L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35

Graced with a beautiful cover by Bob Eggleton, WOTF 35 continues the landmark tradition of stunning artwork complementing the year’s winning entries in this highly-acclaimed contest. I read this anthology every year and I have never been disappointed. Commencing with an introduction by David Farland and another by Echo Chernik, the first story is Untrained Luck by Elise Stephens and illustrated by Aliya Chen; a riveting tale that sets the creative bar very high. The First Warden by Kai Wolden and illustrated by Alexander Gustafson is up next, and this excellent story had me glued to the book. The Damned Voyage by John Haas and illustrated by Allen Morris reaffirmed my faith in this anthology. At this point we are treated to an essay and a story by L. Ron Hubbard. The story, The Idealist, is illustrated by Brian C. Hailes. Hubbard’s fast-paced prose is always a delight to read.The next sequence of stories are all vivid and exciting. Thanatos Drive by Andrew Dykstal and illustrated by Qianjiao Ma; A Harvest of Astronauts by Kyle Kirrin and illustrated by Sam Kemp; and Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler by Wulf Moon and illustrated by Alice Wang. This section is rounded out by Tips for Embryonic Pros by Mike Resnick.This brings us to Dean Wesley Smith’s Lost Robot which was inspired by Bob Eggleton’s One of Our Robots Is Missing cover artwork. Smith’s tale is great and this combination sums up the quality and the creative inspiration evident in every annual edition of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future anthology. The next three stories are equally as exciting and refreshing as everything that came before: Are You the Life of the Party? by Mica Scotti Kole and illustrated by Josh Pemberton; Release from Service by Rustin Lovewell illustrated by Emerson Rabbitt; and Dark Equations of the Heart by David Cleden illustrated by Vytautas Vasiliauskas.The final section offers Advice for Artists by Rob Prior, and a wonderful tale called Yellow Submarine by Rebecca Moesta and illustrated by David Furnal. The final stories are An Itch by Christopher Baker illustrated by Jennifer Ober; Dirt Road Magic by Carrie Callahan and illustrated by Yingying Jiang; A Certain Slant of Light by Preston Dennett and illustrated by Christine Rhee. I really enjoy the diversity of these stories, and each corresponding piece of artwork was a perfect match. Overall, this is the primary Science-Fiction and Fantasy anthology I purchase.

This volume of The Writers of the Future is superb! The stories are incredibly written showcasing the talent of these fine new authors. The Wotf Contest is not only for upcoming writers, but for extremely talented artists as well, eager to make their presence known in the world. This volume is full of wonderful stories and their associated artwork. A must read for those who love great science fiction short stories, or for those who just love to read. I highly recommend it.Get it. Read it. See for yourself. You will fall in love. I did.

It seems to get better and better every year. These are all new writers but don't think that means the stories are less than pro-level. I'd argue they're better. I haven't yet read them all yet but I will soon. My eye was drawn first to "Super-Duper Moon Girl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler." With a crazy title like that, who wouldn't notice it? It's a fabulous, funny read about a lovely disabled girl living on the moon with her very cool rapper-med-dog. It's silly and enchanting. If this is what the rest of the anthology has in store, I'm sure it will be another best-seller.

This issue of the Writer's of the Future anthology does not disappoint and it contains probably my favorite WOTF story ever, Wulf Moon's Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler. Really loved the voices in that story. As always, the artwork for each story is a very cool touch. If you like to read sci-fi or fantasy and need something quick, take a look at this book.

I have been buying every edition of Writers of the Future for some time now. I love every one of them. These writers and illustrator are so talented and this gives them a way to be discovered by everyone. I always look forward to each new edition and this one doesn't disappoint!

This edition of Writers of the Future reflects the inherent darkness of the world today but all stories have hope for a better tomorrow.This year's winners show real promise with their beautifully written, thought-provoking stories and translations of the world's problems into their own perspectives, plus possible solutions or ways to make it better.A wonderful read for both young and old, with beautiful illustrations alongside the text to awaken the imagination.

Everything I read in the intro in this volume was true and first story I read, The Idealist, by L. Ron Hubbard himself, was so captivating and timeless. It gave me insight into what's going on in the world even now! And another thing was a fresh appreciation of the pulp style of writing from that era. Bring it back. It is a definite style. It communicates incredibly well. I would recommend this volume to everyone!

This is a yearly anthology that I have been reading for about seven or eight years running. It seems to get better each year, which is good because it means more enjoyable reading for me but is kind of a downer because the quality is going to top out one of these years. Then the stories will be more average. But, that hasn't happened yet...