Short Stories Fairy Tales

Wonderfully wide-ranging, original, and enjoyable, The Emotional Embodiment of Stars contains 27 award-winning short stories like "Mortimer", in which an unwanted guest secretly follows a family through their heartbreaking sorrows, and "Crossroads", in which a budding writer is finally preparing to meet the man she happens to exchange greetings with every morning on the way to her office.

In the tradition of Calvino’s Italian Folktales, Greg Sarris, author of the award-winning novel Grand Avenue, turns his attention to his ancestral homeland of Sonoma Mountain in Northern California. In 16 interconnected original stories, the twin crows Question Woman and Answer Woman take us through a world unlike yet oddly reminiscent of our own: one that blooms bright with poppies, lupines, and clover; one in which Water Bug kidnaps an entire creek; in which songs have the power to enchant; in which Rain is a beautiful woman who keeps people’s memories in stones.

New from the author of The Story of My Face, Paradise & Elsewhere is a collection of dark fables at once familiar and entirely strange: Join the Orange Prize-nominated Kathy Page as she notches a new path through the wild, lush, half-fantastic and half-real terrain of fairy tale and myth.

Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, and the other denizens of Mount Olympus feel almost as present and larger than life today as they did when they were worshipped as gods. Humanity has been telling and retelling stories about the characters from Greek and Roman myth for centuries—heck, the Romans liked the Hellenic originals so much, they remade them faster than Marvel remakes Spider-Man movies. And from Virgil's Aeneid to Xena: Warrior Princess to Percy Jackson to The Song of Achilles, the obsession has never waned.

Let's face it. About 75 percent of the world is covered in water - and of that water nearly 97 percent of it can be found in the sea. Maritimers will tell you that there is a story for every wave that has ever washed upon the shoreline. Here are seven of them.

Kat Howard has already been called a “remarkable writer” by Neil Gaiman, and her “dark and enticing” (Publishers Weekly) debut novel, Roses and Rot, was beloved by critics and fans alike. Now you can experience her collected shorter works, including two new stories. In these stories, equally as beguiling as her novels, Howard expands into the enchanted territory of myths and saints, as well as Arthurian legend, with a novella set upon a college campus, retelling the story of King Arthur through women’s eyes.

Featuring sword-happy heroes, badly-behaved Gods, a monstrous minotaur, a narcoleptic dragon and more nymphs than you can poke a stick at! Master storyteller R.A. Spratt (bestselling author of Friday Barnes and the Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt podcast) weaves her comedic magic through this captivating collection of epic tales, perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Paul Jennings.

There are many stories of the legendary Irish hero Finn MacCool, or Fionn mac Cumhaill. Liam Gerrard brings together some of the most well-known in this treasure-trove of Irish folk tales and short stories. Chief among them is the well-loved "Finn & The Scottish Giant", telling the tale of how the Giant's Causeway came into being. Gerrard has adapted and edited over 40 short stories of Irish and Celtic folklore. So sit back, relax, and enjoy hearing the stories of the legends that have been passed down through generations over thousands of years.

Madeleine L’Engle once said, “When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.” The Mythic Dream gathers together 18 stories that reclaim the myths that shaped our collective past, and use them to explore our present and future. From Hades and Persephone to Kali, from Loki to Inanna, this anthology explores retellings of myths across cultures and civilizations.

Olivia thought meeting her favorite author would be a fairy tale come true. Declan Hart was supposed to be what dreams were made of - insanely handsome, wealthy, and a man who could make her melt with the stroke of a keyboard. But Declan isn't the man Olivia thought he was. While most authors would kill to have his success, the envy ends there.

Tall Tales for Short People will make you laugh, dream, and time travel. This collection of short stories is for kids ages four to eleven. Older kids can listen to some stories, such as "Jungle Music" and "Little Dragonfly", with their younger siblings.

In The First Prince, a young naiad named Joia has been kidnapped by a group of outlaws. Dionekies is dispatched to collect the leader of this group and secure the return of the naiad before her father, Algus, the very river that runs through the region, destroys everything in his desperation to find her. Is it merely a kidnapping, or is something much more nefarious at play? What ancient powers will be aroused by the actions of this desperate band? And what risks will the prince take to rescue Joia, the naiad in question?

What really lies beneath the waves? Dive into our magical collection of short stories written by award-winning and up-and-coming authors and follow the ocean’s call. Meet murderous kelpies, hear the mermaid’s song, find a kidnapped prince, and explore the beautiful underwater kingdoms. Befriend selkie royalty, break fearsome curses, and swoon as you fall in love. All profits go to Oceana to support their mission to protect the world’s oceans and promote sustainable fishing.

A ship bearing the souls of sinful sailors drifts upon a ghostly sea. An abbey looms as the final defense between mortals and ghouls of the underworld. In the stillness of a throne room, statues stand forever frozen in a moment of terror. Monsters and men stalk their prey deep in the jungle's shadows. A rose blooms in the dead of winter, sheltered in the ruins of an ancient Scottish castle.

Discover a treasure trove of fantastical tales that not only captivate young listeners and their imaginations but also impart valuable life lessons. Brian Bradford invites listeners into a world of wonder and wisdom through seven captivating short stories, each brimming with whimsy, friendship, and the subtle teachings that shape young hearts.

Fairy Story Shorts offer beautiful retellings of traditional tales, and are especially suitable for listening at bedtime! This tale is taken from the collection Fairy Stories and Fairy Stories: Traditional Tales for Children, Contemporary Tales for Adults by Clive Johnson, also published by Labyrinthe Press.

Fairy Story Shorts offer beautiful retellings of traditional tales, and are especially suitable for listening at bedtime! This tale is taken from the collection Fairy Stories and Fairy Stories: Traditional Tales for Children, Contemporary Tales for Adults by Clive Johnson, also published by Labyrinthe Press.

Fairy Story Shorts offer beautiful retellings of traditional tales and are especially suitable for playing for children at bedtime! This tale is taken from the collection Fairy Stories & Fairy Stories, Traditional Tales for Children, Contemporary Tales for Adults by Clive Johnson.

Each of these startlingly original stories is set in modern Britain. Their characters include a people-trafficking gang-master and a prostitute, a migrant worker and a cocksure estate agent, an elderly musician doubly befuddled by dementia and the death of his wife, a pest-controller suspected of paedophilia and a librarian so well-behaved that her parents wonder anxiously whether she’ll ever find love.

Written by Rudyard Kipling, the popular British Victorian writer, these origin stories are fantasized tales written with a delightful sense of whimsy that charms adults and children alike. These excellent readings by Ghizela Rowe & TimGraham make it abundantly clear why they have become such special classics that continue to tantalize and excite the imagination.