For previous posts and future FFF topics check out my Friday Favorite Five page here.
Favorite Five Short Story Collections / Anthologies
I used to be a lot more into reading anthologies and short fiction than I am now, but I still really enjoy it and it’s something I’d like to get back into reading on the regular. I probably haven’t read a lot of the most popular anthologies out there, but these are the favorites of those that I have read, so far anyway. 😉
- Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee
Hands down my favorite short collection ever. I love fairy tale retellings as it is, but I also love the way this collection is structured. Each tale takes place in a different century and they move forward in time as you go from beginning so when you get to the end it’s a futuristic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The stories in here are all very solid and several of them are exceptional. Highly recommend this if you love retellings!
- The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Fourth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
I loved this series of anthologies. I used to pick these up from the library and just go through them. The overall quality of the stories in these collections is great, but Volume 4 has always remained a favorite because it has some stories that have stood out to me. I was so excited I got to meet Nina Kiriki Hoffman at WFC last year and tell her how much I love her story included in this collection. A number of years ago I wrote a review of this one here on the blog, so you can check that out if you want a few more details.
- Masterpieces of Fantasy and Wonder compiled by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
I love this anthology simply because it’s the first place I ever read “Green is the Color” by John M. Ford. That story (rather long by short standards, I think, as I believe it’s over 40 pages) was originally published in one of the Liavek shared world books, but you don’t have to know anything about Liavek to enjoy this story. It’s probably my favorite short story of all time and it also introduced me to Liavek!
- After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
I loved themed anthologies! This one is fantastic and features a lot of amazing authors including N.K. Jemisin, Matthew Kressel, Gregory Maguire, Nalo Hopkinson, and Garth Nix just to name a few. If you love Apocalyptic/Post-apocalyptic fiction or Dyslit, this may be a good anthology to check out.
- How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen
Like I said earlier, I just love fairy tale retellings, so I was bound to love this collection. I’d encountered a lot of Jane Yolen’s short fiction in Best Of anthologies before, so it was nice to read a collection by her straight through–it really showcases her tremendous talent in this field.
So that’s my five for this week! What are some of your favorite short story collections and/or antholgies? Thoughts on mine? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
Way Too Fantasy 
My favorite anthologies are actually story collections by the same author, I tend to have bad luck when reading stories from a bunch of different authors. Some are amazing but some are awful!
Yeah, even with collections the stories can be hit or miss with me, but st least with shorts they’re not a huge time investment if it doesn’t work out–at least that’s the way I try to look at it lol!
I don’t really read short stories, they don’t tend to work for me although I have read and enjoyed a collection by Jane Yolen – some great covers here too
Lynn 😀
There are still a lot of misses for me with shorts, but I like checking them out because they’re not huge time commitments–I tend to read anthologies slowly over time between other things. 🙂
I’ve really been trying to find more short stories/anthologies to read because I tend to be very hit/miss with those. I’ve been meaning to check out Jane Yolen’s collection and the rest of these are all ones I think I’ll have to look into, so thanks for the recs!
Hope you enjoy! I do find a lot of collections hit or miss still, some stories will always resonate more than others, but the charm of short fiction is that it’s not a huge time investment. 🙂
This one would be a tough one for me, since I always have a difficult time getting into anthologies. How to Fracture A Fairy Tale is on my maybe list though, I’m curious about Yolen.
I love Yolen’s short fiction! Here’s the thing with short fiction though, it’s just like books–some you’ll like and some you won’t. It’s just since they’re so short you notice it more in volume. Also it’s tough to get a feel for what a short may be like before you dive into it the way you do with a book. So I feel like it’s maybe more of a gamble too, if that makes sense. 😀
I like the sound of how to fracture a fairy tale- awesome list!
It was a great collection! Thanks!
Ooh these look nice. I’m still getting into collections so I don’t have a favorite yet.
Hope you find one you love! There are so many different kinds out there. 🙂
Thanks!