Short Stories
Free Books
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This Little PigShort Stories by: Mary Robinette Kowal
Every time Aage stepped, his wet underwear shifted and clung to his body. The briefs slowly tried to climb up the crack between his buttocks, aiming to be the world's worst wedgie. With the van behind them, there was no way Aage was going to reach ba...
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Teams: A Terran Empire storyShort Stories by: Ann Wilson
Marine Captain Jase Thompson enjoyed Evaluation Team duty, and this particular assignment appealed to what his team members called his warped sense of humor. This had started out as an odd one; it was the Archbishop of Narvon III, rather than its Bar...
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Tommy and the Talking DogShort Stories by: Lewis Shiner
It was almost dark outside. Tommy sat on the curb and took off the red All-Stars and put his own shoes back on. "Hey, dog!" he shouted. "Hey! You can have your stupid shoes back!" There was no answer. Tommy threw the shoes toward the motel as hard as...
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ToastShort Stories by: Charles Stross
Stross' first published short SF stories, written from 1989 through 2000.
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Thakur-Na: A Terran Empire storyShort Stories by: Ann Wilson
It was midafternoon before Dana's hunger overcame her excitement at being on Sandeman, hiking with her chosen lord -- her thakur, in the Sandeman term she preferred -- and trying to track a balik. She hadn't gotten within two hundred meters of the wo...
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Super Man and the Bug OutShort Stories by: Cory Doctorow
Mrs. Abromowicz leaned across the table and whacked him upside the head with one hand, her big rings clicking against the temple of his half-rim specs. Had it been anyone else, he would have caught her hand mid-slap, or at least dodged in a superfast...
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Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves TownShort Stories by: Cory Doctorow
"Magical realism and literary iconoclasm abound in a novel that should appeal to fans of experimental fiction in a near-future setting."--Library Journal
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StrawsShort Stories by: Lewis Shiner
He scrubbed his face at the sink. It was him in the mirror, a tanned and healthy 56, hair mostly gray but still all there. He felt groggy, as if he'd woken prematurely. It was only the numbness, he thought, that kept the panic at bay.
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SticksShort Stories by: Lewis Shiner
The heat from the water went right into his muscles and he started to relax for the first time since Darryl's call the day before. And he wasn't completely surprised when he heard a tapping on the glass...
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Soldier, SailorShort Stories by: Lewis Shiner
First published in Nine Hard Questions about the Nature of the Universe, January 1990. Stepping out of the airlock behind Reese, Kane was amazed by the weight & wetness of the air. He could make out the odors of cut grass, honeysuckle & ivy....
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Shard of GlassShort Stories by: Alaya Dawn Johnson
My mother and I had mastered some rudimentary Japanese phrases by the time we arrived, although we soon discovered that most of the locals were too busy staring at us to bother wading through our mangled Japanese. Mostly, we got by with hand signals....
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The Robot and the One You LoveShort Stories by: Tom Maddox
"Signing off, babies," Latoh Bernie said. "Let's hear it for Charley, eh? So bring back the brain, whoever you are." Latoh Bernie giggled. 'Christ!" Jerome said. "All off." Wallscreen windows faded to rose. "David," Connie said. "What are you doing...
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A Place so ForeignShort Stories by: Cory Doctorow
My mouth dropped. James H Johnstone was as dandified a city-slicker as you'd ever hope to meet. He'd blown into town on the weekly Zephyr Speedball, and skinny Tommy Benson had hauled his three huge steamer trunks to the cowboy hotel. He'd tipped Tom...
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QShort Stories by: Luther Blissett
A convoluted historical thriller by a consortium of young authors sharing the pseudonym "Luther Blissett."
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Overclocked: Stories of the Future PresentShort Stories by: Cory Doctorow
Great set of stories that gets you thinking. There are some recurring themes that run through many of them.
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PleaseShort Stories by: Peter Darbyshire
In short, sharp episodes, Please chronicles the life of a young man who drifts through a hallucinatory urban world filled with celebrity wannabes, addictive relationships and jobs that demand he become someone else. The only thing he cares about is f...
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Nimby and the Dimension HoppersShort Stories by: Cory Doctorow
What did I call it? "Outlandish technocrat armor?" Maybe from the outside. But once I was inside, man, I was a god. I walked on seven-league boots, boots that would let me jump as high as the treetops. My vision extended down to the infrared and up i...
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Magic for BeginnersShort Stories by: Kelly Link
Link's engaging and funny second collection -- call it kitchen-sink magical realism -- riffs on haunted convenience MFB PBstores, husbands and wives, rabbits, zombies, weekly apocalyptic poker parties, witches, superheroes, marriage, and cannons -- a...
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Kadin and the Noble's DaughterShort Stories by: Michael E. Shea
They rode hard that night and into the late morning. Sweat poured over Kadin's face and down his braids to his back. Every step his horse took was a new lesson in pain. He passed out at least twice but Lenda's cry woke him before he fell from his mou...