My first review

Publishers Weekly has reviewed Writers of the Future, Volume XX:

L. RON HUBBARD PRESENTS
WRITERS OF THE FUTURE
VOLUME XX
Edited by Algis Budrys

The human element remains at all times paramount in the 15 SF stories gathered in the 20th edition of L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future series, at this point the most enduring forum to showcase new talent in the genre. Standouts include Eric James Stone’s eerie “In Memory,” whose hero, a brilliant mad physicist, exists as a disembodied computer image; Joy Remy’s poignant “Sleep Sweetly, Junie Carter,” in which a bedridden woman feels helpless in her near-immortality; and Jonathan Laden’s disturbing “Monkey See, Monkey Deduce,” in which a multibodied monster is actually a tribe of chimps, with an imposed common memory, at the mercy of human researchers. Brief essays on writing by Hubbard and contemporary giants such as Robert Silverberg and Kevin J. Anderson round out the volume. The series continues to be a powerful statement of faith as well as direction in American science fiction.

I’m still a bit in shock over having recived such a prominent mention in the review.

UPDATE: Amazon’s page for the book now includes the review.

Published Thursday, September 23, 2004, at 9:40 am|

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9 Comments Leave a comment.

  1. On September 23, 2004 at 10:43 am David Stone Said:

    That is outstanding! Your story obviously reached him; and his overall statement on the book is great.

  2. On September 24, 2004 at 11:24 am dbrian Said:

    Nice going Eric, that’s great.

  3. On September 24, 2004 at 11:40 am Kaimi Said:

    Congrats. That’s a very nice blurb.

    And, correct me if I’m wrong — wasn’t In Memory a finalist, but not a winner? Maybe that was a good thing. You ended up with two bites of the apple at WOTF (which wouldn’t have happened if Memory had won outright, right?). In Memory is in print (and won’t Trees be in an anthology too?). And the reviewer thought that In Memory was one of the highlights (presumably more so than stories that were slected as winners). Not a bad outcome.

  4. On September 24, 2004 at 11:53 am Eric James Stone Said:

    You’re right — “In Memory” was a published finalist, not a winner, which allowed me to enter again with “Betrayer of Trees,” which will be in next year’s anthology. So things worked out very well for me.

    Since all the stories in the volume are well-written, the choice of which stories to highlight obviously is a subjective one by the reviewer. But it’s an undeniable thrill to see a positive review that actually mentions me and my story by name.

  5. On September 25, 2004 at 6:56 am Audrey Said:

    Not only a published author, but lauded by Publishers Weekly, congratulations! You deserve it!

  6. On September 27, 2004 at 2:44 am Kevin Said:

    That’s really cool Eric, congrats! Is this book being sold in bookstores? Or is the internet the only place to get it?

  7. On September 27, 2004 at 7:52 am Renee Said:

    WooWoo! Congrats!

  8. On September 27, 2004 at 10:20 am Angela Stone Said:

    You rock! I am so proud of you! When do I get my copy??!!!!

  9. On September 28, 2004 at 6:42 am David Erekson Said:

    What a wonderful response to your story! Can’t wait to see the upcoming publications!

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