Inevitably, reading Wolfe's short stories always makes me feel a bit dumb. If you've ever read Wolfe's work, you're familiar with his very unique style. You really have to pay attention to every detail if you want to get the most out of his fiction. With his novels, there's enough different pieces in them that if you miss some you can still get a lot out of it.

However, with his short fiction, sometimes they are so oblique that I finish the story and just say "huh"? On the other hand, when I do grok the story, it's often incredibly rewarding. It's amazing just how stuff he can pack into so few pages.

I wouldn't recommend his short stories for those new to Wolfe (the Wizard Knight is probably the easiest way to start), but if you've enjoyed his novels the short stories are definitely worth a shot.