NEW!!! (January, 2004)

Eclectica Best Fiction Volume One is now available for ordering! Just send us an email at editors@eclectica.org. Tell us your name, address, and how many books you'd like. We'll send you an electronic invoice. Currently, payment options include, check, money-order, or credit card through Paypal.

Books are $20 plus shipping and handling. Wisconsin residents pay approximately 5% sales tax (varies by county).

For a printable PDF copy of the Sales Sheet for this anthology, click HERE.

What some folks have had to say about Eclectica Best Fiction

"It had to happen: the Web is re-birthing the Short Story. Web stories are leaner, snappier, sexier, and their afterglow lasts longer. They have to be captivating, mysterious, erotic, and ultra-hip. These stories from Eclectica are path-blazers. Now that they are in a book, old-fashioned readers can also delight in their startling freshness."

     —ANDREI CODRESCU is the publisher of Exquisite Corpse,
     where the web-story also thrives.

"This work stands as proof that the Internet is now producing fiction the talent, originality, and polish of which rivals and often exceeds that in most 'print' magazines and journals. It is overall superb."

     —JAMES PURDY is an artist and the author of over
     fifty volumes of fiction, drama, and poetry.

"What an extraordinary book of short fiction... a kind of roadmap showing where such work has been and where it may be going. Some is true narrative; some is pure mood and tone that sits in itself quiet as a bird's nest. But none of these voices are boring or mutilated by self-satisfaction. Rather, they tremble with life and a vision of tomorrow."

     —HARRY CREWS is the author of 15 novels and was
      the namesake for the 1980's band featuring Kim Gordon.

"This is a rare collection of stories, a revelation of new talents."

     —DEBRA MAGPIE EARLING is the author of Perma Red,
     a book Sherman Alexie called the "Rosetta Stone" of Native
     American literature.

The Back Story

In 1996 when Eclectica was founded, it was not clear if authors would send their good work for no other compensation than a commitment to high editorial standards, the potential to reach a global audience, and the promise that their work would never go out of "print." Seven years, thirty-seven issues, and hundreds of contributors later, the answer has turned out to be a resounding yes. The Eclectica Best Fiction anthology contains thirty stories that not only represent the fine fiction that can still be found in Eclectica's online archives, but that also and especially show an astonishing cross-section of life and literature from all corners of the planet.

Culling thirty favorites was no easy task. The number of great stories to choose from was humbling, and while we have no regrets about the stories we chose, it was hard to leave out the ones we didn't. We can only hope there'll be a Volume Two. In the meantime, this anthology is a thank you to all Eclectica contributors past, present, and future.

These are the final selections (some stories have been edited/altered slightly for print publication):