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Flashdogs: An Anthology
Flash fiction is the art of the extremely short story. Native to the intense competition of the Internet flash arenas, the Flashdogs are an international pack of flash fiction writers committed to pushing the envelope of the form.
Collected here in the first-ever Flashdogs anthology for charity, you will find one-hundred and ten stories by thirty-four writers from around the globe. Running the gamut from dark comedy to science fiction to poetry, this anthology showcases the diversity of the pack with open submissions as well as a prompted story from each writer.
In these pages you will find addicts and astronauts, dragons and demons, mothers and madmen. Charmed by magicians and haunted by ghosts, you may find yourself reading straight through supper. The Flashdogs’ stories will sweep you into a hundred universes served in small bites anyone can enjoy.
Any proceeds from the book will go to The Flashdogs' chosen children's book charity. See the website for more details.
Collected here in the first-ever Flashdogs anthology for charity, you will find one-hundred and ten stories by thirty-four writers from around the globe. Running the gamut from dark comedy to science fiction to poetry, this anthology showcases the diversity of the pack with open submissions as well as a prompted story from each writer.
In these pages you will find addicts and astronauts, dragons and demons, mothers and madmen. Charmed by magicians and haunted by ghosts, you may find yourself reading straight through supper. The Flashdogs’ stories will sweep you into a hundred universes served in small bites anyone can enjoy.
Any proceeds from the book will go to The Flashdogs' chosen children's book charity. See the website for more details.
- GenresShort Stories
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2014
5 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Mark A. King
17 books16 followersMark A. King was born and raised in London and is from Irish descent .
Metropolitan Dreams, his debut novel, was released in January 2017.
He is passionate about short fiction and has been published in several magazines and anthologies.
King is a founder of FlashDogs, a global community of talented flash fiction writers who have donated the proceeds of their anthologies to global children's literacy charities.
King created the increasingly popular #vss365 hashtag on Twitter to encourage daily short fiction writing, this work has now been taken forward by a team of dedicated volunteers.
His work has been described as gritty and realistic, and reviewers have compared his work to Neil Gaiman and Philip K. Dick.
He is working on Metropolitan Fear, a sequel to Metropolitan Dreams which will be based in New York.
King is honoured to be a British Fantasy Society Emerging Horizons author.
He lives with his family in Norfolk, England.
Metropolitan Dreams, his debut novel, was released in January 2017.
He is passionate about short fiction and has been published in several magazines and anthologies.
King is a founder of FlashDogs, a global community of talented flash fiction writers who have donated the proceeds of their anthologies to global children's literacy charities.
King created the increasingly popular #vss365 hashtag on Twitter to encourage daily short fiction writing, this work has now been taken forward by a team of dedicated volunteers.
His work has been described as gritty and realistic, and reviewers have compared his work to Neil Gaiman and Philip K. Dick.
He is working on Metropolitan Fear, a sequel to Metropolitan Dreams which will be based in New York.
King is honoured to be a British Fantasy Society Emerging Horizons author.
He lives with his family in Norfolk, England.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 13, 2014
This anthology presents over one hundred micro-stories from a broad range of authors, spanning the genre from poetry to flash fiction with entire story arcs contained in tiny word counts. Flash fiction is a tricky art requiring that rarest of authorial traits—restraint. I was impressed by the variety and valor of the The Flashdogs. An interesting rhythm unifies this collection. Each writer had up to three short independent pieces, followed by a prompt piece, which was dependent on a photograph presented at the front of the book. I enjoyed the pieces written for the prompt; it was fascinating to see how thirty-four different imaginations reacted to one image.
Story highlights included: Witch Pegs by David Shakes, a creepy piece that chilled me to my bones; Rain Dance by Beth Deitchman, a vivid, well-told tale; The Writer’s Mill, by Casey Rose Frank, darkly funny and striking; On The Web by Jacki Donnellan, a simple yet potent piece; The Code by Rebekah Postupak, a fully realized fantasy tale; Issue P14 by Elaine Marie McKay, science fiction looking at the all-too-human tendencies of desperate parents; Glassfire by Chris Milam, an edgy look behind the curtain of addiction; and Lilies by Eric Martell, a story that explored the horrors of virulent illness.
If you’ve never read flash fiction before, Flashdogs would be a good place to start to see a spectrum of its possibilities.
Story highlights included: Witch Pegs by David Shakes, a creepy piece that chilled me to my bones; Rain Dance by Beth Deitchman, a vivid, well-told tale; The Writer’s Mill, by Casey Rose Frank, darkly funny and striking; On The Web by Jacki Donnellan, a simple yet potent piece; The Code by Rebekah Postupak, a fully realized fantasy tale; Issue P14 by Elaine Marie McKay, science fiction looking at the all-too-human tendencies of desperate parents; Glassfire by Chris Milam, an edgy look behind the curtain of addiction; and Lilies by Eric Martell, a story that explored the horrors of virulent illness.
If you’ve never read flash fiction before, Flashdogs would be a good place to start to see a spectrum of its possibilities.
February 28, 2015
Disclosure: I'm one of the contributors to this book. However, please don't let that put you off!
I've been looking forward to reading this anthology very much. I'm in the lucky position of getting to read stories by many of these authors every week, as FlashDogs are keen competitors in online flash fiction contests. And this anthology delivered beyond my (rather high) expectations. I found some stories that I already knew and loved, and some new ones which showed a new side to a writer I thought I was familiar with. I particularly enjoyed the photo prompt stories; over 30 different interpretations of one black and white photo. Of course I had my favourites, but I'm not going to single any out in the review because I think that's a matter of personal taste and nothing to do with the quality of the stories themselves. If I could give 4.5 stars to the book, I would; I think with an anthology it's harder to achieve the uniform amazingness which would earn 5 stars.
Overall, this anthology is very reasonably-priced for 110 stories and 320 pages. It looks beautiful, and is well-produced - well done to the editorial and production team, who all, like the writers, gave their time and their work for free. And possibly the best thing about the anthology is that all profits benefit IBBY, an international charity which promotes child literacy.
So I've given you many good reasons to read this book. I'm aware that further anthologies are planned, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
I've been looking forward to reading this anthology very much. I'm in the lucky position of getting to read stories by many of these authors every week, as FlashDogs are keen competitors in online flash fiction contests. And this anthology delivered beyond my (rather high) expectations. I found some stories that I already knew and loved, and some new ones which showed a new side to a writer I thought I was familiar with. I particularly enjoyed the photo prompt stories; over 30 different interpretations of one black and white photo. Of course I had my favourites, but I'm not going to single any out in the review because I think that's a matter of personal taste and nothing to do with the quality of the stories themselves. If I could give 4.5 stars to the book, I would; I think with an anthology it's harder to achieve the uniform amazingness which would earn 5 stars.
Overall, this anthology is very reasonably-priced for 110 stories and 320 pages. It looks beautiful, and is well-produced - well done to the editorial and production team, who all, like the writers, gave their time and their work for free. And possibly the best thing about the anthology is that all profits benefit IBBY, an international charity which promotes child literacy.
So I've given you many good reasons to read this book. I'm aware that further anthologies are planned, and I can't wait to see what comes next!
January 1, 2015
I was attracted to this book as I'm familiar with some of the authors' work and know it is quality fiction. There are a range of ideas from new, fantastical worlds to reflections on day-to-day life, with striking contributions from Natalie Bowers, Jacki Donnellan, Catherine Connolly, Pam Plumb and Emily June Street. The stories are entertaining and interesting.
My one criticism is that as a Flashdogs anthology, I was expecting purely flash fiction. Many of the stories slip into short story territory with word counts over the length I'd expect from flash fiction; some feel like extracts from longer pieces. There are, however, some standouts for me in terms of achieving a perfectly constructed flash fiction and these include: 'One For The Road' by David Shakes, 'The Tinkerer' by Andrew Patch, 'On A Sunday Night' by Casey Rose Frank, and 'Trainers' by Sal Page.
It is a highly enjoyable read, and it's an anthology I'd recommend.
My one criticism is that as a Flashdogs anthology, I was expecting purely flash fiction. Many of the stories slip into short story territory with word counts over the length I'd expect from flash fiction; some feel like extracts from longer pieces. There are, however, some standouts for me in terms of achieving a perfectly constructed flash fiction and these include: 'One For The Road' by David Shakes, 'The Tinkerer' by Andrew Patch, 'On A Sunday Night' by Casey Rose Frank, and 'Trainers' by Sal Page.
It is a highly enjoyable read, and it's an anthology I'd recommend.
January 5, 2015
A wonderful collection of short fiction with stories covering as wide a range of subjects and genres as you would expect from thirty-four diverse and talented writers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews