Short Stories audiobooks

The Open Window

By: Hector Hugh Munro

Narrated by: Gary Dikeos

Length: 8 minutes

Abridged: No

Considered a master of the short story, Saki was best known for his witty and mischievous stories that satirized the culture and society of Edwardian England. In "The Open Window," his best-known vignette, a teenage girl regales the tale of an eerie family tragedy to a high-strung visitor, who receives something of a shock.Proceeds from sale of... Read more

A Society

By: Virginia Woolf

Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Known as one of the foremost modernist novelists of the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf also wrote several shorter works. In "A Society," one of her earlier short stories, a young woman receives a substantial inheritance from her father, on the condition that she reads all of the books in London Library. Distressed by the unsatisfactory... Read more

Horrid Henry's Nightmare

By: Francesca Simon

Narrated by: Miranda Richardson

Length: 1 hour 7 minutes

Abridged: No

Four hilarious new HH stories - HH's Mother's Day, probably not the day his mum looks forward to most in the year, HH's Nightmare where Henry's chased by a ghost bunny with huge teeth, a wailing graveyard ghost and, for good measure, a slimy zombie, then a new story about one of his greatest enemies in The Return of the Demon Dinner lady and... Read more

The Death of a Government Clerk

By: Anton Chekhov

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all time, Anton Chekhov heavily influenced the evolution of the modern short story. Most notably, he used a technique that would later be called "stream-of-consciousness," in which he eschewed the traditional story structure and simply wrote as though he was thinking aloud. Written in that... Read more

A Blackjack Bargainer

By: O. Henry

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 38 minutes

Abridged: No

O. Henry was a prolific American short-story writer—a master of surprise endings—who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. Here is "A Blackjack Bargainer," the story of the drunken Yancey Goree, a washed-up lawyer who has lost his money, possessions, property, and self-respect as a result of playing poker. After settling a... Read more

Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad

By: M. R. James

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 53 minutes

Abridged: No

M. R. James was a prolific and hugely successful author, now credited with redefining the ghost story form. By abandoning many of the formal gothic clich├®s of his predecessors and using more contemporary settings, James set the stage for future generations of writers. Originally published in 1904, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" is... Read more

Beyond Lies the Wub

By: Philip K. Dick

Narrated by: Mark Turetsky

Length: 21 minutes

Abridged: No

Published shortly after his high school graduation, "Beyond Lies the Wub" is the classic short story by science fiction master Philip K. Dick.Peterson, a crew member from a spaceship visiting Mars, purchases a giant, pig-like creature called a wub. Although Captain Franco means to make a meal of the strange beast, the wub proves to be likeable... Read more

The Death of a Soldier

By: Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 21 minutes

Abridged: No

Before Louisa May Alcott achieved national fame with Little Women, she received success and recognition for Hospital Sketches, which was published in 1863. The book is based on her experience as a Civil War nurse at a Union hospital in Georgetown. In "The Death of a Soldier," an excerpt from the fourth chapter, she recounts the final days of a... Read more

Skip Tracer Bullets

By: Joe Archibald

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Joe Archibald's pulp detective series features Willie Klump—a hapless private investigator who formerly worked for the prestigious Hawkeye Detective Agency—and his many misadventures. Here in "Skip Tracer Bullets," Willie is once again down on his luck. His fortunes change when a new case leads him to stolen diamonds … but Willie soon finds... Read more

The Spectre Bridegroom

By: Washington Irving

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Length: 38 minutes

Abridged: No

The author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow" and "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving perfected the American short story. His stories were written in an approachable tone and intended to entertain rather than enlighten. Originally published in 1819, "The Spectre Bridegroom" is a ghost story about a baron and his daughter in historic Germany. The... Read more

Sucker's Portfolio

By: Kurt Vonnegut

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 4 hours 15 minutes

Abridged: No

Available to readers for the first time, Sucker’s Portfolio showcases a collection of seven never before published works from Kurt Vonnegut, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Short, sardonic, and dark, these six brief fiction stories and one non-fiction piece are consummate Vonnegut with piercing satire and an eye for life’s... Read more

Tales of Majipoor

By: Robert Silverberg

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 11 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Seven stories of Majipoor from science fiction grand master Robert SilverbergHailed as "one of the most fully realized worlds of modern science fiction" (Booklist), Majipoor is a planet unlike any other, with countless untold stories. Now, available for the first time in one volume, Silverberg presents seven tales that chronicle thousands of... Read more

Mortal Lock

By: Andrew Vachss

Narrated by: Natalie Ross & Phil Gigante

Length: 10 hours 8 minutes

Abridged: No

A hit man stalks his mark at a race track. A sociopath crosses every moral boundary to become a published author. An ex-mercenary obsessively defends his 'perimeter' from a dangerous interloper. A man for hire grudgingly accepts help from a teenage girl to track an online predator. In a dystopian future, young people struggle for survival... Read more

A Guide to Being Born

By: Ramona Ausubel

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell & Kirby Heyborne

Length: 6 hours

Abridged: No

A Guide to Being Born is organized around the stages of life - love, conception, gestation, birth - and the transformations that happen as people experience deeply altering life events, falling in love, becoming parents, looking toward the end of life. In each of these eleven stories Ausubel's stunning imagination and humor are moving,... Read more

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary

By: M.R. James

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 5 hours 2 minutes

Abridged: No

Eight classic spine-tingling tales from M. R. James. This was James' first collection of ghost stories which he intended to be read aloud. Read more

Short Stories by Jack London

By: Jack London

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 5 hours 12 minutes

Abridged: No

A collection of four short stories by renowned storyteller, Jack London including 'The Scarlett Plague' and 'An Odyssey of the North'. Read more

Fatherhood, and Other Stories

By: Thomas H. Cook

Narrated by: Fred Sullivan

Length: 4 hours 46 minutes

Abridged: No

Over his acclaimed career, Cook's novels have haunted, riveted, and spellbound readers across the world, and his short stories are equally acclaimed. They range from the intensely focused world of "Fatherhood," the Herodotus prize–winning title story, to the Edgar-nominated "Rain," a dark, kaleidoscopic tale of Manhattan on a single, rain-swept... Read more

Father Brown

By: G. K. Chesterton

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 3 hours 33 minutes

Abridged: No

This collection of short stories will delight fans of the lovable Norfolk priest as he uses his, at times, eccentric insights to solve the seemingly unsolvable. Hugely entertaining. Read more

Stepping Stone & Love Machine

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: J. D. Jackson & Sean Crisden

Length: 6 hours 17 minutes

Abridged: No

Stepping Stone: Truman Pope has spent his whole life watching the world go by. A gentle, unassuming soul, he has worked in the mailroom of a large corporation for decades without making waves, until the day he spots a mysterious woman in yellow. A woman nobody else can see. Soon Truman's quiet life begins to turn upside-down. Love Machine: The... Read more

Short Stories for Children

By: Washington Irving, Joseph Jacobs & Kenneth Graham

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 3 hours 5 minutes

Abridged: No

The perfect introduction to storytelling and a wonderful accompaniment to bedtime.

This collection includes well-loved tales such as Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving, Henny Penny by Joseph Jacobs, and The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Graham which are sure to charm children of all ages. Read more

The Innocence of Father Brown

By: G. K. Chesterton

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 6 hours 37 minutes

Abridged: No

A bumper selection of eight more stories featuring the Norfolk cleric which delights his audience with his idiosyncratic sleuthing. Read more

Bedtime Stories for Children

By: Charles Perrault, Brothers Grimm & Joseph Jacobs

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 2 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: No

A magical collection of short stories to entertain children and ease the bedtime routine including Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault, Hansel and Gretel by The Brothers Grimm and Jack and the Beanstalk and Dick Whittington by Joseph Jacobs. Read more

More Ghost Stories

By: M.R. James

Narrated by: Bart Wolffe

Length: 3 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

M. R. James second collection of ghost stories which he wrote while Provost of King's College, Cambridge. Written to be read aloud. Read more

Mystery Writers of America Presents The Mystery Box

By: Mystery Writers of America & Brad Meltzer

Narrated by: various narrators, William Dufris, Karen White,...

Length: 13 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: No

There's nothing more mysterious than a locked box. Whether it's a literal strongbox, an empty coffin, the inner workings of a scientist's mind, or an underground prison cell, there are those who will use any means necessary to unlock the secrets of The Mystery Box.With this anthology, bestselling author Brad Meltzer introduces twenty-one... Read more