The word “small” often tends to denote something insignificant, something easily overlooked. The Best Small Fictions 2016, guest-edited by Stuart Dybek, completely obliterates that notion: there is nothing insignificant about these small stories. They boom and jump off the page, impossible to ignore.Read full review at NewPages.

This is one collection not to be missed! Brilliant work! WOW! I savored each story and let each slowly melt on my tongue! Get a copy! This is a collection to be read in classrooms. Don't miss out on reading this exceptional anthology! LOVE!!! ox

"Readers, don’t let the word 'small' throw you off. This year’s edition of The Best Small Fictions redefines the word with writing that towers above the rest." --NewPages"The Best Small Fictions 2016 lives up to offering the best in the field. All the stories in the collection offer the reader something unique. . . . These stories show that there is much more to a short fiction than being a 'small' story. It is a craft and an art that shows that greater things can be delivered with fewer words."...

lots of goodies here

(3.5) Best Small Fictions 2016 collects 45 super-short stories that stand out for their structure, voice, and character development—all in spite of often extreme brevity. Humor and pathos provide sharp pivot points. It helps to have an unusual perspective, like that of a Venus flytrap observing a household’s upheavals (Janey Skinner’s “Carnivores”), or of potential names gathering around a baptismal font (Alberto Chimal’s “The Waterfall”). Hard as it is to choose from such a diverse bunch, I do

The Best Small Fictions 2016 guest editor Stuart Dybek series editor Tara L. Masih(reviewed from an Advanced Reader's Copy)I love flash fiction! I loved the premier release of The Best Small Fictions in 2015 and this is certainly a worthy follow-up. This time the guest editor is Stuart Dybek one of my all time favorite writers. There is definitely a bit of a different tone to this edition, a bit darker it seemed to me, many stories dealing with death and loss and disappointment. There are great

This is a fantastic collection of small fictions, and introduced me to many new flash authors I haven't heard of. I was also impressed with the range of journals represented here--it shows that there are, in fact, a good number of presses running excellent flash fiction (if you had any doubts).The stories range from dark and creepy ("Milk Teeth" by A. Nicole Kelly; "Pitcher of Cream" by Caitlin Scarano) to the familial and domestic ("Healing Time" by Paul Beckman; "Reunion" by Megan Giddings; "T...

I received a free copy of this book for review from the editor. I would actually rate this 3.5 stars if possible on Goodreads. I am a reader and writer of fiction but I am by no means an expert in either. I have only been studying the flash fiction form for a couple of years and am much more in tune with the "standard" short story form (5 to 20 pages). I love flash fiction, but sometimes it goes right over my head. While Stuart Dybek is a very well-respected author, I am unfamiliar with much of

Upfront: my story "Carnivores" is included in this collection, so I have a natural bias. That said, I was so impressed with the range and scope of the stories included in this collection. There were meta-fictions of the style I might associate with Borges, and stories of suspense. There were poignant portraits of characters at a turning point, and stories that read like poems. Some of my favorites: "Trifle" by Mary-Jane Holmes,"World's Worst Clown" by James Kennedy; "Healing Time" by Paul Beckma...

So I've written a full review of this which can be found at Enclave. Here's an excerpt and the link:"The Best Small Fictions series is officially two for two – it can boast the most important book published last year with BSF 2015 and the most important book published this year with BSF 2016. And as it continues to establish itself alongside such renowned series as Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories, this significance will not wane."http://enclave.entropymag.org/review-.....

There's a great range of flash fiction in this collection and there's a lot to like. "Carnivores" by Janey Skinner is my favorite out of the entire anthology because of how original the POV is, how it makes new an overused trope in literary fiction (which I won't tell you what it is because it spoils the story). I'm glad these anthologies exist because flash fiction deserves to be held in the same regard as great poetry, great short stories, great novels.

Some of these were great, some a little confusing, some I didn't really "get" at all. I admired most of them because short fiction seems harder to do well since economy of words is paramount. I couldn't read these quickly, since each story was packed with meaning in few words, and I could only read a 2 or 3 at a time. I will have to say that this is the first time I ever read a story narrated by a Venus Flytrap, and it was my favorite.Thanks to the publisher for sending me this copy to read and

Here we have a splendid variety of short-shorts, realistic, fantastic, prose poem-ish, stories.This collection includes a healthy weight of surrealism. Some of my favorites include: "Carnivores" by Janey Skinner explores mothers eating their young, "A New Cycle" by Nathan Leslie where boys mysteriously live in a chamber filled with dogs, and "First Night" where a couple rents a home filled with snow.And then some beautifully humorous pieces: "The Physics of Satellites" by Amir Adam where a docto...

With each story read I thought, "this is the best" and thedy all turned out to be the best. Of course I have some favorites and there were no stories I didn't like. An exceptional collection and (full dissclosure) My story "Healing Time" is in this book.

This book is like a mouth full of pop rocks. The stories get inside you and explode. The best is truly represented here. The arrangement was perfect. How else should you end a flash fiction anthology but with Etgar Keret's "The Story Victorious"?

I received an Advance Review Copy of The Best Small Fictions 2016. Review to be published at the Bath Flash Fiction Award. Rating to follow.

My reading of this book, as well as other flash fiction collections, is partly influenced by my desire to become proficient at this form. Ironically, I read this collection before putting my hands on the first volume, published in 2015.As a reader, each story is a pleasure in itself. I loved picking up this book each time I had a chance to read because I experienced that thrill of wondering what I would read next with each story. The genre itself is fascinating because it encompasses a wide rang...