# What Is/Are Your Favorite Spec-Fic Short Story Collection(s)?



## bmcox (Nov 21, 2012)

So it's 2014 and time to add more books to the TBR list. I've already started. I just bought Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu and that's next on my read list. I really enjoyed her novel Who Fears Death.

But I'm greedy and I am always looking for a (few) good Spec-Fic (SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, Weird, Magical Realism, etc.) short story collection(s). Any recommendations? I'll go first. One of the best collections I have ever read is Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. I recommend it highly.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I love a good anthology and I love a good collection. Here are a few to toss out there:

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison. I've loved Ellison and the collection in particular since I was a kid.

Maps in a Mirror by Orson Scott Card. This is the Collected Orson Scott Card and I've had a first edition copy for 23 years now that I pick up and re-read occasionally.

Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond - this is an anthology of Oz stories ranging from urban fantasies to noir to odd drug induced fantasies to dystopias. It's good stuff.

Grants Pass - an anthology with an overall story arc set in a post-apocalyptic world where people hear rumors that there is a hope still in Grant's Pass, Oregon.

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse - these are apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories written by some of the biggest names over the past 40 years.

A Land of Ash - another anthology with an overall story arc set around an eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera.

The Martian Chronicles - by Ray Bradbury. This could be argued as novel or a collection of novellas - either way, it's a classic.

Wild Cards I - An anthology of superhero stories set in an alternate earth where super powers exist but aren't quite seen as Justice League of America beneficence. This is the first in a series of anthologies and novels all set in the same universe.


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## ElleChambers (Nov 5, 2013)

_I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream_ is one of the coolest titles I've ever seen. I never heard of it before, but I'm buying it now.


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## antares (Feb 13, 2011)

Robert A. Heinlein, The Green Hills of Earth

Ian McDonald, Empire Dreams

Larry Niven, Neutron Star, Tales of Known Space, Inconstant Moon (IMO Inconstant Moon is the best sf short story written.)

Arthur Clarke, Tales from the White Hart

Jerry Pournelle; Imperial Stars, vol. 1, 2, and 3 You can find these on Amazon in paperback. They were available at Baen's Books in eBook, but no more. Maybe some day they shall be offered again.

Keith Laumer, Retief! _*DO NOT buy the version offered by Amazon.*_ It is a ripoff. It contains only one Retief short story: The Yllian Way. Buy the full collection at Baen's Books.

William Gibson, Burning Chrome


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

ElleChambers said:


> _I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream_ is one of the coolest titles I've ever seen. I never heard of it before, but I'm buying it now.


Ellison is possibly _the_ modern master of the speculative fiction short story. A couple others of his I'd recommend off the top of my head are Shatterday and Partners in Wonder. He also edited a couple classic "edgy" collections with lots of stories: Dangerous Visions (S.F. Masterworks) and Again, Dangerous Visions.

If you want to go way back (relatively speaking), you should read a few H.P. Lovecraft stories if you haven't already. There are plenty of free/cheap collections out there to choose from.

Thieves' World: First Blood contains all the stories from the first two collections, which are by various authors but all set in the same rather dark fantasy world (including one of my favorite titles, "Spiders of the Purple Mage"  ).


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## ElleChambers (Nov 5, 2013)

NogDog said:


> Ellison is possibly _the_ modern master of the speculative fiction short story. A couple others of his I'd recommend off the top of my head are Shatterday and Partners in Wonder. He also edited a couple classic "edgy" collections with lots of stories: Dangerous Visions (S.F. Masterworks) and Again, Dangerous Visions.
> 
> If you want to go way back (relatively speaking), you should read a few H.P. Lovecraft stories if you haven't already. There are plenty of free/cheap collections out there to choose from.


Thanks for the Ellison recs! I'm about to restart _Shirley Jackson: The Lottery and Other Stories_ so some Ellison pieces might go nicely with that. I've read Lovecraft, but didn't really care for his work. I really liked Thomas Ligotti's _The Nightmare Factory_. I read some stories from there after reading Lovecraft 'cause people said Ligotti was reminiscent of him - I much prefer Ligotti, though his stuff often gets a bit too weird for my tastes as well.


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## bmcox (Nov 21, 2012)

Thanks for the recommendations. I've read many of these classics, some are sitting on my shelf right now. And if we're recommending classics, one of my favorite of all time is James Tiptree Jr.'s Her Smoke Rose Up Forever.

Anyone have recent books? (Grant's Pass, Land of Ash)


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I just finished reading _The Fredric Brown Megapack_ on my Kindle. 32* stories for $0.99. Excellent SF from the fifties and sixties.

Mike

*I know it says 33 stories in the description, but one is included twice.


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

A lot of terrific collections already noted.

To the Ellison titles, I'd add DEATHBIRD STORIES, SLIPPAGE, and STRANGE WINE. ANGRY CANDY too, though that one isn't likely to be available as an ebook any time soon.

Ray Bradbury's THE OCTOBER COUNTRY & THE ILLUSTRATED MAN.

Roger Zelazny's THE DOORS OF HIS FACE, THE LAMPS OF HIS MOUTH & OTHER STORIES -- unfortunately not ebooked yet, at least not in the US.

Jack Finney's ABOUT TIME.

Fritz Leiber's SELECTED STORIES

John Brunner's OUT OF MY MIND

Theodore Sturgeon's SELECTED STORIES (but really, the way to go with Sturgeon is to buy the whole set of his complete short fiction, all available on Kindle)

Robert Silverberg's collected short fiction, up to 8 volumes if memory serves and all of 'em dirt cheap in ebook editions from Subterranean Press -- a steal.

The ones I used to love were the huge collections like ADVENTURES IN TIME & SPACE, or A SCIENCE FICTION ARGOSY. Noted a few of these briefly in a blog post some months back. See http://tonyrabig.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-few-terrific-old-science-fiction-grab.html


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

Any of the short stories of Saki, whose range varied from horror to drawing room comedy. His classic story *The Interlopers * is sometimes featured in high school English lit anthologies. I know of few other authors who can create an atmosphere of spine-tingling terror with so few pages. And on the other hand, he could double you over in fits of laughter with his ironic wit when he laid bare the hypocrisy and sometimes the idiocy of high society.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

I read that Ted Chiang one you mentioned late last year; it is excellent, really enjoyed it. The title story seems to me a masterpiece.

Others:
_Demons By Daylight_ - Ramsey Campbell
_Cold Hand In Mine_ - Robert Aickman
_The Lottery & Other Stories_ - Shirley Jackson (although not all of these are spec-fic)
_The Weird_ - vast multi-author anthology
_Tales Of The Weak & Wounded_ - Gary McMahon
_Love Songs For The Shy & Cynical_ - Robert Shearman


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## ElleChambers (Nov 5, 2013)

James Everington said:


> I read that Ted Chiang one you mentioned late last year; it is excellent, really enjoyed it. The title story seems to me a masterpiece.
> 
> Others:
> _Demons By Daylight_ - Ramsey Campbell
> ...


I'm reading _The Lottery & Other Stories_ right now - very good stuff.


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## NicWilson (Apr 16, 2011)

Have fun with _I Have No Nouth And I Must Scream_. It's a great story.

The Dark Descent is my favorite horror/spec fic collection, and my wife gave me a truly standout scifi collection, years ago. I don't recall the name, though. I think it was just an organization's "best of scifi" kinda thing.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I soo wanted to answer this last week when it was asked, but I couldn't find the book I wanted to share. It's not kindlized. It's called Adventures in Time and Space edited by Healy & McComas. my grandfather gave me his original copy of the 1946 edition, the book has since been reprinted a few times. The paperback version can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Time-Space-Raymond-Healy/dp/0345289250/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390868870&sr=8-3&keywords=adventures+in+time+and+space+healy .

I found my copy today which allowed me to look up the book at Amazon. I honestly couldn't remember the name of the anthology, but I could remember the stories.


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

I'd recommend The Philip K. Dick Anthology: 18 Classic Science Fiction Stories (Bybliotech Fiction)


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Who Fears the Devil? by Manly Wade Wellman.

It doesn't seem to be available in a Kindle edition, only as this horribly garish paperback, I'm afraid. It's the collected stories about Silver John, a sort of Woody Guthrie by way of H.P. Lovecraft. He's a guitar playin' bard who wanders the mountains of Appalachia encountering all kinds of modern folkloric critters. The stories are oldish -- 1950s or earlier? -- and very fine.


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## JamesHutchings (Feb 27, 2011)

The character 'Ashcan Pete' in the board games_ Arkham Horror_ and _Mansions of Madness_ seems to be based on Silver John.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

I'm currently reading X7 anthology, which has a story based on each of the seven deadly sins.

So far, lust and envy are great...


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

antares said:


> Keith Laumer, Retief! _*DO NOT buy the version offered by Amazon.*_ It is a ripoff. It contains only one Retief short story: The Yllian Way. Buy the full collection at Baen's Books.


Retief! is no longe available at Baen.

Steve


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

ElleChambers said:


> _I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream_ is one of the coolest titles I've ever seen. I never heard of it before, but I'm buying it now.


Harlan Ellison at his best was a terrific writer of short stories. Look out in particular for his collections _Deathbird Stories_ and _Strange Wine_.


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## ElleChambers (Nov 5, 2013)

Tony Richards said:


> Harlan Ellison at his best was a terrific writer of short stories. Look out in particular for his collections _Deathbird Stories_ and _Strange Wine_.


Man, you guys make it tough to get any work done - I'm going to be reading too much.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I will second, third, fourth, fifth all recommendations for Harlan Ellison's short stories. "I have no mouth and I must scream" was one of the first books I read on my K1. Had to break it in "right".


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Just finished a terrific sci-fi short story in _*Cosmicomics*_ by Italo Calvino - "The Distance of the Moon" - about an Earth-like planet whose moon swings so close that once a month you can climb a ladder to get on board. Fabulous!


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## deckard (Jan 13, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> I will second, third, fourth, fifth all recommendations for Harlan Ellison's short stories. "I have no mouth and I must scream" was one of the first books I read on my K1. Had to break it in "right".


OK, you convinced me.

I stopped by the library on my way to a meeting this afternoon and checked out Ellison's collection 
The Essential Ellison: A 50 Year Retrospective (Revised and Expanded). I haven't read any Ellison and your discussion about him has piqued my interest. Especially being a big fan of Philip Dick. A collection of his stories may be a good way to see if I like him.

Deckard


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## Neil Clarke (Mar 14, 2011)

Kabu Kabu is definitely a good one. You might also like Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee. I'm also partial to Peter Watt's collection, Beyond the Rift.


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## bmcox (Nov 21, 2012)

Neil Clarke said:


> Kabu Kabu is definitely a good one. You might also like Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee. I'm also partial to Peter Watt's collection, Beyond the Rift.


Thanks for the recs, Neil. Love your pub, btw. Consistently great reading.


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## Neil Clarke (Mar 14, 2011)

bmcox said:


> Thanks for the recs, Neil. Love your pub, btw. Consistently great reading.


Thanks! Always nice to hear that.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Back before _Game of Thrones_, George R.R. Martin was an excellent writer of short sf stories, often in collaboration with Texan author Lisa Tuttle. Several of them won awards. A Song for Lya is a great place to start.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

I just finished an old anthology called "The Best of Randall Garrett."  It's from 1980 and doesn't seem to be available for Kindle.

I would recommend any collection of Randall Garrett's short fiction.  His stories are great fun.

Unfortunately the book I was reading also included a bunch of essays from major sf figures talking about Garrett, and it became increasingly clear that his personal life was really dreadful.    It's one of those cases where I would not in a million years wish to meet the author, nor have anyone I care about near him.  And yet I truly enjoy his writing.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I love Randall Garrett's Gandalara Cycle. FABULOUS story, and totally didn't see the ending coming. Sadly they are NOT kindled that I know of.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Garrett's work is sooo good.  Even his earliest stories from the sf magazines around ... was it about 1953 he started?  Even they are fun and well paced and amusing.

I especially love his Lord Darcy stories, but then I am a sucker for Sherlock Holmes plus magic.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

am at Amazon in a different tab atm, a bunch of Garrett's short spec fiction seems to be free...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_il_ti_digital-text?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Arandall+garrett+kindle&sort=price&keywords=randall+garrett+kindle&ie=UTF8&qid=1391302024&lo=digital-text


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> am at Amazon in a different tab atm, a bunch of Garrett's short spec fiction seems to be free...
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_il_ti_digital-text?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Arandall+garrett+kindle&sort=price&keywords=randall+garrett+kindle&ie=UTF8&qid=1391302024&lo=digital-text


Looks like a whole bunch of his short stories. Well spotted!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Sadly, I was looking for the Gandalara Cycle.. I have worn out 3 or 4 sets of dtb version.


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## bmcox (Nov 21, 2012)

BTackitt said:


> am at Amazon in a different tab atm, a bunch of Garrett's short spec fiction seems to be free...
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_il_ti_digital-text?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Arandall+garrett+kindle&sort=price&keywords=randall+garrett+kindle&ie=UTF8&qid=1391302024&lo=digital-text


Wow!  Great find.


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## bmcox (Nov 21, 2012)

Steven Hardesty said:


> Just finished a terrific sci-fi short story in _*Cosmicomics*_ by Italo Calvino - "The Distance of the Moon" - about an Earth-like planet whose moon swings so close that once a month you can climb a ladder to get on board. Fabulous!


Love Calvino. I second this recommendation. Have this one sitting on my shelf.


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Nightfall, by Isaac Asimov

And... well, Peter Davison's Book of Alien Monsters. It was an opportunistic short story collection published in the early 1980s to capitalise on Davison's tenure in Doctor Who. But it included Beyond Lies the Wub, the Philip K Dick short story which has captivated me for more than a quarter of a century.


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