Today I’m showcasing three stories from Writers of the Future Vol. 34.
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“What Lies Beneath,” by Cole Hehr, is the story of a powerful sorcerer that has so disgraced himself, he clings to life beyond all reason, afraid to face his family on the other side. He’s long past finding anything to live for. When a serpent god threatens a child, will he find something worth dying for? Beuatifully illustrated by Maksym Polishchuk. |
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In Eneasz Brodski’s “Flee, My Pretty One,” young rebels join a resistance against the dark powers that control their world. But will they be able to withstand corruption by the very dragons they’re fighting? Alana Fletcher’s illustration captures the dark, end-of-times tone of the story. |
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In Janey Bell’s “The Face In The Box,” the last sunflower farmer on Earth encounters some farming equipment with a mind of its own. Intriguingly illustrated by Bruce Brenneise. |
These stories are part of the smorgasbord in Writers of the Future vol. 34, now available from Amazon, Chapters, B&N, and your friendly indie bookstore 🙂
In WotF vol. 34, “Mara’s Shadow” is the best overall story, “Turnabout” has the best writing, and “A Bitter Thing” is the most original. They’re among the very best stories I’ve read in a year when I also read The Mammoth Book of Nebula Awards SF, Nebula Awards Showcase 2013, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (all three volumes), and Dangerous Visions (all three volumes). Plus other anthologies by individual authors.
Or at least, that’s *my* opinion. Which, obviously, quite differs from yours, because I found “What Lies Beneath” to be, by far, the weakest story of this WotF vol. 34. It’s a kind of story I’ve read so many times, it had little to offer me, not even entertainment.
I wouldn’t say the 3 I showcased here were my favorites, mostly because I haven’t ranked the stories in WoTF 34 for myself. I’m pleased to hear you found “A Bitter Thing” original — that’s high praise from someone who’s been writing SFF as long as you have. Definitely agree with you on the quality of Erik Bundy’s writing in “Turnabout”. He has also self-published a couple of novels, available via his website, if you’re interested in reading more by Erik.
I ranked the stories in my mind because I can’t afford to follow every author out there; it’s plain impossible. After reading each WotF volume, I add a couple authors to my watch list. This time I added you, Erik Bundy, and Darci Jones. I saw that Erik Bundy had written two novels, which I added to my to-read list (which, I admit, is already so long I’ll never get through it unless I find a way to make myself immortal, but everything I’ve tried up to now, from computerizing myself to immolating virgins to dark gods, has failed). Darci Jones hasn’t written anything yet, but her husband is a Nebula winner and they’re both members of the same writing group as Brandon Sanderson, so it’s only a matter of time before we read more from her.
What are *your* writing projects?
(And yes, after you’ve read hundreds and hundreds of stories, finding true, *meaningful* originality becomes very hard; your story really stood out.)
I’m working on a couple of short stories right now, and plotting on a YA novel. What’re you working on lately?
I’m copyediting Examine.com’s updated Fitness Guide. I’m translating Dean Whitlock’s “Iridescence.” And I’m reading Brian Garner’s Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation. Over the past three years, I’ve read a score books on the subject, but only recently did I start reviewing them:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k2wazyJg6WP9O6FF-4B6nbX07g3dl-2LHl-K7oWfYUk/edit?usp=sharing
Next month, I hope to get back to writing my own stories, both in French and in English.