Book received from NetGalley.

I have read some of the older books in this series, but this is the first one in many years that I have picked up. I liked all of the stories but two of the stories I absolutely loved. Those were "Switch" by Steve Pantazis and "Stars that Make the Dark Heaven Light" by Sharon Joss. Each of those stories had me hooked from the first sentence. "Switch" had a cop drama mystery feel and I've been slightly hooked on those lately. "Stars that Make the Dark Heaven Light" made me think of parts of the Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey and the Darkangel series by Meredith Ann Pierce. I know a certain famous author that's mentioned in this book in the series is not the best person, and many people have issues with him and his work, but I did my best to ignore his issues and give the new authors the chance they deserved. There are a few authors in this book that I'm hoping get more of their work published because I really enjoyed reading their stories. ( )

Writers of the Future, Vol 31



There are 13 stories in this anthology of new writers, not all the best I’ve read, and some end abruptly and are annoying. But the majority are interesting and definitely worth your time.

I won’t go through all the stories; just the ones I liked.

Switch by Steve Pantazis was great. A society that has perfected a drug that will make you super human, but also brings you crashing down. After a friend dies he makes a personal vendetta out of finding the guy who sold his friend these super drugs. He finds him but also finds the fight of his life as the criminal has a better super drug. All in all several fun fight scenes.

God Whisperer by Daniel J. Davis was odd; a society that sells little Gods and how to train them as pets. Creepy story and ends abruptly.

Stars that Make Dark Heaven Light by Sharon Joss, although the title is a bit long the story is not. Ettie is part of an experiment on this colony planet, where discoveries in genetics makes adaptation to other planets possible. But what if the changes to the human genome are such that you barely pass for human? And what if you run into a species that has not only perfected the science of this, but can become the species they meet? Fascinating premise; would make a cool novel.

I’ve read Hubbard’s articles and stories before. I always try to apply what he talks about in Art as a communication. When Shadows Fall is a fun sci-fi pulp story.

Larry Niven is no amateur and his story, Inconstant Moon, is great. I’ve read a lot of his early stories back in the day with his Kinzi and such. This story had a lot to do with humans not being able to fathom extinction. The story felt rushed, but was entertaining.

Poseidon’s Eyes by Kary English was fun too. It had me looking up all the Greek god and myth references throughout the story. Being part Greek myself, I could relate!

Bottom Line:

Overall a good start for many of these writers. I really hope they take advantage of this publicity and make a go of it. Kevin Anderson wrote a cool story in here about a guy who is a one hit wonder in the sci-fi world and never continued, but discovers an Alternate Earth where he did continue and the result. Fascinating stuff.


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I enjoyed this book of short stories and found all but three of the stories entertaining. The last few times I attempted to read this style of book, I have been disappointed since there were only one or two good stories. Now many years later, I won this book in a giveaway and was pleasantly surprised as one enjoyable story followed another. I also liked the artwork that was included. Not only did were the stories selected by experienced writers from submissions, so were the art pieces used to showcase each story. I also found the essays provided by experienced writers insightful.

From the writers of the future website:

You are invited . . .
To a future where a cop’s performance depends upon the quality of his illegal brain-enhancing drugs.

To the home of Jack, who is troubled by a misbehaving pet Death God name Zu’ar.

To the planet Hesperidee, where one girl is on the brink of becoming something other than human.

To hop between doomed planets . . . and celebrate each one’s apocalypse.

There is a world where . . .
Mankind’s sins must be forgiven, lest it be doomed.

The spirit in Abe’s magical book makes big promises, but will only deliver at a tremendous cost.

The mobsters in Vinh Quang hope to purchase freedom for entire families—if they can just avoid the cops.

One young man’s hallucination might be a ghost—or the key to survival.

Meet the neighbors . . .
A girl named Elizabeth is haunted by ghostly echoes from her past.

A person whose genetic upgrades let him speak only in five-word sentences.

The kids at Kessington House—a dorm for the psychomorphically unstable.

A writer gets to see what he could have created, if he’d only found the courage.

You think you have problems?
In the seaside resort of Summerland, a young artist struggles to complete a mural, and mend broken spirits.

Daniel’s neighbors want your life—but only because they need it to get your soul.

Sam is trapped on a refinery in space and his fusion reactor is about to blow—and that’s just the first of his problems.

It seems that our sun has just exploded.

The year’s thirteen best tales from the Writers of the Future international writers’ program

Illustrated by winners in the Illustrators of the Future international illustrators’ program ( )

Most of the stories are quite interesting, they capture and hold your attention. While all were Sci-Fi and Fantasy, the stories are very diverse. I was really looking forward to Orson Scott Cards contribution, but it turned out to be an instructional piece on writing. This anthology takes you all over the universe, as well as across the county. ( )

A good collection of new (and some not so new) Sci-fi/fantasy writers and artists. Like previous volumes, this one includes some pretty awesome speculative fiction. My favorite short stories were A Revolutionary's Guide to Practical Conjuration, Planar Ghosts, and Kevin Anderson and wife's Rough Draft. But the illustrators are spectacular. I love Daniel Tyka's artwork and I also enjoyed the illustrations of Greg Opalinski, Michelle Lockamy, and Bernardo Mota. Gorgeous and thought-provoking. I'll be looking for more in the future.

LT Member Giveaway ( )