Liverpool writer featured in Writers of the Future Volume 42 UK release

By AI, Created 6:05 AM UTC, May 26, 2026, /AGP/ – L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42 goes on sale in the UK on May 26, with Liverpool writer Shaun Stevenson among eight international winners. The release adds to a 42-year contest run that has produced 29 UK winners and more than 580 total winners and published finalists.

Why it matters: - Volume 42 gives the UK another spotlight in a long-running science fiction and fantasy anthology that has helped launch major writers and illustrators. - Shaun Stevenson’s inclusion extends the UK’s winning streak and underscores Liverpool’s place in the contest’s 29 UK winners. - The book is part of a contest ecosystem that has produced 583 winners and published finalists across 42 years.

What happened: - “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42” releases in the UK on May 26. - The anthology features Shaun Stevenson of Liverpool, who writes under the pen name S.J. Stevenson. - Stevenson appears in the volume with the story “The Triceratops Effect.” - The volume is available as an eBook, paperback and digital audiobook through Amazon.co.uk. - UK bookstores can order the paperback beginning May 26.

The details: - Volume 42 drew winners from eight countries: Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Slovakia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA. - The contest selected winners from thousands of entrants across 180 countries. - In “The Triceratops Effect,” a time agent must fake the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs while trying to save the last triceratops. - Joni Labaqui, the contests’ director, said the UK has become a major source of future science fiction and fantasy talent and said Stevenson makes the 29th UK winner. - The UK’s list of winners spans writers and illustrators from 1987 through 2026, including Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Wein, J.L. George, Daniel Watson, and others. - The contest says its writers have published more than 8,000 novels and short stories. - The Illustrators of the Future contest says its past winners have produced more than 6,800 illustrations and 390 comic books, with work appearing in more than 700 books, 500 comics and 130 major motion pictures, gaming feature films, TV shows and documentaries. - The contests say they have awarded more than $1 million in cash prizes and royalties.

Between the lines: - The release is doing more than promoting a new anthology. It is reinforcing the contest’s brand as a pipeline for new speculative fiction talent. - The heavy emphasis on UK winners suggests the organization sees the market as a durable source of both readership and emerging creators. - Review quotes from International Review of Books, Library Journal and writer Elizabeth Wein are positioned to frame the anthology as both artistically strong and career-making for entrants.

What’s next: - Readers in the UK can buy the paperback in stores starting May 26. - The anthology is also available now through Amazon.co.uk in multiple formats. - Writers and illustrators can continue entering the contests as the franchise builds toward future volumes and winner announcements.

The bottom line: - Writers of the Future Volume 42 uses a Liverpool winner and a multinational roster to highlight the contest’s role as an ongoing talent engine for speculative fiction.