clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2011-07-04 09:35 am
clevermanka) wrote2011-07-04 09:35 am
Short fiction
I've always said I'm not a fan of short fiction. Every once in a while I'll read a short story that appeals, but in general...meh.
But this morning, while following a trail of links, I stumbled upon the wikipedia article for the Heroes in Hell anthology collections*. I loved these in high school! And then I remembered I liked Asprin's Thieves' World series, too**.
I obviously need to amend my thinking about short fiction, and look into more shared-world anthologies. I'm sure there are more great ones out there. Anybody have suggestions? It would be nice to have something to pick up to read when I have only a little time on my hands, and don't want/can't afford to get sucked into a multi-chapter, multi-hour long reading session.
Edit: Let me emphasize the bit about shared-world anthologies. The reason I liked Heroes in Hell and Thieves' World is the solid setting, with sometimes overlapping characters. The setting is more novel-esque, which is why I can get into the short stories even though they're short. I've tried reading other anthologies that share just a theme, not a world, and they don't appeal to me the way the shared-world ones do.
* During the years 1981 to 1988, my mom and I would make an annual pilgrimage to Wichita, where we would scour the used bookstores for SF paperbacks. We'd bring home a trunk full of bags of books, which would get shelved in our basement. I'm sure Mommy bought Heroes in Hell with some trepidation. Or maybe I sneaked it past her, feeling mischievous. As we finished reading the books, we'd either put them back on the shelf (good enough to keep) or in a box (return to store for credit). I wonder what happened to all those hundreds of books that were good enough to keep--and I wonder if those Wichita used bookstores are still around.
**OMG you guys, "thieves" is spelled wrong in the wiki URL. =D
But this morning, while following a trail of links, I stumbled upon the wikipedia article for the Heroes in Hell anthology collections*. I loved these in high school! And then I remembered I liked Asprin's Thieves' World series, too**.
I obviously need to amend my thinking about short fiction, and look into more shared-world anthologies. I'm sure there are more great ones out there. Anybody have suggestions? It would be nice to have something to pick up to read when I have only a little time on my hands, and don't want/can't afford to get sucked into a multi-chapter, multi-hour long reading session.
Edit: Let me emphasize the bit about shared-world anthologies. The reason I liked Heroes in Hell and Thieves' World is the solid setting, with sometimes overlapping characters. The setting is more novel-esque, which is why I can get into the short stories even though they're short. I've tried reading other anthologies that share just a theme, not a world, and they don't appeal to me the way the shared-world ones do.
* During the years 1981 to 1988, my mom and I would make an annual pilgrimage to Wichita, where we would scour the used bookstores for SF paperbacks. We'd bring home a trunk full of bags of books, which would get shelved in our basement. I'm sure Mommy bought Heroes in Hell with some trepidation. Or maybe I sneaked it past her, feeling mischievous. As we finished reading the books, we'd either put them back on the shelf (good enough to keep) or in a box (return to store for credit). I wonder what happened to all those hundreds of books that were good enough to keep--and I wonder if those Wichita used bookstores are still around.
**OMG you guys, "thieves" is spelled wrong in the wiki URL. =D