Speculative, Surreal and Uncanny Short Fiction Collections

Tessa
Tessa

The speculative is a space in fiction where the unexpected and impossible can creep in. It can encompass whimsical magical realism, satirical dystopia, alternate histories and fantasy grounded in the quotidian.

These recent collections of short stories all deal in the speculative fiction realm but vary in approach and tone. Some are pure dread and paranoia, while others are full of sly humor. Some are dreamy and some horrific. Some draw from folk and fairy lore and some from the brutality of the modern world.

Take a look and find one to suit your mood!

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In the Catalog

And I Do Not Forgive You

And I Do Not Forgive You

Stories and Other Revenges

Amber Sparks

Myth and apocalypse combine in these stories of the architecture beyond our reality that intrudes on everyday life.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
Dance on Saturday

Dance on Saturday

Stories

Elwin Cotman

Cotman’s speculative tales of near-immortals of Pittsburgh and nightmare volleyball tournaments play with genre to create fresh perspectives.

From the Catalog
False Bingo

False Bingo

Stories

Jac Jemc

Jemc creates atmospheres of dread, suspense and paranoia in the worlds created in the short stories of this collection.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
Growing Things

Growing Things

And Other Stories

Paul Tremblay

These are stories that tap into the primal fear of the unknown and ask what is the weirdest and worst thing that could happen.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
I Hold A Wolf by the Ears

I Hold A Wolf by the Ears

Stories

Laura Van den Berg

This collection contains darkly humorous, enchanting and horrific stories of women on the verge of strange and momentous changes in their lives.

From the Catalog
Orange World and Other Stories

Orange World and Other Stories

Karen Russell

A collection of short fiction that shows the practicality of human behavior in the face of the fantastic, in stories told with humor and an eye for the outlandish.

From the Catalog
From Libby
Salt Slow

Salt Slow

Stories

Julia Armfield

The women in this short story collection experience strange and uncanny changes in their bodies – from lack of sleep, puberty, fame and more.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
Song for the Unraveling of the World

Song for the Unraveling of the World

Stories

Brian Evenson

The impossible and unsettling are the norm in this award-garnering collection of stories.

From the Catalog
From Libby
From Hoopla
Talk Like A Man

Talk Like A Man

Plus, Women of the Doll ; Plus, An Awfully Big Adventure, and Much More

Nisi Shawl

A volume of previously uncollected short fiction from one of sci-fi and fantasy’s acclaimed writers.

From the Catalog
From Hoopla
Two Moons

Two Moons

Stories

Krystal A. Smith

A debut collection of odd, charming and dreamy speculative fiction focusing on Black lesbian characters.

From the Catalog
Why Visit America

Why Visit America

Stories

Matthew Baker

Baker probes the fine line between everyday America and dystopia in a series of cautionary and satirical stories.

From the Catalog