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Best, Peter

Review of Science Fiction/Fantasy Anthology: Writers of the Future Volume XXIII

The Sci Fi Catholic: Anthology Review: Writers of the Future Volume XXIII: "Good stories from new authors. L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of Future Vol 23, edited by Algis Budrys. Galaxy Press (Hollywood): 2007. 562 pages. $7.99. ISBN-10: 1592123988; ISBN-15: 978-1592123988.

The Writers of the Future Contest publishes an annual anthology of each year's winners. Each of the winners is previously unpublished, but the standard of the contest is high, guaranteeing that the new stories are of good quality. This is regarded as a very important annual anthology, and many of the new authors go on to become top sellers in the science fiction and fantasy field. Each volume also includes brief essays by top authors and illustrators, offering writing and publishing advice. Included with the stories are illustrations by the winners of the Illustrators of the Future contest, each of whom, after winning, is assigned a story to illustrate. Altogether, that makes this an important annual collection for the serious sf fan.

Readers of this blog will be pleased to know that religious themes are apparent in a number of the stories, indicating that religious issues will remain strongly present in the genre. Each of the stories addressing religion does so intelligently without foolish caricature or rancor, marking these new writers as more thoughtful than some of their established elders."

Read the full review of the stories at www.scificatholic.com

To order the book go to: NEW RELEASES SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY

Best, Peter

Why did L. Ron Hubbard start a science fiction and fantasy writing contest?

In 1985 the first Writers of the Future Volume was published. It contained 15 stories from new writers who had not been published before. A lot of the authors who got their break in the first Writers of the Future Volume went on to become household names in the science fiction and fantasy field.

They are names such as: Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Karen Joy Fowler, Leonard Carpenter, Dean Wesley Smith and David Zindell.

But why did Hubbard, who was a successful science fiction writer with bestsellers such as Battlefield Earth and the Mission Earth Series, start a contest for new writers?

Here is what he said:

"A culture is as rich and as capable of surviving as it has imaginative artists. The artist is looked upon to start things. The artist injects the spirit of life into a culture. And through his creative endeavors, the writer works continually to give tomorrow a new form.

In these modern times, there are many communication lines for works of art. Because a few works of art can be shown so easily to so many, there may even be fewer artists. The competition is very keen and even dagger sharp.

It is with this in mind that I initiated a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged. With the advent of the Writers of the Future competition came an avalanche of new material from all over the country.

And with that came the idea of creating a book that would contain the winners of the quarterly judges' decisions.

Judging the winners for this book could not have been an easy task, and I am sincerely grateful to those professionals and top-flight veterans of the profession for their hard work and final selections which made this book possible:

Gregory Benford
Robert Silverberg
Algis Budrys
Theodore Sturgeon
Stephen Goldin
Jack Williamson
C.L. Moore
Roger Zelazny

My special thanks also goes to Algis Budrys for the invaluable work he did in editing and putting together this book. And my heartiest congratulations to those they selected for this first volume. I am very proud to present the winners.

Good luck to all other writers of the future.

And good reading."

- L. Ron Hubbard

Well, 22 years later Algis Budrys is still editing the anthology and he is doing a very fine job. The stories in this latest volume are outstanding and for anybody who is interested you can get your copy here:

NEW RELEASES SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY

Best regards,
Peter
GALAXY PRESS

2007 Quill Award Winners - Quills News Story - WNBC | New York

2007 Quill Award Winners - Quills News Story - WNBC | New York: "Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror WINNER The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One) Written by Patrick Rothfuss Published by DAW Books # Description: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard."

Patrick Rothfuss is a winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Contest and has just received the coveted Quills Award in the Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror category.



Here is what Patrick said about Writers of the Future and how it helped him launch his career:

"It's been four years since I was in Writers of the Future. But I'm still in contact with my anthology mates. We talk about writing and help each other out, sharing contacts and giving advice.

"My first book hit the shelves with a back cover full of Hugo winners and New York Times bestsellers: Terry Brooks, Tad Williams, and of course, Kevin J. Anderson. The reviews have been ridiculously good, and I've been nominated for a Quill Award (now has won it). We've sold the foreign rights to the book in a dozen countries.

"But it all started when I won the Writers of the Future Contest. They were my first publication. My foot in the door. Without them, I can honestly say I would not be where I am today." - Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick was published in Writers of the Future Volume XVIII with his story "The Road to Levenshir". This story is in fact what later developed into the full-length novel "The Name of the Wind" for which he is now being applauded and awarded. Well done, Patrick and we wish you continued success as an author!

Here is the book he was in:



If you want to get a special Writers of the Future book package with 7 books, a DVD and 5 other free bonus items and all at a ridiculously low price check this out:

NEW RELEASES SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY




Peter
GALAXY PRESS

New Releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy

The new Writers of the Future Volume 23 is selling very well. It has hit #1 at Amazon.com in the anthology category. This book is one of the new releases in science fiction and fantasy and has created waves already. At a recent event in Clearwater, Florida, the B&N store manager said that she hadn't seen such a demand for a new title since Harry Potter.

The book cover is quite stunning with awesome science fiction art by Stephen Martiniere. The science fiction art pictures in the book are equally stunning - provided by the Illustrators of the Future winners who created fantasy art and science fiction art pictures alike which dazzle the reader's imagination.

Here is the actual book cover:




To find out more about the book, go to www.writersofthefuture.com

To get your own copy go to NEW RELEASES SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY

Watch out for further updates about the unique stories in this year's anthology and the authors who got their break and got published with their science fiction or fantasy story.

Peter Breyer
GALAXY PRESS