In 1983, L. Ron Hubbard began the annual Writers of the Future contest as a singularly unique means for gifted new science fiction/fantasy writers and illustrators to have their work acknowledged on a worldwide stage. Since then, over the past 22 years, the contest has become the standard by which any aspiring writer and illustrator in science fiction and fantasy "measure their work," according to editor Algis Budrys.
Notable selections in Volume XXII include Diana Rowland's "Schroedinger's Hummingbird," which takes on quantum mechanics in a story a la Ray Bradbury's time travel classic, "A Sound of Thunder." Carol and Mark have lost their young son in a tragic accident, and Carol, who has the ability to move back and forth through time, is futilely trying to re-create their idyllic past-again and again and again. "The Sword from the Sea" by Blake Hutchins is a darkly poetic fantasy reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea sequence that revolves around an orphan girl named Gull. Possessing magical abilities that some in her oceanfront village consider heretical, the child's life changes dramatically when a strange warrior washes ashore. Brandon Sigrist's "Life on the Voodoo Driving Range," about a homeless man's struggle to survive, is equal parts contemporary fantasy and cautionary tale.
One of the joys of reading anthologies is discovering exciting up-and-coming authors-with breathtaking new visions, innovative writing styles, etc.-and in the 22nd annual edition of "Writers of the Future," that literary bliss couldn't be more satisfying. If the dozen winning stories featured within are any indication, the future of the genre is in more than capable hands.
A new collection of great science fiction is available.
Author: Stacey Moore
Author Bio:
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