Writers of the Future, Vol 34

by L. Ron Hubbard, Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card

24 Award-Winning Authors and Illustrators

Accompanied by Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Jerry Pournelle, Ciruelo and Echo Chernik and Edited by David Farland

Your search for something new and different in sci-fi and fantasy ends here.

Presenting this year’s collection of fresh voices, fabulous worlds, and fantastic new characters.

Each year, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests’ blue-ribbon judges search the world to discover and introduce to you the very best new talent in sci-fi and fantasy.

Created by L. Ron Hubbard, whose commitment to help new writers and artists gave rise to the annual Writers of the Future anthologies—a launching pad for writers and artists who are sure to command our attention for decades to come.

“Writers of the Future, as a contest and as a book, remains the flagship of short fiction.” —Orson Scott Card

“The best new stories by new writers, anywhere.” —Larry Niven

“These are the people who are going to be creating trends.” —Brandon Sanderson

“Science fiction as a genre has always looked to the future and the Writers of the Future looks to the future of science fiction.” —Kevin J. Anderson

“See the best of the best culled for you, curated and selected in a single volume every year.” —Robert J. Sawyer

Wondrous and powerful tales from some of the world’s best new writers

Turnabout—Djinn are famous for twisting your words so they don’t really grant your wish, but two can play that game.

A Smokeless and Scorching Fire—Deacon is a government official, and he’s afraid he’ll stay that way if he can’t break his conditioning.

The Howler on the Sales Floor—It’s easy making sales when you can send images of despair into the hearts of your clients.

The Minarets of An-Zabat—Alder seeks the secrets of the Windcallers’ magic, but his curiosity may destroy the people he loves.

The Death Flyer—Jim Bellamy tries to save the life of a girl who died in the wreckage of a train ten years ago.

Odd and Ugly—A tree giant takes in a housekeeper, but she has more secrets than either of them can handle.

Mara’s Shadow—An ancient myth might provide the key to curing a disease that threatens all of humanity.

The Lesson—A lesson on philosophy in action turns into a deadly encounter.

What Lies Beneath—A powerful sorcerer has so disgraced himself, he is afraid of what his family will think should he ever die and meet them on the other side.

The Face in the Box—Cara discovers a floating farm parked over her land, blocking the sunlight, and must confront the driver.

Flee, My Pretty One—In a world controlled by dragons and their henchmen, rock singer Josephine really only wants “death to all collaborators.”

Illusion—Even a court wizard will struggle to fight off armies if his weapons pack no actual punch.

A Bitter Thing—You can put an end to something wondrous, but only at a cost.

Miss Smokey—Lily’s ability to shift shapes into a bear offers some strange challenges.

All Light and Darkness—On a far world, a nameless man meets a woman of ancient genetic stock, and when trouble follows in his wake, he must choose: her life or his humanity?

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

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2018

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

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A good collection of short stories by many different writers. There appears to be some kind of genie theme going, so if that's your bag, you'll really enjoy this one. The illustrations are very good.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hadn't seen one of these in years, but won a copy in a GR First Reads giveaway, so I'll read at least a few of the stories. This volume appears to be 100% fantasy, definitely not my first choice, but the first story was pretty good:

"Turnabout" by Erik Bundy. A young American in Morocco finds an old brass urn with a cute female genie inside. She offers a free wish, he offers her limited freedom from the urn. A little crude but good: 2.7 stars

"Paying it Forward" by Jerry Pournelle. Dr. Pournelle served as a WotF contest judge until 2017, the year of his death. He paraphrased some writing advice from Heinlein in a (possibly) useful essay.

"Illusion" by Jody Lynn Nye. A harmless but professional bit of fluff, about a princess, an unwelcome suitor, a "mighty" magician -- and a very hungry dragon, to save the day. Well-written but not my sort of thing, 2.2 stars.

I'm closing this one out as DNF, lost interest. Too many other, more interesting books on hand. Could come back to it sometime (but probably not). Laudable contest, but do I really want to spend time reading apprentice work?

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is published simply and only to honor the winners of this writing contest. Judges include Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson and many other big names in fantasy. Anne McCaffrey was a past judge! Authors who all know their trade and want to help new authors get started. The contest is a way to help them get their writing career off the ground which I think is an amazingly nice thing to do! Especially in today's very saturated book market...

I didn't love all the stories but some I enjoyed for sure. I love the Illustrators of the Future contest as well and seeing what art work they come up with for the different stories. The paintings are also published in the book in full color and are very vibrant!

The essays on the craft of writing are interesting and I would imagine very valuable to a budding author. Essays on writing from Orson Scott Card or Brandon Sanderson; who wouldn't want that? This volume has an essay on Theme by Orson Scott Card, an essay on suspense by L. Ron Hubbard and a short story by Brandon Sanderson!

All in all a book and contest worth supporting!

[Hermit Hank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection

If I told you that the very last story is the best one you can bet it is. Too me. There's a lot of great stories in this collection and I think there's only one that didn't care for. This is well worth the time to enjoy.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

“The year’s twelve best tales from the Writers of the Future international writers’ program Illustrated by winners in the Illustrators of the Future international illustrators’ program”

For whatever reason, I didn’t realize that the stories were written by twelve indie/upcoming/etc. authors. I saw Sanderson’s and Card’s name on the cover and wanted to read the anthology.
What I found was more, better than what I expected. I never heard of the Writers of the Future program, and simply thought it was the name of the anthology. I certainly didn’t know of the Illustrators of the Future program, pairing indie/upcoming/etc. artists with certain stories.

My review is mostly on the written aspect and not on the visual. My star ratings are solely on what was written by the 12 newbie authors, and not on the contributions by the known ones.

"Introduction" by David Farland
What I love is that Farland, who runs Writers of the Future, doesn’t know the author’s name or place of residence; neither gender nor age. He simply reads the stories sent his way in Sci-Fi and Fantasy realms that he deems to be of high quality.

"Illustrators of the Future" by Echo Chernik
Chernik describes Illustrators of the Future in more detail here. Although I’m not an illustrator in any way, I still find it fascinating.

"Turnabout" by Erik Bundy - Illustrated by Adar Darnov
Interesting twist on a jinnie in an urn. The art is beautiful
3.5/5 stars

"A Smokeless and Scorching Fire" by Erin Cairns - Illustrated by Kyna Tek
In a world of engineered humans, who are not supposed to have opinions or desires, Deacon feels mad because he DOES care. Conditioning, even re-conditioning, hasn’t scrubbed away his self-awareness. He thinks about his appearance and “frivolously” spends money.
I was very careful in reading this, taking more time than I usually do. I am intrigued by this world, a maybe future or AU. of our own. I want to know more. I feel awful for Deacon and want him to live and escape conditioning.
I’m sad that Cairns doesn’t have a website, or at least not one that WotF has linked to on theirs. I would love to read more from her.
5/5 stars

"The Howler on the Sales Floor" by Jonathan Ficke - Illustrated by Sidney Lugo
I couldn’t get into this one, and some of it confused me. The art was not at all how I imagined the main character, Nya.
1.5/5 stars

"The Minarets of An-Zabat" by Jeremy TeGrotenhuis - Illustrated by Brenda Rodriguez
Hand [of the Emperor] Alder meets Atar, a Windshaping magic user. He is a mix though and hides his magical heritage, for he lives in a place where sorcerers are not fully trusted. It’s an interesting story in a magical place. It also happens to be one of the longer stories but that is not negative. I did like it but I was not fully immersed. My mind kept wandering for some reason.
Still, there is a great moral on truths and lies. Also, the illustration of Atar is beyond what I imagined for her.
3.75/5 stars

"Suspense" by L. Ron Hubbard
Woaaahhhhhh Hubbard gives some GREAT advice on incorporating “suspense” in one’s story. Things have not changed since 1937. There is a lot of content worth quoting from and keeping in mind. I like that he included examples of what to do (and what not to do).
“Fights, at best, are gap fillers.” HAHAHA

"The Death Flyer" by L. Ron Hubbard - Illustrated by Ven Locklear
I love that Locklear is a former quarterly winner of the Illustrators of the Future award (Writers of the Future Volume 26).
I feel like this was...strange. At one point the older man kisses a young girl on the lips, and she calls him ‘dearest.’ Other than that, it wasn’t a bad story, but it didn’t capture my interest.

"Odd and Ugly" by Vida Cruz - Illustrated by Reyna Rochin
I don’t normally like remakes of fairy tales, but this is a pretty good one. Maria voluntarily goes to a kapre, a tree-like being, to erase her father’s debt. She’s deemed as strange in her land, particularly because humans never initiate a relationship with a kapre; the courtship begins with the former human chasing the woman. The story was almost calming and was druid-ish-like with the emphasis on nature. The art also added to this feeling, and my enjoyment of the story.
4/5 stars.

"Mara’s Shadow" by Darci Stone - Illustrated by Quintin Gleim
The story weaves past and present (future—the year 2053 and beyond) in a biology-based SF about moths and the Asian belief in “Mara.” Specifically, it’s about young adults living under Mara’s Shadow. Creeeeepy. I’m usually not a fan of this type of Sci-Fi (think Michael Crichton), but the short story length is appropriate and kept me interested. This is despite the fact that it’s one of the longer stories.
It’s not cup of tea but great writing and story. The reader can really see extreme behaviors that emerge with worldwide epidemics. And I love religiosity within it, whether or not I believe in what was discussed.
I was disappointed in the scene that was illustrated. I feel like the work could have gone towards another one.
3.75/5 stars

"Theme" by Orson Scott Card
“A storyteller does not need to think up a theme. Themes will emerge in the process of natural storytelling, without any conscious effort on the part of the author.”
This is a very interesting essay that offers a new outlook on the theme of a story.

"The Lesson" by Brandon Sanderson - Illustrated by Bea Jackson
I’m glad that Jackson is also a former grand-prize winner of Illustrators of the Future award (Writers of the Future Volume 24).
This was a great snippet from Sanderson’s first ‘Way of the Kings’ novel. I reread it because forget a lot from the book, though (of course) I remember quite a bit about the interactions between the two characters.

"Paying It Forward" by Jerry Pournelle
Okay. Pournelle is FASCINATING. His skillset is extensive and he invented the two-axis political spectrum. He gives some pretty good advice on writing and how to deal with people. While I disagree with some of what he says, I understand where he’s coming from.
“Try to fool the grammar program. It will tell you things you know are bad advice. Fine, try to fool it into thinking it’s good” - apparently, Office programs have been drunk from the start HAHAHA.

"What Lies Beneath" by Cole Hehr - Illustrated by Maksym Polishchuk
The illustrator is the age of some of my students. That makes me feel old, but it’s also awesome that age truly doesn’t matter; quality does.
Hehr has created a fascinating world where a former human is all but immortal. He’s not a death-eating vampire (which lacks a soul) nor an undead (which lacks mind). No, he lacks humanity. He can survive the depths of the ocean and is a master swordsman--in fact, he’s slain star-demons and Sorcerer-Kings. It’s a good story of how enemies can become allies. And I didn’t expect the end!
The ocean sounds colder than ours, eerie in its silence. The illustration shows this well.
It was too short for me.
4.5/5 stars

"The Face in the Box" by Janey Bell - Illustrated by Bruce Brenneise
I had a lot of trouble visualizing Skyturf tract until the illustration. Eh. It wasn’t written poorly but I found no interest in it at all.
1/5 stars

"Flee, My Pretty One" by Eneasz Brodski - Illustrated by Alana Fletcher
This is a unique band-based fantasy short that shows the dangers of fighting evil with evil. It’s not my cup of tea, but it’s well-written. Though quite a few parts made me go “what the hell?” Also, the dragon aspects confused me for about half the story and then continued to make little sense until the end.
2.25/5 stars

"Passion and Profession" by Ciruelo
Oh. My goodness. I haven’t heard of Ciruleo’s name before now, but I should have. He designed some of the art for “Eragon” and he illustrated the book covers of the trilogy “Chronicles of the Shadow War” - which I also never heard of. I love how his passion for drawing comes through in this essay. He gives fantastic advice on ensuring one pursues a job a job they love, and that revitalizes them.
“Everyone draws when they are kids because art is a natural form of self-expression.”

"Illusion" by Jody Lynn Nye - Illustrated by Ciruelo
I freaking LOVE that Nye based her story on Cirulo’s work (the cover of this book!) and not the other way around.
And I love the story. Angelo is an illusionist, though is lauded as a great magician. But he sees a lot and recognizes more than others initially realize he does. And he finds more strength than he thought he had.
5/5 stars

"A Bitter Thing" by N.R.M. Roshak - Illustrated by Jazmen Richardson
A rare thing, whether tacky or not, can be mesmerizing. Teese the alien takes it too far. I like that his species shows emotions as they feel them. It makes for more empathic relationships I didn’t expect to like this, but it was utterly unique and surprised me, even at the end. The accompanying illustration didn’t do it justice. I’m wowed.
4.5/5 stars

"Miss Smokey" by Diana Hart - Illustrated by Anthony Moravian
This is a neat twist on shapeshifters. It’s not incredibly unique, but Hart has her own take on it.. The sad thing is that the president of the United States sees shifters as animals. The Supernatural Registration Act requires shifters to register themselves, which has led to others treating them like crap. I like the comparison between the Registration and Stalin.
Hell, Hitler too.
The moral at the end is awesome.
4.25/5 stars

“All Light and Darkness” by Amy Henrie Gillett - Illustrated by Duncan Halleck
I was intrigued from the start. Is this real Germany, or an AU...or simply the future? How is almost everyone not really a pure Blueblood--a full human? That is, how were the nanomechs all inserted in humanity, spread through the genes? Are the refugees all leaving the Wahren Reich behind, or are there other refugees?
And then there is a shift in the questions: Why do some refugees help each other and others are incredibly selfish? How can you tell if an ‘enemy’ is running from their home or if they are chasing ‘prey?’
What does it mean to be human?
I wanted to know more about the situation and people, which is one of Gillett’s goals with her stories (according to her intro).
The art is incredible.
5/5 stars

Going through the "The Year in the Contests" was also cool, as it gave different awards previous winners of WotF won in 2017. I learned Ken Liu is a former winner

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh... don't judge me. In fact, I'm here because I don't want to judge LRH's writing by my opinion of him. I hate cancel culture and today I decided to give LRH's scifi a try, based on a friend's suggestion.

So for now, that's all I'm here to review, but the publication appears to be promoting new unpublished authors so I would like to read and review all of their stories at some point.

'The Death Flyer' by LRH. (3-stars)
Well, this is not my typical fare. We have a story about a phantom train, not very original in concept but I must admit written quite nicely. Simple but very descriptive language. I haven't partaken of very much paranormal fiction since childhood but this didn't seem to have anything particularly surprising about it. I enjoyed the scene building at the start more than anything else, I think.

Unfortunately this was not at all scifi, so...? Maybe I'll have to try another. Goddamit.

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was offered or requested.

Back before he became involved with…you know, L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific author of stories for pulp magazines, including some for the science fiction category. In the 1980s, he decided to give back to the field (and self-promote) by creating a contest to find exciting new writers in science fiction, fantasy and horror. Thus, the Writers of the Future competition.

Each quarter, three submissions from hundreds win the chance to be featured in an annual compilation volume. In addition, a set of Illustrators of the Future compete to be able to present a picture based on one of the stories. This is the 34th such volume, which is frankly amazing.

The introduction goes over some of the selection process, including that since these volumes may be appearing in school libraries, excessive violence, explicit sex scenes and rough language will usually knock a story out of consideration. (Some of these stories come very close to the line.) Next, there’s a description of how the Illustrators of the Future contest works.

The stories themselves open with “Turnabout” by Erik Bundy, about a traveler who discovers that he is owed one wish by a djinn. He realizes she is under no obligation not to twist his wish, but what if he can grant her a twisted version of the djinn’s own desire? Note: there’s an ethnic slur used, but I think the author is well-meaning.

The final story is “All Light and Darkness” by Ami Henri Gillett. An AWOL super-soldier attempts to blend in with a stream of refugees, but finds himself getting too involved with two of them, young siblings. At the same time, he struggles with his own abandonment issues. There’s some musings on what makes a person human.

In between are a number of other stories, and essays on writing and art from past and current contest judges. (Mr. Hubbard may have left this mortal coil, but he is very much a presence here.)

Standouts include “The Minarets of An-Zabat” by Jeremy TeGrotenhuis, about a junior bureaucrat in an empire that absorbs all magical schools into its own or destroys those it cannot tame. He becomes fascinated by the wind-calling natives who are the last major holdouts against the Empire’s hegemony.

Also “Mara’s Shadow” by Darci Stone, an effective blend of horror and science fiction. In the near future, a Vietnamese researcher happens to be called in to the first known case of a human being eaten from the inside out by moth larvae. We follow her story as this becomes a worldwide pandemic, with flashbacks to how this all got started about a century before. Content warning: there are multiple suicides in this story.

My black and white Kindle does make most of the illustrations less effective, which is a particular shame for Jazmen Richardson’s illustration of N.R.M. Roshak’s “A Bitter Thing.” This tale of a young human’s relationship with a color-shifting alien relies very heavily on colors as a central theme, and the resulting picture doesn’t work in monochrome.

The one exception is Ven Locklear’s illustration for “Death Flyer” by L. Ron Hubbard. This chiller about a ghost train lends itself to an evocative picture that works just fine in grayscale.

The cover story reverses the process, with Jody Lynn Nye writing “Illusion” to match Ciruelo’s painting Dragon Caller. A court wizard is in fact just an illusionist, but when his country is invaded, he must come up with a plan to defend it against very real enemies. It’s a clever story.

Overall, this is a decent enough collection of stories by writers you probably haven’t heard of before (plus Hubbard and a lesser piece by Brandon Sanderson) but at least some of whom you’re likely to hear of in the near future. Check it and previous volumes out at your library!

[Mike Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

L Ron Hubbard presents the 34th Volume of
Writers of The Future

I was going to start this review by talking about each Author and Artist. But after I finished this wonderful book, I changed my Mind. These teams combined so well that I think it would ruin your READ by me even Hinting what their stories were about. Instead let me describe the contents of this wonderful Volume of Fantasy and Science Fiction #34, 15 winning stories and pictures. One Great Story by a Judge, and several educational articles written by judges that should be combined into textbooks for beginning Authors and Artists. The ones in this volume gave me Ideas on writing and the only things I really Write are these reviews! This is one fascinating book, it has stories that I really enjoyed, ones that were OK, and ones that I could barely read, because their content did not interest me. So it has something for everyone, and again, the informative articles alone, are worth the price of this Volume 34, Writers of the Future Book. Mr. Hubbard would be proud of its Contents. And I would like to suggest to the Editors and Judges that a Textbook filled with small Articles like those included in this book would be very beneficial to beginning Authors and Artists. I know you have workshops and things, but this book would help those just beginning. To Future Readers you will enjoy this 34th contribution to L. Ron Hubbards Annual Contest Immensely. A very good read. Enjoy it, Santa Mike

[Wulf Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this in the mail yesterday! A BIG trade paperback! I've already read several of these, thanks to the ARC's. Fantastic stories, gorgeous eye candy art, thought provoking concepts, clean pro writing, and if you want to read the works of up and coming visionaries in the field of speculative fiction, THIS is the time proven source! Even a special guest appearance by Brandon Sanderson! The most original annual anthology in the field of science fiction and fantasy just outdid itself.

[mayday · Rating 4 out of 5]

received a sample ARC of this, but only managed to find the time to read it now, and i'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. individual story reviews below:

"odd and ugly" - a filipino retelling of beauty and the beast, about a kapre (giant) who lives in the forest and the headstrong village girl who comes to him to repay her father's debt. vivid, smart, beautiful and surprising--woven into history just as much as it is with myth. feels like a story i and so many other filipino kids should have read growing up, like a story i should have had all my life. i'm glad to have it now. (full disclosure, i am friends with the author of this story, but that does not matter because i am telling you, this story kicked my ass in the best way possible.)

"flee, my pretty one" - alternate history, where invisible minds the people term "dragons" are responsible for much of the suffering and destruction in the world, and have over the decades wormed their way into human politics and gained human emissaries. took a while for me to get into, and even once i did i struggled to understand a lot of the worldbuilding. might be better as a slightly longer work with more space to breathe?

"all light and darkness" - a story about war and slavery and reptilian beast half-breed people, set in an arid place called the dustlands. i was gripped by the level of detail from the very beginning, so i felt immersed even if i didn't completely understand what was going on just yet. this story feels so rich with history but it doesn't overload you with exposition. it's hard to explain how all the pieces of this come together and work, but they Work.

[Jake Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories, and I love variety.

I also love discovering new writers.

I knew going into this one what I was going to get from a Writers of the Future anthology--I've been reading these volumes for years. The stories could be set in alternate universes, the future or the past, or in slipstream worlds that are ALMOST like ours . . . but the only common threads they have in common is that they're all by relatively new authors, and that those authors all have the chops to grow into genre powerhouses. These are talented people writing their hearts out, and introducing readers to their styles, their worlds, and their imaginations.

It's pretty damned cool.

The Writers of the Future is a contest, too--the winners (both authors and illustrators) are published in the annual anthology, and it kickstarts their careers into professional markets. When you read a volume of Writers of the Future, you're getting in on the ground floor. You get to read the beginning of an author's journey to publication, and when they take off and hit those bestseller lists you get to be smug and grin and say, "Oh, yeah--I know that writer, and I know just where they started."

The published writers of Volume 34 are going to be noticed. Their stories are varied and diverse, and their voices are undeniable. I schmoozed my way into getting an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so I went into this volume with my critical hat on. I wanted to really dig deep and find out who were the stand-outs in this year's anthology, and I was delighted to see that every writer brought their A-game.

The authors of Writers of the Future Volume 34 welcomed me into their minds and hearts and took me away from my day-to-day life. They knocked my socks off. I can argue the merits of any story in the book, and I keep flipping back and forth as to which are my favorites, so I guess I'll have to go back and read them all again!

Do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this one. Jump around, or read it cover to cover. In addition to the wonderful stories there are essays by the contest judges and a wonderful tale based on the cover art written by contest judge Jody Lynn Nye!

Congratulations to Jeremy TeGrotenhuis, Vida Cruz, Darci Stone, Erin Cairns, Diana Hart, Amy Henrie Gillett, Erik Bundy, Cole Hehr, Janey Bell, Eneasz Brodski, N.R.M Roshak, and Jonathan Ficke! I look forward to reading SO MUCH MORE from you ALL in the future!

[Gerhardt Schuette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story was great

I enjoyed the variety of stories. This was a great book to read a story and then come back to. I kept coming back because I wanted to see where the next writer would take me.

[Boostamonte Halvorsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am lucky enough to know one of the authors whose work is in this Volume, so I have been given a very select and "limited" ARC of this. It includes 3 stories and since the contest is still going on, I have chosen not to reveal which stories I have read. So this review is just going to be hype...and I feel it deserves it.

The three stories I read are uniquely different, and were all excellent. I enjoyed them all equally, and feel this Volume will be diverse enough for any fan of Fantasy and Sci-fi to find something to love within it.

I plan to come back and review it better than this--I can't wait actually!

Congrats to my nameless friend for getting in this year, and congrats to all the others who made it too!

[Yari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because the name of was interesting. When I finally got the book I was surprised to find that in this book there are more than one story there are a couple of stories in it and each more interesting than the other. I liked all the illustrations for all the books but my favorite one was the one for the story odd and ugly the image was really gorgeous and compelling. this also happened to be my favorite out of all stories. I love the book keep up the good work.

[Nicholas Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Writers of the Future delivers engaging stories that pull you into another world. For more detail on each short story, check out my blog:

http://www.nicholasadamswrites.com/my...

I'll be posting my review on Friday, September 21st.

[Ms R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turnabout was fun to listen to.
Death Flier was interesting.
Odd and Ugly, a fairytale rewritten
Darcy Stone’s Mara’s Shadow well worth the read, very relatable. The date of publication is quite intriguing.
Suspense was an interesting lesson in writing, but Theme really caught my attention.

[Kaiju Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a first time reader of this series and have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. There are four stories that I found to be quite good, and 'Mara's Shadow' by Darci Stone is borderline worth the price of admission by itself. The middle of the pack are fun and entertaining at worst, with only a few stories that stood out as simply bad. In many ways, this is a refreshing read in that it doesn't really take any risks. While that isn't necessarily a good thing, it does make for less challenging reading and increases the number of stories that fall into that 'just fine' category. Even the bad ones here come across as more 'almost there' than outright fails, though the non-professional status does present itself from time to time. All in all, I'd say if you like short fantasy (this is almost all fantasy or mild horror) and want to keep your eyes open for some new talent, this is a good buy.

Standouts for me were:
Mara's Shadow by Darci Stone - a creepy procedural bio horror novelette
The Howler on the Sales Floor by Jonathan Ficke - a hilarious office life parody about a demonic employee
Illusion by Jody Lynn Nye - no amateur she
The Minarets of An-Zabat by Jeremy TeGrotenhuis - a more traditional world building type fantasy

I won't highlight the fails, the writers of those are working in the right direction and have nothing to be ashamed of.

[zerogravitas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these stories were pretty mediocre with the notable exception of The Howler on the Sales Floor, which has a Cthulhu-type protagonist trapped in an office job and having been summoned by HR for a tough talk about his people skills. It was so much fun and very well done that it was worth the slog through the other stories.

[Michelle D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories from some amazing writers.

[Lloyd Earickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story anthologies are a nice read every now and then, especially if your reading time might be intermittent, as they allow you to obtain a variety of stories without the time commitment of a comparably-sized novel. That is also their disadvantage, since it can be difficult to be caught up in the stories the same way that you would be in a novel. Their other disadvantage would be that they require extra work to review, but that won't really be a problem for you.

I've been meaning to read at least one of the Writers of the Future anthologies for years now, and it just never rose to the top of my reading list, despite all of the emails I get from them. It took seeing this volume packaged under the same discount as Witches Abroad for me to finally obtain a copy, and I now wish that I'd done it sooner. Anthologies can be somewhat hit-or-miss (for instance, the first Unfettered was much stronger than the sequels), especially ones catering to new authors, but this one lives up to the expectations built up around it. I enjoyed almost every story the volume features, as you'll see from the reviews I'm about to present.

Before I do, though, I'll also mention that the volume comes with bonus content from established authors, many of them giants in their fields. The essays were insightful, although most of them I had seen expressed in other formats by their authors before. What might be most helpful to new and aspiring authors are the biographies of each author, which are likely to give you ideas of new places to submit your own work. So, if you're an aspiring author, definitely read this book, and if you're not, you should still consider giving this anthology a read, because there are some great stories in it.

Turnabout
Erik Bundy
★ ★ ★ ★

An interesting, if not entirely unique, take on the jinni concept, Turnabout works because of the characters, and the author's cleverness. If it was not wholly original, it was still an enjoyable read, with a fun twist and more feel-good than I expected from its beginning.

A Smokeless and Scorching Fire
Erin Cairns
★★★★

When A Smokeless and Scorching Fire starts off with reference to djinn, you might start to wonder if the whole anthology is themed around them, but it turns out that is not the case, and that this story as very little in common with its predecessor in the volume. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building in this one, which was wonderfully inventive and conveyed almost wholly by implication and action. To be honest, it carried me through more than the characters did, who were somewhat predictable.

The Howler on the Sales Floor
Jonathan Ficke
★★★

I guess this story was somewhat interesting, but to be honest, it didn't have a lot going on, and I'm not exactly certain what the point of it is. It was, I suppose, enjoyable, but there was little plot, and the characters were somewhat flat. This might have been the most generic of the stories that made it into the anthology. If you enjoy the "supernatural-in-a-generic-office" kind of thing, then you might find this amusing, but that's about all it was.

The Minarets of An-Zabat
Jeremy TeGrotenhuis
★★★★

This story was excellent, although it was not my favorite of the whole volume (that one comes later). It had excellent world-building, interesting characters, and my biggest complaint about it is that there wasn't enough of it. TeGrotenhuis seems like he's trying to fit an entire novel (or maybe more than one) into a short story, which doesn't wholly work. If there is a novel version, though, I will absolutely add it to my reading list, because all of the bones were exactly what I'd hope for in a new fantasy story.

The Death Flyer
L. Ron Hubbard
★★★

Not part of the contest, this story felt out of place to me. It's sort of a supernatural mystery, sort of a supernatural thriller, and to me, neither very mysterious nor very thrilling, as I figured out the "big reveal" within the first few paragraphs. Considering that Hubbard's essay on storytelling which precedes The Death Flyer is about creating suspense, I would have expected a little more, well, suspense. Plus, with a name like The Death Flyer, I was expecting something more than a ghost train. It's not a bad story, it just was kind of generic and lacking in excitement.

Odd and Ugly
Vida Cruz
★★★

I like what Cruz was trying to do here, I really do. Unfortunately, it is described as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with Philipine background, and that's about what it is. The characters are interesting, and I found the incorporation of local mythology fascinating (as you might expect, coming from me), but the story just hewed too closely to the source material.

Mara's Shadow
Darci Stone
★★★★★

This. This is by far my favorite story in the anthology. It is one of the best stories I have read in a long time, and it is the kind of story that makes me wonder why I even bother to write, because surely I'll never because able to write something as wonderfully intricate and carefully plotted as this masterpiece. The characters are compelling, the decisions they have to make striking, the storytelling eerily prophetic in places when you consider when the volume was published, the plot masterful. There is a flashback sequence woven in that seems unrelated until it becomes deeply related, and the ultimate inciting incident is exactly what I would hope for in the story. If you read no other stories from this volume, you should read Mara's Shadow.

The Lesson
Brandon Sanderson
★★★★

I'm not going to bother reviewing this one here, because Sanderson took a cop-out and just gave us an excerpt from The Way of Kings, which we've already reviewed.

What Lies Beneath
Cole Hehr
★★★★

This was another story, like The Minarets of An-Zabat, that made me wish I was reading a novel on the main character (who reminds me a little of Verdon), instead of a short story. This would be a much more powerful piece if it were coming on the end of a couple hundred pages of learning about the protagonist's tragedy.

The Face in the Box
Janey Bell
★★★★

Honestly, this story felt like it ended right when things were about to get interesting...and I think that was the perfect place for Bell to end it. There is a lot of world-building that is sketched out but not belabored, just enough to make us wonder what's really going on. My only complaint is that I think Bell makes accidental computer consciousness seem too easy. Otherwise, this is an excellent piece of science fiction.

Flee, My Pretty One
Eneasz Brodski
★★

This was my least favorite story in the anthology. It was a polemic, almost as overt and heavy-handed as Pilgrim's Progress, and the story wasn't even interesting. The characters weren't sympathetic, their opponents were straw men, and the whole them was overdone. I'd expect this sort of thing from some teen dystopian novel that I would avoid; it does not at all match the caliber of storytelling and creativity featured in the rest of the volume. Sorry, Brodski, but if you want to write editorials, just write editorials, not thinly veiled and poorly considered allegories.

Illusion
Jody Lynn Nye
★★★★

Illusion reminds me of Dragonsbane, in that it is rather an unassuming fantasy tale with a surprising depth of characterization and meaning and a few twists on the usual tropes that make it much more compelling. It was also inspired by an illustration, rather than the other way around (which is how most of the artwork in the volume is arranged), which I think is a fascinating way of writing, especially short stories (I don't think it works as well for novels in most cases).

A Bitter Thing
NRM Roshak
★★★★

This was an excellent piece of hard science fiction, with convincing and actually alien aliens who still manage to be relatable. Plus, the concept that drives them is absolutely fascinating in all of its implications, which Roshak does well in exploring in such a short piece of writing. I felt a little bit like I was reading an early Asimov story, because Roshak doesn't waste time with a lot of extraneous world-building; he just plops his aliens into modern times and calls it good enough. Somehow it works, just like it did for Asimov in so many cases, even though I can never quite convince myself to write that way.

Miss Smokey
Diana Hart
★★★

Okay, I guess. I was hoping for more. Miss Smokey feels like a riff on the core themes of the X-Men franchise, and Hart never gives us a satisfying resolution to what seems like the core conflict of the story. I would consider reading more in this world, although it risks being too over-told. How many times are we going to tell the story of the Star-Bellied Sneeches? Yes, it bears repeating, but there just isn't enough original in Miss Smokey for me to think this is the next telling.

All Light and Darkness
Amy Henrie Gillett
★★★★

Yes, this is a dystopian story, which I usually don't enjoy, but this one worked for me. It worked because it wasn't really about the dystopian set-dressing; it was about the protagonist, family, friendship, trust, and loyalty. It may not have been the best story in the volume, but it was one of the better ones, and after scaring me for a moment, it left me with a satisfying note on which to end Volume 34.

[Casey]

I put this on my "To Read" list because I know one of the writers! He has been very positive about his Writers of the Future workshop experience. They did a great head shot for him as his "author photo" and he was thrilled with the artwork that was done to accompany his story.
I'm also excited that both Orson Scott Card and Brandon Sanderson have pieces in this anthology!

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! I HIGHLY recommend for anyone who lives science fiction/ fantasy books. Among my favorite stories I loved Mara's Shadow, Flee, My pretty one, and. A bitter thing. This is just an awesome book for anyone who loves fantasy or science fiction, and I look forward to reading the new books when they come out.

[Pearse Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given this book in a giveaway I did not expect to win. I have since given up on it. I got 71% of the way through (a lot of hate-reading) and gave up at the paragraph: "The East? Angelo recoiled in dismay. The Solognians! Enth had had many decades of peace, based upon Constantino's skills as a general and negotiator."

What are my problems with this book? It gave it a 2. Out of 10. So there are many. I don't think it is well designed: including Brandon Sanderson novel excerpts, on Hubbard stories, and out of place craft essays between novellas flowed poorly and I have no idea why it was implemented in the first place. Yearly anthologies, like Best American Short Stories, have an opportunity in the introduction and preface to address not only the stories readers are about to get into, but the state of the short fiction world and what themes/contexts are coming through. Instead, here we had David Farland give literally the most Ctrl-C + Ctrl-V introduction possible. It doesn't sound like something from 2018. Or something from any time period or perspective.

The stories did not engage me. I cannot think of one character I cared about except for Bao, the little baby in "Mara's Shadow," but that was a MacGuffin kind of deal. It was a baby, it didn't have a character. Speaking of, "Mara's Shadow" had a great concept and some really interesting scenes diced in there. The first third wasn't written very well, so I was giving up and falling into the camp of the whole thing, but by the end of the use of artifacts/news clippings from 2060 dramatically improved the piece and its relationship to real world issues/conflicts.
The other stories were eeeeehuuuhhahhh. One was like a discount Baru Cormorant. Another was a creepy, vaguely orientalist genie story. Another had an author bio where she described herself as a "gypsy."

And then we get into politics. So yes, I was not enjoying the literature here, but I was also not enjoying the concept of this book in the slightest. The use of L. Ron Hubbard's name to bump it up in some weird SEO-move (and add to his bulging bibliography) felt disgusting. As did the fact that Hubbard was a serial abuser and mass manipulator, and to hold him up as a messiah figure in the table of contents to a fucking science fiction anthology is an act of erasure. It's similar to what many white male horror authors tried/are trying to do with Lovecraft's name (i.e, separate the craft from the life, despite the two being intertwined and racist). Holding up Hubbard as a messiah figure is almost what a cult would do.

Wait, who produced this contest series? Oh, that's right. A cult. The Church of Scientology. Tony Ortega has documented in the Village Voice the strange and troubling ties to Scientology and their cultish practices and half-century of abuse. Here's one link. This anthology, which pampers winners, nuzzles up to the SFF world, and pays people good, good money, is ultimately tied into the dystopia that is Scientology. Where is that $1000 coming from for each 1st place winner (four times a year)? Probably, however indirectly, from the backs of brainwashed characters laboring behind the scenes, or lawsuit money, or swindled from Scientologists being rehabilitated in secret prisons. I wish I was joking. And there is no such thing as a free lunch. So when I was gifted this ebook, I also became complicit in this system of abuse or control.

And it wasn't even a good book. So fuck this. I am ashamed in my community for allowing this. I'm giving it a 2, because the upcoming authors in this anthology deserve something, even if that's just 1 star.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen these over the years and never looked twice. In my ignorance, I assumed from the title that the stories were strictly science fiction. Especially since I always associated L. Ron Hubbard with science fiction. I'm not necessarily a fan of science fiction so I assumed that there was nothing in them for me. Boy was I wrong.

I was also unaware that this was a yearly contest for literature AND art. There are several new authors and artists I'll keep an eye out for in the future. Some of my favorite stories were:

A Smokeless and Scorching Fire by Erin Cairns. Deacon is an Inspector, a synthetic humanoid in the employ of the Administration. Inspectors are conditioned to be apathetic and clinical in their duties. Only Deacon has gone 'insane' and his humanity has begun to surface. Faced with painful reconditioning he seeks oblivion in the desert sands.

The Howler on the Sales Floor by Jonathan Ficke. Nya works in phone sales. Nya is also a demon. Nya's most virulent adversary is the witch from HR. Sensitivity training for a demon? This piece was endlessly humorous to me. This could be awesome as a series of shorts stories. Reminds me of Son of Zorn.

The Minarets of An-Zabat by Jeremy TeGrotenhuis. As Hand of the Emperor, Alder is sent to An-Zabat. The Windcallers magic is all that stands between freedom and complete Imperial control. All magic is taken from subject peoples and added to the Canon, to be doled out by the Emperor to his Voices and on to his Hands. What the Empire cannot use they destroy and discard.

What Lies Beneath by Cole Hehr. Unable to die and find peace a legendary warrior is called upon to free an innocent boy from the clutches of Setrepais, an underwater serpent god. Setrepais wants the boy as his avatar. This had a sword and sorcery/ weird tales feel to it which I really enjoyed.

Such a great collection of fiction and art. Recommended!

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GoodReadsGiveaway.
SciFi and Fantasy by some the Best writers. A satisfying way to spend my time.

[Boostamonte Halvorsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a really great anthology. None of the stories were horrible, and it really showcases a lot of great potential authors—all ones I would gladly read novels by. Some were outside my normal scope of reading, dealing in things I typically avoid reading (Twilightish books for example) but it’s one of the best anthologies I’ve read in a long time. I suggest it as a great gift for someone that loves Fantasy and Science Fiction. I also suggest it as a great tool for learning to write. These amateurs are doing it right, and you can really see it.

The slightly more detailed review: (Sorry, I’m lazy when reviewing in depth…so, you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit)

Turnabout— 3 stars
This story wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t horrible either. I like the take on this classic Genie in a bottle story and I think the freshness of it was what made it make the final cut.

A Smokeless and Scorching Fire— 3 stars
This story was good. There were some parts that felt slow to me. Because of that I really didn’t impress me more than it could have.

The Howler on the Sales Floor— 5 stars This story is awesome. This really shows my own sentiments toward the Human Resources department and has great humorous moments in. Great characterization!

The Minarets of An-Zabat —5 stars ***Disclosure*** This is my great friend Jeremy’s story. I read it in its infancy, and watched it become what it is. Friend or not, this story is great! It has the strongest potential of all these stories to become more than it is. This is one you will wish was longer.

The Death Flyer—2 stars
This story, probably when it came out, was amazing. But to me, it came across as very dated. Because of that, it just didn’t stand out. A little too stilted for my liking.

Odd and Ugly— 2 stars
I think what sank this story for me was the lack of great characters. I think the framing device ( Beauty and the Beast) got in the way of the characters. Just shows how important good characterization is.

Mara’s Shadow—5 stars So, barring the controversy surrounding this one…at the end of the day, I must admit…it’s a great story. I didn’t want to like it…but I did. So there.

The Lesson— 4 stars
Kinda bummed this wasn’t a new Sanderson story, but I see what they did here. This is more a metaphor for “Future Writers.”

What Lies Beneath— 4 stars
This is a refreshing story. It is very Beowulfish. It’s got a lot going for it and I found myself really enjoying it.

The Face in the Box—3 stars
This is an odd story. To me, it comes across as something John Scalzi would write, and with that, it’s quality is on par with his. Which might be saying everything or nothing, depending on your opinion of John Scalzi…

Flee, My Pretty One— 3 stars
This is another odd story. I am torn on 3 stars or two. I sided with 3 because the action kept it going. But I’m not entirely sure what the end game was for this.

Illusion— 5 stars
This story was probably my second favorite of the whole book. Not truly fair since this was written by an established author…but it’s a damn good story. I ripped through this one!

A Bitter Thing— 4.5stars
This might be the weirdest story in here. It truly captures the heart of science fiction. The story is just bizarre and captivating.

Miss Smokey— 3 stars
This was too Twilightesque for me. It is better written, that is for sure…but I don’t enjoy stories like this as much…I’m not sure why. The fact that she did it better though is saying a lot, and I did manage to get through this one! It’s not horrible, but it isn’t amazing.

All Light and Darkness— 3 stars
The writing on this one is good, the flow of the story is good…but the story itself is okay. I guess I mean the characters fall flat to me, and so the story becomes unmemorable. Nothing stuck with me on this one. I’m not sure this should have been a short story, or at least…this short. It felt like an excerpt of a novel at times. Something is off there, and I’m not sure what. The writing and the world building bumped this up to 3 stars though.

[Angela Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writers of the Future offers a unique blend of stories for readers. While all of the stories presented are science fiction or fantasy stories--readers will find a very unique mixture of characters, plots, settings and writing styles to appeal to the various interests of sci/fi and fantasy readers. Some stories combine humor or sarcasm into the storyline while others offer more action / adventure elements. As a fantasy / science fiction fan and a short story lover--I loved that each story was able to transport me completely to another world, another time or another place.

The stories are well written and imaginative. Sometimes, short stories feel cropped and leave the reader feeling that the few pages left them in the dark at times. I did not feel that any story in this collection was incomplete or lacking in any way. Each author in the Writers of the Future collection created interesting, imaginative stories with well drawn characters and calculated plots.

The illustrations add to the stories. I enjoyed the illustrations of most of the stories almost as much as the stories themselves. The talent and vision of the illustrators certainly shine through the pages as they share their interpretations of the characters and stories visually.

Would I recommend Writers of the Future Volume 34? I enjoyed every story in this collection--and would certainly recommend it to fantasy and science fiction fans. I may even backtrack a bit and look at some of the many collections from previous years that I have missed. The stories are all well written and I look forward to reading more from many of the authors featured within this collection.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for use in a blog review. All opinions are my own.

[Julia Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, either though I found some of the stories a bit confusing, but sometimes I take things literally. The stories provided in this book should be taken figuratively. Three stories I enjoyed most in this anthology are: "Mara's Shadow," "Odd and Ugly," and "A Bitter Thing."
"Mara's shadow" is about the discovery of a new infectious disease with the power to kill people. Worms infest the humans and consume humans internally. This disease was first introduced in early civilization, and was considered as a curse called Mara's Shadow. This disease kills the protagonists husband, so she decides to search for a cure before the symptoms of the disease occur in her son.
"Odd and Ugly" is about girl who falls in love with a Kapra tree, but the tree does not feel like he is attractive enough. Eventually the girl finds out, and she dates another guy. The new guy in the girl's life becomes hostile and demanding. Once the tree giant learns that the girl is about to marry him, he objects to their marriage and proposes to marry her himself.
"A bitter Thing" is about a girl named Ami who meets a lost (Hexie) Alien from another planet. She feels obligated to let the (Hexie) live with her and she falls in love with him. Hexie's plan isn't about staying with Ami forever. The Hexie creates a computer program that has the ability to hypnotize other Aliens. Hexie's captain eventually finds out about this, and tells Hexie to report to him immediately. Ami wants to go with Hexie, but Hexie warned Ami that the captain would not let her live.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two stories that stood out the most to me in this volume were "Mara's Shadow", an ominous and thrilling story about a mysterious virus/infection, and "Odd and Ugly" which is a vivid and enchanting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The fact I still remember these means a lot because it has been years since I last picked up this anthology. When I have the time, I'd like to binge it again.

I took off one star because some short stories did fall short for me. Some I was not able to fully invest in, perhaps it just comes down to a matter of preference.

Still, I really appreciate the selection of stories because there is an apparent effort to showcase unique stories and introduce readers to new authors! There is something about a gathering of narratives from around the world that all have a passion to tell an effective story. I have read plenty of anthologies in the past, but this is the only one that I've read, and I'm sure there are plenty out there, that combine the voices of multiple creators. It's refreshing.

I'd recommend this volume, as well as any other from the Writers of the Future.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stories in this volume of Writers of the Future were all written in 2016 or 2017, and it shows. They have become distinctly political, especially Miss Smokey, Flee My Pretty One, and A Smokeless and Scorching Fire. The stories in this sci fi and fantasy anthology are dominated by fantasy, and mostly Sandersonesque fantasy. There’s even an excerpt from a Sanderson novel in this anthology. Nevertheless, it still contains some amazing stories.

My absolute favorite short story in this volume is Mara’s Shadow, which is about a disease outbreak that originated in Kunming, China, because it predicted the COVID-19 pandemic. I am also partial to the aforementioned Flee, My Pretty One, which is about a rock star fighting against dragons who are allegories for the Marxist bourgeoisie. These are also among the least Sanderonesque stories.

The writers in this anthology have started trends that are becoming played out and are dying. A lot of them are still common in modern fantasy, but readers are beginning to complain about them. But in 2018, when this anthology was published, the stories were fresh and new, and even though they are not fresh and new now, they are still amazing.