ARC review: I like the judges, but somehow, I didn’t really like most of the stories (particularly "Butter side dow"), with a some exceptions, such as "The Imagalisk." "The Wall Isn't a Circle," and "5 Days to Sunset," and maybe "Halo" and "Summer of Thirty Years." And I didn’t really need the reprinted old story and column from L Ron Hubbard, nor the “bonus stories”. I’m also unsure the illustrations really added anything. I kind of remember liking an earlier one of these books many years ago, and I'm not sure if the series has changed since them, or I have. ( )

When you have that feeling of sadness and loss when you reach the end of a book you know it has been a good one, and so it was for me on finishing the end of volume 40. As with any anthology, I found there were some stories that just flew, and some that were more of an effort, and for me I was not so keen on those that were more hardcore complex SciFi, but it is good to push your own boundaries sometimes! There are 12 prize winning stories by new talent plus some bonus material from established authors.
The illustrations for each story are the result of a parallel competition for illustrators, and I felt they really served to bring each story to life.
The ones that particularly shone:
The worthy winner of the grand prize of the competition underpinning this book was ‘Son Spirit Snake’ by Jack Nash and is stunning, absorbing and deserves to become a set text for the mastery in the way the story weaves different world dimensions.

‘Squiddy’ by John Eric Schleicher, was just so original: a Punk image of a Mad Max world but with an unexpected delicate understory of hope. I found the edgy narrative style thoroughly engaging.

‘The Imagalisk’ by Galen Westlake had a heartbreaking insightful depiction of the transient bewilderment of dementia that elevated what was already a fun concept into something special.

What a blast I had reading Kal Ms ‘Butter side down’. Truly original, funny but oh so insightful about what makes us human, with a clever transcript format that was worth the little extra effort it took to read. The two main characters of the lovable Joe and awe inspiring AI aka toaster Breadna were genuinely engaging. Underneath the comedy here is a writer with a formidable intellect, and for me she is one of the key emerging talents to watch.

‘The wall isn’t a circle’ by Rosalyn Robilliard, intriguingly actually two sisters writing collaboratively, was a formidable piece of work: almost novella length with a fun and enjoyable blend of humour, near future insight, and a fast paced multi layered plot. It was very visual, thoroughly engaging and would make a brilliant miniseries. Another author/writing team to watch out for. The illustration by Guelly Rivera is also worth a mention: it stood out and was really evocative of the story.

‘5 days to sunset’ and ‘Ashes to ashes, blood to carbon fibre’ both had underlying ‘life on an alternative planet’ premise, not normally my cup of tea but thanks to the authors for challenging my preconceptions as these were excellent and creative stories that I couldn’t put down.

So in summary this is a superb anthology with exciting new creative talent, both in the world of writing and of illustration. Highly recommended. ( )

I debated a while on whether to go with a 4 or 5 star rating. I finally settled on 4 because of some format issues. I would give 3 stars to one of the stories, 5 stars to half the stories and a 4 to the remainder. This a collection of short stories from new authors with illustrations by new illustrators. The stories are collected in a quarterly contest with the best 3 being included in the volume.
What I didn't enjoy was the presentation of biographies before each story. I felt that this detracted from the story presentations. I also would have preferred the pieces on the process be grouped all together. ( )

Review of eBook

A collection from the fantastic world of science fiction from a dozen new authors chosen specifically for this anniversary edition . . .

Meet a digital house cat whose owner is missing . . . .
Discover why a man believes it is his fault that no one came to his brother’s funeral . . . .
What can you do when you’re running out of air . . . and help is eighteen thousand years away?
Suppose you could invent a truly unforgettable cocktail . . . .
Is there hope when dementia causes a man to be institutionalized?
Never anger a swamp witch . . . especially one who is teenager determined to protect her mother.
It’s a brave new world, a new home for humanity . . . but more than one hundred pilgrims have vanished . . . .
And beneath the Lake of Death lies . . . what?
If you had the ability to see through the eyes of anyone in history . . . .
A Native American boy held hostage vows revenge . . . .
Squids from outer space?
A virus with an eighty percent infection rate . . . and the ability to change the victim’s personality . . . .
Humanity is enslaved on the dying Planet K2-18b . . . can there be redemption for the one who caused it?
If magic could undo Death . . . .
A cosmic explorer . . . and a toaster . . . .

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These enthralling tales, along with commentary on writing science fiction from L. Ron Hubbard, on the Writers of the Future contest from Gregory Benford, on the illustrators of the Future by Bob Eggleton, and an overview of the Future Writers Contest combine to take readers on a fantastic voyage to unexplored worlds and the limitless possibilities awaiting mankind. In addition, the stories are accompanied by incredible full-color illustrations.

The writers represented here may be new to readers of science fiction, but it won’t be long until all readers know their names. These tales are intriguing, captivating, and filled with limitless promise. Which one will be your favorite in this unputdownable anthology?

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program and am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )