World's Shortest Stories: Murder. Love. Horror. Suspense. All This and Much More...

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Overview

Murder. Love. Horror. Suspense. All this and much more in the most amazing short stories ever written—each one just 55 words long! Consider for a moment 55 words. It's an absurdly tiny number. No, it's an impossible tiny number. It's what O. Henry might have conjured up if he'd only had the back of a business card to write upon. You'll find murder and suspense, horror and intrigue, love and betrayal, plus distant worlds and inner demons. All in a measly 55 words. Winner of Publishers Weekly's 'Listen Up' Award: Best "Short Stories" Audio of 1998. Named ForeWord Magazine Audiobook of the Year - 1998 Silver Finalist and Independent Publisher IPPY Award Finalist: Audio Fiction - Unabridged. ...
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More About This Book

Overview

Murder. Love. Horror. Suspense. All this and much more in the most amazing short stories ever written—each one just 55 words long! Consider for a moment 55 words. It's an absurdly tiny number. No, it's an impossible tiny number. It's what O. Henry might have conjured up if he'd only had the back of a business card to write upon. You'll find murder and suspense, horror and intrigue, love and betrayal, plus distant worlds and inner demons. All in a measly 55 words. Winner of Publishers Weekly's 'Listen Up' Award: Best "Short Stories" Audio of 1998. Named ForeWord Magazine Audiobook of the Year - 1998 Silver Finalist and Independent Publisher IPPY Award Finalist: Audio Fiction - Unabridged.

Listen Up' Award for Best Short Stories Audio of 1998 by Publishers Weekly. 1998 Audiobook of the Year - Silver Finalist by ForeWord. IPPY Award Finalist in Audio Fiction - Unabridged by Independent Publisher.

"The impressive readers throw themselves into the task of performing these little tales and use their considerable vocal talents to evoke the perfect mood for each story. They also create a delightfully diverse cast of characters."—Billboard

"This package (obviously unabridged!) demands instantly listening. Stories of 55 words' length! What a literary challenge to present both plot and characters with ultimate conciseness. The three excellent readers attest admirably that it can be done, and with style. 55 words do indeed a story make, just as this review is composed of 55 words."—Kliatt

Author Bio: Editor Steve Moss has always liked words—so much so that he decided to start his own weekly newspaper so if there was nothing around to read, he'd have no one but himself to blame. He has been a reporter, editor, busboy, art director, construction grunt, advertising copywriter, and graphic artist. He is the editor and co-publisher of New Times in San Luis Obispo, where he started Fifty-Five Fiction as an annual writing contest.

Narrator Bio: Frank Muller has garnered praise as one of the most talented narrators of audiobooks today. Author Stephen King said, "[When Frank reads] the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the deaf will hear." His work has been recognized with numerous awards. Kathy Garver is best known for her role as "Cissy" in the CBS prime time hit, "Family Affair," one of the most enduring television shows of the 1960s. Suzanne Toren was the recipient of the Narrator of the Year Award for her recordings of Talking Books for the Library of Congress and of the TORGI Award from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Murder. Love. Horror. Suspense. All this and much more in the most amazing short stories ever written--each one just 55 words long! Imagine O. Henry's tales if he'd only had the back of a business card to write upon...

Editorial Reviews

Los Angeles Times
The readers bring much life to these concise yarns. Muller is fabulous as ever. His rich, resonant voice infuses the stories with emotion. All three readers add accents that inject these imaginative bits of wordplay with energy and verve.
Billboard
The impressive readers throw themselves into the task of performing these little tales and use their considerable vocal talents to evoke the perfect mood for each story. They also create a delightfully diverse cast of characters.
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
Miles Klein
This package (obviously unabridged!) demands instant listening....The three excellent readers here attest admirably that it can be done, and with style.
— Kliatt Magazine
Rochelle O'Gorman
Shorter and sassier are these tiny tales, all amazing for thier telling brevity. There are dozen of stories, not one of which is longer than 55 words. Some are humorous, some are gory, some are romantic, and almost all have a twist. -- New York Post
Library Journal
A short story in 55 words--impossible! Yet these stories, the world's shortest, have setting, characters, conflict, and resolution. They address murder, love, suspense, horror, betrayal, and often end with a catchy turnaround. The answer lies in the author's ability to write with amazing compression and economy, making each word count. These bite-sized stories, the haiku of short fiction, can be one long sentence or can begin every word with the same letter. As exercises for writers, they can be fun and challenging; as literature they are nibbles. One noteworthy example tells of a man seeking a hit man to kill his wife only to find out she has hired his girlfriend for a similar purpose. These stories demand considerable concentration--one missed word and the meaning is lost--making them perhaps more effective in a print format. The performers, all professional actors, read with clarity and feeling, increasing the drama. At the conclusion, directions and encouragement are offered to all would-be writers of this new genre. Recommended with some reservations for public libraries.--Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780762403004
  • Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
  • Publication date: 2/28/1998
  • Pages: 224
  • Sales rank: 255,847
  • Product dimensions: 5.42 (w) x 8.48 (h) x 0.53 (d)

Table of Contents

Introduction 8
With Murder in Mind 13
Yes, Love Happens 55
The Streets of the City 105
Yonder 147
Further Voices 185
Fifty-Five Fiction: The Rules 231

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 4 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 23, 2010

    Great Gift

    I've given this book several times over the years to friends who have had recent surgery and are facing recovery time. The stories are extremely short, quite clever, and easy to digest when the reader's attention span is shortened due to medication. It also makes a great gift for the avid reader who devours books - requires a different reading pace. Rereading it is always fun, too!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 21, 2009

    No Superfluous Language

    I laughed out loud while reading some of these one-page stories and then was inspired to try writing some of my own. Attempting to write a story in fifty-five words or less is an exercise in the concise use of language. Including the headline, this review contains fifty-five words.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 24, 2001

    For everyone

    My highschool english teacher loaned me her copy of this book. I couldn't put it down. I went out and bought my own copy as soon as I returned it to her. I guess that shows how much I like this book...and here's another plus: I tutor children who have dificulty reading. I brought this book to some of them and they loved it. They weren't frustrated trying to get through pages and pages. It also helped their comprehension; they could focus on the short narratives and that gave them confidence for longer stories. This book is for avid readers who love a good story and for those who might have trouble plowing through something like Dickens.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 10, 2000

    Why does no one else think this book is worth the five stars it deserves?

    I believe this book is absolutely outstanding. I don't know why it has an average rating of 1 star. I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so here is mine. The book starts out great, has its ups and downs and ends great. Some of these stories are masterpieces and some really suck, but there is an art to fitting all that information into 55 words or less. To tell an entire story, a novel's worth of information on, usually less than, one sheet of paper, small paper with big writting at that, is just wonderful. Cheers to all who contributed to this wonderful piece of work, and jeers to the unappreciative.

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