Pen-Ultimate: A Speculative Fiction Anthology

Pen-Ultimate #1

by L.J. Cohen (Editor), Talib S. Hussain (Editor), Craig Shaw Gardner (Foreword)

From the Icelandic coast of Vík, where a Troll ship waits entombed in stone for the hand of the artist to free it, to a boy who, with the help of his alien friend, learns to create entire worlds, the stories in Pen-Ultimate showcase tales of fantastic visions, alien perceptions, and emerging awareness.

This speculative fiction anthology contains eleven stories written by graduates of the Boston area Ultimate SF Writing Workshop. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) emergency medical fund.

211 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2013

About the author

LJ Cohen is the author of ten novels across the science fiction and fantasy genres and was among the first wave of indie writers to qualify for SFWA membership. DERELICT, the first book in her Halcyone Space series, was named a Library Journal self-e select title and book of the year in 2014. Her tenth novel, EVERY SKY A STRANGER was published in September of 2026.

A retired physical therapist, LJ now uses her clinical knowledge and skills to injure characters. She serves on the board of Broad Universe as well as several local non-profits in her community. In addition to her creative work as a writer and role as a community organizer, she is also a potter and fiber artist. She lives on a homestead farm in central MA and is extremely proud of her tractor riding and tree pruning skills.

Reviews

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I find it difficult to review anthologies for obvious reasons (too many different stories!). Best story by far was The Test by Talib S. Hussain. It reminded me of a sci-fi Handmaid’s Tale. I would love to see this story expanded into a whole novel! It would definitively be on my reading list. I also quite enjoyed Serling by Meredith Watts. My main problem with most of the stories was that I prefer more background/explanation when reading sci-fi (or speculative fiction as this is called); which isn’t always possible with shorter stories. But to wrap it up, 100% of the proceeds from this book go to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s emergency medical fund, so you are supporting a good cause by buying this book and you will discover interesting stories and new writers. A win-win situation!

[George Ashmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating--unique, original and I don't get enough of either. I was especially taken with "Love and the Giant Squid"-- not like anything I had read before but I hope to read more like it.

[brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this from Goodreads Giveaways.

This is a collection of speculative fiction short stories that arose from a workshopping group, with proceeds benefiting the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) emergency medical fund. As per usual with collections, there were some stories that I preferred to others, but overall, this is a nice collection of works by up and coming authors that benefits a good cause.