Your Favorite Collection of sci-fi Short Stories

[McMurphy]

Brian hit on a really interesting discussion when commenting on Gaiman's short story collections.

What is everyone's favorite short story collection?

For a single author collection, I must admit Stephen King's Skeletion Crew is among my favorities.

For multiple author collections, I must get a little vague and say that I have always enjoyed the "Year's Best in..." collections that come out annually.

[knivesout]

Somehow, I tend to think the sf short story has gone off the boil in recent times - the 'year's bests' just do not seem to pack in as many truly excellent stories as a collection from anywhere between the 50s and 70s would. I suppose it's a reflection of the trend towards sheer volume in sf/f and partly a purely subjective opinion.

For multiple author collections, I'd say the first SF Hall of Fame anthology (edited by Robert Silverberg) has to be the strongest I've read, including essentials such as Asimov's Nightfall, Clarke's Nine Billion Names of God and more, and serving as a sort of sf primer.

Coming to single author collections, nearly anything by Ray Bradbury is cool, but I suppose a personal favourite would be The October Country for a certain moody atmosphere that pervades.

Strange Doings by RA Lafferty seems to be an incredibly good collection of concise, unusual and rewarding short stories. It's the only one by Lafferty I've read, so I don't know if it's his best.

Cordwainer Smith was another master of the short story - get hold of whichever collection of his short stories you can.

Some of my favourite Lovecraft tales are collected in an anthology called The Dream Cycle of HP Lovecraft (with an intro by Neil Gaiman).

Asimov's Mysteries, a collection of his sf mystery tales, was the first sf book I read so I ought to add that as well.

More as I recall them.

[Foxbat]

I'm a sucker for Asimov's short story collections - Buy Jupiter springs to mind.

Also, Frederick Pohl has edited a few collections of 'Nebula Winners' by various writers which are often worthwhile reading.

[Rane Longfox]

Hmm, single author, I loved Iain M Banks' "State of the Art" colection.

Multi-author, definately "Cities", published by Pete Crowther, with Mieville's "The Tain", "A year in linear city" by Paul DiPhillipo, and a coupel of others nearly of comparable quality

[eccles_1960]

I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of short stories. Not because they are of any lesser quality, far from it. It is because by the time I've "gotten into" the stories and the characters, end of story.

It has been many years since I've read any sci fi short stories, I think the last one I did read was by Asimov, and I forget which one.

[Princess Ivy]

I'm also not a big short story fan, mainly because they are short! lol, i get to attached to characters, and hate it when they are gone.

but i do have three short story collections of ms maccaffrey, to ride the unicorn, skies of pern and another dragon titled one, cannot remember.the skies of pern short stories are really gap fillers to the chronicles of pern, but the others are bit bit darker than her usual fare, and very interesting to read.

[Seth God Of Chaos]

Needle in a timestack

Cant remember the author but it got me into science fiction

[malfunkshun]

hmmm...

Asimov - I, Robot
Baxter - Vacuum Diagrams

those are the two that i think of immediately

[willb]

Two that immediately spring to mind are:

The Cyberiad - Stanislaw Lem,
Mortal Engines - Stanislaw Lem.

They are closely linked, all about machines (sentient ones at that) and their follies. The irreverent approach of Lem (though completely absent in Solaris for some reason) is captured perfectly by the books. Probably the highlight is the first story of 'The Cyberiad' where Trurl the constructor creates a machine that can create anything beginning with 'n'.

The other one I love is Gibson, 'Burning Chrome', which really got me into all his work after having (shameful admission) been put off cyberpunk by playing the Shadowrun roleplaying game.

[White_Tiger]

Definitely Clarke's "The Tales from White Hart"! The funny thing is, I have never actually read that specific collection (damn that small library!). I read from a short story and novella collection of Clarke a few pieces from "The Tales from White Hart". Everyone single one of them attracted me. The stories all have incredible plots, imaginative in a twisted way. I also absolutely adore the way the narrator recounts each story in a bar. Very cool stories. They are all so humourous and whimsical. Now, I must be off to the library downtown and try to find that book....

[malfunkshun]

hey, i forgot about tales from the white hart. i have that book packed away somewhere

[knivesout]

I have a copy of The Complete Short Stories of Arthur C Clarke, and the White Hart tales are a real standout.

The Four Quarters of the Wind by Ursula Le Guin is an excellent collection. Other writers who seem especially good in the short format: Harlan Ellison (can't really recall any longer stuff, actually), James Tiptree Jr, Samuel Delany (far less utter bewilderment than in his novels!), CM Kornbluth. Oddly, Larry Niven's short stories in Inconstant Moon may be my favourite among his work, apart from teh Tales of Known SPace collection.

[malfunkshun]

wow, how could i have forgotten N-Space and Playgrounds of the Mind by Niven

[knivesout]

Isn't the story 'Shards' from the Known SPace collection? One of my favourite stories.

[Rane Longfox]

Thinking of buying Gaiman's "Smoke and Mirrors" when I have any money again... anyone read it?