sonaderon's review
5.0
I normally avoid reading books online, but having this on my phone while taking the train across the country was perfect.
Awesome stories from some of my favorite writers.
Awesome stories from some authors I had never read before.
And since it's a bunch of short stories, they are perfect stopping points at each train stop.
Awesome stories from some of my favorite writers.
Awesome stories from some authors I had never read before.
And since it's a bunch of short stories, they are perfect stopping points at each train stop.
frakalot's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ugh... don't judge me. In fact, I'm here because I don't want to judge LRH's writing by my opinion of him. I hate cancel culture and today I decided to give LRH's scifi a try, based on a friend's suggestion.
So for now, that's all I'm here to review, but the publication appears to be promoting new unpublished authors so I would like to read and review all of their stories at some point.
'The Death Flyer' by LRH. (3-stars)
Well, this is not my typical fare. We have a story about a phantom train, not very original in concept but I must admit written quite nicely. Simple but very descriptive language. I haven't partaken of very much paranormal fiction since childhood but this didn't seem to have anything particularly surprising about it. I enjoyed the scene building at the start more than anything else, I think.
Unfortunately this was not at all scifi, so...? Maybe I'll have to try another. Goddamit.
So for now, that's all I'm here to review, but the publication appears to be promoting new unpublished authors so I would like to read and review all of their stories at some point.
'The Death Flyer' by LRH. (3-stars)
Well, this is not my typical fare. We have a story about a phantom train, not very original in concept but I must admit written quite nicely. Simple but very descriptive language. I haven't partaken of very much paranormal fiction since childhood but this didn't seem to have anything particularly surprising about it. I enjoyed the scene building at the start more than anything else, I think.
Unfortunately this was not at all scifi, so...? Maybe I'll have to try another. Goddamit.
mburnamfink's review against another edition
3.0
"Best of" Collections are tricky beast. Writers of the Future has a mandate to focus on unpublished authors, which I appreciate, but this collection was a little bit of a dud. The stories were workmanlike, but only a few excited me and none blew me away. Traditional SF is a minority, with most of the collection devoted to fantasy (did we really need 2 'waifish deformed girls with magical powers at the shore stories?), horror, and religious (but not explicitly Scientologist) fiction.
Not a bad book for people who like strange fiction, and since I got it for 50 cents at a used bookstore I'm happy, but far from vital either.
Not a bad book for people who like strange fiction, and since I got it for 50 cents at a used bookstore I'm happy, but far from vital either.
maebinnig's review
4.0
I love anthologies for the same thing that makes them so hard to review: the immense variety crammed into a single book. There are some amazing stories in here that captured my imagination for days after I finished them, and there's also some bland, forgettable filler. (Like—I’m sorry—everything by L. Ron Hubbard.) It averages out to an awesome collection. Personally, I'd buy this just for "Mara’s Shadow,” a thrilling blend of myth and medical sci-fi.
Side note: The illustrations seem lovely, but I get the sense that my old black-and-white Kindle display does not do them justice.
(I received a Kindle version of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
Side note: The illustrations seem lovely, but I get the sense that my old black-and-white Kindle display does not do them justice.
(I received a Kindle version of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
joannerixon's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I've only read "Miss Smokey" by Diana Hart
I'm hesitant to review anything related to Writers of the Future, because I've got to start out by saying that Scientology is a violently coercive belief system run by authoritarians who deliberately ruin people in their pursuit of power, and you should never give them your money. L. Ron Hubbard was a gross old man who was a better con man than writer.
Hart is a better writer than he was, in fact, and "Miss Smokey" is a fun little story about shapeshifters set in an alternate-history 1980s United States that is complex, nuanced, and deeply flawed. This story is a step above your typical urban fantasy werewolves, and manages to include not just were-bear jokes, complicated romance and life-or-death struggle, but also a thoughtful analysis of what it means to be a second class citizen.
You should check it out. Maybe pirate it if you can, because fuck Scientology.
I'm hesitant to review anything related to Writers of the Future, because I've got to start out by saying that Scientology is a violently coercive belief system run by authoritarians who deliberately ruin people in their pursuit of power, and you should never give them your money. L. Ron Hubbard was a gross old man who was a better con man than writer.
Hart is a better writer than he was, in fact, and "Miss Smokey" is a fun little story about shapeshifters set in an alternate-history 1980s United States that is complex, nuanced, and deeply flawed. This story is a step above your typical urban fantasy werewolves, and manages to include not just were-bear jokes, complicated romance and life-or-death struggle, but also a thoughtful analysis of what it means to be a second class citizen.
You should check it out. Maybe pirate it if you can, because fuck Scientology.
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