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The Best British Short Stories #2
The Best British Short Stories 2012
The second in a brand-new series of annual anthologies, The Best British Short Stories 2012 reprints the cream of short fiction, by British writers, first published in 2011. These stories first appeared in magazines from Ambit to Granta, in anthologies across various genres from publishers big and small, and in authors’ own short story collections. They were broadcast on radio and delivered by mobile phone app. They appeared online at Metazen and Paraxis.
- GenresShort Stories
231 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Royle
177 books54 followersNicholas Royle is an English writer. He is the author of seven novels, two novellas and a short story collection. He has edited sixteen anthologies of short stories. A senior lecturer in creative writing at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University, he also runs Nightjar Press, publishing original short stories as signed, limited-edition chapbooks. He works as a fiction reviewer for The Independent and the Warwick Review and as an editor for Salt Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 1, 2021
I have now read 7 of the 10 available Best British Short Story collections. It is overall a rewarding experience. I have always had the opportunity to read several very good stories in each of the collections. So, for any given year there may be a surfeit of good stories, and, as with this one, fewer good stories, but after reading a really good story, I can overlook the fact that I did not like some in the collection.
My faves:
What’s in Swindon? – Stuart Evers
• Hit the spot after I did a DNF on a story. A couple who broke up years ago get together again briefly and realize it’s not the same. The woman in the old relationship can now marry her fiancée (new relationship).
Half-mown Lawn –Dan Powell
• So sad. Half-mowed lawn because the husband had a heart attack while mowing the lawn and keeled over. 🙁 Very good story.
The Room Beyond – Ramsey Campbell
• Creepy. Well written. A man who is dying (he does not know it) checks into a hotel for a funeral. It’s his! He goes into his coffin at the every end of the story. Clever.
The Heart of Denis Noble –
• It was good but then it got a bit boring, but then it made me tear up so that counts for a lot in my book. A physiologist gets a heart transplant.
We Wave and Call – Jon McGregor
• I really like this guy’s writing. A young man goes out for a swim in a large body of water and underestimates how far away from the shore he is. Oops!
The Last Library – A.K. Benedict
• Sorta clever. Books no longer exist except in a museum as part of an exhibit. And to make room for another exhibit they destroy the exhibit (and the library), but a little girl and boy save pieces of books and put them in the soil and a book flourishes and people can come to the library to read books.
Here are the 20 short stories along with the author’s name, my ratings, and where the stories were originally published…
1. The I Arrive First – Emma Jane Unsworth [3.5 stars]…originally published online at ‘Paraxis 02’
2. The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World – Robert Shearman [1.5 stars]…originally published online at ‘Paraxis 02’
3. What’s in Swindon – Stuart Evers [5 stars]…originally published in ‘Ten Stories About Smoking’ (Picador)
4. Alice in Time & Space and Various Major Cities – H.P. Tinker [1 star]…originally published in ‘Ambit 206’
5. The Visit – Jaki McCarrick [2 stars]… originally published in ‘Wasafiri 65’
6. Half-mown Lawn – Dan Powell [4.5 stars]…first published by Ether Books
7. ‘I’m the Guy Who Wrote the Wild Bunch’ – Julian Gough [3.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Grey’
8. Those Who Remember – Joel Lane [1.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Gunshot’ (edited by Conrad Williams, PS Publishing)
9. To Brixton Beach – Stella Duffy [1.5 stars]…first broadcast on BBC Radio 4
10. Wide and Deep – Socrates Adams [2 stars]…originally published in ‘Metazen’, March 2011
11. Tarnished Sorry Open – Jo Lloyd [2 stars]…originally published in Southwest Review Volume 96, Number 4
12. Apertifs with Mr. Hemingway – Jonathan Trigell [2 stars]…first broadcast on ‘The Verb’, BBC Radio 3
13. Sun on Prospect Street – Neil Campbell [2 stars]…originally published in ‘Pictures from Hopper’ (Salt)
14. The Room Beyond – Ramsey Campbell [4.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Postscripts 24/25 – The New and Perfect Man (edited by Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers, PS Publishing)
15. iAnna – Will Self [2 stars]…originally published in the Guardian, http://www.Guardian.co.uk/books
16. The Heart of Denis Noble – Alison MacLeod [4 stars]…originally published in Litmus: Short Stories From Modern Science (edited by Ra Page, Comma Press)
17. We Wave and Call – Jon McGregor [4 stars]…originally published in Guardian Weekend, July 23, 2011
18. All I know About Gertrude Stein – Jeanette Winterson [2.5 stars]…originally published in Granta 115
19. Sad, Dark Thing – Michael Marshall Smith [3.5 stars]…originally published in A Book of Horrors (edited by Stephen Jones, Jo Fletcher Books)
20. The Last Library – A.K. Benedict [4 stars]…originally published online at Paraxis -2
My faves:
What’s in Swindon? – Stuart Evers
• Hit the spot after I did a DNF on a story. A couple who broke up years ago get together again briefly and realize it’s not the same. The woman in the old relationship can now marry her fiancée (new relationship).
Half-mown Lawn –Dan Powell
• So sad. Half-mowed lawn because the husband had a heart attack while mowing the lawn and keeled over. 🙁 Very good story.
The Room Beyond – Ramsey Campbell
• Creepy. Well written. A man who is dying (he does not know it) checks into a hotel for a funeral. It’s his! He goes into his coffin at the every end of the story. Clever.
The Heart of Denis Noble –
• It was good but then it got a bit boring, but then it made me tear up so that counts for a lot in my book. A physiologist gets a heart transplant.
We Wave and Call – Jon McGregor
• I really like this guy’s writing. A young man goes out for a swim in a large body of water and underestimates how far away from the shore he is. Oops!
The Last Library – A.K. Benedict
• Sorta clever. Books no longer exist except in a museum as part of an exhibit. And to make room for another exhibit they destroy the exhibit (and the library), but a little girl and boy save pieces of books and put them in the soil and a book flourishes and people can come to the library to read books.
Here are the 20 short stories along with the author’s name, my ratings, and where the stories were originally published…
1. The I Arrive First – Emma Jane Unsworth [3.5 stars]…originally published online at ‘Paraxis 02’
2. The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World – Robert Shearman [1.5 stars]…originally published online at ‘Paraxis 02’
3. What’s in Swindon – Stuart Evers [5 stars]…originally published in ‘Ten Stories About Smoking’ (Picador)
4. Alice in Time & Space and Various Major Cities – H.P. Tinker [1 star]…originally published in ‘Ambit 206’
5. The Visit – Jaki McCarrick [2 stars]… originally published in ‘Wasafiri 65’
6. Half-mown Lawn – Dan Powell [4.5 stars]…first published by Ether Books
7. ‘I’m the Guy Who Wrote the Wild Bunch’ – Julian Gough [3.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Grey’
8. Those Who Remember – Joel Lane [1.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Gunshot’ (edited by Conrad Williams, PS Publishing)
9. To Brixton Beach – Stella Duffy [1.5 stars]…first broadcast on BBC Radio 4
10. Wide and Deep – Socrates Adams [2 stars]…originally published in ‘Metazen’, March 2011
11. Tarnished Sorry Open – Jo Lloyd [2 stars]…originally published in Southwest Review Volume 96, Number 4
12. Apertifs with Mr. Hemingway – Jonathan Trigell [2 stars]…first broadcast on ‘The Verb’, BBC Radio 3
13. Sun on Prospect Street – Neil Campbell [2 stars]…originally published in ‘Pictures from Hopper’ (Salt)
14. The Room Beyond – Ramsey Campbell [4.5 stars]…originally published in ‘Postscripts 24/25 – The New and Perfect Man (edited by Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers, PS Publishing)
15. iAnna – Will Self [2 stars]…originally published in the Guardian, http://www.Guardian.co.uk/books
16. The Heart of Denis Noble – Alison MacLeod [4 stars]…originally published in Litmus: Short Stories From Modern Science (edited by Ra Page, Comma Press)
17. We Wave and Call – Jon McGregor [4 stars]…originally published in Guardian Weekend, July 23, 2011
18. All I know About Gertrude Stein – Jeanette Winterson [2.5 stars]…originally published in Granta 115
19. Sad, Dark Thing – Michael Marshall Smith [3.5 stars]…originally published in A Book of Horrors (edited by Stephen Jones, Jo Fletcher Books)
20. The Last Library – A.K. Benedict [4 stars]…originally published online at Paraxis -2
June 20, 2012
My mate (and in my writer's group)Joel Lane has a story within..
Another very fine collection selected by Mr Royle. I’d already read four – Jon Mcgregor’s (not his greatest, the second person pov always puts me off, but good), and Stuart Evers’s (a sad little piece) from their respective collections This Isn't the Sort of Thing That happens to Someone Like You and Ten Stories about Smoking; also Will Self’s (a very clever story about someone developing an iPad psychosis) and Socrates Adams’s (a weird tale of children growing old, having kids and dying by adolescence) on line. But I hadn’t read Joel’s – he hadn’t brought it to the group - so naturally I began with that. It singed my soul it was so strong, a terrifically nasty and funny piece about revenge, death and Oldbury (West Midlands) by night. Then by chance I read next what turned out to be four of the best stories – Ramsay Campbell’s twisted and tense ‘The Room Beyond’ set in a hotel you’d never want to visit; Michael Marshall Smith’s strange, subtle, horrific but accepting ‘Sad, Dark Thing’; Neil Campbell’s ‘Sun on Prospect Street’ which was a perfect evocation of a boyhood summer, spent by the canal or playing football; and Alison McLeod’s ‘The Heart of Denis Noble’ which imagines the love life and heart transplant of a real pioneer of ‘Systems Biology’ in a moving but precise and wonderfully modulated account. There were other great stories here, particularly Dan Powell’s ‘Half-Mown Lawn’ about the death of a spouse which made me catch my breath, and Jo Lloyd’s ‘Tarnished Sorry Open’ about modern loneliness and technology. I wasn’t keen on everything, for example H P Tinker’s ‘Alice in Time and Space and Various Major Cities’ which was funny and full of wackiness, oh alright I did like it, but it had that over-clever postmodern-ness to it which sometimes grates and did, just a little bit. Similarly Robert Shearman’s very daft re-imagining of Genesis got a bit ridiculous but was fun. There were two stories set in libraries which begin and end the book and of course I loved those, being a librarian. All in all another fabulous collection and the series is looking good. Long may it continue.
Another very fine collection selected by Mr Royle. I’d already read four – Jon Mcgregor’s (not his greatest, the second person pov always puts me off, but good), and Stuart Evers’s (a sad little piece) from their respective collections This Isn't the Sort of Thing That happens to Someone Like You and Ten Stories about Smoking; also Will Self’s (a very clever story about someone developing an iPad psychosis) and Socrates Adams’s (a weird tale of children growing old, having kids and dying by adolescence) on line. But I hadn’t read Joel’s – he hadn’t brought it to the group - so naturally I began with that. It singed my soul it was so strong, a terrifically nasty and funny piece about revenge, death and Oldbury (West Midlands) by night. Then by chance I read next what turned out to be four of the best stories – Ramsay Campbell’s twisted and tense ‘The Room Beyond’ set in a hotel you’d never want to visit; Michael Marshall Smith’s strange, subtle, horrific but accepting ‘Sad, Dark Thing’; Neil Campbell’s ‘Sun on Prospect Street’ which was a perfect evocation of a boyhood summer, spent by the canal or playing football; and Alison McLeod’s ‘The Heart of Denis Noble’ which imagines the love life and heart transplant of a real pioneer of ‘Systems Biology’ in a moving but precise and wonderfully modulated account. There were other great stories here, particularly Dan Powell’s ‘Half-Mown Lawn’ about the death of a spouse which made me catch my breath, and Jo Lloyd’s ‘Tarnished Sorry Open’ about modern loneliness and technology. I wasn’t keen on everything, for example H P Tinker’s ‘Alice in Time and Space and Various Major Cities’ which was funny and full of wackiness, oh alright I did like it, but it had that over-clever postmodern-ness to it which sometimes grates and did, just a little bit. Similarly Robert Shearman’s very daft re-imagining of Genesis got a bit ridiculous but was fun. There were two stories set in libraries which begin and end the book and of course I loved those, being a librarian. All in all another fabulous collection and the series is looking good. Long may it continue.
May 20, 2013
This collection contains 20 stories. What I was mainly looking for when I began to read it was stories that were contemporary in style, structure and subject matter, but still with the classical features of narrative arc, inciting incident, characterisation, dialogue, sub-text, and all the old fashioned virtues.
"I Arrive First", by Emma Jane Unsworth is possibly the best story in the book. It is a subverted love story which shows a very good eye for detail. This is an excellent example of what I was looking for.
"The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World", by Robert Shearman is another exercise in subverting genres, the genres in question this time being pulp fiction and the Old Testament. This is an excellent example of what I was not looking for.
"What's in Swindon?", by Stuart Evers appears to have been titled with reference to Raymond Carver's, "What's in Alaska?", though the stories don't resemble each other. It is about an attempt to re-kindle a past relationship and is well-crafted and compelling.
"Alice in Time & Space and Various Major Cities", by HP Tinker, is another in the deliberately overblown, pulp fiction genre. It read a bit like "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It lacks proper characterisation and, again, was not what I was looking for.
"The Visit", by Jaki McCarrick is a story about an encounter with a past acquaintance. It read like a contribution to a tribute to Joyce's "Dubliners".
"Half Mown Lawn", by Dan Powell is a story about bereavement. It is not at all how I would write about that subject, but it was well-handled and full of engaging details.
"I'm the Guy Who Wrote the Wild Bunch", of all the whimsical and unconventional stories in the book, is the one I enjoyed most. It is written "from the inside" in the form of an account of a magazine interview. I found the apparent literary joke underlying the end of the story difficult to follow (you'll have to read it to see what I mean) but it was very compelling and I sympathised greatly with the person relating the events.
"Those Who Remember", by Joel Lane, is a chilling and well-crafted story about the influence of the past on the present.
"To Brixton Beach", by Stella Duffy, is an unconventional story in which a location is the protagonist.
"Wide and Deep", by Socrates Adams, is a very short story about growing old.
"Tarnished Sorry Open", by Jo Lloyd, is one I read with the utmost care and attention, because it is about a withdrawn narrator of the kind that I often write about.
"Aperitifs with Mr Hemingway", by Jonathan Trigell, is a well-crafted story about growing old. The protagonist is well-characterised and engaging, and the story draws out the subject matter with controlled pathos rather than being tragic or depressing.
"Sun on Prospect Street", by Neil Campbell, is a very Raymond Carver-style, understated story about childhood and things that are left unsaid.
"The Room Beyond", by Ramsey Campbell, is an expertly-controlled, subverted ghost story.
"iAnna", by Will Self, is a story about the iPad generation. While the story was contemporary in subject matter, I find Self's style too Baroque and over-written for my liking. There is no serious attempt at characterisation or the generation of any empathy. The dialogue lacks sub-text. There is a meta-fictional self-reference to the narrative, which is clumsy and unwarranted, and there is no ending - the story simply runs out of text. I admit that I read every sentence, right to the end, just to see where it would go.
"The Heart of Denis Noble", by Alison McLeoud, is a very well-crafted and engaging story indeed about a scientist, his work, and the relation his work has to his life. But it is not a short story: it is a very, very short novel.
"We Wave and Call", by Jon McGregor, is the only one I did not get at all. Outwardly, it may look like another, under-stated, Carver-style story, but I found the point of the narrative to be not so much under-stated as non-existent. The whole thing seemed to rest on a small piece of structural sleight-of-hand which failed to grab me.
"All I Know About Gertrude Stein", by Jeanette Winterson, is an unconventional piece which combines a kind of narrative with some biographical information about writers and artists in Paris in the first half of the 20th century, and a literary essay about the nature of love. Again, I kept reading, but it was not what I was looking for.
"Sad, Dark, Thing", by Michael Marshall Smith, again made me wonder if the title was a pastiche of Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good Thing". It is a roman a clef.
"The Last Library", by AK Benedict, is a mild apocalyptic which, published in this particular manner, is open to accusations of trying to preach to the converted.
Do not be put off by my criticism of the few stories I did not like. One reads a collection of 20 stories by different authors to find out more about what one doesn't like, as well as what one likes. This is a refreshingly varied collection. I will certainly be re-reading some of the stories many more times. Any-one who wants to enjoy or participate in the current rejuvenation of short fiction in English needs this book.
"I Arrive First", by Emma Jane Unsworth is possibly the best story in the book. It is a subverted love story which shows a very good eye for detail. This is an excellent example of what I was looking for.
"The Dark Space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World", by Robert Shearman is another exercise in subverting genres, the genres in question this time being pulp fiction and the Old Testament. This is an excellent example of what I was not looking for.
"What's in Swindon?", by Stuart Evers appears to have been titled with reference to Raymond Carver's, "What's in Alaska?", though the stories don't resemble each other. It is about an attempt to re-kindle a past relationship and is well-crafted and compelling.
"Alice in Time & Space and Various Major Cities", by HP Tinker, is another in the deliberately overblown, pulp fiction genre. It read a bit like "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It lacks proper characterisation and, again, was not what I was looking for.
"The Visit", by Jaki McCarrick is a story about an encounter with a past acquaintance. It read like a contribution to a tribute to Joyce's "Dubliners".
"Half Mown Lawn", by Dan Powell is a story about bereavement. It is not at all how I would write about that subject, but it was well-handled and full of engaging details.
"I'm the Guy Who Wrote the Wild Bunch", of all the whimsical and unconventional stories in the book, is the one I enjoyed most. It is written "from the inside" in the form of an account of a magazine interview. I found the apparent literary joke underlying the end of the story difficult to follow (you'll have to read it to see what I mean) but it was very compelling and I sympathised greatly with the person relating the events.
"Those Who Remember", by Joel Lane, is a chilling and well-crafted story about the influence of the past on the present.
"To Brixton Beach", by Stella Duffy, is an unconventional story in which a location is the protagonist.
"Wide and Deep", by Socrates Adams, is a very short story about growing old.
"Tarnished Sorry Open", by Jo Lloyd, is one I read with the utmost care and attention, because it is about a withdrawn narrator of the kind that I often write about.
"Aperitifs with Mr Hemingway", by Jonathan Trigell, is a well-crafted story about growing old. The protagonist is well-characterised and engaging, and the story draws out the subject matter with controlled pathos rather than being tragic or depressing.
"Sun on Prospect Street", by Neil Campbell, is a very Raymond Carver-style, understated story about childhood and things that are left unsaid.
"The Room Beyond", by Ramsey Campbell, is an expertly-controlled, subverted ghost story.
"iAnna", by Will Self, is a story about the iPad generation. While the story was contemporary in subject matter, I find Self's style too Baroque and over-written for my liking. There is no serious attempt at characterisation or the generation of any empathy. The dialogue lacks sub-text. There is a meta-fictional self-reference to the narrative, which is clumsy and unwarranted, and there is no ending - the story simply runs out of text. I admit that I read every sentence, right to the end, just to see where it would go.
"The Heart of Denis Noble", by Alison McLeoud, is a very well-crafted and engaging story indeed about a scientist, his work, and the relation his work has to his life. But it is not a short story: it is a very, very short novel.
"We Wave and Call", by Jon McGregor, is the only one I did not get at all. Outwardly, it may look like another, under-stated, Carver-style story, but I found the point of the narrative to be not so much under-stated as non-existent. The whole thing seemed to rest on a small piece of structural sleight-of-hand which failed to grab me.
"All I Know About Gertrude Stein", by Jeanette Winterson, is an unconventional piece which combines a kind of narrative with some biographical information about writers and artists in Paris in the first half of the 20th century, and a literary essay about the nature of love. Again, I kept reading, but it was not what I was looking for.
"Sad, Dark, Thing", by Michael Marshall Smith, again made me wonder if the title was a pastiche of Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good Thing". It is a roman a clef.
"The Last Library", by AK Benedict, is a mild apocalyptic which, published in this particular manner, is open to accusations of trying to preach to the converted.
Do not be put off by my criticism of the few stories I did not like. One reads a collection of 20 stories by different authors to find out more about what one doesn't like, as well as what one likes. This is a refreshingly varied collection. I will certainly be re-reading some of the stories many more times. Any-one who wants to enjoy or participate in the current rejuvenation of short fiction in English needs this book.
December 1, 2016
Such wonderful creations! -I'de love to re-read them all over again!
These were my favorites:-
#The dark space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World-Robert Sherman
#Half-mown Lawn - Dan Powell
#I'm the guy who wrote The Wild Bunch- Julian Gough
#Aparatifs with Mr. Hemingway - Jonathan Trigell
#The Heart of Denis Noble - Alison MacLeod
#We wave and call - Jon McGregor
#Sad, Dark Thing - Michael Marshall Smith
#The last Library - AK Benedict
Of these again......"The Half-mown Lawn" and "The Heart of Denis Noble" were simply the best!
A few quotes that I found interesting......
From Alice in time & space and various major cities – HP Tinker
“I realized that I was part of a conspiracy that nobody understood except me!”
“I wonder if this strange meeting of ours might not be more than just a mere chance. I mean, unexpected things do happen – all the time – for a variety of hugely improbable metaphysical reasons nobody actually understands.”
“The struggle to achieve some kind of resolution is potentially pointless. Dissatisfaction often comes when a long –strived for ideal is attained and reality realized.”
From- The Visit – Jaki McCarrick
“Whilst he wasn’t looking, he had entered the tapestry of this place after all!”
From All I know about Gertrude Stein –Jeanette Winterson-
“Cupid is blind. Freud called love an ‘overestimation of the object’…but I would swing through the ringing world for you.”;
These were my favorites:-
#The dark space in the House in the House in the Garden at the Centre of the World-Robert Sherman
#Half-mown Lawn - Dan Powell
#I'm the guy who wrote The Wild Bunch- Julian Gough
#Aparatifs with Mr. Hemingway - Jonathan Trigell
#The Heart of Denis Noble - Alison MacLeod
#We wave and call - Jon McGregor
#Sad, Dark Thing - Michael Marshall Smith
#The last Library - AK Benedict
Of these again......"The Half-mown Lawn" and "The Heart of Denis Noble" were simply the best!
A few quotes that I found interesting......
From Alice in time & space and various major cities – HP Tinker
“I realized that I was part of a conspiracy that nobody understood except me!”
“I wonder if this strange meeting of ours might not be more than just a mere chance. I mean, unexpected things do happen – all the time – for a variety of hugely improbable metaphysical reasons nobody actually understands.”
“The struggle to achieve some kind of resolution is potentially pointless. Dissatisfaction often comes when a long –strived for ideal is attained and reality realized.”
From- The Visit – Jaki McCarrick
“Whilst he wasn’t looking, he had entered the tapestry of this place after all!”
From All I know about Gertrude Stein –Jeanette Winterson-
“Cupid is blind. Freud called love an ‘overestimation of the object’…but I would swing through the ringing world for you.”;
October 13, 2014
An enjoyable set of short stories. Some were beautifully written and had you wanting to know more, and obviously there were a few that weren't to my taste.
Some of my favourites from the collection included:
- 'I Arrive First' by Emma Jane Unsworth. It was incredibly cute and made my heart flutter.
- 'To Brixton Beach' by Stella Duffy. There was something so relatable about this short story.
- 'Wide and Deep' by Socrates Adams. It was unique and puzzling, there was a rather disturbing element to it which I liked.
- 'iAnna' by Will Self. The modern twist of the story and its quirkiness was fun to read.
- 'We Wave and Call' by Jon McGregor. I couldn't stop thinking about this short story after reading it, the writing style of it was extremely hooking.
- 'All I Know About Gertrude Stein' by Jeanette Winterson. I loved this, the whole discussion of love kept me thinking and reading.
- 'The Last Library' by Ak Benedict. This was the last short story and it was definitely the perfect way to end!
I would recommend you pick up this collection of short stories, there are bound to be a few you'll love like crazy.
Some of my favourites from the collection included:
- 'I Arrive First' by Emma Jane Unsworth. It was incredibly cute and made my heart flutter.
- 'To Brixton Beach' by Stella Duffy. There was something so relatable about this short story.
- 'Wide and Deep' by Socrates Adams. It was unique and puzzling, there was a rather disturbing element to it which I liked.
- 'iAnna' by Will Self. The modern twist of the story and its quirkiness was fun to read.
- 'We Wave and Call' by Jon McGregor. I couldn't stop thinking about this short story after reading it, the writing style of it was extremely hooking.
- 'All I Know About Gertrude Stein' by Jeanette Winterson. I loved this, the whole discussion of love kept me thinking and reading.
- 'The Last Library' by Ak Benedict. This was the last short story and it was definitely the perfect way to end!
I would recommend you pick up this collection of short stories, there are bound to be a few you'll love like crazy.
January 27, 2021
Then I’ll re-phrase, shall I? A gestalt library is not an “it”. If it’s any good, it’s more alive than an “it”. Every part of a gestalt library “contains” every other part. Every small part anticipates the whole. Nothing can be passive or static. Nothing is just a part. Not really. Because the whole, if it’s powerful enough that is, cannot be divided. That’s what a great creation is. It has its own marvellous unity. (With acknowledgement to the Alison MacLeod above)
There is always a room beyond. Wide and deep.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of my observations at the time of the review.
There is always a room beyond. Wide and deep.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of my observations at the time of the review.
July 23, 2018
I loved all but one of the stories in this book. I was surprised that many could be called science fiction or horror, or even ghost stories (which I don't usually enjoy), but what I loved was the originality, and that most of them maintained the traditional short story structure. My favourite I think was The Heart of Denis Noble by Alison MacLeod. The one I didn't like was written in the second person, which I always find difficult. Why do people write in the second person? It never works, in my opinion, but there's usually at least one story in every anthology.
August 28, 2012
Great collection put together by Nicholas Royle. A fantastic selection to dip in and out of. Lots of different styles and concerns but all high quality accomplished short stories. Personal favourites was Dan Powell's Half Mown Lawn. This was a deceptively simple story, no pyrotechnics, or self-conscious styling - simple, honest and devastating. I'll be looking out for more from Powell - not to mention next year's Best British Short Stories 2013.
February 5, 2013
Refreshing new writing from an interesting publisher.
October 18, 2013
Lucid observation, clever prose, wit and intrigue aplenty. Actual storytelling seems to have taken a back seat. Jon McGregor's 'We Wave and Call' stood out.
September 15, 2018
“Her labia quivered visibly” ???? what the actual fuck?
July 24, 2022
in 2018, I discovered the glories of short fiction. I have always dismissed it as being, well, too short! In the examples we read at school I mostly felt that there was too much left untold. But this is a starburst of a collection - OK, one or two damp squibs, but, in general, a stellar collection. My prescription is to take one before bed every night. But, please, don't call me in the morning!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews