World's Shortest Stories of Love and Death

by Steve Hall

Book Overview

Building on the enormously successful World's Shortest Stories, here's an all-new collection of super-short fiction-each story a mere 55 words long! With nearly 150 contributors, including Charles Schulz and Fannie Flagg, these stories offer love, betrayal, passion, and death-in less time than it takes to count the words in this blurb!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762406984
• ISBN13: 9780762406982
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Running Press Adult
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Wicked good!

This sweet little collection of very humorous,sad, and horrific(and that is in just one story)short stories is a lot of fun to read.Just like pistachio nuts...can't stop at one...so I read it all in one sitting...which isn't difficult of course!I'm buying the rest in the series today.Remember: This is no huge novel filled with profound thoughts on every page. This is a little tiny book,filled with profound thoughts on every page!So chill out and accept it for what it is: A fun read...most of the time...and keep an eye out for sadness just around the corner.

Wonderful Concept!

It's hard to imagine that a good story could be written with 55 words or less, but the fact is that it is, indeed, possible. These are not essays or poems, they are real stories with all of the following: a setting, at least one character, a conflict, and a resolution. It's incredible to read how creative some people can be with such a restriction on the number of words that are allowed in these stories. Well worth the read! At the end of the book, the publishers challenge the readers to write their own 55 word story and submit it for publication in their next book (which was how this book came about...from a challenge to the readers of the first "55" book!) The rules for this contest are also included (what constitutes a word, where to send your story, etc) This is a wickedly fun book (I say "wickedly fun" since so many of the stories deal with a twisted murder plot or some strange love relationship) that I highly recommend!!

Provides a true "theatre of the mind" listening experience

The World's Shortest Stories Of Love And Death is an outstanding, unabridged, two audio cassette collection of superbly narrated short stories (one just 55 words in length) with the themes of passion, suspicion, betrayal, murder and revenge. The impressive roster of seasoned authors include such notable writers as Norman Lear, Charles Schulz, Barnaby Conrad, and Larry Niven. Supported by flawless production values, the narrators, Alyssa Bresnahan, Laura Hamilton and Jeff Woodman provide a true "theatre of the mind" listening experience. The World's Shortest Stories Of Love And Death is a highly recommended acquisition for personal and community library audiobook collections, and a "must" for fans of the short story mystery format.

O. Henry would be proud

Some books, you pick up and can never put down. This one is like that. It's not like having a turkey dinner, more like snacking on chocolate: Once you have one, you want another and another and another...

A quick catharsis

Looking for a good time and a fast turnover? Then, this is the book for you! The variety and number of stories within the covers will boggle your mind. The intensity and usage of the words are a great study for anyone who admires efficiency and quality. As a teacher of intellectually gifted high school English students, the book provides a great trigger for them to write and to attempt to submit works for publication. "Gertrude's Soliloquy" is especially pertinent after reading "Hamlet". Being from New Orleans, makes "Red Beans Anne Rice" amusing, but my personal favorite is "And the Horse They Rode On" because it makes creative and skillful use of an age old teaching tool, the fill-in-the-blank! There will surely be something to grab everyone in this clever idea of a book.