This selection of stories, drawn from over 50 years of writing by acclaimed New Wave pioneer and author M. John Harrison, is replete with fissures and portals into parallel dimensions, and follows backstreet occultists, amateur philosophers, down-and-outs or refugees, building worlds both unreal and all-too real.

One of the most prestigious awards for the short story has reached its eleventh year. Hugely successful, the BBC National Short Story Award, in partnership with Booktrust, awards 15,000 to the winning author, with 3000 going to the runner-up. Featuring an all-female shortlist of fantastic writers, the winner will be announced 4th October.

Jenni Fagan, Benjamin Markovits and Helen Oyeyemi, three of Granta's recent `20 under 40', are joined by critic and novelist, Will Eaves and Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize winner, Cynan Jones on the 2017 shortlist.

Now celebrating its fifteenth year, the BBC Award is one of the most prestigious for a single short story, with previous alumni including Zadie Smith, Hilary Mantel and Mark Haddon.

The BBC NSSA is one of the most prestigious prizes for a single short story, with the winning author receiving GBP15,000, and four further shortlisted authors GBP600 each.

Ramallah, the de facto capital of the West Bank, hemmed in and suffocated by the Occupation as the Oslo Peace Accords have failed. The stories collected here showcase the resilience and humour of its people, who continue to live through countless sieges, and yet still find the time, and resourcefulness, to create.