Dead Letters, Mario Milosevic

This gem about a man who writes letters on behalf of dead people is a fine example of the character/conflict/crisis/change structure in the best way possible: we want him to change, but we don’t, so it makes for an edge-of-the-seat read. I’d originally read it when it was published in Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1997, probably in a copy in the library’s reading room. I spent years trying to remember this story’s title, and more years trying to get my hands on another copy of it. When all was said and done, I paid a great deal of money for a back issue of the original magazine in which I’d read it. Today? It’s available on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B004JU0IXG

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Lately I’ve been working on the overwhelming task of thinning out my book collection; it’s something no book lover likes to do, but let’s face it, every once in a while it has to be done, either to clear clutter or make room for more.

It’s no surprise that a good portion of my collection is devoted to short story collections. I’ve read my share of great stories, and I’ve read my share of awful ones—but I’ve also read my share of a few that blew me away to the point at which I’ll never forget them. So instead of doing a typical “Top” list, I decided instead to focus on ones which fall into the last category (please note that in my “about” descriptions I tried to be spoiler-free). Do you have any that have made a lasting impression on you? Leave them in the comments.