The Internet Book Database of Fiction

If anyone is interested, here's my running list of stories I have rated 8 or better at iblist (as of late April 2007, this was my favorite 171 short stories out a a total of roughly 765 rated at iblist):

10s
Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (1961) by Cordwainer Smith
Education of Drusilla Strange, the (1954) by Theodore Sturgeon
Fluffy (1947) by Theodore Sturgeon
For I Have Touched the Sky (1989) by Mike Resnick
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (1974) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Hurricane Trio (1955) by Theodore Sturgeon
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) by Harlan Ellison
Mark Elf (1957) by Cordwainer Smith
Mountains of Mourning, the (1989) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Thunder and Roses (1947) by Theodore Sturgeon

9s
Ballad of Lost C'Mell, the (1962) by Cordwainer Smith
Bitterblooms (1977) by George R.R. Martin
Cask of Amontillado, the (1846) by Edgar Allan Poe
Dead Lady of Clown Town, the (1964) by Cordwainer Smith
Discarded, the (1959) by Harlan Ellison
Divine Madness (1966) by Roger Zelazny
Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, the (1965) by Roger Zelazny
Drunkboat (1963) by Cordwainer Smith
Justice (1993) by Elizabeth Hand
Evening and the Morning and the Night, the (1987) by Octavia Estelle Butler
Fall of the House of Usher, the (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe
From Gustible's Planet (1962) by Cordwainer Smith
Girl Who Was Plugged In, the (1973) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Good Friends, the (1963) by Cordwainer Smith
Grail (1981) by Harlan Ellison
Hanalei Bay (2005) by Haruki Murakami
Honey Pie (2000) by Haruki Murukami
Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (1976) by James Tiptree, Jr.
In the House of the Worm (1976) by George R.R. Martin
Killdozer! (1944) by Theodore Sturgeon
Kiss of Fire (1972) by Harlan Ellison
Last Flight of Dr. Ain, the (1969) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Looking for Kelly Dahl (1995) by Dan Simmons
Microcosmic God (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon
Misguided Halo, the (1939) by Henry Kuttner
Only Neat Thing to Do, the (1985) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Open Boat, the (1897) by Stephen Crane
Planet Named Shayol, a (1961) by Cordwainer Smith
Press Enter [ ] (1984) by John Varley
Quiet Lies the Locust Tells (1981) by Harlan Ellison
Reave the Just (1992) by Stephen Donaldson
Rose for Ecclesiastes, a (1963) by Roger Zelazny
Rule of Three (1951) by Theodore Sturgeon
Sandkings (1979) by George R.R. Martin
Scanners Live in Vain (1948) by Cordwainer Smith
Space-Time for Springers (1958) by Fritz Leiber
Tell-Tale Heart, the (1843) by Edgar Allan Poe
Test to Destruction (1967) by Keith Laumer
Think Blue, Count Two (1962) by Cordwainer Smith
Touch of Strange, a (1958) by Theodore Sturgeon
Veldt, the (1951) by Ray Bradbury
We Who Stole the Dream (1978) by James Tiptree, Jr.
When It Changed (1972) by Joanna Russ

8s
24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai (1985) by Roger Zelazny
Absalom (1946) by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
Adaptive Ultimate, the (1935) by Stanley G. Weinbaum
All the World's Tears (1957) by Brian Aldiss
An die Musik (1961) by Ursula K. Le Guin
And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill’s Side (1971) by James Tiptree, Jr.
And the Angels Sing (1990) by Kate Wilhelm
And the Deep Blue Sea (2005) by Elizabeth Bear
Angerhelm (1959) by Cordwainer Smith
Bacchae, the (1991) by Elizabeth Hand
Barn Burning (1939) by William Faulkner
Basilisk (1972) by Harlan Ellison
Bears Discover Fire (1990) by Terry Bisson
Bianca's Hands (1947) by Theodore Sturgeon
The Big Night (1947) by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore
Birthday Girl (2002) by Haruki Murakami
Black Air (1983) by Kim Stanley Robinson
Bleeding Stones (1972) by Harlan Ellison
Blind Lightning (1956) by Harlan Ellison
Blood Music (1983) by Greg Bear
Bloodchild (1984) by Octavia Estelle Butler
Brat (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon
Bulkhead (1955) by Theodore Sturgeon
Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1969) by Robert Sheckley
Caress, the (1990) by Greg Egan
Carrion Comfort (1983) by Dan Simmons
Cheese Stands Alone, the (1981) by Harlan Ellison
Cicada Queen (1983) by Bruce Sterling
Coming Attraction (1950) by Fritz Leiber
Conversations at Night (1976) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Corona (1967) by Samuel R. Delany
Critical Difference (1956) by Murray Leinster
Dabchick (1981) by Haruki Murakami
Dancer from the Dance, the (1985) by M. John Harrison
Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels (1973) by George R.R. Martin
Death in the Promised Land (1995) by Pat Cadigan
Death of Captain Future, the (1995) by Allen Steele
Deathbird, the (1973) by Harlan Ellison
Devil Car (1965) by Roger Zelazny
The Devil You Don't (2000) by Elizabeth Bear
Dog in a Fisherman's Net (1971) by Samuel R. Delany
Don Giovanni Explains (1887) by George Bernard Shaw
Erl-King, the (1993) by Elizabeth Hand
L'esprit d'escalier: Not a Play In One Act (2006) by Elizabeth Bear
Ether Breather (1939) by Theodore Sturgeon
Eveline (1914) by James Joyce
Faith of Our Fathers (1967) by Philip K. Dick
Father (1955) by Philip José Farmer
Few Miles, a (1960) by Philip José Farmer
Fiddling for Waterbuffaloes (1986) by Somtow Sucharitkul
Final Trophy (1957) by Harlan Ellison
Fourth Profession, the (1971) by Larry Niven
Fourth-dimensional Demonstrator, the (1935) by Murray Leinster
Funeral, the (1972) by Kate Wilhelm
Furies, the (1965) by Roger Zelazny
Game of Rat and Dragon, the (1955) by Cordwainer Smith
Gift of Gab, the (1955) by Jack Vance
Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird (1967) by Sonya Dorman
Golden Day (1939) by Theodore Sturgeon
Gonna Roll the Bones (1967) by Fritz Leiber
Great Slow Kings, the (1963) by Roger Zelazny
Hardfought (1983) by Greg Bear
Hemingway Hoax, the (1990) by Joe Haldeman
Home is the Hangman (1975) by Roger Zelazny
House, the (1976) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ice Man, the (1991) by Haruki Murakami
Invasion Footnote (1957) by Harlan Ellison
It (1940) by THeodore Sturgeon
Judas (1967) by John Brunner
Killing Stroke, the (1998) by Stephen Donaldson
Kirinyaga (1988) by Mike Resnick
Life Hutch (1956) by Harlan Ellison
Lips to Lips (1956) by Vladimir Nabokov
Little Old Miss Macbeth (1958) by Fritz Leiber
Lord Randy, My Son (1967) by Joe L. Hensley
Lucifer (1964) by Roger Zelazny
Luck of the Head, the (1984) by M. John Harrison
macs (1999) by Terry Bisson
Masque of the Red Death, the (1842) by Edgar Allan Poe
Mnemone, the (1971) by Robert Sheckley
Momentary Taste of Being, a (1975) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons (1961) by Cordwainer Smith
Mr. Costello, Hero (1953) by Theodore Sturgeon
Museum Piece, a (1963) by Roger Zelazny
Native Problem, the (1956) by Robert Sheckley
Night of Light, the (1957) by Philip José Farmer
No, No, Not Rogov! (1959) by Cordwainer Smith
None So Blind (1994) by Joe Haldeman
Nothing for My Noon Meal (1958) by Harlan Ellison
Odour of Chrysanthemums, the (1911) by D.H. Lawrence
On the Town Route (1989) by Elizabeth Hand
Pail of Air, a (1951) by Fritz Leiber
Past Magic (1990) by Ian R. MacLeod
Paulie Charmed the Sleeping Woman (1962) by Harlan Ellison
Penance (1998) by Stephen Donaldson
Perfect Day for Kangaroos, a (1981) by Haruki Murakami
Power, the (1945) by Murray Leinster
Prometheus (1961) by Philip José Farmer
The Quest of Iranon (1935) by H.P. Lovecraft
Radio Waves (1995) by Michael Swanwick
Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman (1965) by Harlan Ellison
Riders of the Purple Wage (1967) by Philip José Farmer
Rock God (1969) by Harlan Ellison
Sail 25 (1962) by Jack Vance
Santa Clause vs. S.P.I.D.E.R. (1969) by Harlan Ellison
Send Her Victorious (1968) by Brian Aldiss
Seventh Victim (1953) by Robert Sheckley
Shoggoth's Old Peculiar (1998) by Neil Gaiman
Shell Games (1987) by George R.R. Martin
Shinagawa Monkey, a (2005) by Haruki Murakami
Shottle Bop (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon
Sidon in the Mirror, the (1983) by Connie Willis
Skin Trade (2001) by George R.R. Martin
Slow Birds (1983) by Ian Watson
Snow on Sugar Mountain (1991) by Elizabeth Hand
Snow, Glass, Apples (1985) by Neil Gaiman
Song for Lya, a (1974) by George R.R. Martin
Speech Sounds (1983) by Octavia Estelle Butler
The Star Pit (1967) by Samuel R. Delany
Starship Day (1995) by Ian R. MacLeod
Strings (1987) by Stephen Leigh
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo (2000) by Haruki Murakami
Teddy Crazy Show, the (1968) by Harlan Ellison
This Moment of the Storm (1966) by Roger Zelazny
This Mortal Mountain (1967) by Roger Zelazny
Travels with My Cats (2004) by Mike Resnick
Try a Dull Knife (1968) by Harlan Ellison
Ugly Little Boy, the (1958) by Isaac Asimov
Unite and Conquer (1948) by Theodore Sturgeon
Visionary (1959) by Harlan Ellison
Visit to the Museum, the (1939) by Vladimir Nabokov
Way of Cross and Dragon, the (1979) by George R.R. Martin
We, in Some Strange Power's Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line (1968) by Samuel R. Delany
(Widget), the (Wadget), and Boff, the (1955) by Theodore Sturgeon
Wimper of Whipped Dogs, the (1973) by Harlan Ellison
Wind Beyond the Mountains, the (1958) by Harlan Ellison
With Delicate Mad Hands (1981) by James Tiptree, Jr.
With Morning Comes Mistfall (1973) by George R.R. Martin
Woman Who Loved Pigs, the (1993) by Stephen Donaldson
Women Men Don't See, the (1973) by James Tiptree, Jr.
Word for World is Forest, the (1972) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Yesterday Was Monday (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon
Young Man's Journey to Viriconium, a (1985) by M. John Harrison
Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light! (1976) by Raccoona Sheldon

I've been keeping this list of favorite short stories buried within the "Short Stories, what have you read that you liked?" thread, but I thought it might deserve it's own thread, partially for my own convenience, and partially as an invitation to others to either post their own favorites or comment on mine. . .

By Roald Dahl:

Taste
Madame Rosette
Lamb To The Slaughter
The Way Up To Heaven
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Skin
The Visitor

Repeater by Steve Aylett
Mile High Meltdown by Dean Cavanagh
Paul's Case by Willa Cather
The Enormous Radio
and
The Superintendent by John Cheever
The Babysitter by Robert Coover
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

By Stephen King:

Battleground
The Last Rung On The Ladder
Cain Rose Up

The Rip Van Winkle Caper by Rod Serling
Kilter: 55 Fictions by John Gould
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver

I'd never be able to remember all the ones I've liked but here are some that stand out for me--

"The Man Who Would Be King" and "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes" by Rudyard Kipling
"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy
"In the Penal Colony" by Franz Kafka
"The Aleph", "Death and The Compass", "Funes the Memorious", and about a ton of others by Jorge Luis Borges
All the stories in Cosmicomics, by Italo Calvino
"Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville
All the stories in Dubliners, but of course "The Dead" by James Joyce
"Sredni Vashtar" by H.H. Munro (Saki)
"Casting the Runes", "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad", "Martin's Close" and many others by M.R. James ("Oh, Whistle..." is my nominee for the best ghost story ever written.)
"The Secret Integration" by Thomas Pynchon
"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings" and "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

That's a few anyway.

I don't often read short stories, but here are a few I like:

A Well-Tempered Heart by Steve Earle (the singer)
Counterparts and A Mother by James Joyce (but the whole Dubliners collection is pretty good)
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away by Stephen King (the only redeeming story in Everything's Eventual)
The Grass Is Always Greener by Jeffrey Archer (I'm not sure if that's the exact title, but it's close)

As I frequently state, I don't do "favorites" lists (it's too much work) but Bob and I were talking and I remembered a great short story that I don't believe anyone has mentioned: "Family Resemblence" by Alan Nourse.

Also, has anyone mentioned "Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin?

Sue

One short story I'll never forget is "Leiningen Versus the Ants" by Carl Stephenson I read it in... grade 10 English? Another very memorable one is a story I can't remember the name of, but I remember every single detail about the story. It was by Anton Chekhov, and it was absolutely hilarious. These two lads decide to poach all the partridges (or quails or whatever) from the rich man's estate, so they put pieces of sleeping pills into plumped up raisins and feed them to the birds... then the birds go roost in the trees, fall to the ground when they're asleep, and they gather them up and put them in a friend's freezer. A few days later, the friend's wife is delivering them in her son's baby carriage (with the baby in it)... but when the birds start thawing out, they start moving, and eventually all fly out of the baby carriage... ugh. I can't find it anywhere LMAO It was given to me years ago when I tried to go back to school the first time (I think I was eighteen), and I no longer have the notebook it was printed in.

"Two Bottles of Relish" by Lord Dunsany is gross, but very memorable I love that one.

"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury... "The Blue Bottle" as well I love most of Ray Bradbury's stories.... Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, all old favorites

Stephen King's "The Finger" is a particular favorite, and "The Rainy Season".

For some reason, I also have a tiger theme going. I love "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank R. Stockton, and also "Here There Be Tygers" by Stephen King (for some reason, I'm vaguely recalling another story called "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright", and no, it's not the poem... but I can't remember who wrote it.. had to do with a tiger eating a hunter when his entourage plotted to kill him). k, I'll shut up now *blush*

tollbaby wrote: It was by Anton Chekhov, and it was absolutely hilarious. These two lads decide to poach all the partridges (or quails or whatever) from the rich man's estate, so they put pieces of sleeping pills into plumped up raisins and feed them to the birds... then the birds go roost in the trees, fall to the ground when they're asleep, and they gather them up and put them in a friend's freezer. A few days later, the friend's wife is delivering them in her son's baby carriage (with the baby in it)... but when the birds start thawing out, they start moving, and eventually all fly out of the baby carriage... ugh.

Is that really a Chekov story? The reason I ask is that Roald Dahl used that exact situation for the climax of <i>Danny, the Champion of the World</i>, which was one of my favorite books as a kid. Maybe he borrowed the idea?

Yes, it was definitely Chekhov. It came in a notebook, with a cassette of a reading of it attached. It was a one- or two-word title, and I remember avoiding reading it for nearly the whole year because the title put me off, and I assumed it would be boring. When I finally got around to reading it, I found it to be very engaging and hilarious

Something jogged my memory recently about Zenna Henderson, an SF writer of the 1950s and 60s. I had quite a collection of her short stories at one time, and the recurrent theme was one of children in SF situations. She was probably the only SF writer at the time who looked at things from the children's point of view, like the kid who discovered that her next door neighbours were aliens, or the human kid who makes friends with an alien kid and ends up understanding them far better than the adults who are trying to negotiate a treaty with them.

She also wrote the linked short stories The People, which was made into a film starring William Shatner, about a reclusive group of people living in the mountains who turn out to be aliens. Again, she came at it from the point of view of the school and their new teacher to start with.

de Selby wrote:

tollbaby wrote: It was by Anton Chekhov, and it was absolutely hilarious. These two lads decide to poach all the partridges (or quails or whatever) from the rich man's estate, so they put pieces of sleeping pills into plumped up raisins and feed them to the birds... then the birds go roost in the trees, fall to the ground when they're asleep, and they gather them up and put them in a friend's freezer. A few days later, the friend's wife is delivering them in her son's baby carriage (with the baby in it)... but when the birds start thawing out, they start moving, and eventually all fly out of the baby carriage... ugh.

Is that really a Chekov story? The reason I ask is that Roald Dahl used that exact situation for the climax of <i>Danny, the Champion of the World</i>, which was one of my favorite books as a kid. Maybe he borrowed the idea?

That description doesn't exactly match "Danny", but it doe sound remarkably similar.

I think you've misremembered, tollbaby - the story you've described is Roald Dahl's short story The Champion of the World, which was originally published in The New Yorker around 1959.

Dahl later adapted this adult story into the well-known children's book Danny The Champion of the World by changing the protagonists from two men into father and son.

I'm uncertain if Chekhov ever published a story with a similar plot - but if he had it would mean Dahl almost completely plagiarized it, which is difficult to believe, as is believing the New Yorker would have published the story were this the case.

I think you may be confusing it with the short story by Chekhov called The Bet. That's just a guess.

P.S - I loved Leiningen Versus the Ants when I read it in high school as well. I remember that other old classic The Most Dangerous Game was in the same textbook. Wish I'd been able to hold onto it.

argh. I can see I'll have to go to the school board to see if they still have those materials. I've never read anything by Roald Dahl at all. I know it's a Chekhov story. *grumble* LOL

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to forget most of the titles of short stories that I read, but one of my favorite stories has always been "The Last Rung On The Ladder" by Stephen King. I also enjoy many of Ray Bradbury's stories. And for no reason at all, here's this:

A reminder that we are working to expand our short story (and novelette and novella) entries in the iblist database, and that folks are encouraged to rate (and even review, if you'd like) your favorite short stories at iblist. One of these days we might even get around to figuring out a way to pull a list of top rated short stories.

As for the moment (the list frequently changes due to changes in mood, and of course new reads), these are my favourite 3 short stories:
*the snow on mt. Kilimanjaro (Hemingway)
*some notes concerning a green box (Dean Foster, a HPL fanfiction piece)
*exchange (Bradbury)

Maybe we should try to expand this thread into a sort of "this month's recommended short stores" or something?

I'd recomend the Hemingway story as it is a mighty insight into a man looking back on his spectacular successes and failures, and it sort of sums up what Hemingway was.
The Dean Foster story is maybe not very high literature, but it so catches the atmosphere of Lovecraft- and to be honest It was my first meeting with HPL. After reading this short story I found I had two authors I had to check out further: Both Lovecraft and Foster. Sometimes it is on my top 3 list (like now), other times it gets ousted.
Bradburys tale is of meeting your old friends again. All those friends you met and had such a tight relationship with- in fact all those friends you met while engulfed in a captivating story. A mustread for bibliophiles.

KEE