#shortstories — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #shortstories, aggregated by home.social.
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Babette’s Feast and Other Stories, by Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen]
I have a great fondness for Isak Dinesen's strange and Scandinavian short stories. Five years ago I described her Seven Gothic Tales (1934) as 'Rather long, but astoundingly inventive, and ought to be well known in fantasy circles since they predate most modern fantasy writing'. I found this Penguin Modern Classics edition of Babette's Feast and Other Stories in the charity bookshop my husband works in, and I gobbled it in two nights. Like PMC edition of Seven Gothic Tales this is a […]https://katemacdonald.net/2026/09/06/babettes-feast-and-other-stories-by-isak-dinesen-karen-blixen/
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Babette’s Feast and Other Stories, by Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen]
I have a great fondness for Isak Dinesen's strange and Scandinavian short stories. Five years ago I described her Seven Gothic Tales (1934) as 'Rather long, but astoundingly inventive, and ought to be well known in fantasy circles since they predate most modern fantasy writing'. I found this Penguin Modern Classics edition of Babette's Feast and Other Stories in the charity bookshop my husband works in, and I gobbled it in two nights. Like PMC edition of Seven Gothic Tales this is a […]https://katemacdonald.net/2026/09/06/babettes-feast-and-other-stories-by-isak-dinesen-karen-blixen/
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Babette’s Feast and Other Stories, by Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen]
I have a great fondness for Isak Dinesen's strange and Scandinavian short stories. Five years ago I described her Seven Gothic Tales (1934) as 'Rather long, but astoundingly inventive, and ought to be well known in fantasy circles since they predate most modern fantasy writing'. I found this Penguin Modern Classics edition of Babette's Feast and Other Stories in the charity bookshop my husband works in, and I gobbled it in two nights. Like PMC edition of Seven Gothic Tales this is a […]https://katemacdonald.net/2026/09/06/babettes-feast-and-other-stories-by-isak-dinesen-karen-blixen/
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Babette’s Feast and Other Stories, by Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen]
I have a great fondness for Isak Dinesen's strange and Scandinavian short stories. Five years ago I described her Seven Gothic Tales (1934) as 'Rather long, but astoundingly inventive, and ought to be well known in fantasy circles since they predate most modern fantasy writing'. I found this Penguin Modern Classics edition of Babette's Feast and Other Stories in the charity bookshop my husband works in, and I gobbled it in two nights. Like PMC edition of Seven Gothic Tales this is a […]https://katemacdonald.net/2026/09/06/babettes-feast-and-other-stories-by-isak-dinesen-karen-blixen/
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Babette’s Feast and Other Stories, by Isak Dinesen [Karen Blixen]
I have a great fondness for Isak Dinesen's strange and Scandinavian short stories. Five years ago I described her Seven Gothic Tales (1934) as 'Rather long, but astoundingly inventive, and ought to be well known in fantasy circles since they predate most modern fantasy writing'. I found this Penguin Modern Classics edition of Babette's Feast and Other Stories in the charity bookshop my husband works in, and I gobbled it in two nights. Like PMC edition of Seven Gothic Tales this is a […]https://katemacdonald.net/2026/09/06/babettes-feast-and-other-stories-by-isak-dinesen-karen-blixen/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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Behind the Scenes: Part 3
Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]https://heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05/behind-the-scenes-part-3/
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The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8
August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]https://veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/the-dreamers-of-the-fading-bloom-newsletter-8/
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The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8
August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]https://veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/the-dreamers-of-the-fading-bloom-newsletter-8/
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The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8
August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]https://veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/the-dreamers-of-the-fading-bloom-newsletter-8/
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The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8
August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]https://veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/the-dreamers-of-the-fading-bloom-newsletter-8/
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The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8
August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]https://veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/the-dreamers-of-the-fading-bloom-newsletter-8/
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Book Review: Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke
#ReaderCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BookCommunity #Reading #Books #BookReview #Review #Clarke #ShortStories #Venushttp://georgelthomas.com/2026/08/21/book-review-before-eden-by-arthur-c-clarke/
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Short Story Sunday #2 – The Fourth Keeper
Gulls have a way of sounding almost human.
It was the first thing Andrew Kerr noticed as the ‘Hesperus’ pulled away from Eilean Mòr. The engine chugged steadily into the grey Atlantic until the little relief vessel became little more than a dark smudge against the horizon. Before long, even that disappeared into the drizzle leaving only the lighthouse, the wind and the sea.
Andrew had spent the previous five years tending lights around the Scottish coast, but nothing had prepared him for the Flannan Isles. The older keepers spoke of the place in lowered voices. They never refused an assignment outright – that was not the way of lighthouse men – but neither did they volunteer.
“It’s only lonely,” one had told him. Another simply shook his head.
“Mind the weather.” That was all.
The lighthouse itself was immaculate.Whitewashed walls, gleaming brass, every pane polished until it reflected the endless Atlantic beyond. Principal Keeper Malcolm Fraser believed that a clean lighthouse was a reliable lighthouse, and Andrew quickly learned that dust was treated almost as seriously as darkness.
There were three men stationed there. Fraser, Ian MacLeod and Andrew himself. The routine never changed. Rise. Clean. Wind the machinery. Polish the lenses. Log the weather. Trim the lamp. Eat. Sleep. Repeat…
But, by the third day he could almost believe the stories had not been exaggerated.
It began with a mug.
After breakfast, Andrew washed the cups and stacked them carefully on the wooden rack beside the sink. One. Two. Three. He counted them without thinking. The following morning there were four. He frowned.
“You expecting someone?”
Fraser looked up from his porridge.
“No.”
Andrew lifted the extra mug. “It’s not mine.”
“It belongs there,” Fraser replied without looking. MacLeod continued buttering his bread. Neither man seemed interested. Andrew shrugged. Perhaps one had been tucked away in a cupboard. He placed it back.
The following evening he noticed something else. Four pegs beside the door. Three oilskins hanging on the pegs, one peg empty. It was probably nothing. The station had once housed different crews. The spare peg had simply never been removed.
Still…He found himself counting.Three beds. Four mugs. Three men. Four pegs. It felt as though the island was beginning to play tricks.
A week later the weather closed in. Not a violent storm, but a slow, relentless mist that wrapped itself around the cliffs until the world beyond the lighthouse ceased to exist. The sea vanished, the sky vanished. Even the cries of the gannets seemed muffled. That evening Andrew climbed alone into the lantern room to tend the light. As the great lens revolved, its beam swept across a wall of white.
Then he saw movement. Three figures crossing the compound below. Fraser, MacLeod… Andrew frowned.That couldn’t be right. He was here.
He leaned closer. One man stopped. The second carried a coil of rope. The third wore no oilskins.
Andrew’s stomach tightened in confusion as voice spoke behind him.
“You’ll strain your eyes.”
He spun around. Fraser stood in the doorway. MacLeod beside him. Both carrying tools. Andrew looked back through the glass. The three figures were still there. Walking slowly towards the western path. One.Two.Three. Then another emerged from the mist.
A fourth.
The newcomer walked several paces behind the others. Not hurried or hesitant. Simply following.
When the four reached the edge of the cliff, the last man stopped. Though Andrew could not possibly make out a face at that distance, he knew – absolutely knew – that the figure was looking directly at him. The stranger raised one hand – not in warning or greeting. The gesture seemed like it was almost……in recognition…
Then the figure stepped calmly into the empty air beyond the cliff edge.
Andrew shouted.
By the time Fraser and MacLeod reached the window, there was nothing below except waves exploding against black rock.
“You saw them, didn’t you?” Andrew whispered. Fraser’s face remained unreadable.
“What exactly did you see, lad?”
“There were four.” Andrew heard his voice quaver in confusion and fear.
Silence. MacLeod lowered his eyes. Fraser rested one hand upon the window frame.
“My predecessor told me something when I first came here.” He began. Andrew waited.
“He said this island always has four keepers.”
“But there are only three…” Andrews voice faltered. Fraser nodded slowly.
“Aye.”
Neither man spoke again. No explanation followed. No laughter. Not even suggestion that Andrew had imagined it. Only silence.
The relief boat arrived twelve days later beneath a pale winter sky. Captain Morrison came ashore with fresh supplies and a sack of letters from home.
As Andrew helped carry provisions into the kitchen, the captain paused, his eyes on the drying rack. He looked at Andrew.
“Still keeping it, then?”
“Keeping what?” Andrew replied.
“The fourth mug?” Andrew felt the colour drain from his face.
“What fourth mug?”
The captain pointed. There they were. Four stoneware mugs. Dry, clean and perfectly arranged. Andrew counted them twice, then a third time. One. Two. Three. Four. When he turned to ask Fraser about it, the older keeper was already carrying sacks towards the store. MacLeod never looked up. Neither man acknowledged the mug.
Andrew packed his belongings that afternoon.
He never returned to the Flannan Isles. Years later, after his retirement, a journalist asked whether the stories about the vanished lighthouse keepers were true. Andrew smiled politely.
“No,” he said. “The sea took three good men. That’s all anyone can prove.”
The reporter seemed disappointed.
“So there are no ghosts?”
Andrew considered the question for a long moment. Then he remembered the mist. The cliff. The raised hand. The fourth mug drying quietly beside the sink.
“I didn’t say that.”
Outside, somewhere beyond the window, a gull cried over the sea, the sound almost human…
Perhaps it was…
#CreepyFiction #Fiction #Mysterious #ShortStories -
ICYMI: T.K. Rex joins Paul Semel to discuss building the interconnected world of THE WILDCRAFT DRONES, assembling a first collection, and the ideas behind its solarpunk cli-fi futures.
https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-wildcraft-drones-author-t-k-rex/
#TheWildcraftDrones #TKRex #SpeculativeFiction #ClimateFiction #Solarpunk #EcoFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #IndiePress #ClimateStories #FutureFiction #BookToot #Bookstodon #SmallPress #StelliformPress #ShortStories #ReadingCommunity #SFFCommunity
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Anton & Glenn
What a pair of characters! Glenn was just a pretty weird guy in general, clever . He lived on the second floor of my building. Anton, in the wheelchair is a book all by himself. His leg. That is just one story and here is how it happened. Anton is an alcoholic, what he did before he lost the leg for a living I don’t know, but when first saw him, he was on the corner by the robots begging. He would make enough money and then off to the Bottle Store. He did have a room to sleep in. I got […] -
Library of Short Stories, a curated collection of public domain short stories, designed for distraction-free reading.
Perfect for building a daily reading habit through timeless, bite-sized fiction.
https://www.libraryofshortstories.com/
#ShortStories
#ReadingHabit
#PublicDomain
#DigitalLibrary
#Literature -
Rand Clinic 1986/7
The Rand Clinic 1986/7 Rolled a car, upside down and flipped over type of jol. Car totalled, boss unhappy, but it was not my fault that time! Anyway. My face had a few cuts as did my arms, and my left hand had a broken knuckle. I did not like doctors then already, as they were still trying to kill my mom with their drugs. They got it right about a years later…. Anyway, patched myself up, no problem. Or so I thought. My Pinkie knuckle healed wrong and the finger could not bend. Ok. […]https://waynebisset.wordpress.com/2026/04/04/rand-clinic-1986-7/
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Renan Bernardo gifted these lovely words about T. K. Rex's THE WILDCRAFT DRONES. "Wealthy people seem to be reading dystopias as rulebooks ... Instead, I'd say for people to read The Wildcraft Drones as a rulebook of how to live in community and find a healthy path to our future." Thanks, Renan!
#ClimateFiction #CliFi #EcoFiction #SpeculativeFiction #LiterarySF #ShortStories #ScienceFiction #IndiePress #ClimateBooks #EcoLit
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Our Drugged up Society
How the hell did we get here? Working on two philosophies to see how we got here. First is not looking where you fell, but where you slipped. Funny enough this led straight to the second philosophy, find the source. For this particular slip we need look no further than: Psychiatry . These “doctors” are on the forefront of our legal drug dealer trade, i.e. The Medical Profession. While at the moment everyone seems to be on about Big Pharma, let’s take a look at this branch of the […]https://waynebisset.wordpress.com/2026/03/23/our-drugged-up-society/
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HOW TO TELL…..
HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE SOUTH AFRICAN …. You call a bathing suit a “swimming costume” or a “cozzie”. You call a traffic light a “robot”. You call a sandwich a ‘sarmie’ You call an elevator a “lift” – but asking for a ‘lift’ doesn’t mean you want an elevator – you actually want a “ride” You call a car hood a “bonnet” You call a car trunk a “boot” You call a pickup truck a “bakkie” “Van” isn’t a vehicle – he’s the butt of some […]https://waynebisset.wordpress.com/2026/03/23/how-to-tell-if-youre-a-south-african/
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Shoutout to Cynthia Gómez for these wonderful words about T. K. Rex's THE WILDCRAFT DRONES. "These stories challenge us by showing us the logical conclusion of late-stage capitalism – spiraling natural disasters, a mushrooming police state – but they also show the endless promise of resistance and hope."
#ClimateFiction #CliFi #Solarpunk #EcoFiction #SpeculativeFiction #ShortStories #IndiePress #Hopepunk #ClimateBooks
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My Rhino Wars – The Flat Tire and the Lion
The Flat Tyre and Lion Because the APUs are the last people to get funds we had been patrolling with really wrecked tyres for weeks. Our spare was absolutely useless at this stage. In the early hours Johannes and I were glad to see a lion in the thick bush, for exactly 2 minutes. A few meters down the road we got another flat. The procedure we had by now perfected was to get the small battery charged air pump out and just keep on stopping every now and then to inflate the almost useless […]https://waynebisset.wordpress.com/2026/03/07/my-rhino-wars-the-flat-tire-and-the-lion/
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The Final Score: The King of Crime Thrillers Is Back "The multi-million-dollar casino heist is impossible—it can’t be done" Sale: $30 to $6.99 by Don Winslow Rating: 4.4/5 (1,386 Reviews) #Crime #Thriller #Mystery #ShortStories #DonWinslow #Noir #BookSky
The Final Score: The King of C... -
A great horror cover lingers in the mind—and we want one that won’t let go.
Dark Holme Publishing is looking for an artist to design our next chilling cover.
Think you’ve got what it takes? Submit now.
🔗 https://www.darkholmepublishing.uk/designthefinalnightmare
#DarkHolme #HorrorArtists #CoverDesign #darkesttales #writingcommunity #readingcommunity #horrorcommunity #horror #darkfantasy #anthologies #bookstagram #kindle #shortstories #twistedtales
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Eigentlich mag ich keine Kurzgeschichten.
Martina Berscheid: Fremder Champagner https://www.findosbuecher.com/?p=8358
#rezension #bookstodon #lesetipp #buchtipp #leseliebe #wirlesenfrauen #wirlesenunabhaengig #reading #iamreading #martinaberscheid #erzaehlung #geschichten #mirabilisverlag #unabhaengigeverlage #buch #books #literatur #shortstories
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I have a new short story out today! "Wandering Star" is a fantasy in which a refugee from a destroyed culture hears the song of a comet that might be getting too close to the planet.
It's in the first issue of Baubles From Bones, and the beautiful cover art is based on my story!
Stories are online for free, and also available physically or digitally via Etsy.
#FantasyStories #ShortStories #QueerFantasy #SapphicFantasy #Etsy
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I'm bummed to hear that @ApparitionLit is closing (though I 1000% resonate with their reasons!).
Here's a story of mine that they published a few years back. I'm forever grateful that they gave this snarky little epic fantasy a home!
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SFF story/poem recs in my newsletter last week:
* Abhinav in @thedeadlands
* Nkone Chaka in Asimov's
* Ernestas Parulskis in @StrangeHorizons
* @RobotLeBlanc in Baffling
+1 paid rec!Check out the archives -
https://buttondown.email/bogiperson
#ShortSFF #ShortStories #Stories #ScienceFiction #Fantasy #SFinTranslation #TransLit #Poetry #PoetryCommunity @shortstory @shortsff @bookstodon
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Reading "Winter Count", a slim and borderline sublime collection of short stories by Barry Lopez. A note explains the title:
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Reading "Winter Count", a slim and borderline sublime collection of short stories by Barry Lopez. A note explains the title:
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Reading "Winter Count", a slim and borderline sublime collection of short stories by Barry Lopez. A note explains the title:
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Reading "Winter Count", a slim and borderline sublime collection of short stories by Barry Lopez. A note explains the title:
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Reading "Winter Count", a slim and borderline sublime collection of short stories by Barry Lopez. A note explains the title:
