L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41: The Best New SF & Fantasy of the Year

L. Ron Hubbard · Sean Williams · Tim Powers · Robert J. Sawyer · Tom Wood · Seth Atwater Jr. · Randyn C. J. Bartholomew · Barlow Crassmont · Andrew Jackson · Ian Keith · Patrick MacPhee · Lauren McGuire · T.R. Naus · Joel C. Scoberg · Sandra Skalski · Jefferson Snow · Echo Chernik

Apr 2025 · Writers of the Future Book 41 · Galaxy Press LLC

About this ebook

The Future Begins Here.

“Excellent stories. Showcases the vast spectrum of the speculative fiction genre.” —

Library Journal

“Exceeded my expectations. Amazing.” —OnLineBookClub.com

“The gangbuster of science fiction short story collections. Outstanding.” —Midwest Book Review

Step into the future of science fiction and fantasy with twelve breakout new voices and three acclaimed authors pushing the boundaries of the genre. This award-winning anthology delivers unforgettable short stories that span time travel, first contact, magical realism, and reimagined fairy tales & folklore—all with moments of the humorous, the haunting, and the heroic.

Meet an AI taxi wrestling with ethics, a boy who won’t plug in, a mother facing cosmic ruin, a scientist uncovering weaponized time—and yes, there are even monsters. Whether you crave the Miyazaki-style enchantment of Blackbird Stone, the robot noir of Kill Switch, or the existential loops of A World of Repetitions, there’s something here to shake your sense of reality.

Perfect for fans of:
Blake Crouch, Martha Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Philip K. Dick, Michael Crichton, and Jeff VanderMeer.

Includes:

• 12 illustrated stories from emerging stars of speculative fiction
• 3 bonus stories by bestselling authors
• 3 articles on the craft and business of writing and illustrating from top creators

With unforgettable voices and world-class storytelling on every genre-defying page, the stories in Writers of the Future Volume 41 don’t just imagine the future—they challenge everything we think we know about it.

Get it now.

Ratings and reviews

I am very excited to glimpse into those who may become the greater names of future sci-fi and fantasy titles. This book is not just a collection of short stories, with sci-fi, fantasy, and horror elements. It also includes many tips and advice from the author and judges that are very inspiring, useful, and relevant. From Jody's intro explaining how this free contest works (it happens 4 times a year, each creator can send three entries, and it's free) to a quick explanation of what is expected from a winning creator: enthusiasm, passion, and creativity. The short interludes from the author and judges explain well what the creators should be focusing on with great advice. Each short story is then paired with an illustration and artist (and there is a promise that this contest will never have a place for AI artwork). Participants end in a total of twelve winners. Each short story starts with a quick intro about the author and illustrator. Here are some keywords and highlights of the themes in this volume. Storm Damage - Sci-fi, military thriller, time traveling. One person can go back in time and fix a major screw-up. Would you go? What would you chance? There are sacrifices for this opportunity. Blackbird Stone - pshycomechanics, a society addicted to time, people can have sentient lizards with telepathic abilities (these are their smartphones), surreal elements, focus on mental health. Kill Switch - This was one of my favorites. Of course, it has a robot as a main character. Thriller elements, he is hired for a job, but there is an awakening. The message from the author is a simple but very easy-to-understand message of how to include your audience in your creative process and how to view art. This is followed by a short story by the same author with a great plot twist, si-fi military training, and new generation arrogance vs. old generation's experience. Karma Birds - a dystopia light horror story of three siblings on the run, religion, and creepy giant black birds as persecutors makes it awesome with creepy tension The Boy from Elsewhen is about not living connected to the online world. Of course, these highlights are very quick redacted examples for each story, but the stories have more layers and depth, and we can feel through the writing style the hard world that went into crafting each. Code L1 is a first contact, predator vibes kind of story about discovering a planet but then realizing that there is more there than meets the eye. One of the judges brings forward an essay on the importance of having a theme and not just an entertaining storyline. There are more good ones; I will leave it for you to discover. ASCII, A World of Repetions, The Rune With, My Name Was Tom, Slip Stone (a kid makes an awesome choice when allowed to time travel), The Stench of Freedom, 30 Minutes or It's a Paradox, and An Artist's Path by Tom Wood. Many of the judges, over the years, have been giants of the art and industry, such as Frank Frazetta, Anne McCaffrey, Larry Elmore, Dan dos Santos, Shan Taun, Brandon Sanderson, and so many more. Some of the previous winners have done so well after they, too, have become judges. One of the winners of 2002 was Patrick Rothfuss. The next may be you.

About the author

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.

Sean Williams is the author of thirty-five novels, eighty short stories and the odd poem. He writes across the field of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and children, and enjoys the occasional franchise, too, such as Star Wars and Doctor Who. His work has won awards, debuted at #1 on the New York Times hardback bestseller list.

Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels including Hide Me Among the Graves, Three Days to Never, Declare, Last Call, and On Stranger Tides, which inspired the feature film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award twice, and the World Fantasy Award three times.

Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world's top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has also won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award, and the Hal Clement Memorial Award.

Jody Lynn Nye, writes fantasy and science fiction, and is Coordinating Judge for Writers of the Future. Since 1987 she has published over 50 books and more than 200 short stories. She has also written with notables in the industry, including Anne McCaffrey and Robert Asprin.