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teachinsci's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I have to say that I enjoy sci-fi short story anthologies over all, having read various collections of differing themes. Moreover, Having read and enjoyed other editions of Writers of the Future, I was thrilled when offered a copy of the 30th edition.
The publisher has made some changes with this edition which I enjoyed. First off, the copy I have is (large) trade paperback size. This is a great format for not only reading (although it makes the book a big harder to pack), but a better showcase for the artwork. This brings up the second change. Not only is the artwork shown in greyscale illustrating the stories but, at the end of the book, there are color plates of all of the artwork from the book. For some of the illustrations, this didn't matter much. The illustration for "Giants at the a End of the World" and certain others WERE much more evocative with the addition of color.
What we all rightly come to Writers of the Future for, however, is the writing. As in previous years, with only a couple of exceptions, the stories chosen for this volume were both entertaining and thought-provoking. Rather than give a running summary of each story (a short of a short story?), I will say that my favorites were "Rainbows for Other Days" and "The Pushbike Legion." Both of these stories were post-apocalyptic (as is roughly 1/3 of all sci-fi) in nature but attracted me for different reasons.
**********Spoilers Follow***********
"Rainbows" is the story of a care-taker in an environmentally destroyed world. This is not a story of hope, however, but (in my opinion) of the beauty which can be found even in the darkest of times.
"Pushbike," on the other hand, is a story (In my opinion) of the hope that can come when someone doesn't give up to what "common knowledge" or "common superstition" surround them.
The publisher has made some changes with this edition which I enjoyed. First off, the copy I have is (large) trade paperback size. This is a great format for not only reading (although it makes the book a big harder to pack), but a better showcase for the artwork. This brings up the second change. Not only is the artwork shown in greyscale illustrating the stories but, at the end of the book, there are color plates of all of the artwork from the book. For some of the illustrations, this didn't matter much. The illustration for "Giants at the a End of the World" and certain others WERE much more evocative with the addition of color.
What we all rightly come to Writers of the Future for, however, is the writing. As in previous years, with only a couple of exceptions, the stories chosen for this volume were both entertaining and thought-provoking. Rather than give a running summary of each story (a short of a short story?), I will say that my favorites were "Rainbows for Other Days" and "The Pushbike Legion." Both of these stories were post-apocalyptic (as is roughly 1/3 of all sci-fi) in nature but attracted me for different reasons.
**********Spoilers Follow***********
"Rainbows" is the story of a care-taker in an environmentally destroyed world. This is not a story of hope, however, but (in my opinion) of the beauty which can be found even in the darkest of times.
"Pushbike," on the other hand, is a story (In my opinion) of the hope that can come when someone doesn't give up to what "common knowledge" or "common superstition" surround them.
waywardskyril's review against another edition
5.0
Writer's of the Future contains stories from all across the world, from so many nationalities and so many varieties of stories, but the one common link is that every single author is hugely talented, undiscovered and just waiting to shine.
I very much enjoyed many of the stories and loved the rest. My personal favorite was the first story, Another Range of Mountains by Megan E. O. Reef, but I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for stories from many of the authors.
This book is rich in writing, rich in characters, and rich in ingenuity.
The art! The art is just glorious! I loved seeing the beautiful images for each story, and Andrew Sonea's work was especially outstanding.
Basically, if you like sci-fi and fantasy, this is definitely the book for you. You will enjoy it as much as I did! I hope you do.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
I very much enjoyed many of the stories and loved the rest. My personal favorite was the first story, Another Range of Mountains by Megan E. O. Reef, but I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for stories from many of the authors.
This book is rich in writing, rich in characters, and rich in ingenuity.
The art! The art is just glorious! I loved seeing the beautiful images for each story, and Andrew Sonea's work was especially outstanding.
Basically, if you like sci-fi and fantasy, this is definitely the book for you. You will enjoy it as much as I did! I hope you do.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
galexie64's review against another edition
4.0
Writers of the Future is a great collection of very promising writers and artists. I enjoyed most of the stories a lot. I'm not really into hard core science fiction so I couldn't really get into some of the darker sci-fi.
I figured it would be best for me to give a 1-5 star rating of the individual stories.
"Another Range of Mountains", by Megan E. O'Keefe *****
"Shifter", by Paul Eckheart **
"Beneath the Surface of Two Kills", by Shauna O'Meara **
"Animal", by Terry Madden *****
"Rainbows for Other Days", by C. Stuart Hardwick *****
"Giants at the End of the World", by Leena Likitalo *****
"The Clouds in Her Eyes", by Liz Colter ***
"What Moves the Sun and Other Stars", by K.C. Norton ****
"Long Jump", by Oleg Kazantsev ***
"These Walls of Despair", by Anaea Lay ***
"The Shaadi Exile", by Amanda Forrest ****
"The Pushbike Legion", by Timothy Jordan *****
"Memories Bleed Beneath the Mask", by Randy Henderson ****
I figured it would be best for me to give a 1-5 star rating of the individual stories.
"Another Range of Mountains", by Megan E. O'Keefe *****
"Shifter", by Paul Eckheart **
"Beneath the Surface of Two Kills", by Shauna O'Meara **
"Animal", by Terry Madden *****
"Rainbows for Other Days", by C. Stuart Hardwick *****
"Giants at the End of the World", by Leena Likitalo *****
"The Clouds in Her Eyes", by Liz Colter ***
"What Moves the Sun and Other Stars", by K.C. Norton ****
"Long Jump", by Oleg Kazantsev ***
"These Walls of Despair", by Anaea Lay ***
"The Shaadi Exile", by Amanda Forrest ****
"The Pushbike Legion", by Timothy Jordan *****
"Memories Bleed Beneath the Mask", by Randy Henderson ****
dharaiter's review against another edition
4.0
This is turning out to be my favorite series. I loved this volume as much as I loved the previous one. Because I finished this books more than 2 months ago, I don't quite remember all the stories, but the one with the robot story touched me the most.
kayedacus's review against another edition
3.0
~3.5 stars
Interesting concept and execution for this short story. I enjoyed it, but kept wondering the whole time I was reading what I was supposed to be feeling and what conclusions and inferences I was supposed to be drawing/making.
Interesting concept and execution for this short story. I enjoyed it, but kept wondering the whole time I was reading what I was supposed to be feeling and what conclusions and inferences I was supposed to be drawing/making.
misscharlied's review against another edition
4.0
These definitely get better the further along in the book.
Don't let the name Hubbard get in the way of reading this anthology, it's pretty fantastic.
This coming from the girl who doesn't like short stories.
Don't let the name Hubbard get in the way of reading this anthology, it's pretty fantastic.
This coming from the girl who doesn't like short stories.
hissingpotatoes's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to win this book through Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you!
It's very difficult to find quality anthologies, and Writers of the Future Volume 30 is definitely one of the few best I've ever read. The creativity of the authors and their ability to stretch the limits of the imagination intrigued me with every story. The authors combined science fiction and fantasy elements within familiar societies, elevating the stories to thought-provoking entertainment. I will definitely be checking out many of the authors to see what other stories and novels they have created. If speculative fiction intrigues you in the least, I recommend checking out this anthology, because it'll provide a little bit of every angle of the genre.
It's very difficult to find quality anthologies, and Writers of the Future Volume 30 is definitely one of the few best I've ever read. The creativity of the authors and their ability to stretch the limits of the imagination intrigued me with every story. The authors combined science fiction and fantasy elements within familiar societies, elevating the stories to thought-provoking entertainment. I will definitely be checking out many of the authors to see what other stories and novels they have created. If speculative fiction intrigues you in the least, I recommend checking out this anthology, because it'll provide a little bit of every angle of the genre.
publius's review against another edition
4.0
The thing about I like about short stories is that you don't have to commit much to get a certain amount of satisfaction.
Any novel worth reading will spend a certain portion of time introducing conflict, stringing together a plot, creating characters and relationships, and, if were in science fiction or fantasy, building a world. After all, in these genres, the world is as much a character as the characters all. It's what makes science fiction different from science fact.
With a short story, you've got anywhere from 3,500 words to up to maybe 30,000 to build that world, create conflict and tension, introduce empathetic characters, spin a plot, and tie it all up. Done well, it can be as satisfying as a full novel, albeit with less depth and, of course, far less commitment.
With Writers of the Future Volume 30, edited by [a:Dave Wolverton|86137|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207167742p2/86137.jpg], you can count on a full slate of fulfilling stories, each crafted with a deft touch to provide a full and satisfying meal of a story. Comparing it with even last year's crop (which I also reviewed), it's a truly excellent group of writers that the contest has discovered.
A caveat, though: don't open the collection of twenty short stories and essays with your expectations set. Book marketing departments may craft covers to help reader predictions, but nothing can prepare you for each story. And, in a sense, that's refreshing. Too many of us go to the writers and genres that we like, whether it's selections from military scifi like [a:David Weber|10517|David Weber|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1227584346p2/10517.jpg]'s Honorverse, epic fantasy like [a:Patrick Rothfuss|108424|Patrick Rothfuss|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351307341p2/108424.jpg]'s or [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg]'s thousand page tomes, or the urban fantasy of [a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files. As readers, we tend to find what we like, devour it, and then cast about for more by the same author or in the same world or universe. Even better if it's the same characters. We get to escape a little longer with the characters we know.
Short stories, especially in a collection such as [b:L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future |20695297|L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 30|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392867713s/20695297.jpg|40014842] offers no such comfort or safe harbor. You will be constantly facing new situations, new worlds, new characters, and--here's the clincher--new writers.
And you should embrace them all. They're the future of science fiction and fantasy.
In "Animal" by Terry Madden, you'll find a dystopian future where humanity has pushed all wildlife into human controlled preserves underground, where a child is so valuable that a would be mother will risk everything to have one.
Megan O'Keefe's "Another Range of Mountains" and Paul Eckheart's "Shifter" both introduce systems of magic as clever as anything out of Sanderson's Cosmere, and including twists just as fulfilling and heart wrenching.
"Rainbows for Other Days" by C. Stuart Hardwick asks what it means to be human, examining how losing our natural world, and becoming transhuman, might wreck damages on our humanity that we would rather die than give up.
One author from whom I expect a lot more from, because of how well the story seemed to shadow so much more to come, is Leena Likitalo. The Finnish author's "Giants at the End of the World" allegedly has a whole novel beyond the short story, somewhere, and I would love to see it in print. If anyone from Tor, Baen, or Orbit is reading this, please pick it up.
"Long Jump" is a dark trip down the rabbit hole of virtual reality, space travel, and the end of the world, and Oleg Kazantsev absolutely nails it, giving me chills that made me want to go outside, roll on the grass, and soak up the smells of the real world.
One of my favorites was "The Shaadi Exile" for author Amanda Forrest's protagonist, Daliya, the emissary of a wife to her future husband in a universe where marriages between people light years apart are arranged decades before either spouse meets.
There are more, including a clever tale by the legendary Orson Scott Card, called "Carousel," another, "Beyond All Weapons," by L.Ron Hubbard. Each is worth the experience, a trip to another universe and a glimpse at some writers who may just be the future of science fiction and fantasy.
Any novel worth reading will spend a certain portion of time introducing conflict, stringing together a plot, creating characters and relationships, and, if were in science fiction or fantasy, building a world. After all, in these genres, the world is as much a character as the characters all. It's what makes science fiction different from science fact.
With a short story, you've got anywhere from 3,500 words to up to maybe 30,000 to build that world, create conflict and tension, introduce empathetic characters, spin a plot, and tie it all up. Done well, it can be as satisfying as a full novel, albeit with less depth and, of course, far less commitment.
With Writers of the Future Volume 30, edited by [a:Dave Wolverton|86137|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207167742p2/86137.jpg], you can count on a full slate of fulfilling stories, each crafted with a deft touch to provide a full and satisfying meal of a story. Comparing it with even last year's crop (which I also reviewed), it's a truly excellent group of writers that the contest has discovered.
A caveat, though: don't open the collection of twenty short stories and essays with your expectations set. Book marketing departments may craft covers to help reader predictions, but nothing can prepare you for each story. And, in a sense, that's refreshing. Too many of us go to the writers and genres that we like, whether it's selections from military scifi like [a:David Weber|10517|David Weber|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1227584346p2/10517.jpg]'s Honorverse, epic fantasy like [a:Patrick Rothfuss|108424|Patrick Rothfuss|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351307341p2/108424.jpg]'s or [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg]'s thousand page tomes, or the urban fantasy of [a:Jim Butcher|10746|Jim Butcher|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg]'s Dresden Files. As readers, we tend to find what we like, devour it, and then cast about for more by the same author or in the same world or universe. Even better if it's the same characters. We get to escape a little longer with the characters we know.
Short stories, especially in a collection such as [b:L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future |20695297|L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 30|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392867713s/20695297.jpg|40014842] offers no such comfort or safe harbor. You will be constantly facing new situations, new worlds, new characters, and--here's the clincher--new writers.
And you should embrace them all. They're the future of science fiction and fantasy.
In "Animal" by Terry Madden, you'll find a dystopian future where humanity has pushed all wildlife into human controlled preserves underground, where a child is so valuable that a would be mother will risk everything to have one.
Megan O'Keefe's "Another Range of Mountains" and Paul Eckheart's "Shifter" both introduce systems of magic as clever as anything out of Sanderson's Cosmere, and including twists just as fulfilling and heart wrenching.
"Rainbows for Other Days" by C. Stuart Hardwick asks what it means to be human, examining how losing our natural world, and becoming transhuman, might wreck damages on our humanity that we would rather die than give up.
One author from whom I expect a lot more from, because of how well the story seemed to shadow so much more to come, is Leena Likitalo. The Finnish author's "Giants at the End of the World" allegedly has a whole novel beyond the short story, somewhere, and I would love to see it in print. If anyone from Tor, Baen, or Orbit is reading this, please pick it up.
"Long Jump" is a dark trip down the rabbit hole of virtual reality, space travel, and the end of the world, and Oleg Kazantsev absolutely nails it, giving me chills that made me want to go outside, roll on the grass, and soak up the smells of the real world.
One of my favorites was "The Shaadi Exile" for author Amanda Forrest's protagonist, Daliya, the emissary of a wife to her future husband in a universe where marriages between people light years apart are arranged decades before either spouse meets.
There are more, including a clever tale by the legendary Orson Scott Card, called "Carousel," another, "Beyond All Weapons," by L.Ron Hubbard. Each is worth the experience, a trip to another universe and a glimpse at some writers who may just be the future of science fiction and fantasy.
booksandstarshine_620's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book free of charge through Goodreads First Reads giveaways, this review may contain spoilers.
I absolutely loved this book! I'm so glad that I was lucky enough to get a copy. Also, the bookmark that came with it was greatly appreciated, you can never have too many of those :)
This anthology had such diverse and interesting pieces from talented writers with beautiful artwork to accompany them. Each short story captured my attention and kept it until the very last page. The stories contain various concepts ranging from zombies, robots, mirrorpainters (I hadn't heard of this term beforehand) and diverse interesting themes.
If I had to choose a favorite story from the collection, I would choose "Rainbows for Other Days" by C. Stuart Hardwick. It resonated with me and was able to affect me emotionally, I felt what the main character felt just by his thoughts. The illustration by Andrew Sonea was just breath-taking. I am jealous of his talent.
That's not to say that his talent overshadows any of the other works by very gifted artists. Every picture is so beautiful, I took a good solid ten minutes thoroughly appreciating each page. I'm very happy that the edition I received had full page, color photos of all the art.
I would recommend this anthology for anyone interested in science-fiction, fantasy, short-stories :)
Happy reading!
I absolutely loved this book! I'm so glad that I was lucky enough to get a copy. Also, the bookmark that came with it was greatly appreciated, you can never have too many of those :)
This anthology had such diverse and interesting pieces from talented writers with beautiful artwork to accompany them. Each short story captured my attention and kept it until the very last page. The stories contain various concepts ranging from zombies, robots, mirrorpainters (I hadn't heard of this term beforehand) and diverse interesting themes.
If I had to choose a favorite story from the collection, I would choose "Rainbows for Other Days" by C. Stuart Hardwick. It resonated with me and was able to affect me emotionally, I felt what the main character felt just by his thoughts. The illustration by Andrew Sonea was just breath-taking. I am jealous of his talent.
That's not to say that his talent overshadows any of the other works by very gifted artists. Every picture is so beautiful, I took a good solid ten minutes thoroughly appreciating each page. I'm very happy that the edition I received had full page, color photos of all the art.
I would recommend this anthology for anyone interested in science-fiction, fantasy, short-stories :)
Happy reading!