Stories

All-New Tales

By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, Joanne Harris, Richard Adams, Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, Euan Morton

Stories is a groundbreaking anthology that reinvigorates, expands, and redefines the limits of imaginative fiction and affords some of the best writers in the world—from Peter Straub and Chuck Palahniuk to Roddy Doyle and Diana Wynne Jones, Stewart O'Nan and Joyce Carol Oates to Walter Mosley and Jodi Picoult—the opportunity to work together, defend their craft, and realign misconceptions. Neal Gaiman, a literary magician whose acclaimed work defies easy categorization and transcends all boundaries, and "master anthologist" (Booklist) Al Sarrantonio personally invited, read, and selected all the stories in this collection, and their standard for this "new literature of the imagination" is high. "We wanted to read stories that used a lightning-flash of magic as a way of showing us something we have already seen a thousand times as if we have never seen it at all.”

Joe Hill boldly aligns theme and form in his disturbing tale of a man's descent into evil in "Devil on the Staircase”. In "Catch and Release", Lawrence Block tells of a seasoned fisherman with a talent for catching a bite of another sort. Carolyn Parkhurst adds a dark twist to sibling rivalry in "Unwell”. Joanne Harris weaves a tale of ancient gods in modern New York in "Wildfire in Manhattan”. Vengeance is the heart of Richard Adams's "The Knife”. Jeffery Deaver introduces a dedicated psychologist whose mission in life is to save people in "The Therapist”. A chilling punishment befitting an unspeakable crime is at the dark heart of Neil Gaiman's novelette "The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains”.

As it transforms your view of the world, this brilliant and visionary volume—sure to become a classic—will ignite a new appreciation for the limitless realm of exceptional fiction.

©2010 Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

I Love This Book! They really are All-New Tales.

What did you love best about Stories?

The stories are brand new...really new! A fresh take on "unusual" characters and plots with really good narration.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There is such a varied collection of stories it is difficult to speak of them as a whole but I enjoyed the mystery, humor, sass and the pure creative spirit of this audio book.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

There are multiple narrators. These stories uncannily have the right narrator for each one.

Who was the most memorable character of Stories and why?

Joyce Carol Oates' "Fossil Figures" a story of twins was a favorite as was "Wild Fire in Manhattan" by Joanne Harris, "Juvenal Nicks" by Walter Mosley plus "Catch and Release" by Lawrence Block, Actually too many characters over-all to list.

Any additional comments?

Lots of listening time. I have listened to these stories multiple times and probably will continue to do so. This is a favorite "travel buddy". Of at lease 25+ audio books, this is the only one to which I repeatedly return.

Dark, horror

I love Gaiman but had to put this one down. The stories were each ugly, brutal, violent or disturbing. Well told but not enjoyable for me. Maybe a fan of horror fiction would enjoy more.

some were good

some of the stories are really good, some not so much. a decent read from a used book store

I love a good short story.

I love a good short story. The majority of these are fantastic!! Joe Hill’s Devil on the staircase is an excellent choice to close.

You will probably find at least one story that you like

It’s a hodgepodge of stories. A couple of them were very dark, disturbing, and thus, I liked them very much. I found most of the stories boring. There were a couple that I was surprised had made it into the anthology, because they just didn’t seem on par with the surroundings.

There might be something in here for everyone? Not really sure. I kind of wish I’d used my credit for something else, but then again, it’s always worth it to hear Neil Gaiman’s voice.

Excellent way to past the time

If you could sum up Stories in three words, what would they be?

The stories are varied and they're all well acted. There are a lot of stories of varying lengths so there is something for everyone.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite story is about Deel and his return form the war

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

There are several really good narrators- all gave a really great performance

If you could rename Stories, what would you call it?

Moments to Ponder

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend.

haunting stories

these are great stories. The kind that stay with you and that you think about often. they make you wish you lived in such mystical world's but terrify you when you realize the darkest parts of the stories come from reality.

incredible

a beautiful collection of entertaining stories. I was compelled and entertained! do yourself a favor and enjoy!

Something for Everyone

There are 27 short stories in this collection, along with an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Each story has its own chapter. I found it incredibly frustrating that Audible did not provide information on the individual stories, so I put together the following list of Chapter numbers, story titles, authors, narrators, and story lengths. My favorites include "Blood", "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains", "Juvenal Nyx", "Goblin Lake", "Catch and Release", "Loser", "Unwell", "A Life in Fictions", "Let the Past Begin", "Parallel Lines", and "The Devil on the Staircase".

1. “Introduction – Just Four Words” by Neil Gaiman – narrated by Neil Gaiman – 8:23

2. “Blood” by Roddy Doyle – narrated by Euan Morton – 22:24

3. “Fossil-Figures” by Joyce Carol Oates – narrated by Anne Bobby – 37:02

4. “Wildfire in Manhattan” by Joanne Harris – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 50:53

5. “The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman – narrated by Euan Morton – 1:03:19

6. “Unbelief” by Michael Marshall Smith – narrated by Peter Francis James – 16:33

7. “The Stars are Falling” by Joe R. Lansdale – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 1:10:39

8. “Juvenal Nyx” by Walter Mosley – narrated by Peter Francis James – 1:15:55

9. “The Knife” by Richard Adams – narrated by Euan Morton – 6:42

10. “Weights and Measures” by Jodi Picoult – narrated by Anne Bobby – 37:08

11. “Goblin Lake” by Michael Swanwick – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 35:04

12. “Mallon the Guru” by Peter Straub – narrated by Peter Francis James – 14:42

13. “Catch and Release” by Lawrence Block – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 34:04

14. “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” by Jeffrey Ford – narrated by Peter Francis James – 34:41

15. “Loser” by Chuck Palahniuk – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 16:50

16. “Samantha’s Diary” by Diana Wynne Jones – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 35:36

17. “Land of the Lost” by Steward O’Nan – narrated by Anne Bobby – 12:22

18. “Leif in the Wind” by Gene Wolfe – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 27:56

19. “Unwell” by Carolyn Parkhurst – narrated by Anne Bobby – 27:51

20. “A Life in Fictions” by Kat Howard – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 11:21

21. “Let the Past Begin” by Jonathan Carroll – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 31:13

22. “The Therapist” by Jeffrey Deaver – narrated by Peter Francis James – 1:25:59

23. “Parallel Lines” by Tim Powers – narrated by Anne Bobby – 26:34

24. “The Cult of the Nose” by Al Sarrantonio – narrated by Peter Francis James – 22:58

25. “Human Intelligence” by Kurt Anderson – narrated by Katherine Kellgren – 45:04

26. “Stories” by Michael Moorcock – narrated by Euan Morton – 58:39

27. “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand – narrated by Jonathan Davis – 2:23:02

28. “The Devil on the Staircase” by Joe Hill – narrated by Peter Francis James – 39:06
(The last 4:50 of this chapter is the end credits for the audiobook)

A Mixed Bag

This is a great collection of stories and I really loved some of them. As other reviewer‘s have said, not all of them are great but they were all well written and nicely performed. I certainly intend to go back and listen to a few of them again.

I’m was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for my unbiased review.