War Short Stories

Teufelhunden: 1918 is a gritty, in-your-face, fast-paced historical fiction short story that takes place in June 1918 during the battle of Belleauwood, France. This story is told through a first-person storytelling lens that follows Corporal Young over a nine-hour period that explores the desperation, brutality, and unapologetic trench warfare of the early 20th century and the ugly truths war exposes in ourselves.

A new warlord, Malik Khan, has appeared inside Afghanistan. A common bandit and a thief, but clever enough to cloak his rampage of murder and pillage under the mantel of Islam. He takes a hospital in a remote area as his base of operations, a former stone built military post perched on a hilltop and said to be impregnable. Safe behind his walls and with the medical staff held hostage, he is free to continue his campaign of robbery and murder unmolested.

Did an insulting decree spark the murder of a young US Army lieutenant in Yankee-occupied New Orleans? Or was it something else? Capt. Jason Bartlett, infantryman-turned-provost marshal investigator must wade through waves of Yankee anger and rebel animosity to solve the mystery.

Major Malcolm-Wheeler Nicholson is best remembered as the man who invented the modern comic book, founded DC Comics, and brought Superman, hero of heroes, to the public. But before all of that the Major wrote adventure tales for the great pulp magazines - and it was not run-of-the-mill pulp fiction. The Major served as a cavalry officer on the southwest border during the Mexican Revolution.

Here are tales about war-time code breaking, cannibalism, and swashbuckling adventure during the times of Bonnie Prince Charlie. They vie with subtler stories, with a more intimate perspective, about the vagaries of human nature, politics, fishing, and poaching, set against the landscape of the lowland Scottish countryside where the author spent his youth.

Weihnachten bleibt das Fest des Jahres: Familien, die schon Wochen vorher am Rande des Nervenzusammenbruchs balancieren; Pastoren, die alles versuchen, die Weihnachtsgeschichte in die Gegenwart zu retten; aufgedrehte Schwiegereltern, die überraschend zu Besuch kommen – und die geliebten Tanten, die höchst verdient den Spitznamen trio terrible tragen. Sie singen unverwüstlich. Ihre Gläser klingen. Glücklich, wer so viel bucklige Verwandtschaft hat.

In "A Dry, Quiet War", Henry Bone returns home from the War at the End of Time to live out his final years on the rural planet Ferro. But he's not the only veteran to return to this timeline: a group of cybernetically enhanced soldiers - some human, some not - have made the billion-year journey as well. Only they're not looking for peace and quiet.

This short story by Mark Twain was not published until 1916, six years after his death in 1910, because his family considered it too scandalous. After all, what could be more scandalous then attacking religion and war. Narrator John Greenman takes us inside that church as the preacher beseeches God to grant them victory and protect our troops when a stranger appears.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti narrates "The War Prayer", a short story or prose poem by Mark Twain, a scathing indictment of war and particularly of blind patriotic and religious fervor as motivations for war.

A race of time travelers seems to want Alibi Jones' time to come to an end in this connected cycle of short stories. The Alibi Jones and the Time War of the Devrizium short anthology features Alibi Jones' adventures with the xenophobic, time-traveling race known as the Devrizium! Featuring "About Time" (adapted from the comic book short story); "Remember Two Things"; "Memory, Yet Green"; and "The Last Battle".

These three stories, set during the summer of 1940, draw on Italo Calvino's memories of his own adolescence during the Second World War, too young to be forced to fight in Mussolini's army but old enough to be conscripted into the Italian youth brigades. The callow narrator of these tales observes the mounting unease of a city girding itself for war, the looting of an occupied French town, and nighttime revels during a blackout. Appearing here in its first English translation, Into the War is one of Calvino's only works of autobiographical fiction.

Alis was a quiet librarian at the campus library of the School of Spells & Magic - that is, until the sword wielding buffoon Cahan had the audacity to battle a dragon in her library! Now she's following him off on some foolhardy adventure. As they try to save the university from the mysterious Formless, she fights an equally important battle - to maintain her self-respect!

Debutante Peyton Fuller's life consists of friends, parties, and waiting for her beau to propose to her. With little knowledge of politics and fighting, her cosseted world changes overnight as soldiers stream into Harrisburg to prepare for a war between the states. As they march past her door, she catches the eye of one soldier who makes her question everything.

NYPD criminal profiler Catherine Farrows knew her life would change forever when she committed herself to covert billionaire Thomas Ambrose - and his violent vigilante alter ego, the Black Mask Killer. Together they work to protect the children of New York City and abroad from the predations of the Ganymede Society, a secret cabal of one-percenters who sexually exploit and murder children. Morally-conflicted Catherine has never had to wrestle with her conscience and convictions so much in her life.

Allo scoppio della Grande Guerra Marco Leccio decide di arruolarsi. Si presenta così alla leva con tanto di divisa da garibaldino. Le motivazioni alla base del suo gesto sono politiche e sentimentali: vuole partecipare alla liberazione delle terre irredente interrotta a Bezzecca, ma vuole anche andare al fronte insieme a suo figlio.

Gaetano Marino interpreta "La camera in attesa", classica novella di Pirandello incentrata sul patetismo degli affetti familiari sullo sfondo della Grande Guerra.

Before he became an archmage to topple an empire, before he met the legendary Eradicator Xal, Saghir was born a free ratkin, living on the streets of Gateway, a perilous desert city at the edge of the Blasted Lands. Each month, the free laborers must pay their tithe in coin, or blood. Every ratkin in Saghir's tribe searches for something of value, lest their whole people be enslaved. Ruthless Corax, carnivorous scarabs, and worse infest the city. There are countless ways for a rat to die, and all it takes is one mistake. There are no second chances.

Siegfried Lenz' erste Kurzgeschichtensammlung besticht durch seine typisch erfrischende Erzählweise. Der Schauplatz der zwanzig Erzählungen sind die idyllischen Masuren. In der Geschichte Duell in kurzem Schafspelz beispielsweise treffen sich auf einem schmalen Waldweg zwei Pferdeschlitten. Die sturen Fahrer sehen nicht ein, dem jeweils anderen Platz zu machen und so hängen sie monatelang an der gleichen Stelle fest. Diese und weitere absurd komische Erzählungen versprechen Hörspaß der Extraklasse.

Brianna Rossa and Leonardo Dormire had known for some time they were crazy about one another, regardless of the feud between their families. Yet, nothing was going to stop them from seeing one another, not even a curse that was put on Brianna before she was born. Cipriano Rossa and Giovanni Dormire were best friends in college; however, over time they became competitive with one another in the game of gangster versus gangster.

This story is from The Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes (His Last Bow) collection. Further adventures by the master of observation and deduction, as faithfully recounted by his companion and greatest admirer, Dr. Watson. "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", and "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" are among the stories. David Timson's award-winning performances continue with this series.