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20 Short Stories for Adults for Free! [PDF]

Discover the magic of short stories for adults with our incredible free collection in PDF.

Immerse yourself in captivating stories that challenge the limits of imagination and explore the deepest aspects of the human condition.

These short stories for adults will transport you to fascinating worlds and challenge you to reflect on life, love, death, and all that makes us human.

From thrilling suspenseful tales to heartwarming love stories, our collection spans a wide range of genres and themes to cater to all tastes.

Get ready to experience an emotional rollercoaster through the pages of these captivating short stories for adults.

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Short Stories for Adults

The Yellow Wall-Papper

Charlotte Perkins Stetson

The Yellow Wall-Papper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson is a story that follows the story of a woman who fights against oppression and misogyny in a patriarchal society. The narrative explores themes of mental health, identity and the fight for autonomy in a context dominated by male figures.

Dubliners

James Joyce

Dubliners by James Joyce is a collection of short stories exploring the lives of ordinary people in Dublin. Each story offers a detailed look at the characters' struggles, frustrations, and significant moments in a realistic and insightful style.

The Birthday of the Infanta

Oscar Wilde

The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde is a richly detailed narrative that blends beauty with tragedy, exploring complex themes of love, loss, and human nature.

Rip Van Winkle

Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is a classic tale that tells the story of Rip Van Winkle, a kind-hearted man who lives in an old-time town. The story follows Rip as he ventures into the Catskill Mountains, where he experiences a deep sleep that leads him to wake up in a completely changed world.

The Body Snatcher

Robert Louis Stevenson

The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson, this short story focuses on a group of men who meet regularly at an inn and become involved in a mysterious encounter with a renowned doctor. The story explores themes of identity, morality, and the weight of past actions.

The Nose

Nikolai Gogol

The Nose by Nikolai Gogol is an absurd and satirical tale that tells the strange story of a barber who finds a nose in a bun in Saint Petersburg. This discovery triggers a series of comical and peculiar events in the plot.

The Most Dangerous Game (aka The Hounds of Zaroff)

Richard Connell

The Most Dangerous Game (aka The Hounds of Zaroff) by Richard Connell, is a classic work of literature that tells a story of action and adventure with horror overtones. The plot follows two hunters, one turned prey on a mysterious island.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, is a psychological horror story that tells the story of an insecure narrator, obsessed with the smell of a homemidable, getting up to commit a murder.

The Great Keinplatz Experiment

Sir. Arhutr Conan Doyle

The Great Keinplatz Experiment by Sir. Arhutr Conan Doyle, this book tells a story about a peculiar experiment carried out in the fictional town of Keinplatz. Through an immersive narrative and intriguing characters, The Book explores themes of scientific curiosity and human behavior.

The Monkey's Paw

W. W. Jacobs

The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs, this book tells the story of a magical monkey's paw that grants its owner three wishes, with unexpected and tragic consequences. The plot revolves around themes of destiny, consequences and the supernatural, creating a captivating and somber narrative.

Desiree’s Baby

Kate Chopin

Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, this book tells the story of Desiree, a young woman of unknown origin who is taken in by the Valmonde family and later marries Armand Aubigny. Following the birth of his son, mysterious changes arise in Armand's attitude toward Desiree, setting off a series of events that reveal shocking secrets about Desiree's identity and past.

The Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, this book tells the story of Montresor, who plans and executes his revenge against Fortunato, taking him to the catacombs beneath his palace with the promise of tasting a rare wine, Amontillado. Once there, he chains Fortunato to a wall and buries him alive in a stone wall, leaving him to die in a sinister and premeditated act of revenge.

The Colour Out of Space

H.P. Lovecraft

The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft, the story tells of a supernatural and terrifying event that affects a family on a farm, where an unknown and alien color causes devastating consequences.

Boule de Suif

Guy de Mauppassant

Boule de Suif by Guy de Mauppassant, this book tells the story of ten travelers trapped in a stagecoach and then in a hotel, located in France in 1870 after the defeat by the Prussian army. The work explores themes such as class divisions, social hypocrisy, group oppression, and emotional and moral betrayals in a specific context that reveals universal tensions.

Tales of the Alhambra

Washington Irving

Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving, this document presents a collection of stories and essays set in the Alhambra, a historic castle in Granada, Spain. The tales combine Spanish and Eastern elements, reviving the royal traditions and whimsical legends of the Alhambra.

To Build a Fire

Jack London

To Build a Fire by Jack London, this tale follows the misadventures of a man and his dog in a frigid and challenging environment, exploring themes of survival and fighting against unforgiving nature.

Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street

Herman Melville

Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story Of Wall-street by Herman Melville, is a lawyer-centered narrative that describes the life of a strange clerk named Bartleby, whose peculiar behavior defies understanding.

The Lady with the Toy Dog

Anton Chekhov

The Lady with the Little Dog by Anton Chekhov is a story that follows Dmitri Gomov, a married man who begins an affair with Anna Sergueyevna, a woman who is also engaged. The narrative explores the complexities of love, infidelity and human emotions against a backdrop of society and social conventions.

The Killers

Ernest Hemingway

The Killers by Ernest Hemingway is a short story that follows two men in a restaurant as they trigger unexpected events, revealing tensions and a planned act of violence.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, this book tells the story of a man sentenced to death during the American Civil War. As he is about to be executed on a bridge, he experiences an intense sequence of events that defy reality and explore themes such as time perception and mortality.

Here ends our selection of free Short Stories for Adults books in PDF format. We hope you liked it and already have your next book!

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