Best science fiction short stories

[TalkieToaster]

I've read a lot of sci-fi novels, especially recently, but I'm wondering if anyone can mention any sci-fi short stories they especially recommend, and where they can be found(e.g. author's collections).

 

[Pilot Ace]

Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith is really good.
http://www.webscription.net/chapters/1416521461/1416521461___5.htm

It's part of his Instrumentality of Mankind universe, collected in "The Rediscovery of Mankind" with a bunch of other stories.I recently purchased the collection myself based on "Scanners Live in Vain" and the high regard I've heard about the universe, unfortunately haven't found the time to dig into yet.

Here's some other short stories of his, some available online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordwainer_Smith#Selected_short_stories

 

[Klaus]

This is the best sf short collection I know of...

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fiction-Hall-Fame-One/dp/0765305372

 

[MANT!]

Try the following for some gripping yarns..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collected_Stories_of_Arthur_C._Clarke

 

[Australis]

In Australia we get the Mammoth Books of SF, a number of them under various titles (the one on my shelf is called the Giant Book of Fantastic SF. It has 'Beggars In Spain' by Nancy Kress (Hugo winner), and Ubermensch! by Kim Newman (what if Kal-El had landed in Nazi Germany instead of Iowa?), to name two great ones). In the US, they're released as the Year's Best SF. So there's a fresh batch every year. And there are some brilliant stories every year, it's worth the price.

SciFi/SyFy used to have a webpage, SciFiction, had a bunch of stories from one of my favourite writers Howard Waldrop, as well as the likes of Ray Bradbury. Lots and lots of stories, classics and brand new at the time, the site won awards. It's been archived at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070204073906/www.scifi.com/scifiction/archive.html

It's a terrible looking site, but the stories are nothing short of brilliant. Some of them aren't to my taste, but I've never seen a dud.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Anything by Philip K Dick, Asimov, or Clarke

 

[23skidoo]

You're also pretty safe with Bradbury. Larry Niven's N-Space also contains a lot of great stuff.

Also, I'd recommend tracking down information on the original Twilight Zone series (1959-1964). Many episodes of that show were based upon short stories, so if you can get a list of the credits and make note of the ones based upon short stories, you'd find a very good collection of work to choose from (some of these stories have been collected over the years as well).

Alex

 

[Kegg]

I've always liked Keith Laumer's Retief short stories. They're bitingly funny (someone make a Retief TV show already).

 

[Mistral]

The Winterberry - available in Alternate Kennedys ed. Mike Resnick, written by Nick DeChario-a Top Ten IMO
Soldier, Ask Not- Gordon Dickson
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream- Harlan Ellison
The Death of Captain Future- Allen Steele
Ike At the Mike- Howard Waldrop
The Giving Plague-David Brin
The Return of William Proxmire-Larry Niven(this one is hilarious if you know anything about Robert Heinlein-it was written as a tribute to him after he passed)
Bears Discover Fire-Terry Bisson
To Serve Man- Damon Knight
Eyes Do More Than See-Isaac Asimov
Driftglass-Samuel R. Delaney
Good News From the Vatican-Robert Silverberg
Jeffty Is Five-Harlan Ellison
Day of the Moron- H Beam Piper
"If This Goes On..." - Robert Heinlein
By His Bootstraps-Robert Heinlein
There Will Come Soft Rains-Ray Bradbury
Welcome To the Monkey House-Barry Malzeberg

There are a number of amazing stories out there-this is just a sample of ones so good I couldn't forget their names if I wanted to. You may have to track them down-some I read in Analog or Asimov's magazines when they were first published-but its worth the effort.

 

[Myasishchev]

What was the short story Greg Bear's Blood Music was an expansion of?

Oh, "Blood Music." Fair enough. Anyway, the short's actually better than the novel. The buildup to the end is far more interesting than the post-apocalypse. Great story.

 

[Admiral2]

Anything by Philip K Dick, Asimov, or Clarke

Ditto Asimov and Clarke. Not so much Dick.

 

[sojourner]

Tales of Known Space - Niven.

 

[Australis]

In case no one mentioned it, 'All You Zombies' by Heinlein.

 

[Mistral]

In case no one mentioned it, 'All You Zombies' by Heinlein.

I was going to but opted to go one story/author. Otherwise, I'd have included the entire book The Past Through Tomorrow by Heinlein as well.
As well as Paratime! , Federation, and Empire by H Beam Piper. and The Interstellar Patrol by Christopher Anvil, ed by Eric Flint.