Short Stories

As a bookworm and lover of all things literature, I long ago discovered that my favorite form of fiction is the short story.  That's not to say that I eschew novels or even mammoth series of their ilk like those in Frank Herbert's amazing Dune cycle or Stephen King's unparalleled Dark Tower works (one could say that nearly all of King's novels and many of his short fiction selections somehow interconnect to the world of the Roland's Tower, a truly jaw-dropping achievement on King's part).  On the contrary, my bookshelves are filled with novels and many-faceted standalone works which sit side by side with their series siblings.  The short story, however, has always been my first love.

More specifically, when talking about short stories and their relation to books, I mean those more often than not found within the short story anthology.  Now, I have several books that are a collection of stories from this or that particular author, but I have literally dozens of anthologies that bring together a large number of selections from different authors within one binding.    A novel is a complicated beast, and when done well it is admirable for it's execution and ability to coherently pull readers along from beginning to end without losing them to some unnecessary subplot or worse, murky subtext.  Short stories may also be complex, but when they are they have to sharpen that complexity to a diamond point.   A short fiction story cannot muck about hoping the reader will be willing to slog along until the author's message gets through.  By their very brevity, they are forced to build a character, an atmosphere or idea (or sometimes all three), tell a compelling story about one or some (or all) of these things, and then wrap  up the whole shebang in a way that is satisfying to the reader.  That's not to say the reader will always feel closure, but they must always feel satisfied at having read a good tale.  That's why I love short story anthologies.  If a novel is a seven course meal that may leave you nauseous when you've finished, a good short story anthology is a like a smorgasbord of gourmet snacks.  They may not all be to your favorite taste, but they are all very tasty. 

Of my many many short story anthologies a large majority contain works in the Weird Tale category.  While nearly all Horror stories can also be called Weird, not all Weird Tales can be classified as having overtly horrific elements.  Similarly, some of the best Weird Tales ever put to paper are decidedly Science Fiction in tone, while a definite large section of the Science Fiction genre could not be construed as being Weird in nature whatsoever.  It is a nebulous thing, the Weird Tale.  It's best identified with the old saying, "I can't really describe it to you, but you'll know it when you see it."      

I thought it would be best to start this blog by listing and reviewing many Weird Tales that I have come across in my lifelong love affair with that literary art form, the short story.  Those to follow are in no particular order of importance, other than whatever order my hindbrain sees fit to notify the rest of my mind that it's time to share this or that with the world at large.  I hope you enjoy the information and, if I happen to be helpful in pointing you toward a work you had never heard of before or maybe had heard of but had never been able to track down for one reason or another, please let me know.  Not only would I love your own comments and thoughts on different works, but knowing that I helped someone make a connection with a story they like (and might not otherwise have found) would be immensely rewarding for me and a huge incentive to build content for this blog on a daily basis.  There are so many great stories out there, I just can't wait to share them with all my fellow worms!  Look for my first review tomorrow......