War Short Stories

Here is a modern novelette in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Imagine David Cronenberg directing Dr. Strangelove, based on a script by H. P. Lovecraft. Imagine an alternate history in which nuclear bombs are not the ultimate weapon, but instead are merely a stepping stone to eldritch technologies accessible through certain trans-dimensional forces first encountered in 1920s Antarctica, technologies that neither the United States nor the USSR can quite contain.

This unforgettable, very short fictional memoir relates the incredible suffering of Gershon and his Jewish family in Europe. The inspirational short, historical fiction story about a survivor, tells the remarkable courage and determination during his struggle to survive. With the onset of World War II, Gershon’s life changes completely. His loving family understands that their happiness has come to a brutal end when forced out of their home and into a ghetto. They have no idea what awaits them, but they know that doing nothing is not an option.

Combat takes a different toll on each soldier; so does coming home. All the Ruined Men by Bill Glose comprises linked stories that show veterans struggling for normalcy as they grapple with flashbacks, injuries (both physical and psychological), damaged relationships, loss of faith, and loss of memory. Beginning in 2003, All the Ruined Men spans ten years, from the confident beginning of America’s “forever war” to the confusion and disillusionment that followed.

In these stories, characters struggle with allegiances both political and personal, their attempts at independence coinciding with the region’s growing nationalist fervor. Exquisitely attuned to the nuances of familial and cultural history, and beautifully blending pastoral and historical sensibilities, Electrodomésticos is a stunning debut about place, language, and identity, from a promising new voice.

A nation will fight for its freedom.The first novel in a major new series as Robert Low moves from the Vikings to the making of Scotland.In the dying days of the 13th century, Scotland is in turmoil. The death of Alexander III has plunged the country into war, both with itself and with Edward I of England. Determined to bring the north under his control, Edward instead unleashes a Scottish rebellion which unites the many warring factions against him - though the old hatreds are not easily put aside.

Staff sergeant Bea “Mic” Michaels and her black-ops team Steel Corps do what others cannot: They execute missions unbeknownst to the public they ardently defend. Over time, their orders begin to chafe and questions arise. Around every turn is another trial threatening to rip their family asunder. From Colombia, to Mexico, to Russia, and beyond, each mission sucks them deeper into the darkness.

It is not often that a long-hidden gem of a manuscript is published, bringing a moment in WWII history to vivid life for today’s audiences. Geoffrey Wellum’s First Light was one example. The memoir of Timothy Vigors is another. Born in Hatfield but raised in Ireland and educated at Eton and Cranwell, Vigors found himself in France in 1940 flying Fairey Battle bombers. After the Fall he joined the fighters of 222 Squadron, with whom he saw frantic and distinguished service over Dunkirk and persevered through the dangerous days of the Battle of Britain, when he became an ace.

With his harrowing debut, Luke Mogelson provides an unsentimental, unflinching glimpse into the lives of those forever changed by war. Subtle links between these 10 powerful stories magnify the consequences of combat for both soldiers and civilians as the violence experienced abroad echoes through their lives in America.

Jack and Maggie Harris are adrift on ravaged streets during the London Blitz. Their home is gone. They have nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. With only the memories of their greatest loss - the death of their child during a Christmas years before - Jack and Maggie settle in a seemingly deserted mansion for the night.

Moving effortlessly through a range of styles, from contemporary realist fiction and episodic adventures to three-act plays and polyvocal narratives, Boyko’s chameleon talents reveal the thread that binds his disparate characters and plots: the hunger to hold power and all the ways we are consumed by it. Clear-eyed but not cynical, satirical without being sarcastic, The Children’s War is as entertaining as it is insightful.

One of the greatest of all horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) also composed pioneering tales that seized upon the scientific developments of an era marked by staggering change. In this collection of 16 stories, he explores such wide-ranging contemporary themes as galvanism, time travel and resurrection of the dead.

In The Mountain, Paul Yoon displays his subtle, ethereal, and strikingly observant style with six thematically linked stories, taking place across several continents and time periods and populated with characters who are connected by their traumatic pasts, newly vagrant lives, and quests for solace in their futures. Though they exist in their own distinct worlds (from a sanatorium in the Hudson Valley to an inn in the Russian far east), they are united by the struggle to reconcile their traumatic pasts in the wake of violence, big and small, spiritual and corporeal.

After her mother’s passing, Aldona finds a tin filled with old letters from a prisoner at Ravensbrück, a women’s concentration camp in northern Germany. Amid the descriptions of daily deprivations and humiliations at the camp, she uncovers the heart-wrenching story of a small circle of women who risked their lives to hide a baby girl from the guards. Aldona is rocked to the core by this record of courage and sisterhood during one of the grimmest chapters of human history.

The Iron Kingdoms is a land dominated by mighty warcasters, arcanists who command the terrifying war machines called warjacks. While these epic figures lead armies and shape the futures of their nations, other powerful individuals, no less skilled, forge their own destinies in steam and steel. Called to Battle is a collection of stories focused on the Iron Kingdoms’ unsung heroes, its skilled mercenaries, and even the horrifying villains who haunt its darker reaches.

War is a serious business - or is it? Christopher Anvil turns his sardonic sense of humor loose on the subject. Hard-SF legend and Analog regular Christopher Anvil brings together mind-bending ideas and grim-but-true black humor in the face of war's utter destruction in this mega-compilation.

For those of you who want to experience the War Between the States in one sitting, this is the book for you. Brother Against Brother is a collection of six Civil War short stories and two excerpts from both Union and Confederate points of view. This collection gives listeners many different perspectives: drummer boys, brave-hearted soldiers, a prisoner of war, and even a young lady waiting at home for the war to end. Through every word, feel their terror, determination, pain, relief, and joy.

Love's Triumph is a compelling and epic tale set in a distant and unknown universe on a planet seven times the size of Earth. On this unique world, a colossal island embarks on a migratory journey, circling the globe every decade. However, during each rotation, barbaric inhabitants from the island descend upon the lands they encounter, wreaking havoc and chaos. Amidst the turmoil, a champion named Aric emerges from the static land dwellers, determined to unite the warring nations under a banner of peace.

Spanning centuries and continents, Mamet uses war and its players to explore, among other themes, redemption and forgiveness as they unfold in the context of conflict in the form of three novellas. Finely wrought, Mamet eloquently depicts the psychological brutality conflict raises in the landscape of the mind.

Zone guide Yuri Bonyev escorts three scientists to an uncharted sector in the Zone chasing rumors of an old military bunker. Not everyone is who they appear to be, and Yuri learns perhaps some secrets are better left buried.

In the throes of World War II, a group of individuals, linked by circumstance and shared experience, make the harrowing decision to flee war-torn Japan. Their desperate escape leads them to a secluded island, where the untouched beauty of nature offers a stark contrast to the chaos they left behind. Over time, this sanctuary becomes more than just a hideaway—it becomes home.