One characteristic is the unexpected plot twists. In 'best new weird short fiction', the stories often take you in directions you don't anticipate. For instance, a character might suddenly find themselves in a completely different reality.
They often have a sense of the uncanny. For example, they might have strange settings like an otherworldly city or a forest that defies the laws of nature.
A new weird story I've heard involves a person who wakes up one day to find that their reflection in the mirror has a life of its own. The reflection starts to make different choices, like wearing different clothes and having different hairstyles. It's a really strange concept that makes you think about identity and self - perception.
One of the best is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's a disturbing tale of a woman's descent into madness, with the strange yellow wallpaper in her room playing a central and eerie role. The story uses the setting and the woman's psychological state to create a sense of the uncanny.
H.P. Lovecraft's 'The Call of Cthulhu' is also great. It has this Lovecraftian horror with the ancient, otherworldly entity Cthulhu. The way he builds the atmosphere of a world filled with cosmic horror that is beyond human understanding is what makes it stand out.
Another good new weird story is 'The Invisible World Beneath'. It tells the story of a group of scientists who discover an invisible world that exists right beneath our feet. This world has its own set of rules and creatures that are completely different from what we know. The scientists struggle to understand and communicate with these strange beings.
The best weird short stories are appealing because they break the norms. They take the readers to places they've never expected. For example, in Kafka's works, the absurd situations like a man turning into an insect make us question our own existence and the world we live in. It's like a jolt to our normal thinking patterns.
One great weird short story is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's about a woman's descent into madness while being confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. The story is filled with psychological horror and strange observations. Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's obsession with an old man's 'evil eye' and his subsequent actions are both eerie and fascinating. And then there's 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka, where a man wakes up one day transformed into a giant insect, exploring themes of alienation and the human condition in a truly strange way.
'Annihilation' by Jeff VanderMeer is also among the top new weird fantasy novels. The area known as Area X is filled with strange and otherworldly creatures and phenomena. The main character's journey into this unknown and dangerous place is full of mystery and horror. The writing style is vivid and really draws you into this very different and disturbing world.