Fantasy short stories

Hi,

I'm looking for some good fantasy short stories. There are numerous authors which wrote monumental fantasy epics, but which authors are good in this "opposite" genre?

Thanks

Here are a few suggestions. Stephen Donaldson has Reave the Just and another short story collection. Anne McCaffrey's Get Off the Unicorn. Charles de Lint has several short story collections including Moonlight and Vines.

A way of looking for yourself is to tagmash:- Go to the search page and enter fantasy, short story into the box.

(Edited to add) sorry if I'm telling you to do something you've already tried.:)

With the tagmash, you can try replacing "short story" with "anthology" or "collection".

There are lots. Here are some that I have, by a variety of authors:

Immortal Unicorn, The Book of Enchantments, Door in the Hedge, Dreams Underfoot, Enchantment Place, A Knot in the Grain, Legends II, Pretty Monsters, Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits, Young Warriors.

I didn't try tagmash :) I'm not too long on this site and I don't know all features yet. I'll check it out ;-) Thanks

It really depends on what kind of stories you like - fantasy is a huge genre. Probably the easiest way to get introduced to the good authors is to get yourself an anthology or two (year's best for example). Some of the online sites also have good material and might be a good introduction to new authors.

http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/ is for adventure fantasy for example.

I'd like to second AnnieMod's recommendation to look into anthologies. You might not (probably won't) like all of them equally well, but anthologies like "Year's Best Fantasy and Horror" do tend to include the "big names" (and of course good stories). That series, I should point out, is now discontinued, so you may end up having to scour second-hand stores for them.

Datlow and Windling are also very well-known for their fairytale retelling (for adults) anthologies. That's another subgenre in fantasy. Of course, if you hate retellings you might not want to check that anthology series out.

Peter S. Beagle also has The Line Between as an anthology and I think there's a third as well, but I don't remember the title.

The Faery Flag by Jane Yolen is aimed at children, but she's also a very good author. As said, it depends a lot on which subgenre you're interested in. Steampunk is anthology with, obviously, steampunk stories.

Another place to look for short stories are the magazines like the SF&F Magazine. Though you'll find many available online as well, and if you've an author you particularly like their novels of you could always see if they have a website and short stories (or suggestions on them).

Here are three authors who tend to sit on the line between fantasy and science fiction, and write excellent stories of various lengths in both:

Ursula LeGuin has written several collections of short stories. I think my favorite is The Wind's Twelve Quarters.

Gene Wolfe excels at short fiction as well as super-long stories. I love The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories, and Endangered Species has some wonderful pieces as well.

Connie Willis's collection Fire Watch contains several excellent and fun stories. The world and characters of the title story were expanded into her Hugo-winning novel Doomsday Book.

I'll put in a plug for the Firebird fantasy anthologies that have been put out the last couple years: Firebirds, Firebirds Rising, and Firebirds Soaring so far. They're aimed at a YA audience, so they tend toward stories with a coming-of-age feel, but I've really enjoyed many of the stories in them.

I also enjoyed Patricia McKillip's short-story collection, Harrowing the Dragon.

The other collection by Donaldson mentioned in #2 is Daughter of regals

Both Legends and legends II mentioned by Bluetyson are excellant - be aware they are published in many parts, and it isn't always obvious which bit you are getting!

CJ CHerryh has a superb collected short fiction which is a mix of SF and fantasy.

Neil Gaimen has written many, fragile things being a prime example.

Issac Asimov edited a whole series of short story collections themed around one type of character. The Magical worlds of series. I only own giants which is superb, and I'm always looking out for the rest fo them, although they are quite hard to find these days.

There's lots!

In my opinion Charles de Lint writes superb urban fantasy short stories. He has published several collections f.x. Moonlight and Vines, and has contributed to the Windling/Datlow edited YA collections The Green Man, The Fairy Reel and Coyote Road

The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories collects some very good stories written between the late 19th and late 20th centuries, includes several big name authors, and has a decent mix of sub-genres.

I'll also throw out a plug for the podcast podcastle which are readings of contemporary short fantasy works. They also have a forum where people discuss the stories.

A lot of what I wanted to say has already been said, so I'll be seconding (or thirding or fourthing) it!

I have always loved the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series; I've been introduced to many great authors that way.

I'd also say that "Dreams Underfoot" by Charles De Lint is one of the best single-author story collections I've ever read...and I also do love Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. Jane Yolen's Sister Emily's Lightship is grand, and you should also look for collections by authors like Tanith Lee (dark fantasy, mostly), Ursula K LeGuin (a mix of sci-fi and fantasy), and Gene Wolfe (also a mix of sf and f.)

Many of A.S. Byatt's short story collections, notably Elementals and The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye are fairy-tale inflected fantasy, one of my favorite things. You'll likely find them in the general fiction sections of book stores and libraries, though.

that oxford book of fantasy stories looks very good lucien, thanks for the tip, it's going on my tbr pile right now!

Sanctuary is the first Thieves' World Omnibus. It collects the first three anthologies: Thieves' World, Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, and Shadows of Sanctuary.

There are four omnibus editions (of the original run) each containing three anthologies. Wiki the series to get an idea of what its about and how it was done. Recently (rather a few years ago) it was restarted after something like a ten year break. The first book released in the new run was a full length novel intended to get things set up for new anthologies (of which there are, I think, two now with plans to continue).

Also check out Sword and Sorceress. Its up to somewhere around thirty volumes now, I think.

Swords and Deviltry is the first volume in the Lankhmar stuff. It's seven volumes of mostly short stories. I think one of the books is a novel.

Elric of Melnibone is the first in a series of six, or eight, or nine, or eleven (depending what you want to include) in a series of mostly short stories.

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is the first of three volumes collecting the original Robert E. Howard stuff. Also check out Bran Mak Morn, Kull, and Solomon Kane all of which are short story collections.

>13 yosarian:
You're welcome. Hope you enjoy.

There are also numerous anthologies on various themes. I'm quite partial to the Catfantastic and Sword and Sorceress series for example. Actually there's a whole variety of -fantastic anthologies on various subjects.

I've got to second the suggestion for Get off the Unicorn by Anne McCaffrey. There's quite a few good stories there, including my fave The Smallest Dragonboy.

Viewpoints Critical by L.E. Modesitt is another good one. It's got both fantasy and science fiction stories, some of which are quite unique in my experience, and others which fill in parts of the Corean series and the Recluse saga.

interesting thread

You can also try some googling to find fantasy ezines you like, if you're open to reading online. Personally I hate it and would much rather read something on paper, but every so often I do it anyway because there are a lot of good stories, and if you find one or two that you like and subscribe then you don't have to hunt so hard in the future.

I'm personally looking forward to the upcoming fantasy anthology, Swords and Dark Magic, which will have stories from some of the best authors in the genre, including Steven Erikson, Glen Cook, Gene Wolfe, C. J. Cherryh, and Scott Lynch. (More info.)

Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2010 is at my local bookstore (a ton of copies). It's never done too well -- selling in bargain books rather than the full price.

E-zines are where the real meat of short stories are these days. The paper mags only have limited room and generally cost more and have stories that you wished you could get your money back for. I wouldn't doubt that they'd be extinct or a miniscule market in ten years time (they don't have a large market now).

Check out The Absent Willow Review:

http://absentwillowreview.com/archives/edge

@19 saltmanz, that's a most impressive line-up for that anthology. Thanks for the heads-up. Added to the wishlist without a doubt.

Correction to post 20: I went back to the 25 or so copies at the bookstore and they were in fact (brand new, untouched) 2007 editions.

>22 Scaryguy:

I was just about to ask which series you mean because the old and long running Year's Best Fantasy & Horror was canceled in 2009.

TinY Deaths and Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical both by LT author and Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman are part fantasy- part just weird, but absolutely fantastic.