# Your favorite five short stories? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993 "2011-03-17T02:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/61 "2011-03-20T02:41:12Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > I’ve got that one [Varley’s “Press Enter”], I think it’s in _Blue Champagne_. And did you love it, or really _really_ love it? I endorse all of the previously-mentioned Conan Doyle stories, and will set forth another five right now: “A Scandal in Bohemia” - An errant King foiled by _the_ woman. “The Blue Carbuncle” - The perfect Christmas mystery tale. “The Greek Interpreter” - Although Holmes is not, alas, on his best form in this one, it’s worth it to finally meet his brother Mycroft. “The Speckled Band” - Very spooky and effective. “The Red-Headed League” - Funny, clever, surprising and delightfully _outre_. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/62 "2011-03-20T03:29:37Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > “The Long Watch” by Robert A. Heinlein - A single brave officer takes a stand against a military coup on the Moon. Funny, a few days ago, when I realized that the Japanese reactor operators were most likely on a suicide mission, I dug through the boxes in my attic and found “The Past Through Tomorrow” just so I could read that story again. It was well worth it. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/63 "2011-03-20T03:35:01Z")
Any science fiction fan should look for a copy of “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1” which is all short stories, and almost all of them are very, very, good. Mayb be out of print now, though; I think mine is from the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/64 "2011-03-20T04:34:24Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The Hugo-winning _Eurema’s Dam_. No bears, but it does have an idiot savant who builds a machine to have hunches for him. Haven’t read that one. The Lafferty with the bear is “Snuffles”, collected in _Nine Hundred Grandmothers_. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/65 "2011-03-20T23:10:04Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > _Goldfish Bowl_ - Robert Heinlein > > _What Friends are For_ - John Brunner > > _The Devil and Simon Flagg_ - can’t remember the author at this time. > > _The Tremendous Adventures of Major Brown_ - G. K. Chesterton > > _The Absense of Mr. Glass_ - G. K. Chesterton _The Devil and Simon Flagg_ is one of my favorites, too. Its author was Arthur Porges, who wrote many excellent fantasy stories. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/66 "2011-03-21T02:16:08Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > Any science fiction fan should look for a copy of “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1” which is all short stories, and almost all of them are very, very, good. Mayb be out of print now, though; I think mine is from the 70’s. My dad had that, and I read most of it. I think that’s where I first read Jack Vance’s “The Moon Moth,” which I mentioned upthread. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/67 "2011-03-21T03:17:58Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The Hugo-winning _Eurema’s Dam_. No bears, but it does have an idiot savant who builds a machine to have hunches for him. > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Haven’t read that one. I found it in a collection of Hugo Award winners edited by Asimov and Greenburg. I really enjoyed Asimov’s blurb with which he introduced the story, written by a then 67-year old Lafferty (quote probably mangled): > [@](#): > > I used to have to worry about young Turks taking the food out of my mouth. Now I have to worry about **OLD MEN** taking the food out of my mouth! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MunkaMike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MunkaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MunkaMike)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/68 "2011-03-21T06:17:40Z")
" Lethal Perspective" by Alan Dean Foster. " On the Uses of Torture" by Piers Anthony. " The Boogieman" by Stephan King. " The Washingtonions" by Bentley Little. " By This Ax I Rule" by Robert E Howard, I prefer the Kull version to the Conan rewrite. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/69 "2011-03-21T15:20:34Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > Any science fiction fan should look for a copy of “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol 1” which is all short stories, and almost all of them are very, very, good. Mayb be out of print now, though; I think mine is from the 70’s. I’m going to ask for it for my birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/70 "2011-03-21T18:46:37Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Aauggh! I’ve been racking my brain to come up with the perfect list for some time now, in the process discovering that my library card is blocked for overdues and also that a favorite author died… I’ve decided to give this up for the moment and just post my first thoughts, saving my last slot for three days from now when I figure it out. So, then: > > Fondly Fahrenheit, by Alfred Bester > Born of Man and Woman, by Richard Matheson > The Fog Horn, by Richard Bradbury > The Jaunt, by Stephen King > > I could have chosen several more by Bradbury and King, but I’d rather spread the love around to different authors. > [@Dung Beetle in the 2008 thread](#): > > The first thing I want to say is that this is the most impossible question I’ve ever tried to answer, and the answers I gave below probably aren’t even the right ones, but just the best I could do at the moment. > > The second thing I want to say is that I compiled my list before reading the thread, so as soon as I’ve done that, I’ll be smacking myself for forgetting a great story. > > Fondly Fahrenheit by Alfred Bester Okay, this one is my current favorite because it was the most recently discovered. It just gobsmacked me a couple of months ago and I read it over and over just to admire it. > > The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin This is the weakest link on my list, but still one of the first that occurred to me. I haven’t read it very often, but it is great and I’ll will greet it with joy next time I run across it. > > Gramma by Stephen King Steve is my man. He’s written dozens I could have put on this list, so this particular choice is kind of meaningless, but I just picked one that scared the pants off me when I read it. > > The Shoreline at Sunset by Ray Bradbury Again, this guy wrote so many I wanted to list, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this one. It’s magic. > > Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson I don’t know how he does it, but give Richard Matheson two pages and he’ll blow you right out of the water. I’m cracking up at this. I guess next time we do this I can dispense with the dithering. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993/71 "2011-03-22T03:12:28Z")
Some good stories mentioned upthread. There are so many good ones in the science fiction realm: –_The Last Question_ by Isaac Asimov (seriously, it took this long?) –_The Report on the Barnhouse Effect_ by Kurt Vonnegut –_The Pusher_ by John Varley –_The Subject is Closed_ by Larry Niven –_Punch_ by Frederik Pohl [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-five-short-stories/574993.md?page=3)