The story shelf

Follow your curiosity.

A name you know. A mood you’re in. Ten minutes to yourself. Start anywhere.

52 stories · Selected from the catalog · Page 3 of 3

Mystery & crime

The Hiding of Black Bill

A talkative sheepherder takes a job on a lonely Texas ranch where a notorious train robber may be hiding nearby.

21 min · Suspenseful

More details

Themes: Loyalty · Law & justice · Appearance vs reality
Settings: The frontier · Wilderness
Tone: Darkly comic
Style: Conversational · Dialect-rich
Pace: Measured
Written for: For adults
Craft: Frame story

The Ransom of Red Chief

Two bungling kidnappers discover that their captive is far more trouble than the ransom is worth.

19 min · Humorous

More details

Themes: Parenthood · Law & justice · Confinement & escape
Settings: The countryside · Villages & small towns
Tone: Wry
Style: Conversational · Dialect-rich
Pace: Brisk
Written for: For adults
Craft: Told in dialogue
Motifs: Kidnapping & ransom

Realist & social

The Whirligig of Life

A mountain couple arrives at a makeshift court demanding a divorce, only to discover that separation may be harder than marriage.

10 min · Humorous

More details

Themes: Marriage · Love · Law & justice
Settings: Villages & small towns · The countryside
Tone: Wry
Style: Dialect-rich · Descriptive
Pace: Measured
Written for: For adults

Science fiction

Watchbird

Robert Sheckley

Autonomous machines built to prevent murder begin expanding their definition of whom and what they must protect.

31 min · Suspenseful

More details

Themes: AI ethics · Law & justice · Pride
Settings: The city · Offices & workplaces
Tone: Ironic
Style: Plain
Pace: Measured
Written for: For adults
Craft: Allegorical
Motifs: Forbidden experiments