Can you recommend the best weird fiction short story collections?

The collection 'The Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories' is really good. It gathers a wide range of queer short stories from different authors and time periods, giving a comprehensive view of the queer experience in short story form. Another great collection is 'Her Body and Other Parties' by Carmen Maria Machado. It has some amazing queer - themed stories that are both thought - provoking and beautifully written.

There are also collections by individual authors that are worth checking out. For example, Raymond Carver's 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love'. His stories are known for their minimalistic style yet they are deeply impactful, often exploring the relationships and the quiet desperations in people's lives.

Ray Bradbury's 'There Will Come Soft Rains' is also a great choice. It's a post - apocalyptic story where a house continues to function long after its inhabitants are gone. The way it describes the automated yet empty house in a world devoid of people is both haunting and a bit off - kilter, introducing readers to the unique feel of weird fiction in a relatively easy - to - digest way.

Sure. 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is a great very short story. It has a shocking ending that makes you think about society and traditions. Another one is 'Hills Like White Elephants' by Ernest Hemingway. It's a masterful story that conveys a lot through minimal dialogue.

One well - known 'Best British Short Story' collection is 'The Penguin Book of the British Short Story'. It features a wide range of stories from different eras and authors, giving a great overview of the richness of British short - story writing.

Ray Bradbury has a collection of short stories. Many of them are very short but are full of rich imagination. For example, 'The Veldt' is a short but thought - provoking story about the relationship between technology and family.

China Miéville's 'Perdido Street Station' is another top choice. It's set in a vivid and grotesque city called New Crobuzon. There are all kinds of strange races and creatures, and the magic system is really out there. It's a long and immersive read that takes you deep into a world that's both familiar and extremely weird.

Sure. 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka is quite a weird short story. In it, Gregor Samsa wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a giant insect. The story then follows his family's reaction to his transformation and how he tries to cope with his new form. It shows Kafka's unique view of alienation and the human condition in a very strange and unexpected way.

One great weird short story is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's about a woman's descent into madness while being confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. The story is filled with psychological horror and strange observations. Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's obsession with an old man's 'evil eye' and his subsequent actions are both eerie and fascinating. And then there's 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka, where a man wakes up one day transformed into a giant insect, exploring themes of alienation and the human condition in a truly strange way.

Sure. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman could be considered a somewhat 'weird' short story. It has a sense of psychological unease and strange observations that fit the bill.