I have an ARC! I have an ARC! I’ve read the book that isn’t even out yet!
Excuse the gloating. No, I don’t seem to get tired of this.
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Vol. 39
Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, and horror
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Disclaimer: bookmarkedone received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. To say that the lure of free books does not sway bookmarkedone’s opinions would be naïve, but to assume that any ideas expressed in this review are anyone’s but hers would be outright ridiculous. Try to tell bookmarkedone what to write and you will likely escape with singed fingers and a crushed sense of pride.
The Rules Are As Follows:
- Writers of the Future is an anthology.
- Each story gets its own mini-review.
- Spoilers are clearly marked (this time there are none).
- No star rating for craft essays.
- I will wax poetic and wander off topic and no, you can’t stop me.
- The anthology is gigantic, so this post is split into two parts.
- Star rating for book as a whole is saved for post 2.
- If you still don’t understand what’s going on, click the links to read the posts for Vol.s 36, 37, and 38–we’ve been doing this for a while.
Okay! No more time for delay! We have this year’s best new science fiction and fantasy stories hot off the press!
“Kitsune,” by Devon Bohm
TW: language, drug use, nudity, toxic/abusive relationships, affair, topic of racism
There aren’t supposed to be foxes in New Mexico. They went extinct in 2035.
Bohm, Devon. L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Vol. 39 (Kindle Location 437). Galaxy Press, Inc.
Starting off with a very literary magical realism story, replete with folklore from multiple cultures, beautiful colors, and some pointed statements about what it means to love and be loved.
Did I see the plot coming at the first hint of the end?
That’s a hazard of studying both fantasy and literary conventions. It’s still very well-written.
Except…
This is the one that made me get kind of mad because abusive relationships were presented as the norm.
They’re not. And we shouldn’t act like they are because that’s accepting them, acting like it can’t change.
Girl in the relationship for the social status being surprised when the insensitive druggie boyfriend turns out to be, well, the insensitive druggie boyfriend, and blaming society instead of realizing her own part in the problem is also a really good way to annoy bookmarkedone. In real life or books.
It’s probably a necessary narrative. It’s the limited perspective of the narrator. It’s for effect. I know this.
It’s just one of those stories that makes me want to sit the character down, give them a cup of tea, and then yell some sense into them like Edna Mode from The Incredibles.
Not the most gentle, therapeutic route. I’m aware.
“Moonlight and Funk,” by Marianne Xenos
TW: murder, drugs, alcohol, slavery, consensual vs. non-consensual relationships, seduction, mild language, discussion of gender, vampires
This one has an older feel, like some of the stories I’ve read from much earlier anthologies. The illustration, too.
Not a complaint. It’s a simple little story of a vampire contemplating mortality–but perhaps not the way you expect.
…an army of condos had conquered the old magic…
Xenos, Marianne. L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Vol. 39 (Kindle Location 942). Galaxy Press, Inc..
Welcome to the Florida Keys! It’s time to meet a dragon with a wound covered by duct tape and a vampire who sells upcycled jewelry for a living, gets along well with the locals, hates litter, and wears pink high-tops.
I’m smiling just thinking about it.
It’s so unexpected, but it’s perfect. I immediately thought of the ladies selling jewelry made from old silverware at the last Renaissance festival I was at, and yes, yup, 100%, totally could have had a vampire there. Wouldn’t even question it.
Besides that, the story has good heart.
An immortal life without ice cream or the sun on your shoulders is a heavy thing to consider. Even if you want to live forever.
“Death and the Taxman,” by David Hankins
TW: death, mild language, religious imagery, demon/spirit summoning, 1-2 rude jokes.
To any tax auditors reading this: you are lovely people. Please don’t audit David again. He hopes you enjoy “Death and the Taxman.”
Hubbard, L. Ron. Writers of the Future 39 (Kindle Locations 1232-1233). Galaxy Press, Inc.
It’s quite a person who can make death something less frightening, and more than that, can make us laugh.
Seems impossible, I know. But please, let me introduce you to Hankins’ version of Death–grim, businesslike, lonely, socially awkward, incapable of lying, loves ice cream, and has a personal hatred of doorknobs.
This weirdo. I love him.
Add to that the gorgeous writing, the sounds and smells (some of these realistically disgusting. Well done) and flavors that Hankins works into his writing, and I’m almost willing to overlook the stolen, warped bits of religious imagery that all stories of this type have.
Almost.
Am I personally satisfied with the ending?
No. I am not.
Is it objectively a very good one?
Yes. Yes, it is.
(more to the point, I’m pretty sure I heard rumor about a novel-length version in the works…Hankins. Hankins if you’re listening, please, I need more Cora)
“Under my Cypresses,” by Jason Palmatier
TW: language, alcohol, prejudice.
Ah. AI. The hot topic virtually everywhere in the artistic/creative world right now.
But this isn’t a bad romp, for being about AI. It’s much further in the future than our present day. In a time when the difference between sentient AI and sentient human is a slim one.
It’s colorful. Loud. Bright. Got one of my favorite illustrations for the anthology. And the “real-but-not-real,” that’s something that’s fascinated humanity since we began to dream. Something familiar, even in a very futuristic sci-fi, from Dealings with the Fae.
What I don’t like?
There’s a lot of hinting about the protagonist’s backstory that just…never gets answered. Like yes, it’s true, the focus is on the now, and in the restraining length of a short story, there’s not a lot of space, and everything else is so interesting you might overlook it–
I’m still going to grumble about it, though.
Otherwise, it’s an interesting exploration of “what is a person” if it’s no longer just “human,” and some familiar condemnation of social prejudice in a new shape.
Mostly I just like the AI ghosts. They’re cool, alright?
“Circulate,” by L. Ron Hubbard (craft essay)
Perhaps the things he said were lies, perhaps divine truth. But whatever they were, they stimulated.
Hubbard, L. Ron. Writers of the Future 39 (Kindle Location 2252). Galaxy Press, Inc.
I think I’ve read this one before, but I don’t recall if it was in one of the previous anthologies or the WOTF online workshop.
Either way, some solid advice about thwarting writer’s block.
“The Unwilling Hero,” by L. Ron Hubbard
TW: alcohol, smoking
So after waging my way..sixty-seven percent through the giant tome that is Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth–I wasn’t as perky about reading another of his stories as I was last year.
Not that there’s anything wrong with them. Just that if you ate Cheerios for breakfast every morning for a year, eventually you’d start to dream about the rare possibility of a fruit loop.
Stylistically. Needed something new.
That said, “The Unwilling Hero” is charming enough. There are the markers of its culture and era, the young man individualist hero out to save the world/solar system/etc. But in this case, the young man is Vic.
Vic Hardin was far from ninety feet tall. He was about five feet five. He had a wiry shock of hair, a good-natured grin, a snub nose and freckles. He was not afraid of anything commonly met on a reporter’s beat except his city editor…
Hubbard, L. Ron. Writers of the Future 39 (Kindle Locations 2373-2375). Galaxy Press, Inc.
It’s pretty hard not to like Vic, at least a little bit.
And at heart, it’s about what really makes a hero–is it all the fame, or is it being a soldier, or is it about people?
Hubbard’s a hopeless little romantic sometimes.
So if you can chuck out the bits about Manifest Destiny spread out onto an interplanetary scale, it’s not a bad little read.
“White Elephant,” by David K. Henrickson
TW: language, xenophobia, discussion of gender, human genetic alteration
Honestly, I have mixed feelings on this one.
On the one hand, we have two really cool ladies ruling this hard sci-fi story world.
On the other–it’s more about politics and the mechanics of the science fiction elements than anything else.
Not bad if that’s your kind of story or if you need to prepare your solar system for an alien invasion/visit/diplomatic AI envoy–but it’s not exactly my favorite type of thing to read.
It’s interesting. It’s a little long. I’m salty about not getting more of the aliens on the page and will likely remain so even though that’s clearly not the story the author wanted to write.
Couple of things annoy me.
You know I’m a fantasy writer. Most of you know this very well.
In fantasy, we have a high respect for earth, stone, and tree. And magic, but that’s not the point here.
The narrator of this story has lived most of her life on another planet. A place where the very gravity is different. She’s gotten used to it. Likes it.
And hates Earth.
Eh? You’re really complaining about the dirt and wind and wildness of Earth? Madame?
It’s raining right now, outside the garrett. The kind of cold rain, ice lining the rooftops below the window. Drops lashing against the glass. I’m breathing the rainy air, cold breeze squeaking in, whispering to me old songs about running and laughing, dark nights and brighter mornings, rich treasure and red fire.
Tell me again that you don’t like Earth.
And then there’s the neoforms.
Look, we all know that styles change and humanity looks different in different eras. But is the point of life really to give up wild emotion, gender, desire?
I know it’s tempting. Not to feel the bad things. But I can’t believe that’s the actual meaning of life.
“Piracy for Beginners,” by J. R. Johnson
TW: language, action/fight sequences, innuendo, pornography, gas chambers
Three interplanetary adventure stories in a row is a little much for my “we-prefer-fantasy” reading tastes. Look, space is great, but I do like to see a tree once in a while.
I stood facing the crew, projecting confidence like a unicorn spews rainbows.
Johnson, J. R. L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Vol. 39 (Kindle Location 3969). Galaxy Press, Inc.
So even though I was a little sci-fi fatigued, there are some really nice lines in this one. The protagonist is one of those no-nonsense ladies that Gets Things Done and has a snarky sense of humor. Some of the arguments with her ship’s AI were quite funny.
There’s action, there’s heart, there’s the grit of fighting for what you believe in, for who you believe in.
There’s also a passage of backstory heart-to-heart that it really did not feel like we had time for in the middle of the fight, but again, take this with a grain of salt as my brain was getting a bit of a spaceship overload.
Pirates are always nice.
“Prioritize to Increase Your Writing,” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (craft essay)
Mind games. Writing is all about mind games and understanding yourself. Even though I don’t understand myself as well as I think I do.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn. L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Vol. 39 (Kindle Locations 4894-4896). Galaxy Press, Inc.
I really liked this one.
It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself as a writer. The goal, the goal, especially when it seems hard to reach, is often the only thing you think about. And when you set your own hours, you can work very little, like Rusch mentions, or sometimes, far too much.
Hence the number of times I’ve been editing posts well after midnight.
(cue bookmarkedone glancing awkwardly at clock…again)
It’s good to remember to take care of yourself. Eat good food. Be with the people you love. Sleep when you need to.
Feeling especially caught by that last one.
That’s the halfway point! Two of my favorite stories coming, but you’ll have to read the second post to see which ones they are.
Stay tuned!