2024 - quite a year, huh? But it means it's time for my annual favourite short stories of the year post. Same 'rules' as before (you can find links to lists from previous years here). For each story, I've linked to the publication where I read the story, which isn't always where they were first published. Enjoy!
J.G. Ballard: Memories Of The Space Age (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
James Bennett: The Apostle (The Dark #113)
Elizabeth Bowen: The Demon Lover (here)
Sasha Brown: This Party Fucking Sucks (Sans. Press website)
A.M. Burrage: Smee (Moon Mausoleum site)
Daniel Carpenter: Habitual (For Tomorrow, Black Shuck Books)
Vivian Chu: Perfect Vaca, No Filter (Flash Fiction Online)
Dan Coxon: Bumblethatch (Come Sing For The Harrowing, Weird Little Worlds)
Dan Coxon: Vile Jelly (Come Sing For The Harrowing, Weird Little Worlds)
Ray Cluley: As I Want You To Be (For Tomorrow, Black Shuck Books)
Malcolm Devlin & Helen Marshall: Finger & Palm (For Tomorrow, Black Shuck Books)
Kayleigh Dobbs: Omega (The End, Black Shuck Books)
Kayleigh Dobbs: Catch Fire (The End, Black Shuck Books)
Steve Duffy: Screen Burn (Supernatural Tales #53)
Steve Duffy: Home For Christmas (Supernatural Tales #54)
Corinne Engber: Satellite Office (Stranger, Sans. Press)
Kim Fu: Bridezilla (Oprah Daily)
J.L. George: Star Jelly (Mouthfeel Fiction #2)
Adam Golaski: Refridgerator-drone (Stone Gods, No Press)
Adam Golaski: Open Houses (Stone Gods, No Press)
Adam Golaski: The Great Blind God Passed Through Us (Stone Gods, No Press)
Helen Grant: Nabrok (Supernatural Tales #54)
Ivy Grimes: The Food Fellow (Ivy Grimes' Grime Time, Tales From Between)
Ivy Grimes: Picturing Her Hands (Ivy Grimes' Grime Time, Tales From Between)
Ivy Grimes: Shadow Dress (Cover)
Lucie McKnight Hardy: Carrion (For Tomorrow, Black Shuck Books)
David Hartley: Anama (Stranger, Sans. Press)
Dan Howarth: Minutes Of The AGM (Bleakwood podcast)
Ted Hughes: The Rain Horse (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Kazuo Ishiguro: A Family Supper (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Shirley Jackson: Nightmare (Just An Ordinary Day, Penguin)
Shirley Jackson: The Story We Used To Tell (Just An Ordinary Day, Penguin)
Shirley Jackson: Mrs Melville Makes A Purchase (Just An Ordinary Day, Penguin)
Shirley Jackson: One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts (Just An Ordinary Day, Penguin)
Timothy J. Jarvis: A Copy Of A Copy Is Like A Memory Deteriorating (Carmen Et Error #9.5)
Michael Kelly: The Night Will Let In (The Dark #114)
Oliviah Lawrence: Pickles (Roi Faineant Press)
Alison Littlewood: The Operculum Necklace (The Dark #111)
Roger Luckhurst: You (Supernatural Tales #56)
Rachel Abbey McCafferty: I Start My Day By Reading An Article About Climate Change (Maudlin House)
Ian McEwan: Solid Geometries (First Love, Last Rites, Picador)
Katie McIvor: Once There Was Water (The Dark #111)
Gary McMahon: All The Things We Never Said (Weird Horror #8, Undertow)
Gary McMahon: A Sitting Tennant (Strange Little Stories newsletter)
James Machin: The Borges Society (Supernatural Tales #53)
Tim Major: Ends Abruptly (Uncertainties 7, Swan River Press)
Laura Mauro: In The Kingdom Of Flowers (author's website)
Laura Mauro: Wiremother (The Dark #112)
Alison Moore: Rigor (Weird Horror #8, Undertow)
Mark Morris: Sad Face (Uncertainties 7, Swan River Press)
Lauren Mulvihill: Myself And I Alone (Stranger, Sans. Press)
Diana Olney: Underworld Essentials (Small Wonders)
Sara Omer: The Sea-Change (The Dark #109)
Eva Papasoulioto: In Blue Light (Uncanny #57)
Carl Rosenberg: The Good Old Days (Uncertainties 7, Swan River Press)
Sarah Royston: Long Player (Fernseed, The Brag)
Sarah Royston: The Well At The End Of The World (Fernseed, The Brag)
Martin Ruff: Braunhoffer's Coaches (Supernatural Tales #56)
Salman Rushdie: The Prophet's Hair (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Steve Shell: What Would You Do With This Room? (Twitter)
Robert Shearman: Lo! He Abhors Not The Virgin's Womb (We All Hear Stories In The Dark, PS Publishing)
Clive Sinclair: Bedbugs (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Phil Sloman: Fourteen (author's website)
Michael Marshall Smith: The Handover (The Best Of Michael Marshall Smith, Subterranean Press)
Michael Marshall Smith: The Gist (The Best Of Michael Marshall Smith, Subterranean Press)
Michael Marshall Smith: They Also Serve (The Best Of Michael Marshall Smith, Subterranean Press)
Michael Marshall Smith: Author Of The Death (The Best Of Michael Marshall Smith, Subterranean Press)
Muriel Spark: The House Of The Famous Poet (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Ashley Stokes: The Crumbling Edifice (For Tomorrow, Black Shuck Books)
C.J. Subko: Any Good Surface (Small Wonders)
Graham Swift: Seraglio (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)
Tia Tashiro: Mirage In Double Vision (Uncanny #58)
Jeffrey Thomas: Still Life With Extinct Animals (The Offspring Of Nightmares)
Jeffrey Thomas: He Shall Put On The Semblance Of Man (The Offspring Of Nightmares)
Mary Thorson: Lockerbie, 1988 (Cotton Xenomorph)
Mary Thorson: American Girl Doll (Reckon Review)
Steve Toase: The Ercildoun Accord (Dirt Upon My Skin, Black Shuck Books)
Steve Toase: Traverse (Dirt Upon My Skin, Black Shuck Books)
Steve Toase: Breach! (Dirt Upon My Skin, Black Shuck Books)
Molly Wadkins: I And Myself (Spillwords Press site)
Rebecca Weinert: Rent (Stranger, Sans. Press)
Neil Williamson: Bunting (The Dark #113)
Angus Wilson: More Friend Than Lodger (The Penguin Book Of Modern British Short Stories, Penguin)