25 Exceptional Short Stories from my 2017 Reading

My list of stories this year could have easily been twice as long,  but of the 122 short stories I've read in 2017, I've put down 25 of what I thought the most exceptional stories.  I'm always in two minds about these lists, especially ones from anthologies I've stories in, I do, however, feel that dialogue is integral in supporting the genre; I realise that some writers are fearful –perhaps justifiably so in the social media age– of participating in the reading conversation. As always, the list is about celebrating and supporting short fiction.

‘Palm Court’ James Salter (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)                        

‘Almost Days’ DK Mok (The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2015 ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene)    

                                                                                                                    

‘The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)                          

‘Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden’ Joe Abercrombie (Sharp Ends)            

‘Half Past’ Samantha Murray (The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2015 ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene)                                                                                 

‘The Chrysanthemums’ John Steinbeck (The Long Valley)
                                        

‘Breaking and Entering’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)                                                

‘Live Bait’ Frank Touhy (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)                             

  

‘The Children Stay’ Alice Munro (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)             

‘The Murder’ John Steinbeck (The Long Valley)                                                              

‘The Senator’s Son’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)                                                    

  

‘Salt’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)                                                                              

‘At the Beach’ Bernard MacLaverty (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)        

‘Emergency’ Denis Johnson (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)                         

'Lizzie’s Tiger’ Angela Carter (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)                 

‘Big Bang Theory’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)  (flash fiction)  

‘War Dances’ Sherman Alexie (War Dances)                                                                  

‘Two’s company’ Joe Abercrombie (Sharp Ends) 
                                                     

‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ Flannery O’Connor (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)                                                                                                                            

‘2B’ Joanne Anderton (The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2015 ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene)                

‘Saint Katy the Virgin’ John Steinbeck (The Long Valley)                                            

‘Bluebeard’s Daughter’ Angela Slatter (The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2015 ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene)                   

‘Sleepless’ Jay Kristoff (The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2015 ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene) (suspenseful twists)                                       

‘The Harness’ John Steinbeck (The Long Valley)                                                           

‘The Dying Room’ Georgina Hammick (That Glimpse of Truth ed. David Miller)