I've had great fun purchasing and reading books that were recommended in the "If you Only Read One Book..." thread, so I thought that I'd start a similar thread for short stories.
What short story have you read that flared so brightly in your mind that it rivals even full-size novels? What was about the story that left you pondering for days? The elegant storyline? The tight pacing? A flawed character? A briefly-explored thought that could've filled numerous volumes?
You're free to recommend novellas as well, but try not to toe that line too much. :) Oh, and if you can remember, please be sure to mention within which compilation or magazine you found these gems, especially if it's not a well-known author.
I'll start with a couple. You'll note that I most enjoy horror tales...
The Autopsy by Michael Shea. A memorable protagonist encounters something horrific. Gruesome and intense. Can be found within "The Dark Descent" horror story compilation on ebay or Amazon.
The Raft by Stephen King. It was made into a movie which was actually very good for a King translation, but the book was far more intense. I immediately had to re-read it. This short story was brutal and King has a knack for getting you to like his characters just before he drops the hammer.
The Mountains of Madness by Lovecraft. Yes, this is a novella, but I believe that it's his best story overall. Being alone in a place that you cannot escape generates terrific dread.
Have fun
Hurm.
Neat idea! I’ve recently read a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman, and it reinvigorated my interest in short stories. I have enjoyed a lot of short stories over the years, but in keeping with the theme, these are ones that have left me hungering for more.
Chivalry and The Witch’s Headstone by Neil Gaiman. Chivalry depicts an older woman with quite an eye for knick-knacks that brings a knight to her doorstep. It ends with her passing on another object that would doubtless lead to another story in its own right. I’d love to read more about her and the items she finds. The Witch’s Headstone is a great story that really ends on a beginning. I immediately wanted to read “the rest of the story,” and I’ve since seen that he will release a novel later this year called "The Graveyard Book", based on this short story. Both of these short stories are in his collection M is for Magic.
Injure the Corners and Release the Knot by Patrick Weekes. These two short stories featured the same unnamed hero and Caelthras, his sword. Both stories include many “back story” allusions that made me want to know more. I wanted to read about his past, and see what the future held in store. “Injure the Corners” appeared in Amazing Stories #604, October 2004; “Release the Knot" appeared in Amazing Stories #606, December 2004.
The Blade of the Flame by Tim Waggoner, published in Eberron-themed collection The Tales of the Last War. Honestly, I liked most of the stories in the collection, but “The Blade of the Flame” really stood out for me. I loved the concept of the hero, Diran Bastiaan, a former assassin turned cleric of the Silver Flame. The story was a lead-in for Tim Waggoner’s aptly named Blade of the Flame trilogy. If you’ve read the trilogy and haven’t read this short story, you’re missing out.
Also from The Tales of the Last War, Keith Baker’s Death at Whitehearth is a pre-quel to his trilogy, “The Dreaming Dark.” I loved that series of books, and this short story is yet another reason to want to follow the adventures of Daine and his friends.
Battleground by Stephen King. Honestly, I remember reading this in my English class at Fourth Avenue Jr. High School, Yuma Arizona, in 1981. I believe it was printed in the “Weekly Reader,” which is still around. I loved that story! I don’t know how many times my brother and I killed each other with our little army men. (Probably not as many times as we hit each other with our Frisbees after Tron came out.) “Battleground” was published in Night Shift.
That’s enough for now. I’m sure I’ll think of more later.
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Light Action in the Caribbean, which is a short story in the book with the same name by Barry Lopez, affected and distraught me so deeply that I couldn't bring myself to read any of the other stories in the book. This is either a recommendation or a warning, depending on your sensibilities. I can tell you that is was very well written, and that the person who loaned the book to me said that there were a couple of other stories in the collection that are also very good. Make of this what you will.
And, although mentioned already, I gotta say that Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors is good. Start to finish.