Sudden Fiction (Continued): 60 New Short-Short Stories (Paperback)

by Robert Shapard (Editor), James Thomas (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
These short-short stories (approximately 2000 words apiece) compiled by the editors of Sudden Fiction and Sudden Fiction International are fiction in a whirlwind. The authors maintain a fast pace and full, vivid characters and descriptions while keeping the stories masterfully short. It would be difficult to choose the best; all are outstanding in one way or another. There are some translations from Czech, French and Spanish that have the feel of oft-told folktales, and the more bizarre selections are interspersed with poignantly ordinary stories. Thomas McGuane's "War and Peace" is the tale of a friendship that cannot withstand change. A professor and student discuss Roman history from different points of view in "The Liberation of Rome" by Robin Hemley. In "Sundress" by Terese Svoboda, two vagrants set up housekeeping in a vacationing family's house, befriending the entire neighborhood, which much prefers them to the real owners. With contributions by Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, William Maxwell and many others (those whose names aren't as recognizable certainly deserve notice), the collection is rich and varied?perfect for reading in the hammock.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Shapard and Thomas clearly have struck a chord, gathering 60 more of the best short-short stories (each no more than 2,000 words long) in their third collection (after Sudden Fiction, 1986, and Sudden Fiction International, 1989, both still in print). These selections, made with the assistance of the editors' colleagues and students, include the work of such established and award-winning authors as Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, William Maxwell, Don DeLillo, Madison Smartt Bell, and Robert Olen Butler and represent styles ranging from realism to fantasy and from traditional to experimental. No reader will embrace each of these stories equally, and some may lament the absence of their own favorite writers of short-short stories (such as Andre Dubus, Binnie Kirshenbaum, and Roxana Robinson). But quibbles aside, this is fiction perfectly suited to the pace of modern life, designed to be read whenever a person can snatch a few minutes of time and savored all the more for it. Michele Leber --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (July 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393313425
• ISBN-13: 978-0393313420
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #538,335 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prose Haiku, November 20, 1998

By A Customer

I grew up with the last two volumes of this, but I think Sudden Fiction (Continued) represents the best of the three -- the form (short-shorts) has changed, grown, and many of these stories reflect it. Tiny epiphanies, little bursts and flares of light, candles in a blackout...
Especially rewarding (not to mention user-friendly!) if your life requires riding public transportation.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars pretty mediocre, January 22, 2001

By A Customer

I bought this because I love, absolutely love the first 'Sudden Fiction' book. ...Continued is a pretty weak followup in terms of pushing the envelope of the 'short-short story'. Most of the stories in this collection run fairly long and most aren't particularly striking. Perhaps these should have been restrained to 1000-1500 words instead of 2000. Go run and buy the first one, "Sudden Fiction", then read ...Continued if you really want to.

5.0 out of 5 stars like a mini-vacation each morning, September 9, 2008

By	Lily Pendraky (Texas) - See all my reviews

After reading the first story, I was hooked. I decided to read only one story a day to allow the beauty and subtle nature of the writing to soak into my heart and head. Some stories are better than others, but only a few have left me unmoved. The one I read today changed my life. I'm online to order a copy for a friend.