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L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future 22
The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests discover and introduce the very best new talent in science fiction, fantasy and horror, with their entertaining and creative tales of worlds unknown, worlds to be and worlds only dreamed of, as selected by top professionals in these fields. In the past twenty-two years, over 300 telented writers have been newly published—many winners becoming the authors you now enjoy reading. This volume contains the first works by authors who are sure to become equally well known over the years to come.
493 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 30, 2006
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About the author
L. Ron Hubbard
2,008 books663 followersL. 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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 28, 2021
According to Isaac Asimov L. Ron Hubbard was a figure so dominant and charismatic that at a party he put everyone else in the shade, even Robert Heinlein. He wasn’t on anyone’s list of Great Authors but he knew how to do pulp fiction and was a success in the field. Then he set up Scientology and gained a different reputation. It is still going strong. His other legacy is the Writers of the Future contest which engenders the works in these books, and for that, at least, all credit to the man.
‘The Sword from the Sea’ by Blake Hutchins is the first story. I read it before checking the author’s details and would have sworn it was written by a woman. It had that sort of feel. The protagonist is a pre-pubescent girl, Gull, an orphan who lives on an island where she is not much liked for she is odd and cannot speak. In any case, she is due to be sacrificed to the God as soon as she reaches womanhood. The God has forbidden men to travel on the sea so when a tattooed warrior is washed up on the beach there is some consternation in the village. The events that follow slowly reveal the nature of Gull’s world and the writing, strictly from her point of view, helps the reader identify strongly with her. A very good opening shot for the anthology.
There’s a good old fashioned SF story about scientists landing on a new planet and studying it. Not too old fashioned because two of the scientists are female and just as good as, if not better than, the man. ‘Evolution’s End’ is by Lee Beavington, a biologist with the happy knack of putting over hard science so skilfully that a layman has at least the delusion of understanding it. Add to this talent an intriguing mystery with hints of alien menace and you get work of art. I loved it.
Religious themes have a long history in SF. Classic examples are ‘A Case of Conscience’ by James Blish and, more famous, Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’. Qualified in both physics and philosophy, David John Baker gives us ‘On the Mount’, an exploration of Clarke’s Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." The Destineer’s are an order of scholars and peacekeepers in the far future but when one of their number sets himself up as God on a primitive planet it raises interesting philosophical questions. His behaviour as a Supreme Being might give an insight into the mind of the real Supreme Being, if there is one. Wrap these themes in a good plot with interesting characters and the result is perhaps a masterpiece.
Like Blish, Joseph Jordan has a Jesuit scientist as the protagonist in his cosmological tale. Father Jose Sanchez is having doubts about his faith following the death of his mother and wants to go and do missionary work, tired of his cushy post with Notre Dame University. Instead he is sent to a scientific conference at the biggest particle accelerator the world has ever seen where a hubristic physicist is planning to recreate conditions not seen in the universe since just after the big bang. Another great story.
To review every tale would have me scanning the thesaurus for superlatives. There were one or two stories that didn’t fit my taste but they were clearly of a high standard. This is an excellent collection, the best I’ve read for a long time and certainly the best featuring new writers.
There are mini-biographies of the contributors, both writers and illustrators, and non-fiction articles on writing and the state of the field by such luminaries as Hubbard, Robert J. Sawyer and Orson Scott Card who asks ‘Are We At The End of Science Fiction?’
If this collection is anything to go by Orson old chum, we are not.
‘The Sword from the Sea’ by Blake Hutchins is the first story. I read it before checking the author’s details and would have sworn it was written by a woman. It had that sort of feel. The protagonist is a pre-pubescent girl, Gull, an orphan who lives on an island where she is not much liked for she is odd and cannot speak. In any case, she is due to be sacrificed to the God as soon as she reaches womanhood. The God has forbidden men to travel on the sea so when a tattooed warrior is washed up on the beach there is some consternation in the village. The events that follow slowly reveal the nature of Gull’s world and the writing, strictly from her point of view, helps the reader identify strongly with her. A very good opening shot for the anthology.
There’s a good old fashioned SF story about scientists landing on a new planet and studying it. Not too old fashioned because two of the scientists are female and just as good as, if not better than, the man. ‘Evolution’s End’ is by Lee Beavington, a biologist with the happy knack of putting over hard science so skilfully that a layman has at least the delusion of understanding it. Add to this talent an intriguing mystery with hints of alien menace and you get work of art. I loved it.
Religious themes have a long history in SF. Classic examples are ‘A Case of Conscience’ by James Blish and, more famous, Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’. Qualified in both physics and philosophy, David John Baker gives us ‘On the Mount’, an exploration of Clarke’s Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." The Destineer’s are an order of scholars and peacekeepers in the far future but when one of their number sets himself up as God on a primitive planet it raises interesting philosophical questions. His behaviour as a Supreme Being might give an insight into the mind of the real Supreme Being, if there is one. Wrap these themes in a good plot with interesting characters and the result is perhaps a masterpiece.
Like Blish, Joseph Jordan has a Jesuit scientist as the protagonist in his cosmological tale. Father Jose Sanchez is having doubts about his faith following the death of his mother and wants to go and do missionary work, tired of his cushy post with Notre Dame University. Instead he is sent to a scientific conference at the biggest particle accelerator the world has ever seen where a hubristic physicist is planning to recreate conditions not seen in the universe since just after the big bang. Another great story.
To review every tale would have me scanning the thesaurus for superlatives. There were one or two stories that didn’t fit my taste but they were clearly of a high standard. This is an excellent collection, the best I’ve read for a long time and certainly the best featuring new writers.
There are mini-biographies of the contributors, both writers and illustrators, and non-fiction articles on writing and the state of the field by such luminaries as Hubbard, Robert J. Sawyer and Orson Scott Card who asks ‘Are We At The End of Science Fiction?’
If this collection is anything to go by Orson old chum, we are not.
September 22, 2019
The Writers of the Future books always include well written stories, though there were none that I totally loved. I'm reading the books randomly as I come across the collections in used bookstores, which is not often. I think readers must be hanging onto them, because there are always a lot of good stories. :-) Looking forward to finding another.
September 10, 2013
"Best of" Collections are tricky beast. Writers of the Future has a mandate to focus on unpublished authors, which I appreciate, but this collection was a little bit of a dud. The stories were workmanlike, but only a few excited me and none blew me away. Traditional SF is a minority, with most of the collection devoted to fantasy (did we really need 2 'waifish deformed girls with magical powers at the shore stories?), horror, and religious (but not explicitly Scientologist) fiction.
Not a bad book for people who like strange fiction, and since I got it for 50 cents at a used bookstore I'm happy, but far from vital either.
Not a bad book for people who like strange fiction, and since I got it for 50 cents at a used bookstore I'm happy, but far from vital either.
December 14, 2012
This is an excellent anthology of stories written by new authors that have won the "Writers of the Future" contest. Although a few stories showed a lack of experience or immaturity in the writing style, I liked these stories at least as well as those found in other scifi/fantasy anthologies by more seasoned authors. Maybe the fact that it is a judged competition helps keep up the quality. Also, there was a huge variety in the kinds of stories, and many of them dealt with very interesting topics and themes. I will definitely be on the lookout for more "Writers of the Future" collections.
September 3, 2010
After meeting most of the authors and illustrators of this fantastic compilation of the year's best, I was excited to delve into this book. David Sakmyster's story, "The Red Envelope" was a melodic and haunting tale of tradition, obsession, and love beyond the grave. It is a seductive piece, one that I believe that would be rich to see on-screen.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews