Anthologies & Ensembles

Neil Gaiman asserted that "short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams." This collection of "tiny windows," performed by narrators as diverse and vivid as the stories themselves, provides glimpses of worlds, minds, and dreams that are tragic, wistful, disturbing, and thought-provoking. The variety of content will entice a wide audience,... Read More

This varied collection of short stories, selected by author Curtis Sittenfeld, includes works from authors T.C. Boyle, Mary Gaitskill, Elizabeth McCracken, and others, all of which originally appeared in publications ranging from THE NEW YORKER to MCSWEENEY'S. Sittenfeld herself provides an extensive introduction to the audio collection, describing her criteria for selecting... Read More

Harlan Coben challenged fellow authors to produce short audio-original thrillers inspired by birds of prey. The result is a gripping and varied collection of expertly narrated mini-thrillers. Listeners are treated to an introduction by Coben himself, and then each story is introduced by its author, who shares their experience with meeting the challenge. The theme is very... Read More

Nineteen prize-winning crime and mystery short stories are narrated by nine highly experienced voice actors. The stories dating from 1985 to 2020 were compiled by Maxim Jakubowski; the gravelly voiced Stefan Rudnicki narrates Jakubowski's detailed introduction about The Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award for crime short stories. The stories begin with two Sherlock Holmes... Read More

Award-winning narrators Robin Miles and Dennis Boutsikaris lead a group of first-rate voice talents in delivering this collection of 29 specially commissioned short stories centered on the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2020, the NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE rounded up a veritable who's who of contemporary North American authors, including Margaret Atwood, Victor LaValle, and... Read More

Who is the person you most want to be with when the end of the world is near? In this full-cast performance, six couples try to answer that question before a meteor shower ends everything. There are different relationships represented: a pair of exes, competitive business owners, and former rivals, to name a few. Despite the premise, these stories offer hope for reconciliation... Read More

This latest anthology from the International Thriller Writers is a feast for both fans of the genre and audiobooks in general. Twenty-two of the form's most prominent authors pair their best-known lead characters to create 11 unique short stories showcasing the strengths of each. The impressive cast of accomplished narrators will be familiar to audio buffs, and the broad range... Read More

This intriguing collection of short speculative fictions features a superb ensemble of narrators. Set in space, the works feature a janitor who is investigating murder on a spaceship, a human who is adopted by a prominent alien, a man whose thousands of clones are dispatched to Earthlike planets, and a group of sentient ships connected to humans who are using futuristic... Read More

The full cast that presents this anthology, published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, does a remarkable job of bringing to life stories by some of today's best-known YA authors. These slice-of-life pieces provide not only mirrors but also windows on issues of race, sexuality, and urban life. Listeners will be intrigued by Gene Luen Yang's comic "Paladin/Samurai,"... Read More

Narrator and editor Tanya Eby has done a nice job pulling together this audio production of a just-off-the-presses collection of 11 contemporary horror and supernatural stories. A house that is not just haunted but is a ghost itself. Apparitional footprints that lead across a lonely field and then just stop and disappear. And a small boy who swears a phantom cat rubbed up... Read More

A battered wife puts a hex on her abusive husband. A child magically stops her father from beating her mother. With a sense of strength, wicked fury, and passion, 12 award-winning narrators volunteered their time and talent to deliver 16 fantasy and horror stories in support of the Pixel Project, which is dedicated to ending violence against women throughout the world. There's... Read More

While the title may suggest these stories are for “guys,” listeners of both genders are likely to enjoy this collection of science-fiction short stories. Excellent narrators are perfectly matched with the 10 stories. Listeners will laugh at the antics of Percy Jackson and his friends, groan at the absurdity of shoes trying to take over the Earth, and shudder at the thought of... Read More

Ten thrilling short stories by an accomplished list of authors combine with an equally impressive cast of narrators to make this a must listen. The narrators switch off between stories, each one captivating listeners with tales of ghosts and pirates, detectives and monster hunters. It almost seems as if the stories were written with the narrators in mind, so well matched are... Read More

This anthology of important voices from Haiti is capably and uniquely rendered by three narrators who each have a distinct delivery style. As one reaches the end of each story, the volume's overall narrator reminds one that the current story has ended and next one is beginning. It’s a pleasure to transition to each new voice. Robin Miles, Peter Fernandez, and Rachel Leslie... Read More

Each of the 17 authors anthologized here took on a different Hopper painting from which to create a compelling, noir-laced story. A delightful range of works emerges, from the ironically funny tale of the ganja-smoking retired minister to the revenge story in which an abusive stalker falls into the perfect setup and the magic realism of a Basque family whose members need the... Read More

Seven Amazon Original short stories are collected into one audiobook production, each performed by a different narrator. The unique tales take the listener to worlds full of magical realism, fantasy, and the unknown and span centuries from a seemingly medieval time to contemporary settings. All seven narrators are skilled in their craft; however, as one may expect with such a... Read More

Young love . . . this anthology of short stories captures all the tingles, butterflies, and heart palpitations of "the moment they met" in stories by popular YA authors. Performed by a talented cast, this inclusive collection offers refreshingly diverse perspectives, including lesbian, gay, and transgender points of view. Love stories tend to make for good listening, and the... Read More

An ensemble of talented narrators performs a unique horror anthology that subverts tropes to examine the feeling of being "other." The collection is composed of 24 stories that focus on marginalized identities. Each work is brought to life by a talented narrator who imbues it with pathos and an appropriate tone. Some stories are oddly funny, while others venture into graphic... Read More

Jordan Peele introduces this horror anthology featuring 19 Black authors. Each of the stories blends realism with horror or science fiction, providing an insightful perspective while still remaining chilling. From cars with huge eyes that direct racist cops on whom to arrest, to a pair of stranded travelers in Alabama, each story captures the ear with unsettling horror and... Read More

A brief review can only hint at the many pleasures of this fine anthology of the best short stories of the past 50 years, performed by some of the most gifted narrators working today. Every listener will single out favorites, but there are few, if any, stiffs here, and the match of story to narrator shows a shrewd understanding of the interior character and distinctive voice... Read More

A diverse ensemble of talented narrators lends their voices to poignant short stories featuring teens who make choices between backing down or standing up and making themselves heard. The lyrical poems between stories are thoughtfully narrated by Amir Abdullah and Adenrele Ojo. Narrator Soneela Nakani projects the anxiety of a Black girl who is trying to survive a police... Read More

Yuri Rasovsky has created a wonderful anthology that includes gothic tales and dramatic adaptations with music by William Walton. The diversity and pleasure of these 14 selections are matched by the vocal talents of the 20-plus voices. There are seven single-voiced stories by authors Henry James (“The Ghostly Rental,” read by Robertson Dean), Edith Wharton (“Kerfol,” read by... Read More

In this audio story collection, the characters' relationships range from developing love to instant attraction. All but one of the stories is narrated by a single voice, while "Can't Get Used to Losing You" is performed by Mark Turetsky and Tara Sands, who alternate chapters. The mix of long and short stories is set in a time before email, the Internet, and cell phones. Each... Read More

The collection contains 15 essays that contemplate ethnicity, race, and culture and how these affected the authors' identities. The individual stories are narrated mostly by their authors, a choice that allows listeners to feel as though the authors are speaking directly to them. Topics include Ibi Zoboi's account of where Haitians fit into the pecking order of her Brooklyn... Read More