World Famous Comics: The World's Shortest Stories: Murder, Love, Horror, Suspense, All This and Much More in the Most Amazing Short Stories Ever Written, Each One Just 55 Words Long
The World's Shortest Stories: Murder, Love, Horror, Suspense, All This and Much More in the Most Amazing Short Stories Ever Written, Each One Just 55 Words Long
From: Running Press Book Publishers Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Running Press Book Publishers Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 224 Publication Date: 1998-02
Product Description: This is a quintessential short story book fo r everyone who thinks they don''t have any time to read. Each story is less than 55 words long - ideal for the beach, bus , train, anywhere. '
(0.1*5)+(0.1*3)+(0.7*2)+(0.1*0) = 2.2 stars As with any collection of short stories, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Given the incredibly difficult nature of these stories (55 words), the balance is tipped toward the bad. I'd say that 10% of the stories are awful, 70% are completely forgettable, 10% are good but utterly predictable, and 10% are truly worth reading.
In the case of the bad ones, I think it's often that the author tried too hard for the surprise twist and either ruined a great idea or ended up spelling out too much to the reader. The good stories don't explain everything, rather, they leave it up to the imagination and intelligence of the reader to understand the implications. I think a lot of writers do not give readers enough credit, and to be sure they get the point across they over-explain and beat the idea into the ground - ruining the story. The good ones are subtle and leave you with that, "Oh? OH!" feeling.
The few that are really good in this book are definitely worth reading, just be prepared to wade through a whole lot that are not. On the up side, they won't take you long, being as short as they are.
Fun and Entertaining I'm a middle school teacher, and several of these stories are great to teach inferencing and predicting. Some stories may not be appropriate for middle school age.
Interesting My teacher used "The World's Shortest Stories" for a lesson one day. I've never paid so much attention during one class period! I thought it was incredible the way these tiny, 55-word stories could be so little, yet have so much meaning behind them. Each story was thought provoking. Dispite their size, they all have some kind of "twist" to it. I was inspired and immediately wanted to write my own 55-word story.
If you're looking for inspiration for writing, this is for you. If you're a great writer and want to try this style of writing, you have to check it out. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Even if you don't want to write a 55-word story yourself, this book will get you thinking differently. It's almost like solving puzzles, reading these stories. Murder, Love, Horror, Suspense... that's not all the book is about. There's many more topics inside. No one story is like the other. I found this book one of the best books I've come across.
Don't waste your money Absolutely terrible. The "authors" in this collection are amateurs who consistently fall victim to the predictable traps. These stories are filled with cliches, gimmicks and unsurprising surprise endings. Even worse, it feels as if they were all written by the same unimaginative author with a corny sense of humor. Get one of the Flash Fiction or Sudden Fiction collections instead if you're looking for something that actually has some literary value.
55 word salute, er, review... This book is one that I reread frequently, as the stories are indeed the perfect length. Broken into categories, the stories cover the range of plot possibilities and human emotions, and are perfect for the shorter-attention span of modern readers. Fifty-five fiction even accepts submissions from regular authors. Try writing one yourself today!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
