Review of Writers of Future Volume 41

[Stephanie Runyon]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Writers of Future Volume 41" by L. Ron Hubbard, Jody Lynn Nye, Tim Powers, Robert J. Sawyer, Sean Williams, Tom Wood, and 12 Award-W.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Volume 41, a collection of the twelve stories written by the winners of the quarterly contests held by Galaxy Press. Each year, a new volume showcases the stories of amateur writers and illustrators who have placed in the contest's first, second, and third places. The anthology focuses on stories in the science fiction, fantasy, and light horror genres.

At the beginning of each story, a biography of the author and illustrator is given. This allows the reader to see many people from different walks of life. I was amazed to see one person who was a retiree with grandchildren, followed by a boy who grew up on a ranch. Every person’s life was as unique as the stories in the book.

I read and reviewed the 40th volume and enjoyed it immensely. However, I found this collection of stories exceeded my expectations. The question “What if” is thoroughly explored in every story. For example, in ‘Slip Stone,’ Carlos, a boy who lives in a group home, is buying rocks at a specialty store when a man drops a green stone into his cart. Carlos buys the odd rock and leaves the store. The man grabs Carlos and offers him several valuable gemstones for the rock. Before they can trade, three strangers arrive and demand their surrender. Mitch grabs Carlos’ arm, and they vanish. Mitch had transported them to the year 1885. All Carlos wants is to go home. If you could travel back in time, would you want to watch a famous event or see how people lived during the Stone Ages?

My favorite stories were ‘Karma Birds,’ ‘Ascii,’ and ‘The Boy From Elsewhen.’ In ‘Karma Birds,’ Claire and her two younger sisters are part of a caravan headed to Canada. It is set in a dystopian world where large black birds have killed most of the population of America. The caravan has to stop for gas, risking possible death from leaving their vehicles. ‘Ascii’ involves an AI car’s curiosity about his passenger’s manuscript. His inspection of the manuscript led to shocking revelations, and the car has to make a choice between doing its job or thwarting his passenger’s plans to publish a controversial book that could affect the world. ‘The Boy From Elsewhen’ challenges how people rely on technology. Narrated by a classmate, a new student arrives after an anomaly occurs, causing the school to use immersive technology. The new student doesn’t use technology; instead, he relies on regular textbooks and novels. Are we relying on technology too much?

There are no improvements needed in this book. I found no errors in any of the stories. The advice sections were intriguing. “Writing is an art, just like a painting is art,” felt accurate. The illustrations for each story are matched well. At the end of the book, each illustration is shown with the artist’s version of what the picture expresses. There was nothing to dislike in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41. I rate this amazing anthology five out of five stars.

This collection of stories is perfect for aspiring writers and illustrators who are looking into becoming published. The links and rules for entering the contests are included. I have personally completed the online writing class and found it helpful for my own writing. If you enjoy speculative fiction, this would be an excellent book to read.

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Writers of Future Volume 41
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[Charles Benson]

A time-traveling foster kid, killer birds, and a sentient car debating ethics—Writers of the Future Vol. 41 doesn’t just entertain, it surprises. What really struck me from the review was the raw variety—not just in plot, but in the backgrounds of the authors. It’s refreshing to see debut writers deliver such high-concept, emotionally grounded stories. I especially love how each tale dares to ask “what if?” in a way that feels both speculative and deeply human. Definitely sounds like an anthology that’s as thought-provoking as it is imaginative.

[NetMassimo]

This kind of collection offers the chance to read some great short fiction that in this case covers different genres. Some writers and illustrators might be unknown yet talentes, and this collection offers them a chance of rising to fame. Thank you for your great review!