Available on Paperback and Kindle.

It's taken me nearly a year to read the anthology WRITERS OF THE FUTURE - VOLUME 36 by Galaxy Press. Why did it take me so long to finish it? There are many reasons why, including procrastination, depression, stress, allergies, and the pandemic. Then again, maybe part of me wasn't in the mood to read an anthology.

Writers of the Future is a yearly science fiction and fantasy writing contest. It was founded in the early 1980s by the late pulp author L. Ron Hubbard. The contest Illustrations of the Future started in 1988. The winning stories and illustrations appear in the annual L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future.  

The stories included in VOLUME 36 are by C. Winspear, Michael Gardner, Andy Dibble, J. L. George, F. J. Bergmann, Leah Ning, Katie Livingston, David A. Elsensohn, Storm Humbert, Mike Perkins, Zack Be, Tim Boiteau, and Sonny Zae. Included with each short story is an illustration by one of the artist winners. The illustrators are Arthur Bowling, Aidin Andrews, Heather A. Laurence, Kaitlyn Goldberg, Ben Hill, Irmak Cavun, John Dale Javier, Mason Matak, Anh Le, Brock Aguirre, Daniel Bitton, and Phoebe Rothfield.

Also, there's an introduction by editor David Farland and art & writing tips by Echo Chernik, Mike Perkins, and Sean Williams. There are three bonus stories by Katherine Kurtz, Jody Lynn Nye, and Nnedi Okorafor. Last but not least are two reprinted writings by L. Ron Hubbard - the essay "Steps in the Right Direction" and the short story "Borrowed Glory."

Final Thoughts

The short stories were a mixed bag for me. A few were well-written, such as Stolen Sky by Storm Humbert, A Price in Every Box by F. J. Bergmann, and Catching My Breath by J. L. George, and the others were more on the dull side. Don't get me wrong - it's not like the stories are bad. I just didn't connect with the narrations and characters. The biggest issue I have with anthologies is that some stories keep my interest and the others don't. 

The illustrations throughout the anthology are all exceptionally crafted by talented artists. I didn't have a favorite because all are equally beautiful.

Overall, I'm rating WRITERS OF THE FUTURE - VOLUME 36 a three out of five. Yes, that might seem low to science fiction readers, but as a whole, this anthology was lackluster at best. Here's hoping VOLUME 37 (set to be released this Fall) will be better.

Available to Buy on Hardcover and Kindle.

I spent the last two days reading the fantasy novel Highfire by New York Times bestselling author Eoin Colfer, which is being released today by Harper Perennial. I don't read very many dragon novels but the premise of a vodka-drinking and Flashdance-loving dragon intrigued me.

Highfire centers around the last known dragon, Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie, who now lives in the bayous of Louisiana and goes by the name Vern. He prefers to avoid the public at all costs in fear of what the humans would do him. He spends most of his time watching Netflix in a fishing shack. Well, that's until he life is turned upside after rescuing Squib.

Available on Paperback & Kindle.

I became aware of author Charlaine Harris' novels after watching the first season of True Blood on DVD in 2009, and shortly later, I hunted down all of the Sookie Stackhouse titles that were out then. Those books are well-written supernatural tales with intriguing characters. I wasn't aware the author had a new series, Gunnie Rose, out until I received an ARC of A Longer Fall from NetGalley at the tail end of 2019. It turns out it's the second installment in the series. While I have no problem jumping in the middle of a series, I ended up buying the first book, An Easy Death, on Kindle when it was on sale for $1.99.

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With October just days away, there's nothing better to get me in the mood for the Halloween season than reading a supernatural tale, which is exactly what I did this week.

What title did I read?

I read the supernatural fantasy Unearthed: A Death Seeker Novel by Cecy Robson. It centers around Olivia Finn, a pixie who's hiding on Earth from Death! Yes, I said Death! Pixies are from a paradise realm called Fae that was destroyed by Death itself. The survivors of Fae took refuge on Earth. Olivia, like many pixies, tries her best to blend into society so she can avoid the death hounds.

However, she cannot hide forever!

Eventually, Death discovers Olivia's location and learns she might be immune to its deadly grip. Word gets out about Olivia's power over Death and, now, other Faes see her as a savior.

No longer able to run and hide from Death, the only way Olivia can survive is for her to embrace her true self.

“Death is only the beginning.”- Unearthed, Cecy Robson

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About the Author

Cecy Robson is an international and multi-award-winning author of over twenty-five character driven novels. A registered nurse of eighteen years, Cecy spends her free time creating magical worlds, heart-stopping romance, and young adult adventure. After receiving two RITA® nominations, the Maggie Award, the Award of Excellence, and a National Reader’s Choice Award nomination, you can still find Cecy laughing, crying, and cheering on her characters as she pens her next story. 

Connect with Cecy online at:   

Mill Creek Ent.; PG-13; 91 minutes

Do you like watching cheesy B-flicks? Well, you can find plenty of them in the $5 DVD bin at Walmart, including the recently re-released of Dragon Wars: D-War.

Based loosely on the 1989 role-playing video game, Dragon Wars: D-War was released to theaters in 2007. Directed by Hyung Rae Shim, the film stars Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forester, Craig Robinson, Aimee Garcia, and Chris Mulkey.

Ever since he was a child, Ethan Kendrick (played by Jason Behr) has known he has the ability to change an Imoogi into a Celestial Dragon. Now as an adult, working as a news anchor in L.A., he realizes his destiny will finally be foretold when an evil Imoogi, known as "Buraki," is unleashed and brings forth the "Atrox Army," an army of supernatural dragons and warriors, to destroy the world.

This is where Sarah Daniels (played by Amanda Brooks) comes into the story, a young woman who is an incarnation of Yuh Yi Joo. Before the dragon army can get to her, Ethan shows up in the nick of time and rescues her. Well, at least for the time being, as there a prophecy that needs to be fulfilled in order to destroy the Imoogi and the dragon army, so a sacrifice is needed.

The film earned nearly $100 million at the box-office, which isn't too bad considering the budget was round $35 million. However, it was later revealed the special effects went way over-budget, costing nearly $99 million.