From Publishers Weekly
The newest installment in the venerable annual contest/anthology series started by the late Hubbard features stories by 17 previously unpublished writers and 17 winning illustrations from new artists. Like most anthologies, this volume is uneven: the majority of the material is passable, with a few outright duds. However, this edition also contains two bona fide masterpieces: Ray Roberts's "The Haunted Seed" tells the story of a deserted space ship whose computer is in love with a dead crewmember, while Ari Goelman's outstanding "Lost on the Road" is a lovingly constructed fairy tale in which a young faery slave eventually finds his family and freedom. A few brief pieces by the pros enhance the collection: Andre Norton offers advice to new writers ("Above all, a writer must be a reader"); H.R. Van Dongen gives tips on illustration ("Develop a composition designed to lead the eye into the picture"); and Hubbard, in a rambling previously published essay, urges writers to set challenges for themselves. There are better (and worse) anthologies on the shelf, but the Hubbard imprimatur will undoubtedly move copies.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For almost 15 years, this widely heralded, award-winning anthology series has been propelling readers into realms beyond time and space, parallel worlds and alternate realities and place at the infinite edges of the imagination. The impetus for these startling voyages has come from the best new writers of speculative fiction--the winners of the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future Contest.

SYNOPSIS

The Year's top fantasy and Science Fiction stories by new and upcoming authors in the field of Speculative Fiction.

FROM THE CRITICS

Terry Brooks

Writers of the Future is a teriffic program for new writers, and goodness knows, there are few enough of those. It has my heartiest support and unqualified recommendation.

Publishers Weekly

For more than 15 years, Hubbard's anthology series has collected the winning SF and fantasy entries from the annual Writers of the Future contest. Of the 12 stories in the newest crop, few are on par with the works of Isaac Asimov or Robert Heinlein, but fans of the series will appreciate their scope and potential. Two of the most impressive selections, "Magpie" and "Blackbox," portray women who overcome hardships and gain new insights into themselves. The first woman is a witch who was conjured to destroy an old nemesis, and the second is a grieving mother who finds solace in a simulacrum of her dead baby. While unique in their own right, several of the remaining tales were clearly influenced by SF and fantasy classics: "Ten Gallons a Whore," a tale of a man who visits a western Wasteland and trades his precious supply of water to rescue a female slave, is reminiscent of Stephen King's The Gunslinger; and shades of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey are evident in "The Sharp End #1," the seemingly hastily written story of a space mission gone awry. "God Loves the Infantry," meanwhile, a heartwarming tale of a soldier who finds something other than war to live for, bears elements of Hubbard's Final Blackout. Introspective and emotionally engaging at their best but derivative and clumsy at their worst, these stories will satisfy readers searching for new talent. (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

BookList - Roland Green

Again, this anthology collects outstanding submissions to the Writers of the Future contest, matches them with work by Illustrators of the Future contest entrants, and adds some useful essays. Two of the best essays ever to appear in the series are Algys Budrys' on naming characters and Lois Bujold's on how to get started writing. Particularly notable stories include Nicholas A. DiChario's "Winterberry," Christine Beckert's "Coat of Many Colors," Michael Paul Melzer's "Anne of a Thousand Years" (which history buffs especially will enjoy), Bronwynn Elko's "Blueblood," and Wendy Rathbone's "Augmented Man." As in years past, there is something for almost every taste and hardly any excuse for not adding the volume to even the smallest collection.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

The contest has changed the face of Science Fiction. — Dean Wesley Smith

This has become a major tributary to the new blood in fantastic fiction. — Gregory Benford

The untapped talents of new writers continue to astonish me and every WOTF (Writers Of The Future) volume provides a well-spring of the greatest energy put forth by the ambitious writers of tomorrow. — Kevin Anderson

From cutting-edge high tech to evocative fanatsy, this book's got it all--it's lots of fun and I love the chance to see what tomorrow's stars are doing today. — Tim Powers

I recommend the 'Writers of the Future' Contest at every writers' workshop I participate in. — Frederick Pohl