The year's thirteen best tales from Writers of the Future international writers' program. Illustrated by winners in the Illustrators of the Future international illustrators' program. With essays on writing & illustration by L. Ron Hubbard, Mike Resnick and Robert Castillo. Edited by K. D. Wentworth.

The Voltar Confederacy has a long-range strategy to invade Earth and use it in their conquest of the Galaxy. However, with the discovery that Earth is being destroyed by incessant pollution, Royal Officer Jettero Heller is sent on a top-secret mission to handle this threat to the planet's life. But why is Lombar Hisst, head of the Apparatus, Voltar's deadly intelligence agency, determined to sabotage the mission and see it fail? Can Heller possibly succeed or will he fall into the web of intergalactic intrigue spun by Hisst and his devious henchman, Soltan Gris? Find out as you embark on this mission full of dynamic characters and packed with plenty of twists, action and emotion.

The Voltar Confederacy has a long-range strategy to invade Earth and use it in their conquest of the Galaxy. However, with the discovery that Earth is being destroyed by incessant pollution, Royal Officer Jettero Heller is sent on a top-secret mission to handle this threat to the planet's life. But why is Lombar Hisst, head of the Apparatus, Voltar's deadly intelligence agency, determined to sabotage the mission and see it fail? Can Heller possibly succeed or will he fall into the web of intergalactic intrigue spun by Hisst and his devious henchman, Soltan Gris? Find out as you embark on this mission full of dynamic characters and packed with plenty of twists, action and emotion.

From Lord Invay, Royal Historian, Chairman, Board of Censors, Royal Palace, Voltar Confederacy: "Let me state it boldly and baldly: There is no such planet as 'Earth.'"If it ever existed at all, it certainly does not exist today or even within living memory."So, away with this delusion."On the authority of every highly placed official in the land I can assure you utterly and finally, THERE IS NO PLANET EARTH! And that is final!"With this emphatic disclaimer, we are introduced to MISSION EARTH, an epic told entirely and uniquely by the aliens that already walk among us. Earth is to be invaded and a royal combat engineer must cross 22 light-years to secretly infiltrate the planet. He is also crossing a scheme to use the resources of Earth's most powerful figure to overthrow the confederacy.With a convicted murderess who trains giant catlike animals, a doctor who creates human biological freaks, a madman who controls Voltar's secret police and a clandestine Earth...

Lars Marlin signs on as captain of an oceangoing yacht where his arch-nemesis, Paco Corvino (a man who considers murder a pastime) is aboard. Lars discovers Paco working as the chief steward, but suspects he is up to no good--and their voyage aboard the crowded vessel will likely prove to be a final bloody showdown at sea.

Your passage to unforgettable worlds of imagination and escape. Discover the new visionaries of imagination in the Writers of the Future. Established in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard expressly for the aspiring writer, Writers of the Future has become the most respected and significant forum for new talent in all aspects of speculative fiction. Never before published first-rate science fiction and fantasy stories selected by top names in the field. "The offerings are thought provoking and varied, with a general trend towards excellence...The future is in good hands." −Publishers Weekly

Falsely accused of murder and grand larceny, Kurt Reid flees to Shanghai. After rescuing a White Russian spy, he's captured by the Chinese and forced into the cloak-and-dagger world of espionage and intrigue, where everything and everyone are not what they appear to be.

Detective-Sergeant Terry Lane investigates dual murders and discovers that the killers are already dead! Clue by clue, Lane unveils a plot involving Haitian voodoo and stumbles down a twisted trail towards the evil Dr. Leroux--and a possible fate worse than death.

The Voltar Confederacy has a long-range strategy to invade Earth and use it in their conquest of the Galaxy. However, with the discovery that Earth is being destroyed by incessant pollution, Royal Officer Jettero Heller is sent on a top-secret mission to handle this threat to the planet's life. But why is Lombar Hisst, head of the Apparatus, Voltar's deadly intelligence agency, determined to sabotage the mission and see it fail? Can Heller possibly succeed or will he fall into the web of intergalactic intrigue spun by Hisst and his devious henchman, Soltan Gris? Find out as you embark on this mission full of dynamic characters and packed with plenty of twists, action and emotion.

The Voltar Confederacy has a long-range strategy to invade Earth and use it in their conquest of the Galaxy. However, with the discovery that Earth is being destroyed by incessant pollution, Royal Officer Jettero Heller is sent on a top-secret mission to handle this threat to the planet's life. But why is Lombar Hisst, head of the Apparatus, Voltar's deadly intelligence agency, determined to sabotage the mission and see it fail? Can Heller possibly succeed or will he fall into the web of intergalactic intrigue spun by Hisst and his devious henchman, Soltan Gris? Find out as you embark on this mission full of dynamic characters and packed with plenty of twists, action and emotion.

The Voltar Confederacy has a long-range strategy to invade Earth and use it in their conquest of the Galaxy. However, with the discovery that Earth is being destroyed by incessant pollution, Royal Officer Jettero Heller is sent on a top-secret mission to handle this threat to the planet's life. But why is Lombar Hisst, head of the Apparatus, Voltar's deadly intelligence agency, determined to sabotage the mission and see it fail? Can Heller possibly succeed or will he fall into the web of intergalactic intrigue spun by Hisst and his devious henchman, Soltan Gris? Find out as you embark on this mission full of dynamic characters and packed with plenty of twists, action and emotion.