_The Jaunt_ is really wonderful. Another one of his shorts that sticks out for me is _Crouch End,_ from _Nightmares & Dreamscapes._ It isn't as tight as _Crouch End,_ but it is King playing in some similar cosmic/existential sandboxes that are fun. I don't know how you could choose just ten! I have read probably about 450 short stories this year (across thirty or so different collections/anthologies).... and if I had the books in front of me I could _maybe_ point out my favorite in each, but I don't know how you could narrow it to ten. Good on you! A lot of great classics on your list, and I am sure Troy will be amused to be beating out Poe (that was a good story, though, I agree). After you do your dive in Shirley Jackson next year you might check out _When Things Get Dark: Short Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson,_ edited by Ellen Datlow. I also read Gemma Files's most recent collection of short fiction, _Blood from the Air,_ and that was really fun, too. I haven't read her other collections though I have read a novel of hers. I don't know that the stories from either of those collections would crack your list but they are certainly a good time...
_Crouch End_ - it's been many, many years since I read _Nightmares & Dreamscapes_ but I do remember enjoying the collection as a whole. _Crouch End_ is the Lovecraftian story, right? If it's the one I'm thinking of then I do remember really liking it! I can, at present, select ten stories as my favourites because I've not read nearly as many as you have! It's not until reasonably recently that I've got far more into short form fiction - just the last couple of years really. It was quite a difficult list to come up with tho - I had 30 or so on my shortlist. These are just the stories I've found most memorable so far, and it'll no doubt be a list I revisit each year or so as I increase my consumption of more! Will pop _When Things Get Dark_ on my wish list. Am reading some Jackson in May (part of a big horror project I've got planned for next year), so might try and time it in with that, seeing as it might also be Horror MAYhem month - will be on the scout for some short horror stories for the event!
The Yellow Wallpaper is one of my favorite short stories, too. I wrote a couple of papers on it in grad school, and I teach it in some of my high school literature courses. Poe is also one of my favorites. It's hard for me to pick my favorites from his stories. If I have to choose, then I can narrow it down to four: The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Black Cat. Oh, The Lottery! Absolutely. That ending always packs a punch, no matter how many times one reads it. Love, love, love Angela Carter, too. King is such a masterful storyteller. When he's on his game, he's hard to beat. I'm going to check out the other stories you mentioned. Great video!
Cheers, Jen! I need to get through more Poe - I only started reading his work last year really! I also love The Masque of the Red Death (that was in contention for this list!). Someone else recommended The Black Cat in a comment the other day too, so I'm gonna have to jump on to reading that soon 👍Really looking forward to diving into some more Shirley Jackson next year. Angela Carter is phenomenal - The Bloody Chamber was what started me off with her work, but I've read three of her novels in the last 18 months and have been consistently astounded by her skill with words! Masterful. Hope you enjoy any of the other stories you read from my list. Happy reading! 😀
Cheers, Mike! 😀I've got some Fritz Leiber on the cards for 2025! Looking forward to it. I've tried some HPL in the past, and struggled with it a bit, but I do need to give his stuff another try. Have got Necronomicon staring at me from the bookshelf, so I've got excuses really 😉 Thanks for watching and commenting, and for the suggestions! 👍
Glad you enjoyed the list, buddy! Hope you like any of these that you dive into. The Bradbury and perhaps the Ellison might be up your street, the King too. 😉
I love The Martian Chronicles! And I had your number 2 on my TBR list...until I realized how creepy it sounded. 😬 Didn't know it was such a dark premise.
'The Martian Chronicles' was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but there are a few absolutely knockout stories in there! And even for those I didn't like quite so much I could still get on board with Bradbury's brilliant writing style - I love his voice. Absolutely give 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' a go! Yeah, it's dark - really dark - but it's brilliant. Just have something nice and happy on hand to read afterwards as an antidote... 😂 Many thanks for watching and commenting! 👍
It's fabulous isn't it! The whole Bloody Chamber collection is wonderful, but that one really captured me. I have Blood Child on my list of must-reads, which is your doing - I really liked the sound of it when you talked about it on your channel a while ago now! 😀
An Excellent list Alex! The Pit and The Pendulum is my favorite Poe story, so incredibly tense and claustrophobic. The Jaunt is truly terrifying and Skeleton Crew is my favorite collection. There are so many beautiful, dark Bradbury stories, this is a good one. I have just read I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, could just be the most horrifying, disturbing thing I have ever read. Truly messed up! Awesome video!
Thanks, Cliff! I love Skeleton Crew - so many great stories in that collection. I had a couple of others from it on my shortlist! I really need to get through some more Bradbury shorts, I love his writing, what I've read of it so far at least. Completely agree on I Have No Mouth - seriously messed up! Great writing from Ellison though - another writer I need to read more of. Did you read I Have No Mouth in the new(ish) collection of his stories? I have that on my Christmas list 😀
Cheers! 😀Oh, those are two Poe stories I've yet to get to! Will make them a priority when I next grab my collection from the shelf, looking for a nice bit of darkness 😉Although _The Pit and the Pendulum_ is my favourite, I also like _The Masque of the Red Death_ and _The Tell-Tale Heart_ a lot too. Really need to expand my Poe reading - I only came to his work for the first time last year, so have still got plenty to catch up with!
@ I adore his work. The Black Cat is a retelling of The Tell Tale Heart - personally, I prefer it - and The Oval Portrait is a masterpiece. It’s only 1500 words, but it packs so much into its length. There’s a channel on here by Carrie Hoover who does in-depth analysis of the Poe stories. Highly recommended!
@@evansclan4eva49 Oh, cool - I'll check Carrie's channel out, thanks for the recc! And will get to The Oval Portrait soon - I love a really short short story that packs a punch! 😀
Interesting list. I’ve read some, but not all of these. They’re very genre specific to your favourites 😂. If you want a laugh, try The Unrest Cure by Saki. One of my absolute favourites 😊. Great video.
Lol, yep, they're pretty specific to my go-to genres for sure! 😂I'm always up for a laugh, Debs! I have downloaded a Saki collection from Project Gutenberg that contains The Unrest Cure, as well as a slew of other stories! - thanks for the recommendation! 😊
Oh I love this!! I thought of doing a top 10 short story video over a year ago and still not done it!! There's s9me cross over with my list here as far as authors names....not necessarily the stories though...I can totally relate to your choices though!
Cheers, Gareth! I think I remember you mentioning that you were planning on doing a top ten short story video a while back - might even have been what initially inspired me to start thinking about doing my own. I've been mulling on it for quite some time - it's a difficult list to do, isn't it! I figured there might be some author cross-over - I'd expect some Bradbury and Ellison on your list for sure 😉 Will look forward to seeing what your list looks like if you end up doing your own video! 👍
Wow, thanks for the honor! However, I have to stress how much I dislike "Puss in Boots" in comparison to the rest of that collection. Ah well, can't win 'em all. 🙃
No worries, bud -- I flippin' love that story of yours. Very glad to see it included in This Unexpected Time's bonus materials too 😉 And yes, I know you don't appreciate Puss In Boots so much. I'll admit, it feels a little out of place in that collection, what with most of the other stories leaning darker, but it's absolutely my kind of thing!
_The Jaunt_ is really wonderful. Another one of his shorts that sticks out for me is _Crouch End,_ from _Nightmares & Dreamscapes._ It isn't as tight as _Crouch End,_ but it is King playing in some similar cosmic/existential sandboxes that are fun.
I don't know how you could choose just ten! I have read probably about 450 short stories this year (across thirty or so different collections/anthologies).... and if I had the books in front of me I could _maybe_ point out my favorite in each, but I don't know how you could narrow it to ten. Good on you! A lot of great classics on your list, and I am sure Troy will be amused to be beating out Poe (that was a good story, though, I agree). After you do your dive in Shirley Jackson next year you might check out _When Things Get Dark: Short Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson,_ edited by Ellen Datlow. I also read Gemma Files's most recent collection of short fiction, _Blood from the Air,_ and that was really fun, too. I haven't read her other collections though I have read a novel of hers. I don't know that the stories from either of those collections would crack your list but they are certainly a good time...
"Mrs. Todd's Shortcut"
_Crouch End_ - it's been many, many years since I read _Nightmares & Dreamscapes_ but I do remember enjoying the collection as a whole. _Crouch End_ is the Lovecraftian story, right? If it's the one I'm thinking of then I do remember really liking it!
I can, at present, select ten stories as my favourites because I've not read nearly as many as you have! It's not until reasonably recently that I've got far more into short form fiction - just the last couple of years really. It was quite a difficult list to come up with tho - I had 30 or so on my shortlist. These are just the stories I've found most memorable so far, and it'll no doubt be a list I revisit each year or so as I increase my consumption of more! Will pop _When Things Get Dark_ on my wish list. Am reading some Jackson in May (part of a big horror project I've got planned for next year), so might try and time it in with that, seeing as it might also be Horror MAYhem month - will be on the scout for some short horror stories for the event!
@@troytradup YES! This was on my shortlist, but didn't make it into the top ten. Same goes for The Raft!
The Yellow Wallpaper is one of my favorite short stories, too. I wrote a couple of papers on it in grad school, and I teach it in some of my high school literature courses. Poe is also one of my favorites. It's hard for me to pick my favorites from his stories. If I have to choose, then I can narrow it down to four: The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Black Cat. Oh, The Lottery! Absolutely. That ending always packs a punch, no matter how many times one reads it. Love, love, love Angela Carter, too. King is such a masterful storyteller. When he's on his game, he's hard to beat. I'm going to check out the other stories you mentioned. Great video!
Cheers, Jen! I need to get through more Poe - I only started reading his work last year really! I also love The Masque of the Red Death (that was in contention for this list!). Someone else recommended The Black Cat in a comment the other day too, so I'm gonna have to jump on to reading that soon 👍Really looking forward to diving into some more Shirley Jackson next year. Angela Carter is phenomenal - The Bloody Chamber was what started me off with her work, but I've read three of her novels in the last 18 months and have been consistently astounded by her skill with words! Masterful. Hope you enjoy any of the other stories you read from my list. Happy reading! 😀
A great selection, Alex. I'd also recommend a bit of Fritz Leiber and a lot of HPL.
Cheers, Mike! 😀I've got some Fritz Leiber on the cards for 2025! Looking forward to it. I've tried some HPL in the past, and struggled with it a bit, but I do need to give his stuff another try. Have got Necronomicon staring at me from the bookshelf, so I've got excuses really 😉 Thanks for watching and commenting, and for the suggestions! 👍
I love short stories and I haven't read any of these. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed the list, buddy! Hope you like any of these that you dive into. The Bradbury and perhaps the Ellison might be up your street, the King too. 😉
Fab list! So many to read! I don't think I currently have a top 10 ever but I'll be doing my top 5 for the year!
Cheers, Michelle 😀 Ooo, will look forward to your top 5 for 2024! Excellent 👍
I love The Martian Chronicles! And I had your number 2 on my TBR list...until I realized how creepy it sounded. 😬 Didn't know it was such a dark premise.
'The Martian Chronicles' was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but there are a few absolutely knockout stories in there! And even for those I didn't like quite so much I could still get on board with Bradbury's brilliant writing style - I love his voice. Absolutely give 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' a go! Yeah, it's dark - really dark - but it's brilliant. Just have something nice and happy on hand to read afterwards as an antidote... 😂 Many thanks for watching and commenting! 👍
Oh gosh I love the Puss and Boots story too!! One of my fave short stories is Blood Child by Octavia Butler.
It's fabulous isn't it! The whole Bloody Chamber collection is wonderful, but that one really captured me. I have Blood Child on my list of must-reads, which is your doing - I really liked the sound of it when you talked about it on your channel a while ago now! 😀
An Excellent list Alex! The Pit and The Pendulum is my favorite Poe story, so incredibly tense and claustrophobic. The Jaunt is truly terrifying and Skeleton Crew is my favorite collection. There are so many beautiful, dark Bradbury stories, this is a good one. I have just read I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, could just be the most horrifying, disturbing thing I have ever read. Truly messed up! Awesome video!
Thanks, Cliff! I love Skeleton Crew - so many great stories in that collection. I had a couple of others from it on my shortlist! I really need to get through some more Bradbury shorts, I love his writing, what I've read of it so far at least. Completely agree on I Have No Mouth - seriously messed up! Great writing from Ellison though - another writer I need to read more of. Did you read I Have No Mouth in the new(ish) collection of his stories? I have that on my Christmas list 😀
@@alex_unabridged Hi Alex. Yes, I purchased the Greatest hits collection on my kindle. This is the only one I have read so far.
A good list! It’s nice to see a Poe story on there. He’s my personal favourite. I recommend The Black Cat and The Oval Portrait!
Cheers! 😀Oh, those are two Poe stories I've yet to get to! Will make them a priority when I next grab my collection from the shelf, looking for a nice bit of darkness 😉Although _The Pit and the Pendulum_ is my favourite, I also like _The Masque of the Red Death_ and _The Tell-Tale Heart_ a lot too. Really need to expand my Poe reading - I only came to his work for the first time last year, so have still got plenty to catch up with!
@ I adore his work. The Black Cat is a retelling of The Tell Tale Heart - personally, I prefer it - and The Oval Portrait is a masterpiece. It’s only 1500 words, but it packs so much into its length. There’s a channel on here by Carrie Hoover who does in-depth analysis of the Poe stories. Highly recommended!
@@evansclan4eva49 Oh, cool - I'll check Carrie's channel out, thanks for the recc! And will get to The Oval Portrait soon - I love a really short short story that packs a punch! 😀
Interesting list. I’ve read some, but not all of these. They’re very genre specific to your favourites 😂. If you want a laugh, try The Unrest Cure by Saki. One of my absolute favourites 😊. Great video.
Lol, yep, they're pretty specific to my go-to genres for sure! 😂I'm always up for a laugh, Debs! I have downloaded a Saki collection from Project Gutenberg that contains The Unrest Cure, as well as a slew of other stories! - thanks for the recommendation! 😊
Oh I love this!! I thought of doing a top 10 short story video over a year ago and still not done it!! There's s9me cross over with my list here as far as authors names....not necessarily the stories though...I can totally relate to your choices though!
Cheers, Gareth! I think I remember you mentioning that you were planning on doing a top ten short story video a while back - might even have been what initially inspired me to start thinking about doing my own. I've been mulling on it for quite some time - it's a difficult list to do, isn't it! I figured there might be some author cross-over - I'd expect some Bradbury and Ellison on your list for sure 😉 Will look forward to seeing what your list looks like if you end up doing your own video! 👍
@ yeah I’m going to film it this weekend! - and yeah Ellison and Bradbury are in there, but different stories
@@bookssongsandothermagic Excellent! Looking forward to it, buddy! 😀
Wow, thanks for the honor! However, I have to stress how much I dislike "Puss in Boots" in comparison to the rest of that collection. Ah well, can't win 'em all. 🙃
No worries, bud -- I flippin' love that story of yours. Very glad to see it included in This Unexpected Time's bonus materials too 😉 And yes, I know you don't appreciate Puss In Boots so much. I'll admit, it feels a little out of place in that collection, what with most of the other stories leaning darker, but it's absolutely my kind of thing!