Note - I do not endorse or encourage Scientology in any way. That being said, the writers and artists competing in this contest are excellent and very well done and should be supported separately from this publication. Hubbard's writing is poorly done and hard to parse.
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Disclaimer: I am not much of a fantasy fan, in the ordinary way of things. I find Tolkien moralistic, and anything that smacks of elves and dwarves mostly insufferable; I abominate Harry Potter, and have managed to entirely avoid Game of Thrones. Nor are there any other of the endless fantasy series around of which I am a breathless follower. I like SF, in principle, but find it is often disappointing in execution. I do admire Philip K. Dick, Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, Pratchett and some others.

My expectations for this volume were not especially high, but I am happy to say that they were easily exceeded. Everything in here is worth reading. The selection is varied and (almost) impeccable; each piece is artful, well executed, free of claptrap, thought-provoking, and obviously the product of an interesting and original mind, not bound to the conventions of any particular genre. Each piece grabs holder of the reader, as it should, within the first few sentences. And, in general, they do not overstay their welcomes. The accompanying art is appropriately luminous.

A few niggling criticisms: Michael Panter's "Lilt of a Lark" is marvellously inventive, verbally, but the action drags a little. J. A. Becker's "For the Federation" is too rock-em, sock-em for my tastes, but it is saved (almost) by the ending, which is worth hanging on for. The final piece, Lazarus Black's "Psychic Poker", is the only one that is a near-dud, nebulous, self-important and not especially funny. Everything else is pretty rewarding material.

Well, I should add that the pieces by the headliners, Herbert and Anderson et al. can be safely skipped, unless you are deeply into SF history and apocrypha. And the L. Ron Hubbard piece is, viewed through modern eyes, dated, stale and predictable to the point of being almost unreadable. It is hard to believe it was at one time considering ground-breaking. Still, I have no problem giving five stars to the whole collection. If there are another 37 volumes like this in the series, that is a lot of reading to catch up on. ( )

This 38th volume of “Writers of the Future” is, I am ashamed to admit, the first one I read of this series.
As might be expected, they contain some actual gems.

The leitmotif in this anthology of short stories is memory: how memories define you, your innermost self, and what you would give to lose or regain them.


Agata's monster : A family of monster hunters in an allegory about embracing your life experiences and making your past hurts a part of yourself. Strong telling, a very good start to this anthology. The magic book of accidental city destruction: a book wizard's guide: Set in a bazaar and town straight from the Arabian nights, this story provides a clever allegory on the internet and social media.
The squid is my brother: How to both survive and stay true to yourself (and loyal to your symbiote) in a strange environment, braving prejudice and marginalization in the harsh jungle of elementary school. Mica, the school girl from Neptune, is by far the bravest hero in this volume.
Gallows: Badass undercover barman and his snarky partner catching illicit time-travelers. Awesome.
The professor was a thief: This Golden Age Pulp story has all the staple charschacters: the Irish cops, the grumpy, down-at-heel journalist, the mild-mannered, underestimated scientist … a quick and fun read.
Lilt of a Lark: Excellent world-building and a relatable protagonist assigned your typical fantasy task. I liked where the plot twist went.
The Mystical Farrago: A mythical beast kept illegally in a strange sideshow. A council official with a history of their own striving to set it all right. Great premise with a relatable protagonist.
Tsuu Tsuu Kasva Suuremasse: The buck, the fox, the beaver . The väeloom, the spirit-animals from Estonian folklore, come the old woman's aid when, caught between the Napoleonic and Russian lines, she is fighting for her infant grandson's life. Strong prose making you shiver in the bitter winter wind as you read.
The Daddy Box: An alien artifact changes the lives of Billy's family.
The Island on the Lake: About a magical mirror and the burden and responsibilty of knowledge. Sad and beautiful.
The Phantom Carnival: Dirty kids hopping freight trains and a creepy carnival. What memories would you willingly sacrifice to save your friend? Heartwarming story, great premise.
The Last Dying Season: When colonization of a new planet has led to its destruction, the only way out is to cut loose, wipe the slate clean and start over elsewhere, without remembrance, without regret. A botanist tries to find another way.
A Word of Power: Alien abduction or Ark-type rescue mission? Seen through the eyes of a Neanderthal matriarch? Very short piece of fiction.
The Greater Good: How to keep the peace among the passengers on a generation ship? Easy: Memory erasure. Quick fix, no hard feelings, everybody feeling comfy around each other. Except for the poor chap tasked with the “sin eating” part of the process. A
For the Federation: A genetically engineered bodyguard has to basically fight herself as well as her backstabbing superiors to save her son.
Psychic Poker: Mysterious stranger coercing six psychics into a poker tournament. The interesting premise quickly got drawn out for me as game after game was described in (for me) too much detail.
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Before starting Scientology, Ron Hubbard was among other things a science fiction writer. In 1984 he started a contest to promote the writing of speculative fiction short stories in science fiction, fantasy, and horror from young authors: the contest is still running, and this volume collects winners and finalists for 2021, chosen by a jury led by the late David Farland, who suddendly died before the publication. Besides the winning stories, the book contains also some essay on writing; each story is illustrated by a young artist who won the corresponding contest for art. (By the way, I understand that the printed version is in b/w; but I think that the ebook would have benefited from having these pictures in color)
As you may suspect, there is a huge difference both in style and in quality: hovever, I found the overall level more than satisfactory. Here there is a one-liner for each story.

▪ Agatha’s Monster, by Azure Arther: Well plotted, but I did not get warmed. ***
▪ The Magic Book of Accidental City, Destruction: A Book Wizard’s Guide, by Z. T. Bright: in a sense, it reminds me of the Internet... ****
▪ The Squid Is My Brother, by Mike Jack Stoumbos: the idea is nice but there are too many loose end in the story. ***
▪ Gallows, by Desmond Astaire: it's difficult to use time travel in a consistent way, but Astaire manages to do it. *****
▪ Boos and Taboos, by L. Ron Hubbard: it's only interesting because the taboos today change in form but keep existing. **
▪ The Professor Was a Thief, , by L. Ron Hubbard: plot is predictable, but nonetheless it is quite amusing. ****
▪ Lilt of a Lark, by Michael Panter: words have power - and they can be even fun. *****
▪ The Mystical Farrago, by N. V. Haskell: built really well, and the story, even considering what is not said, is good. *****
▪ Tsuu, Tsuu, Kasva Suuremasse, by Rebecca E. Treasure: poetic, but not my kind of story. **
▪ The Single Most Important Piece of Advice, by Frank Herbert "think at the story": N/A
▪ The Daddy Box, by Frank Herbert: strange indeed. it does not even seem Herbert. ****
▪ Teamwork: Getting the Best out of Two Writers, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson: not really useful, indeed **
▪ The Island on the Lake, by John Coming: it leaves more doubts than certainties. ***
▪ The Phantom Carnival, by M. Elizabeth Ticknor: really strange, and a bit fearful, but interesting. ****
▪ The Last Dying Season, by Brittany Rainsdon: well built, but it did not take me on. ***
▪ The Third Artist, by Diane Dillon: not clear what advice offers to illustrators. *
▪ A Word of Power, by David Farland: hides more than it says. ***
▪ The Greater Good, by Em Dupre, very good idea, but the ending is too hasty. ****
▪ For the Federation, by J. A. Becker: difficult to follow, and I did not like it. **
▪ Psychic Poker, by Lazarus Black: I needed to read the last paragraph twice, but when I understood it all went to place. ***** ( )

Such a great collection of short stories, perfect for when your concentration span is down from Covid! I discovered Diane Dillon from this collection and am just loving her other works. Definitely a must if you want to branch out a bit. ( )