Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.org by Grant Faulkner

Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.org Reviews

• 
  Tara

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this beautifully designed mini collection of micro stories (published by Outpost19). All are 100 words, and considered the BEST OF the stories that have appeared in 100 WORD STORY'S online journal. Fair warning that I am in the collection and honored to be placed first, but I admired the well-written introduction by the editors ("These miniature stories communicate via caesuras and crevices"--learned a new word, had to look up caesuras!) and the gathering of mini stories that kept surprising me with their originality and strength. It's hard to believe that so many different ideas, stories, emotions, styles can be contained over and over in just 100 words. This little book substantiates the power of the form.
• 
  Jack Stark

  I was desperately searching for some stories that would grab my attention, give a good twist, or spark my imagination, but unfortunately I didn't find any.
• 
  Claire Polders

  Reading this rich and affecting anthology is a wild ride through humanity, a psychoemotional roller coaster that transports you from hope to death and back. It lifts you into a planetarium, drops you at a table in a Japanese restaurant, guides you into an octopus bar, lets you hide under a piano, leaves you shivering on Antarctica, and convicts you to a prison cell. The editors did a brilliant job in arranging the stories in such a way that you’re not thrown about too much from one extreme into another, but can enjoy a common atmosphere for a while, before the stories dive into a new direction. In this must-have collection of gems, each tiny tale packs a punch.
• 
  Berglind Ósk

  This book clearly shows that you don't need many words to write a great story. The most popular theme is love, or troubles it brings rather. Wether that is because that's the story most of us relates to, it fit's this form so well or because the group of writers are homogeneous is left unsaid. Most of the stories are fine, some not that good or I just didn't understand and then there are a few that are gold nuggets. This book is a good read for everyone to see how you can tell a story with only 100 words – and what effect that has.
  
  My favourite stories are: Hard Time, Coffee Bean, Snapshots of a Crash, Streets at Night, What do Those Characters Want?, The Hive, Old Men, The State of Things, Name That Tune, Naked and Profile by Andre O. Dugas.
• 
  J. Bradley

  This is a very enjoyable collection of flash fiction that’s a worthy add to your library.
• 
  Debbie

  Like any collection of short stories, this one had some that were excellent, some that were expressive and beautiful, and some that left me wondering what they were even about.
  
  Goaded on my group of collaborative teacher friends, I'm hoping to encourage students to write a 100-word story about their lives, and I was looking for some mentor texts to read with the high school students. After reading through all of the stories in this book, the ones I noted, some of which can be found on 100wordstory.com, were: Hard Time, Bob and Betty, Snapshots of a Crash, Coffee Bean, Streets at Night, Martha, Thicker than Water, In Blackest Night, Divorce Party, Final Tally, Sister's Boyfriend, Five Things, Moving Sale, Humpty Dumpty, Practicing, Glyph, The Hive, Great Composers of the American Popular Song, Cassiopaeia, Fair, Naming, Under the Piano, Bruno, A Day in the Life of Steve, Houndstooth, Profile, Descent, The Toast, Naked (seems sexy, but great twist).
• 
  Andrew Martin

  My favorites from this collection, in order of presentation:
  
  "Bob and Betty" by Molly Giles (p. 5)
  "Snapshots of a Crash" by Melanie Taylor Herrera (p. 11) [one with a form I think my students will be interested in trying to replicate]
  "Coffee Bean" by Oren Peleg (p. 16)
  "Fate on the Highway" by Karen Benke (p. 17)
  "Streets at Night" by Lee L. Krecklow (p. 23) [my number 1 favorite]
  "A Change of Clothes" by Robert Scotellaro (p. 30)
  "Thicker Than Water" by Jean-Luc Bouchard (p. 31) [my runner up]
  "Humpty Dumpty" by Elizabeth Swann (p. 51)
• 
  Ms. Kat

  It's a tiny book, but don't let the size fool you. Writers will be inspired by the "100 Word" challenge that this book sets as its premise: write a captivating story in 100 words or less. This book took me months to read. Each page is packed full of a rich story-line. Readers will find no excess, bare bones, tiny snapshots that make you wonder, dream, grieve, and heal. A great resource for all writers, specifically those interested in the craft of short story writing.
• 
  Millie

  Treat this like a bag of snack food. Entries-- abstract poetry, lyrical descriptions, esoteric observations, fragments of memory, personal anecdotes, poignant fictional stories-- range from cleverly sardonic to wistfully nostalgic. Hypothetically a quick read, the book is emotional nonetheless as the intensely emotional nuggets pack quite pack a punch. I often felt disappointed there wasn't more but periodically stopping to reflect upon what had been stirred up inside me prolonged my reading.
• 
  Angela

  Much like most collections of short stories I read, I really enjoyed some of the stories from this book while I cared little for others. What I love is the idea of the book, to have all these stories told in 100 words. I followed the links mentioned and looked at some of their picture prompts. I think I’ll try it out with my 5th graders.
• 
  Riley Morsman

  Most of the stories felt just okay to me, but there were still several wonderfully brilliant ones. I guess overall, I'm not too much of a flash fiction fan. I would have loved it if all of them were nonfiction, but that's probably just because that's what I'm interested in writing. All in all, a great book to study for the short form. Has excellent examples to pull out for teaching.
• 
  Kojo Baffoe

  An enjoyable quick read. I wanted to like it more than I did but, because there were stories from so many different writers, it didn’t grab me wholeheartedly. Some really great stories, some so-so ones but, overall, worth the read and the time.
• 
  Bruce Gunther

  The writing in this collection is a cut above, although some - but not many - of the stories didn't move me. It's almost a textbook in flash fiction writing, which is a genre that seems so easy (like haiku) yet is so hard to do well.
• 
  Denton

  A wonderful collection of work. I especially enjoyed the pieces by Barrett Warner, Jacques Debrot, Peg Alford Pursell and Sarah Freligh.
• 
  Stephen

  Inspiration, tacit guidance, learning from those who venture before me. "A quick read," - Me
• 
  Emily

  Divine—like the reading equivalent of an irresistible piece of chocolate cake.
• 
  Mark Alden

  Some of these are absolutely brilliant, others left me scratching my head. Like poetry, they all forced me to slow down and several of them I read more than once. All in all, a nice collection.
• 
  Erica

  Cool concept. A few stories I liked. A few stories I didn't understand at all. Most stories made me feel... meh.