Those of us who love short stories know the magic behind a well-told tale.

There are times when you

just need a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And you need it fast.

Well, we’ve got some great news:A lot of incredible short stories are actually available online, and you
can read them for free right now. It’s the perfect way to spend a lunch break, the moments while dinner
is in the oven, or your last few minutes before bedtime. Without further ado, here’s our list of great
short stories you can read for free right now. The list features a blend of works from contemporary
authors, as well as short stories from your favorite classic authors.

Contemporary Short Stories

These stories are by contemporary authors.If you’ve never read these authors before, their free short
stories will give you a taste of their style before you commit to one of their longer works. There’s
something for everyone, with stories in genres ranging from sci-fi to historical fiction to horror.

 “The Hunter’s Wife” by Anthony Doerr

 “Premium Harmony” by Stephen King

 “Theory on the Origins of Time” by Maggie Shipstead

 “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin

 “Broads” by Roxane Gay

 “And of Clay We Are Created” by Isabel Allende

 “Girls, At Play” by Celeste Ng

 “Ghosts and Empties” by Lauren Groff

 “Alma” by Junot Díaz

 “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu

 “The Faery Handbag” by Kelly Link

 “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” by Ted Chiang

 “The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere” by John Chu

 “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell

 “Younger Women” by Karen Joy Fowler

 “Queenie” by Alice Munro

Classic Short Stories

If you haven’t read these classic short stories, you’re missing out. Cozy up and take 15 minutes to read
one of these short stories today.

 The Nine Stories collection by J.D. Salinger

 “The Dead” by James Joyce

  “The Lady with the Little Dog” by Anton Chekhov

 “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

 “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs

 “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

 “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain

 “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville

 “In the Penal Colony” by Franz Kafka

 “Symbols and Signs” by Vladimir Nabokov

 “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury

What are your favorite short stories?