Favorite Short Stories of 2009

Last year, I started presenting my favorites according to length, because I wanted to be able to recognize stories in anthologies. Good work should not go unnoticed. Just like last year, two of my favorites in short stories - for me, that's anything less than 15k - come from anthologies that otherwise wouldn't have gotten the recognition.

4th Runner Up

Painting from Life by Anne Brooke

For someone who reads as much as I do, finding a strong, original voice can make my whole week. Anne Brooke paints as effectively as her unnamed narrator, though words are her medium. In doing so, she created an indelible rendering of a complex relationship that lifts the brief telling to a masterful level.

3rd Runner Up
Angel's Tears by Bryn Colvin

At the heart of this haunting story is a sad sack of a Plain Joe that completely captured my heart. Charley is the reason this story succeeds as well as it does, turning what could have been a maudlin pity party into a tale about hope and love that transcends spirit and flesh.

2nd Runner Up
Henry and Jim by J.M. Snyder

You know it was a good year for short stories when my 2nd runner up title scored a 10 for entertainment. This is one of those stories that prove how masterful Snyder can sometimes be, a bittersweet love story that relates a romance we should all be so lucky to have.

1st Runner Up
Shock Radio by Gabriel Daemon

The common thread running through most of my favorite short stories of this past year is that they are not your traditional romance. This one, especially, is as far as you can get away from that. Daemon grabbed me by the throat with the opening story in this anthology and shook me until I was so rattled I could barely think straight. It's bold and brash, just like its main character, and manages to creep me out just thinking about it in the height of the cheeriest season of the year.

And my favorite short story of 2009 is...

South by Dalyn A. Miller

Though this anthology was one of the better collections - as a whole - that I read this past year, the best one in it by far was "South" by Dalyn A. Miller. The story of two men on the verge of separating, it skillfully weaves backstory and forward momentum in wrenching, realistic ways that put so many other stories to shame. I rooted for this couple with everything I had, and promptly went back to re-read it when I finished it the first time. I find it a little ironic that, like my favorite last year, it was released by a publisher I've had difficulty reading more often than not. But talent shines, no matter where it's published.

Favorite Short Stories of 2008

This year, I'm breaking down the books I read and reviewed by length, mostly to give shorter works in anthologies recognition when they deserve it. The first of these are going to be short stories, which I consider anything less than 15k.

4th Runner Up

Chasing Phoenix by Christine D'Abo

When it came to the hotness factor, this story delivered in spades. It has its problems as a romance, but when it came to the erotic portions of the story, it followed through on the promise made in the excerpt...and then some.

3rd Runner Up
Flyover by Jefferson Dane

"Flyover" was hands down the best story in this particular anthology. It's not a romance but a paranormal drama with some absolutely chilling tones. It accomplishes some wonderful characterization, terrific tension, and best of all, reminds me that good authors will always stand out. Don't run out and get this anthology, though. Aspen Mountain Press released it as a standalone title earlier this year. Buy that instead.

2nd Runner Up
Spanish Lullaby by Emma Wildes

While this particular anthology leaves a lot to be desired, the final story in it, Emma Wildes' "Spanish Lullaby," proves that historical romance doesn't have to be cheated because of a short format. Her characters are warm and endearing, and the romance extremely gratifying. It's good to see she has a contract for a historical in mass market paperback to be released in the spring. I think she's more than strong enough to really make it.

1st Runner Up
The Mister Trophy by Frank Tuttle

One of my best discoveries of 2008 was Frank Tuttle and his Markhat books. "The Mister Trophy" is the second that came out with Samhain, and it is smart, funny, and rich in atmosphere. I don't know if there are more stories in the pipeline, but I sincerely hope there are. I've been greedy for this author ever since reading the first of the Markhat books. This is worth every penny and then some.

And my favorite short story of 2008 is...

Mahape a ale Wal'au by Paul G. Bens

This story is not just my favorite short story of the year. It's one of my favorite stories period. Of this year, last year, and a few more years before that. The prose is incomparable, carefully crafted to flow with the same melancholy grace as its hero. It creates both an intimate experience and a universal one, and it does so with more style than hundreds upon hundreds of other stories that came out this year. I find it incredibly ironic that this gem is currently sold by one of the publishers I always have to think twice about buying from. I've been burned more than once by sloppy editing there, and yet, this proves that talent will always rise, no matter who publishes it.