L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future 13

by L. Ron Hubbard (Editor)

Embark on fantastic journeys through the limitless expanse of space and the boundless edges of time with these creative and engrossing stories by the best new writers of science fiction and fantasy--the winners of the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future Contest.

For almost 15 years, this widely heralded, award-winning anthology series has been propelling readers into realms beyond time and space, parallel worlds and alternate realities and place at the infinite edges of the imagination. The impetus for these startling voyages has come from the best new writers of speculative fiction--the winners of the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future Contest. Frank Frazetta, cover artist.
Contents:
Welcome to the future by Dave Wolverton;
-- The Scent of Desire / Bo Griffin; illustrated by David T. Hubbard;
-- Recursion / S. Seaport; illustrated by Patrick Haslow;
-- Altar / Malcolm Twigg; illustrated by Mia Hopper;

The fast production writer by L. Ron Hubbard;

-- White Jade / Janet Martin; illustrated by Igor Baranko;
-- Orange / Sara Backer; illustrated by Ulia Semenenko;
-- Black on Black / Kyle David Jelle; illustrated by Jack Hines;

The art of love by Ron Lindahn;

-- A Prayer for the Insect Gods / Morgan Burke; illustrated by Karen Pollitt;
-- The Winds / Heidi Stallman; illustrated by Nathan Hale;
-- The Garden / Cati Coe; illustrated by Eric Williams;

Only half the equation by Ed Gorman;

-- Wings / Alan Smale; illustrated by Arthur Roberg;
-- The Gods Perspire / Ken Rand; illustrated by Viktoria Dunayeva;

The biggest little job in fiction by Janet Berliner;

-- Troder / David L. Felts; illustrated by Eric Williams;
-- For the Strength of the Hills / Lee Allred; illustrated by Steve Turner;

About Writers of the Future by Dave Wolverton;
About the contest.

-----
L. Ron Hubbard (Lafayette Ronald Hubbard) USA (1911 - 1986).
Algis Budrys (Algirdas Jonas Budrys) USA (1931 - 2008) aka Frank Mason.

Genres: Science Fiction

Paperback

First published October 30, 1996

About the author

L. Ron Hubbard is universally acclaimed as the single most influential author and humanitarian of this modern age. His definitive works on the mind and spirit—comprising over 350 million copies in circulation and more than 40 international bestsellers—have resulted in a legacy benefiting millions and a movement spanning all cultures.

Reviews

[K. Rezaiezadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some winners, some dull. Fairly typical for a Sci-Fi collection - I think Wings was probably my favorite of the stories.

[Chris Duval · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing quality does not fall below an acceptable floor--a good thing.

Coe's story was interesting for its dystopian left-informed world; it followed a right-anarchist, paranoid tale that I found ideologically abhorrent. The last story, despite the LDS preachiness of the ending, is worth reading. Its an alt-history, but one premised on changed events of the Utah War of 1857. I enjoyed looking up the unfamiliar events to see the departures from history.

[Jim Dunlop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me really reminisce for the days of the 1990s when science fiction seemed to be on the cusp of something new and interesting. Some of the stories were snoozers, but a majority of them were very good. My favourites were after the rainbow and Requiem for a Dream Watcher.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

the writers in this anthology are new, or at least were when the anthology was put together (1997) but I actually found it more interesting and entertaining than many anthologies that contain experienced writers. I thought this book was excellent. Some of the stores were stronger than others. But some of them that stood out were very good:

The opening story "The Scent of Desire" was about a man who was so -year-old tThat His over's guide, and the conflict he has when he truly falls in love with a woman and fierce killing her. The story was unique but I did enjoy it as much as some of the others. A story that stands out is Recursion, about a young man it was the power to move himself back in time to when he is younger. I always thought it would be interesting to relive the years of my young adulthood knowing what would happen and being able to change the history of my life. This story discussed what would happen if that could be true.

Alter is the story of two diplomats on a distant planet where the natives are unfailingly polite but very inscrutable. A celebration called "The Slaughter" is underway, and the diplomats struggled to figure out what's going on as they are confined in quarters.

White Jade was interesting, about an Chinese assassin, it was set in the distant past when the Emperor still ruled China and had many wives, and discussed the scheming of one wife of the deceased Emperor. I didn't find her a likable, but I found the story interesting.

Orange was the story of a futuristic society where DNA is collected in order to convict people of crimes, but in this case an innocent man is accused and he must prove his innocence.

Black on Black Was an Excellent Story of the distant future where a fleet of ships travels to outer space to fight interstellar piracy. A reporter who goes along on one such mission tells the story.

A Prayer to the Insect Gods deals with people who hunt down "bugs" mechanical and robotic creatures that cannibalize old cars for spare parts and occasionally attack humans.

The Winds is the story of an old woman who refuses to leave her home (a farm in the middle of nowhere) even though the government is trying to pressure her. It's set in a future where the cities are overcrowded and the government controls almost every aspect of life.

The Garden is a disturbing story where people in urban ghettos are drugged to keep them compliant and are fenced in and prevented from leaving and going into more affluent areas. It is a tale of racism and hopelessness by activist writer

Wings is a story about fairies that inhabit a home and symbolize the relationship a woman has with her lover.

The Gods Perspire tells the story of what happens when Zeus and Thor placemats with a terrestrial bookie and end up clashing with each other.

Troder is my favorite story in the collection. It deals with a very interesting futuristic society where genetic engineering and cybernetic enhancements have changed life drastically. A young woman seeks to avenge the death of her sister, when the genetically engineered police are not interested in the case.

The last story I found tedious; it was an alternate history story (at least I think so) about the Mormon uprising before the Civil War.

Overall, the stories were good though some were better than others.

[Steve Clark]

Paperback