events he imagines how different things might have been. The author's previous career travelling the world gave him plentiful material for these tales.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisSet in 1790, ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' tells the tale of superstitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane who seeks the hand of Katrina, but finds he has a rival for her affections in the form of Brom Bones Van Brunt who likes to play tricks on him. Turned down by Katrina, ''heavy-hearted and crestfallen'' he rides through the autumn night where he encounters a headless horseman in a classic American ghost story that is often referenced today. It''s a companion piece to ''Rip Van Winkle'', which you''ll also find here among many other great short stories from Washington Irving, who was a good friend of Charles Dickens and perhaps the first America author to earn a living from writing. Interestingly, Irving was the man who first popularized the name ''Gotham'' for New York City and he also invented the flying sequence for Santa Claus''s sleigh.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.

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Book Synopsisp-Included here are famous tales like 'Sound of Thunder', in which the carelessness of a group of time-travellers leads to disastrous consequences, and 'The Veldt', in which two seemingly innocent young children transform their nursery into a lethal trap. Here are the Martian stories, tales that vividly animate the red planet with its brittle cities and double-mooned sky. Here are stories which speak of a special nostalgia for Green Town, Illinois, the perfect setting for a seemingly cloudless childhood - except for the unknown terror lurking in the ravine. Here are the Irish stories and the Mexican stories, linked across their separate geographies by Bradbury's astonishing inventiveness. Here, too, are thrilling, terrifying stories such as 'The Fog Horn' - perfect for reading under the covers.Read for the first time, these stories are a feast for the imagination; read again - and again - they reveal new, dazzling facets of a master storyteller's extraordinary art.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisGreetings from Below, a collection of linked short stories, chronicles the life of Nick Danze, a young copy editor who suffers from several “fixations” he believes are associated with some kind of sexual addiction. By day, Nick works for a weekly trade magazine called Footwear Today, while at night he frequents the various striptease bars, massage parlors, and swing clubs of Las Vegas and San Francisco, the two cities in which he lives throughout the book. Most of the stories are set in Las Vegas, where Nick was raised and where his widowed mother still resides, her emotional constitution slowly unraveling as she mourns Nick’s recently deceased father and struggles with addictions of her own: to shopping, gambling, and pure cane sugar. The stories set in San Francisco deal mainly with Nick’s longtime relationship with his girlfriend, Annie, whom he loves but with whom he isn’t in love. Ultimately, through a series of episodes that spans more than twenty-five years, Nick’s life is changed forever when he is forced to confront not just his own predicaments, but his mother’s as well.Trade ReviewMullins’s rawly confessional debut...follows the plight of self-described coward Nick, from his early sexual awakening and betrayal of a friend in “Arboretum” through the witnessing of his wife’s adulterous encounter in “First Sight.”...His fallibility grates because it feels real, and by the last story the reader is left with an uncomfortable feeling of collusion. * Publishers Weekly *Mullins’s impressive debut traces the pivotal moments of Nick Danze’s burgeoning adult life, from his teenage sexual awakenings and his subsequent search for love to his role as helpless witness to his mother’s decline . . . It is a remarkable thing to find a collection of quality, stand-alone stories loosely linked by theme or setting which cohere into a narrative greater than its separate parts. * ForeWord Reviews *Greetings from Below carries forward with the inertia of a good novel and ends with an intensity few books can match. * Prairie Schooner *Table of Contents Arboretum Longing to Love You A Familiar Place Driving Lessons Love Versus the Cigar-Store Indian Glitter Gulch This Life or the Next First Sight Crash Site on a Desert Mountain Outside Las Vegas

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Book Synopsis“Reader, my ‘library’ is not what it sounds”, says the columnist Raul Butler-Singh, writing a piece in the Trinidad Guardian in 2077 to argue that making heterosexuality illegal “may be attended with some inconvenience”. Like his character’s borrowing from J. Swift, Anton Nimblett raids his library and tampers artfully with its sound. In “Spouter Inn”, he reimagines the classic opening of Moby Dick (where Ishmael shares a bed with Queequeg and has the best night’s sleep ever) and imagines the tattoed harpoonist’s backstory that Melville never wrote. In “Something Promised”, Nimblett makes the ultimately odious Mr. Slime in George Lamming’s classic In the Castle of My Skin into quite a different kind of person, a gentle gay man who reflects, “Nobody never ask, What it is that make Mr Slime happy, eh?” In “Perseverence Village”, David Das shares much of the outward circumstance of V.S. Naipaul’s Mr Biswas – except that his most profound experience is a gay sexual encounter in his teens. But Nimblett does not only revisit the absences of past fiction; a wide range of characters are caught in the midst of their missions for self-knowledge, such as Anglican Joyce who wonders how much she has actually chosen her path away from her Spiritual Baptist roots, or Errol who discovers that “If a man pays close enough attention, he finds there is a place, one place, where he is most himself” – which for Errol is his taxi. These are stories that repay close attention. Nimblett is a writer who listens for the background notes, who knows “people not easy, not even the people who look like you”, who knows “you would get fool if you believe simple is easy, or simple not important”. Whether set in rural Trinidad or urban New York, these stories will enhance Anton Nimblett’s reputation as one of the most generous and humane of observers of human life, male or female, gay or straight.

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Book SynopsisThese stories have the virtue of taking the everyday lives of gay Trinidadian men utterly for granted in their searches for adventure, pleasure, self-realisation, loving contact and sex. Written with a sharpness of perception and in a variety of engaging personal voices, these narratives find room for humour, tragic haircuts, and a connection between tattoos and terrible poetry. But they also acknowledge very real fears in a society where there is still prejudice, discrimination and homophobic violence. The narrator of several of these pieces is a writer who wants to focus on the pleasures and inner dramas of these lives as the truth about gay experience. But there are also the stories of brutal murders reported with coy innuendo in the press. If he is tempted to see his lovers as characters in a witty fiction of manners, is this the novel that can be written in Trinidad? And since this is Trinidad, could the conflicted, self-hating Dorian really be a serial killer? But then when one of Bagoo’s writer narrators unwittingly alarms his writing buddies by the freedom of his gothic imagination, who knows what might be true. Not for nothing does the author include the singer Kate Bush with her Wuthering Heights in his acknowledgements. Bagoo’s stories offer a witty and incisive portrait of contemporary Trinidad in all its intersections of race, class and gender politics. Not least, they have a strong sense of place – Bagoo’s gay Woodbrook offers a fine sequel to V.S. Naipaul’s Woodbrook in his classic Miguel Street.

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Book SynopsisStories do not have to be long. In the space of a couple of sentences – or even a page or two – we can see the human heart exposed in a way that is more powerful than in a novel. In Tiny Tales Alexander McCall Smith explores romance, ambition, kindness and happiness in thirty short stories that range in length from the short to the tiny. The settings are as diverse as the characters – Scotland, England, Australia, the United States – combining to create a rich and always surprising selection. An Australian pope?. A persuasive cosmetic surgeon? The world’s laziest cat. A group of students living together and getting romantically entangled? All human and animal life is here – in miniature. Trade Review'This may be a small book in size, but it is mighty of heart and the most wonderful gift for someone who would appreciate a smile or hug. Short and sharp, yet bountiful and considerate - fabulous' -- Liz Robinson * loverreading.co.uk *'windows on the world... portraying a whole universe' * Financial Times *'a selection of short, diverse stories and cartoon strips that ripple with humour. Perfect for those without the time, patience or inclination to pick up a novel. It will have readers - especially new ones - coming back for more' * Sunday Post *'Exquisitely funny ... I can’t think of any other writer who could come up with anything like this, because as well as being among the funniest he has ever written, these stories are also moving, respectful and kind. Even the Pope himself would, i think, enjoy them' * The Scotsman *'It is remarkably clever how, in just a few pages, he [Alexander McCall Smith] can create a complete little world ... a little treasure' -- Patricia Cleveland Peck * The Cultural Voyager *'Charismatic and charming, convincingly demonstrates that length is by no means essential for a captivating read' * Scottish Field *'These stories are inspired and accompanied by the thirty magnificent strip Tiny Tales created by McCall Smith and illustrated by the brilliant Iain McIntosh. Each is a little gemstone of observation. Full of romantic heartwarming stories with chance encounters… this is a great little book to keep by your bedside or on a coffee table when you need cheering up. It would also make a lovely Christmas gift' * Sixtyplus surfers *'Just lovely, they are charming… I loved them… they are brilliant' * Books Up North Podcast *'In a world which presently feels polarised and intolerant, these vignettes provide a wonderful antidote to scepticism and anger and are a soothing balm for the heart and soul in these uncertain times' * Toowoomba Chronicle *'Readers can enjoy his wit in small, tasty bites... each charming little story invites the reader to reflect on an aspect of human existence through a brief tale… a kernel of wisdom wrapped in a story' * Current Argus *'Short and sharp, yet bountiful and considerate, Tiny Tales really is the most fabulous book' * LoveReading *'I commended this book to you all, with its brilliant illustrations by Iain McIntosh, some of the funniest cartoons you will ever see, reflecting the humour which 'Sandy' excels in'' -- James Naughtie, BBC Broadcaster

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Book Synopsis'Five engrossing, resonant stories here, with no weak links' ― The Herald The world’s first UNESCO city of literature, Edinburgh is steeped in literary history. It is the birthplace of a beloved cast of fictional characters from Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter. It is the home of the Writer’s Museum, where quotes from writers of the past pave the steps leading up to it. A city whose beauty is matched only by the intrigue of its past, and where Robert Louis Stevenson said, ‘there are no stars so lovely as Edinburgh’s street-lamps’. And to celebrate the city, its literature, and more importantly, its people, Polygon and the One City Trust have brought together writers – established and emerging – to write about the place they call home. Based around landmarks or significant links to Edinburgh each story transports the reader to a different decade in the city’s recent past. Through these stories each author reflects on the changes, both generational and physical, in the city in which we live.Trade Review'Varied and entertaining. Read and enjoy!' * Undiscovered Scotland *'There are five engrossing, resonant stories here, with no weak links' * The Herald *'Bringing together some of Edinburgh's best modern writers including Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith, this small but important book pulls from the city's rich literary history' * Waterstones Recommends *

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Book Synopsis'Breathtakingly accurate satire and laser-cut portraits of American life from a seriously heavyweight author whose snapshots remain etched on the retinas' Evening Standard '...a writer to go travelling with on the journey called life' Jeanette Winterson '...one of our most important and original writers of fiction' Jay McInerney 'Ms. Homes just gets better and better' Gary Shteyngart 'a provocative and eloquent writer, and her vision of the way we live now is anything but safe' Meg Wolitzer ''Homes is a devastating satirist..' Lionel Shriver 'at her merciless satirical best' Tessa Hadley 'These defiantly comic stories are like postcards from contemporary America' Summer Books round up, Mail on Sunday The winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction returns with signature humour and psychological accuracy, to tell thirteen stories exposing the heart of an uneasy 21st-century America. In tales of a family obsessed with the surfaces of their lives, or the story of a shopper who suddenly finds himself nominated to run for President, she explores our attachments to each other through characters who aren't quite who they hoped to become, though there is no one else they can be. Her first book since the Women's Prize-winning May We Be Forgiven, Days of Awe is another visionary, fearless and outrageously funny work from a master storyteller.

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Book SynopsisOne of Twain’s most celebrated novellas, ‘The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg’ is a satirical retelling of the Garden of Eden story in the Bible, in which the author, mocking the supposed honesty and incorruptibility of the inhabitants of an imaginary American town, shows how man is fundamentally bad and cannot resist the temptations of gold. This collection also includes another acclaimed novella, ‘A Double-Barrelled Detective Story’, a spoof of the mystery genre featuring Sherlock Holmes in the American West, as well as lesser-known narratives such as ‘The Belated Russian Passport’ and ‘The Death Disk’. Together, these tales are a testament to Twain’s inexhaustible gift for invention and his skills as a storyteller.Trade ReviewThe father of American literature. -- William Faulkner

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Book SynopsisLike everything Bennett does, these stories are playful, witty and painfully observant of ordinary people's foibles. They all have brilliant twists, are immensely entertaining and highly moral. And all are modern classics. The Laying on of Hands The painfully observant account of a memorial service for a masseur to the famous. The Clothes They Stood Up In The comic tale of an elderly couple's trials after their flat is stripped completely bare. Father! Father! Burning Bright The savage satire on the family of a dying man who rules over them from his hospital bed. The Lady in the Van The true story of the eccentric old woman who is invited to live in a homeowner's front garden. She stays there, in her van, for fifteen years. The home is Alan Bennett's. It became a West End hit and a major film, starring Maggie Smith.

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Book SynopsisGravestones hatch political critiques and tomatoes resist being eaten in the wildly surreal and funny stories of Genpei Akasagawa, a giant of the Japanese avant-garde There is a small but potent club of authors—Miranda July and Patti Smith are both members—who were renowned artists long before they became writers. Genpei Akasagawa was already a giant of the Japanese contemporary art world when he began writing these stories, which earned him Japan’s two most prestigious book awards. In these stories, ostensibly quiet tales of a single dad in 1970s Tokyo, a doorknob practices radical politics, a peeled tomato smarts in pain, raw oysters tick like time bombs and gravestones provide a critique of capitalism. After reading I Guess All We Have Is Freedom, you will never be able to look at a sliding door, a rubber band or a plastic gutter the same way again. In spite of their suburban settings, the stories here are more radical than the most cosmopolitan contemporary art. Or as the protagonist puts it: “The whole art thing is a little played out at this point. Nowadays, it’s all about buying gutters. Going out to buy a gutter on a sunny day.” Genpei Akasegawa (1937-2014) was a rare phenomenon, an artist who successfully transitioned from the avant-garde to the larger realm of popular culture. Akasegawa emerged on the Japanese art scene around 1960, starting in the radical Anti-Art movement and becoming a member of the seminal artist collectives Neo Dada and Hi Red Center. The epic piece Model 1,000-Yen Note Incident (1963-74), which involved a real-life police investigation and trial, cemented his place as an inspired conceptualist. Hyperart: Thomasson (Kaya Press, 2010), a collection of musings on art that the city itself makes, marks a crucial turning point in his metamorphosis from subculture to pop-culture status. Also an accomplished author writing under the penname Katsuhiko Otsuji, in 1981 he won Japan's most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, for his story “Dad's Gone,” translated into English here for the first time in this volume.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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