L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume XXIV

by Algis Budrys (Editor / Contributor), Robert Castillo (Contributor), Paula R. Stiles (Contributor)

Contents:
Why there are the Contests by Algis Budrys
A Man in the Moon by Philip Edward Kaldon, illustrated by William Ruhlig
Bitter Dreams by Ian McHugh, illustrated by Robert J. Hall, Jr.
Taking a Mile by J. Kathleen Cheney, illustrated by James Galindo
Circulate by L. Ron Hubbard
Crown of Thorns by Sonia Helbig, illustrated by William Ruhlig
Hangar Queen by Patrick Lundrigan, illustrated by Robert Castillo
Snakes and Ladders by Paula R. Stiles, illustrated by Gustavo Bollinger
The Well-adjusted Writer by Rebecca Moesta
Epiphany by Laura Bradley Rede, illustrated by Alexandra D. Szweryn
Cruciger by Erin Cashier, illustrated by Stephen R. Stanley
Circuit by J.D. EveryHope, illustrated by Brittany J. Jackson
A War Bird in the Belly of the Mouse by David Parish-Whittaker, illustrated by Sean Kibbe
The Four C's to Success by Cliff Nielsen
Simulacrum's Children by Sarah L. Edwards, illustrated by Kyle Phillips
The Bird Reader's Granddaughter by Kim A. Gillett, illustrated by Ilya Shkipin
The Girl Who Whispered Beauty by Al Bogdan, illustrated by Stephen Knox

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

526 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 8, 2008

About the author

Algis Budrys was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome, John A. Sentry, William Scarff, Paul Janvier, and Sam & Janet Argo.

Called "AJ" by friends, Budrys was born Algirdas Jonas Budrys in Königsberg in East Prussia. He was the son of the consul general of the Lithuanian government, (the pre-World War II government still recognized after the war by the United States, even though the Soviet-sponsored government was in power throughout most of Budrys's life). His family was sent to the United States by the Lithuanian government in 1936 when Budrys was 5 years old. During most of his adult life, he held a captain's commission in the Free Lithuanian Army.

Budrys was educated at the University of Miami, and later at Columbia University in New York. His first published science fiction story was The High Purpose, which appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1952. Beginning in 1952 Budrys worked as editor and manager for such science fiction publishers as Gnome Press and Galaxy Science Fiction. Some of his science fiction in the 1950s was published under the pen name "John A. Sentry", a reconfigured Anglification of his Lithuanian name. Among his other pseudonyms in the SF magazines of the 1950s and elsewhere, several revived as bylines for vignettes in his magazine Tomorrow Speculative Fiction, is "William Scarff". He also wrote several stories under the names "Ivan Janvier" or "Paul Janvier." He also used the pen name "Alger Rome" in his collaborations with Jerome Bixby.

Budrys's 1960 novella Rogue Moon was nominated for a Hugo Award, and was later anthologized in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two (1973). His Cold War science fiction novel Who? was adapted for the screen in 1973. In addition to numerous Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominations, Budrys won the Science Fiction Research Association's 2007 Pilgrim Award for lifetime contributions to speculative fiction scholarship. In 2009, he was the recipient of one of the first three Solstice Awards presented by the SFWA in recognition of his contributions to the field of science fiction.

Budrys was married to Edna Duna; they had four sons. He last resided in Evanston, Illinois. He died at home, from metastatic malignant melanoma on June 9, 2008.

Reviews

[Barbara]

Some stories I really loved ("Taking a Mile" by J. Kathleen Cheney, "Hangar Queen" by Patrick Lundrigan, and "Cruciger" by Erin Cashier were my favorites), some left me disappointed or indifferent, and the rest fell somewhere in between. Overall, I enjoyed more of the stories than not, so worth a read.

[Jared Millet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've noticed these Writers of the Future volumes in bookstores for years, but I never actually read one until I started entering the contest myself. (That pretty much sums up the market for short fiction: like poetry, it's only read by those who want to write it.) Anyway, given that these are all previously unpublished writers (at least in the pro markets) the stories here are fairly outstanding - better overall quality than the average issue of Analog or Asimov's.

My faves in this volume:
"Bitter Dreams" - a Gunslinger-style take on the Australian Outback,
"Hangar Queen" - an old-school Artificial Intelligence/space battle story,
"Circuit" - in which a subversive book is the main character, and
"The Girl Who Whispered Beauty" - a story that's practically a Brian Froud painting come to life.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the stories in this book-- most of which I found very good-- my favorites were Taking a Mile and Epiphany.

[T. Mason Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading short stories because they fit better in my daily schedule. I picked this up and read every story, enjoying most of them. I felt each of the authors were very imaginative. I thought the best story was Circuit and found it emotionally moving. I also thought Bitter Dreams, Cruciger, and Simulacrum's Children were exceptional. This is a wonderful contest to have for new and old writers who are striving to make it professionally. I will be reading more volumes.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not usually a big short story reader, but I wanted to see what sorts of things are getting people published today. There are a few nice pieces in this book (I especially liked "Epiphany" and "Simulacrum's Children"), but mostly I was underwhelmed. It seems like the Writers of the Future judges are looking more for something edgy and unique than they are simply a good sci-fi or fantasy story.

[Lancelot Schaubert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume has as many golden nuggets as turds. I would recommend these stories:

Bitter Dreams
Snakes and Ladders
Circuit
& Cruciger

Cruciger specifically deals with A.I., linguistics, and culture preservation in a way I've yet to see another story duplicate. I can see why it took first in its quarter.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given out free at Festival of Books and it was fun to read the short stories of aspiring writers. Some of them were very clever ideas and enjoyable stories. If you have a chance and like Sci Fi or Fantasy at all you might enjoy these as a quick read. Makes you realize how much talent there may be out there that never gets published.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the two Writers of the Future audiobooks (Vol. 23 & Vol. 24), I enjoyed this one the most. A diverse collection of well crafted tales. Absolutely the best of the upcoming authors. Hard to nail down my favorites in the collection since there were so many good ones, and that makes for a good read.

[Anthony Patten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining collection! Fans of robots especially should pick this one up.

[Bruce Deming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this volume excellent in variety, quality of writing, entertainment and unique ideas. It was a new satisfying adventure in imagination.

[Dan Bischoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good stories, some OK. All in all, very entertaining.

[Josehf Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book I like to return to it from time to time