Santa Womble - The Third Stocking - Anthologies and Collections
Helllooo!
Today lets look at on of my favourite things short story collections and anthologies. Short stories are an art form in their own right creating worlds, characters and situations in just a few pages. They’re a fantastic way to find new authors and in times of mass distraction may be easier to read than a full novel.
Here are some suggestions that cover many genres
Sky Light Rain by Judy Darley - I was really impressed by this collection that sits in the borderlands of literary and fantastical fiction. Darley uses their title to create some unusual and memorable tales.
Not So Stories edited by David Thomas Moore - This year has also been about confronting the legacy of the past and this collection that has various writers of colour tackle Rudyard Kipling’s Empire-loving and often racist Just So Stories was rather brilliant at times sarcastic, angry, heart-breaking and joyful.
Shadows & Tall Trees 8 edited by Michael Kelly - Horror and short stories go hand i hand and this collection of tales with a slight literary/weird fiction bent contains great ones from authors such as Alison Littlewood and Neil Williamson
American Monsters Part 2 edited by Margret Helgadottir - The seventh in a remarkable collection that explores horror myths from around the globe using writers from or connected to the area explores North and Central American tales. One of the best series out there and you really should read them.
Cursed - An anthology of Dark Fairy Tales edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane - Two editors who always now grab my attention create yet another inventive collection this time with Authors such as Jen Williams, Catriona Ward, Jen Williams and M R carey playing with old school stories and giving them a darker twist.
The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A J Fitzwater - The first collection and one of the most unusual and brilliant things I read this year was this anthropological tale of animals on the high seas that gleefully has queer characters in all roles having fun, falling in love and a book that reminds you fantasy should be diverse and celebrate that diversity.
Forgotten Sidekicks edited by Steven Poore and Peter Sutton A really interesting collection focused on the sidekick be they fantasy bard, superhero or evil villain’s henchmen all finally get into the limelight.
Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology edited by Celine Frohn - A fantastic collection that celebrates horror that firmly places queer characters at the heart of the tales. Inventive, thoughtful and of course unsettling. Well worth your time.
Escape Pod The Science Fiction Anthology edited by Mur Lafferty and S B Divya - Celebrating one of the genre’s longest running short story podcasts a huge collection of current stars write for this collection including N K Jemisin and John Scalzi.
Only The Broken Remain by Dan Coxon - A fine collection of dark weird tales sometimes not even with unhappy endings that is also thoughtful and surprising
Love In Colour by Bolu Babalola - Another of my favourite collections this year explores our reaction to the concept of love and uses myths from all around the world to do so with some fairly impressive re-imaginings. One that makes you feel good about life.
After Sundown edited by Mark Morris - A new anthology series commences with a fine selection of tales from authors such as Catriona Ward, Sarah Lotz and Angela Slatter
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynne - A very impressive set of tales exploring the roles and culture of south east asian women in horror. Insightful and powerful.
As the Distant Bells Toll by Aleksander Ziljak - an intriguing mix of genres and styles in this collection ranging from modern fairly tales to steampunk thrillers.
Famished by Anna Vaught - A hugely inventive collection of tales based around our love of food and often quite unsettling. An author has has hugely impressed me this year.
Sexton Blake and The Great War - introduced by Mark Hodder - A fascinating snapshot at early 20th century action tales in the build up to WW!. Interesting lenses that show a less than rosy picture. I’ll be exploring more of these over coming weeks.
Do the Trains Run on Time? by Paul Starkey - horror, science fiction and more in this collection of strange tales that quite caught my attention.
Next up - Horror!
