I loved the wide range of stories in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. With twelve of the stories being written by contest winners and the other three from well-known authors, the quality is top notch. The uniqueness of each tale shines through. I also loved the illustrations as they enhanced the images in my mind of the characters and scenes expertly crafted by the words.

"L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writes of the Future Volume 41" follows the successful formula of previous works in the series. Essentially, the approach is to identify and publish promising new authors and illustrators. This year's edition includes stories by 12 new authors, along with a couple of stories and essays by well known authors such as Robert J. Sawyer and L. Ron Hubbard. All illustrated nicely by other newly discovered artists.

The stories certainly demonstrate creativity and writing skill. The stories range from fantasy to time travel to space travel. I enjoyed over half of the stories, which is better odds than a random SF anthology.

- "Kill Switch" by Robert F. Lowell - A fully sentient military security robot with firm ethics finds itself to have been hacked into being used as an assassin. A satisfying story as we learn how the robot deals with his dilemma.
- "Karma Birds" by Lauren McGuire - Unique approach to a post-apocolapse society. Gently introduces the scenario to the reader. Thought provoking.
- "Code L1" by Andrew Jackson - A comfortably horrific first contact....
- "ASCII" by Randyn C. J. Bartholomew - Another thought provoking tale. A potential scenario when truly sentient AI is commonplace...
- "The Rune Witch" by Jefferson Snow - I am personally less interested in fantasy that feels like a classic fairy tale, but this is probably the single most memorable story in the book.
- "Thirty Minutes or It’s a Paradox" by Patrick MacPhee - A totally fun story about time travel and consequences.
- "A World of Repetitions" by Seth Atwater Jr. - A fresh and interesting take on the Groundhog's Day scenario.
- "Tough Old Man - When I first read this story, I was impressed and pleased that new authors would evoke classic style SF so perfectly. As I wrote this review, I realized that this was because this story was actually written by L Ron Hubbard... :-)

I thank the authors and publisher for kindly sharing an electronic advanced reviewer's copy of this work.

The Writers (and Illustrators) of the Future program is so needed and never fails to introduce the world to a new crop of amazing artists and storytellers. Volume 41 is no exception. As always, with anthologies, you get some good and some not-so-good stories. In my opinion, the good ones more than make up for the duds.

I will always highly recommend these volumes!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm an avid reader of all genre. I'm often asked to recommend a book or an author....something different. My most often given answer is an anthology or book of short stories. These offerings display an author's skill as they must grab a reader's attention and provide a complete story in fewer pages than most chapters in a novel. They usually include a mix of well known authors and those who are just waiting for their chance to join your TBR list. I've discovered new to me authors and been pleasantly surprised when some of my favorite authors step outside their comfort zone/genre to treat fans to a different take on their skills. As always, some of the stories are better than others, but you'll not find any that don't leave an impression. I keep an anthology in my car, next to the bed and anywhere else you might find yourself needing something to read with nothing at hand.
Treat yourself to an anthology or two. This one is an excellent place to start. Any book series that can number their success with a 41st volume has got to have something going for it. It has a total of 15 stories written by authors at all levels of success. Read, review, share, repeat.

This was so much better than I anticipated!
Such a good and unique read!
I truly liked all the stories involved in this book, I would recommend this to my Sci-fi/fantasy lovers

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book overall was incredibly interesting and was the first volume in this series of short stories that I have read till date. I enjoyed all the author's work as they spanned different genres each with a unique writing style.

Another effective anthology from the Writers of the Future series. Given that many of the authors are beginning or journeymen writers, you can expect some variability in quality. Nevertheless, these are all juried selections, chosen by industry professionals, and are, indeed, a good indication of who some of the leading writers of the future will be! It felt like there was a bit more SF than usual this time around, rather than fantasy, which is welcomed by me.

I find the idea of giving new creators the chance to showcase their talent a great one, and I like how the competitions make it clear that no AI art or writing is allowed.

This incredible collection of stories is a treasure trove for any book lover! As a collector of the writer's future works, I'm thrilled to add this gem to my shelf.