About the Book
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.
My Review
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.
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About the Writer's Contest
There have been articles published throughout the years regarding not only L. Ron Hubbard’s fiction works, but also highlighting his work in other fields of the arts—most notably, his annual Writers of the Future competition.
L. Ron Hubbard established the Writers of the Future Contest in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring young authors to gain a foothold in the field of speculative fiction. Mr. Hubbard’s estate provided for the contest to continue in perpetuity after his passing. It is judged by leading authors in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. First-, second- and third-place winners are announced quarterly, and the top stories are judged against each other for highest yearly honors. Winners are announced at our annual awards ceremony, where they receive trophies, certificates and cash awards. Of even greater import, all winning stories are published by Galaxy Press in the annual Writers of the Future Anthology.
As part of administering the Writers of the Future Contest, Galaxy Press works with many luminaries in the field of speculative fiction, including Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Larry Niven, Nnedi Okorafor, Tim Powers, Robert Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Sean Williams and David Farland.
About the Illustrator's Contest
In 1988, based on the success of the Writers of the Future program, a companion contest was created for new and aspiring illustrators seeking to become speculative artists. Winning illustrators—three each quarter—are assigned the winning stories from the writers’ contest and illustrate them for the annual anthology. The list of judges for the illustrator’s contest is no less impressive than that of the writers’ contest and includes in its roster of judges such notables as: Echo Chernik, Ciruelo, Bob Eggleton, Larry Elmore, Rob Prior and Shaun Tan.
Visit the Writers of the Future Website to Learn More and to Explore other Volumes.
1 Comments
Thank you Angela for this great review. I am the book publisher and really appreciate this. BTW, volume 34 just hit national bestseller lists making all 24 new winners national bestselling authors and artists!
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