Despite regular predictions to the contrary, e-books still
haven't become a threat to the dead-tree variety, and probably won't
be for some time to come. One of the obvious reasons for this
reluctance to adopt the new technology is that very few people can
work up much enthusiasm about reading a 300 page novel off a
computer screen.
Short stories, on the other hand, are brief enough to be computer
friendly, and at the same time, sufficiently underrepresented in
book shops that it can be easier to find a specific work online.
Short Stories at East of the Web is a British repository for tales
of an easily digestible length - and boasts quality, quantity, and
what is as close as possible to the hyperbole of 'something for
everybody.'
While the basic concept of making stories available online is
hardly new (neither is East of the Web for that matter - online
since at least 2000), this particular resource sets itself apart
with the impressive appearance, options, and interactivity of its
design. Contents include both newly written material (covering such
contemporary topics as office temping), as well as such classics of
the short story genre as Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger"
and Ambrose Bierce's, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." (The
latter of which, according to the site, was adapted into "The
Twilight Zone's" most popular episode ever.) With talent ranging
from current contributors to the BBC to such icons as O. Henry,
Jules Verne, Anton Chekhov, the Brothers Grimm, and Edgar Allan Poe,
EotW should be able to cater to any literary preferences.
As for the manner in which the stories are presented, East's
index page (no splash page) has more the look of a fairly high-end
online magazine or mirror for a television program than a repository
for free literature. (Liberal use of images helps the site with its
text-heavy purpose avoid having a text-heavy look.) The clean design
places navigation to the collection's nine categories (children's,
crime, fiction, horror, humour, non-fiction, romance, science
fiction and hyper-fiction) at the top of every page, and below
breaks its featured front page selection under such headings as
"Story of the Day," "Random Story," and the current listing of the
six "Top Stories." A keyword search is also available for more
specific requests.
Each story is given a one line synopsis, along with page length,
age recommendations, and a 1-5 star rating based on the opinions of
the site's visitors. Choose one of the nine categories, and you'll
be presented with a slightly modified look, but the same layout and
(now category-specific) options as the index page - with the
exception of some new browsing options replacing the story of the
day. These new options allow the visitor to concentrate on classics
or new stories, or arrange the category's collection by such
criteria as rating, story length or author.
So far, EotW's options are numerous but fairly straightforward,
but things get more interesting from a design point of view as you
proceed. Each story listing offers links both to the story itself,
and the author. The story page presents the entire text on a single
web page, separated into 'reading' pages by a JavaScripted numbering
system ("<1>") designed to minimize scrolling.
Click on the 1 (or whatever number page you're reading), and the
browser will move the top of that page to the top of your screen.
Click on the forward or backward arrow, and the next or previous
page will move to the top of the screen. …
