L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 19 - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592121659 ISBN 13: 9781592121656

Publisher: Galaxy Press (CA), 2003

Synopsis

A crisp clean softcover, no markings throughout: The 19th installment in Hubbard's annual contest series contains more top-notch stories than last year's volume and is likely to satisfy science fiction and fantasy aficionados looking for fresh ideas and new twists on old conventions. Luc Reid's marvelous "A Ship That Bends" imagines a world that is literally flat, where seafarers try to maneuver around the edge and onto the other side. Joel Best's "Numbers," in which the essence of life can be boiled down to a single equation, has the detached, bleak feel of a Kubrick nightmare as well as the magnetism of one. Ken Liu's "Gossamer," an elegant twist on the first contact story, asks: what if we finally meet another life form, but have no idea how to communicate with them? The clear winner, however, is Jay Lake's "Into the Gardens of Sweet Night," a quirky meditation on personal freedom and responsibility that follows a cosmos-trotting pug named Wiggles as it leads a young boy on a surreal journey to the supposedly mythical Garden of the title; think William Burroughs meets Men in Black.

About this title

About the Author

L. Ron Hubbard's legendary writing career spanned more than half a century of enduring literary achievement and creative influence, encompassing more than 250 published novels, novelettes, short stories and screenplays in every major genre. Among his best-selling and classic speculative fiction trendsetters are "Battlefield Earth," "Mission Earth," "Fear" and "Final Blackout."

Algis Budrys has been over the years, the Editor in Chief of Regency Books, Playboy Press, all the titles at Woodall's Trailer Travel publications and L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future.

Reviews

The 19th installment in Hubbard's annual contest series contains more top-notch stories than last year's volume and is likely to satisfy science fiction and fantasy aficionados looking for fresh ideas and new twists on old conventions. Luc Reid's marvelous "A Ship That Bends" imagines a world that is literally flat, where seafarers try to maneuver around the edge and onto the other side. Joel Best's "Numbers," in which the essence of life can be boiled down to a single equation, has the detached, bleak feel of a Kubrick nightmare as well as the magnetism of one. Ken Liu's"Gossamer," an elegant twist on the first contact story, asks: what if we finally meet another life form, but have no idea how to communicate with them? The clear winner, however, is Jay Lake's "Into the Gardens of Sweet Night," a quirky meditation on personal freedom and responsibility that follows a cosmos-trotting pug named Wiggles as it leads a young boy on a surreal journey to the supposedly mythical Garden of the title; think William Burroughs meets Men in Black. Some stories are too long-winded like Brandon Butler's vampire tale "A Few Days North of Vienna" and Hubbard's essay on the nature of suspense meanders. Still, this engaging, if over-packed, volume should be required reading for aspiring sci-fi and fantasy writers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

“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 (co-author of the Dune series)

“Some of the most excellent speculative fiction that you can find. They’re cutting edge.” —Nnedi Okorafor

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

“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

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

“An absolute wealth of imagination, adventure, excitement, stimulation and joy, every possible human emotion.” —Sean Williams

“A very generous legacy from L. Ron Hubbard a fine, fine fiction writer for the writers of the future.” —Anne McCaffrey

“Writers of the Future is a terrific program for new writers, and goodness knows, there are few enough of those. It has my heartiest support and unqualified recommendation.” —Terry Brooks

“Some of the best SF of the future comes from Writers of the Future.” —David Hartwell Hugo-Award-winning editor

“This collection shows why I'm happy to be a judge for the Writers of the Future Contest it always finds great stories by the new writers who will be winning Hugo and Nebula Awards a few years from now.” —Tim Powers

“The Writers of the Future Contest has not only provided a place where new writers could break into print for the first time but it also has a record of nurturing and discovering writers who have gone on to make their mark in the science fiction field. Long may it continue!” —Neil Gaiman

“It all started when I won the Writers of the Future Contest. Without them, I can honestly say I would not be where I am today.” —Patrick Rothfuss

“Supports new and enthusiastic artists pursue their dream...” —Stephen Youll

“Writers of the Future played a critical role in the early stages of my career.” —Eric Flint

“Writers of the Future was an accelerator to my writing development.” —Jo Beverley

“WOTF judges encouraged me to write more.” —Eric James Stone

“I highly recommend it to everyone...” —Ken Scholes

“Writers of the Future launched my career...” —David Sakmyster

“They really do know how to pick and train talent.” —Mike Resnick

“The Illustrators of the Future is an amazing compass for what the art industry holds in store for all of us.” —Dan dos Santos

“The best-selling SF anthology series of all time.” —Locus Magazine

“Writers of the Future collection is exciting and engrossing, with stories that range across the spectrum of SF and fantasy. Tried-and-true space opera and epic fantasy, these stories explore new mysteries and ideas.” —Publishers Weekly

“This is a fine collection that will appeal to both fans of science fiction and fantasy short stories and aspiring writers looking for ways to improve their craft.” — Booklist

“Verdict: Speculative fiction fans will welcome this showcase of new talent.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Galaxy Press (CA)
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1592121659
• ISBN 13: 9781592121656
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 548
• Editor: Algis Budrys, L. Ron Hubbard, Robert Silverberg, Dave Wolverton