Volume 41 of Writers of the Future is now available in the UK

For everyone UK based, this means you can now read my story, "The Stench of Freedom", as well as the amazing stories from my Volume 41 cohort. Go grab yourself a copy today, you won't be disappointed. If you don’t believe me—I am biased after all—check out some of the reviews in the section below. I am not sure where the book will be physically stocked, but you can buy it online from Bookshop.org and the usual other web sites.

Disclosure: To cover some of my running costs, I have incorporated affiliate links from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. If you buy books linked to my site, I may earn a commission.

What’s been the response to WOTF41 in the US and Canada?

WOTF41 has done, as far as I can tell, very well since its release in the US and Canada in April. It was a #1 Amazon bestseller in SF Anthologies, as well as being a Top 10 Amazon bestseller in SF Anthologies in all three formats at the same time (paperback, audiobook and ebook), which is quite the achievement. It’s a bit bonkers to think I have an Amazon bestselling book!

It’s also been doing very well with reviewers too, who have given it consistently high scores (currently 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon at the time of writing).

I must admit, the review process is quite nerve wracking. I want to know what people think, but also I don’t! So far, my story has (mostly) had great reviews. I’ve selected a few below.

“There are some real gems in this eclectic collections of stories” - Tangent Online, who also very kindly had this to say about my story: “The Stench of Freedom…is excellent… The world building is fascinating; the story gripping, with unexpected depth… I would read this twice.”

Amazing Stories said “it’s an excellent book” and highlighted my story as one of their favourites, saying it was “well thought and written.”

The anonymous online reviewer, BookmarkedOne, had this to say about my story, in awarding it 5 stars: “[A] story that examines what it means to be human, monsters with human faces, all the ways we can be cruel… [and] goes to show that a story doesn’t have to be perfect to be out-of-this-world good.”

So, overall, pretty awesome I’d say! I just hope WOTF41 continues to fare as well in the rest of the English-speaking world as it has done so far in North America.

Until next time, keep dreaming.

Joel