Customer Reviews

Flash Fiction Forward: 80 Very Short Stories

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Maybe it's the pace of a society bedeviled by technology and the demands of busy lives. Maybe just an interesting form of fiction, concise, clear and sophisticated; in any case "flash" fiction challenges the parameters of the traditional short story, the editors asking, "How short can a story be and truly be a story?" With over eighty selections, this collection is representative of the creative efforts of those who have taken up the gauntlet, such writers as Paul Theroux, Jim Crace, Ann Hood, Rick Moody, Richard Bausch, Dave Eggers and John A McCaffrey.

The subjects of these flash fictions are not minor or trivial, but distilled, much like poetry. Most important, they are memorable. Writer Richard Bausch ("1951"), a writer used to creating longer pieces, found in condensing his story that "in order to make it work in so small a space its true subject must be proportionately larger". Indeed, Bausch accomplishes much in a few pages, the power of loss and responsibility sitting upon the narrow shoulders of one small girl. Ann Hood's "The Doctor" dissects the weight of a father's death with elegant precision, a refusal to forgive the physician who now pursues the grieving daughter: "He can't lose my father and win the girl, too."

In a paean to loneliness and frustration, Rick Moody's rambling "Drawer" contains the emotions of a lifetime, a man's inner diatribe at the pretensions of a woman who could not, would not give of herself, locked into the lexicon of her possessions, unavailable. "The Mesmerist" by Michael Knight is chilling, Svengali-like in intent, as one man assumes power over his unsuspecting victim, the young woman who has captured his imagination and his desire.

These short stories are a welcome addition to any collection, not to mention, a handy volume to carry to appointments, filling the spare minutes with thoughtful tales we might otherwise not have time to enjoy. Considerably entertaining and of an excellent variety, the selections are brilliantly chosen by editors James Thomas and Robert Shapard, a decade after their first edition. Stark, dramatic and intense in its brevity, flash fiction appeals in its length and breadth of topic, each story a small jolt, a journey to another reality, if only for a few minutes of escape. Luan Gaines/2006.

Here is a delightful collection of 80 short-short stories worth adding to your books to read this summer. The tales are told masterfully and not a one will disappoint you. I highly recommend it.

Salvatore Buttaci, author of Flashing My Shorts

These stories are beautifully written and crafted, so short, so significant. They are easy to read, hard to forget. Like stones dropped in wells, they ripple through your mind in ever widening rings.

This book was sent in great quality, and it is fun to read! Some of the stories are sad, and some are funny. Some are a little strange. I love this book all the same.

The book as a whole was kind of a let down, I would say about half of the book was good and half of the stories didn't belong there. I haven't read Thomas and Shapard's first collection of flash fiction (maybe they took all the good ones for that book); not saying I could write any better, but in a collection of stories that are suppose to be the cream of the crop, this anthology isn't it (maybe there's not a lot of flash fiction out there to choose from, so pickin's are slim). But that's only half of the stories.

The other half of the stories were fantastic: each compelling in their own way, where the author expertly told a story that could be imagined with ease. Some of my favorites were: "Baker's Helper", "Why You Shouldn't Have Gone In The First Place", "Words", "Parrot Talk", "The Wallet", and "What I Know Of Your Country".

Overall the book is okay. I'd recommend buying it, just because it's always good to read as much as you can; but I'd save your money and buy a used version.

the delivery is very fast though I ordered my stuff by the standard express.

my stuff is fine, Thanks

You can read any of these 80 stories whenever you have a free few minutes. From the very first story I was hooked. I wondered whether some of them were "short stories" at all but rather poetry or some other form. But no matter, they were funny, sad, dark and light. Very enjoyable and recommended.

I guess a pioneer collection of flash fiction. Magnificent! Very good selection by the editors Robert Shapard and James Thomas. Flash fiction - a perfect label for the emerging sub-genre. Congratulations Shapard and Thomas. I do recommend for the lovers of short fiction. Delight yourself.

Fabulous collection including stories by such well-known (and diverse) writers as Paul Theroux, Dave Eggers and Grace Paley, just to name a few. Highly readable with "flashes" of brilliance.

The eighty stories in Flash Fiction Forward, averaging two and a half pages in length, were fantastic, awesome, average, mediocre and awful. In four words - they were too short! New Sudden Fiction, with stories about twice as long, was a much better read and, instead of the sparse credits section contained in this volume (containing little beyond "first published" and copyright information), includes biographical information about each author.