Black Cat Weekly #13 presents another terrific lineup of novels and short stories for readers of mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. Here are—Mysteries / Suspense:Most Men Don’t Kill, by David Alexander [novel]“A Thanksgiving Mystery,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]“Black Friday,” by R.T. Lawton [Barb Goffman Presents short story]“A Matter of Science” by Ray Cummings [short story]A Town Is Drowning, by Frederik Poh...

They captured the human and his puny ship. They had been ordered to interrogate him to find out humanity's strenths, weaknesses, and numbers...because their empire intended to expand into human space. But the human wanted to be captured and interrogated—for compassionate reasons. Human space was infected, he said...and any attempt at conquest was doomed!

The Best of Philip E. HighWelcome to the Bizarre Imagination of Philip E. High.-A world without laws where the basest criminal activity flourishes unchecked in a dog-eat-dog society;-When the crew of a submarine find themselves flung millions of years into the past the consequences are devastating;-The minds of the entire population of a city are infected by the thoughts of a madman, and become insane themselves - and the contagion is spreading;-Mankind...

Don't think new thoughts, don't improve anything, don't wander over the next hill: these were the commandments for the men and women of the experimental village - one of those careful nurtured settlements established after the collapse of world civilization.The rules were made by the benevolent Masters of the Island - and they had to be obeyed. To disobey was to be destroyed. But Robert Ventnor, villager with a dangerously high quotient of curiosity, was the exception. He fled - an...

In the far future, the world has fallen to chaos with the criminal elements controlling the cities and vast police forces ruling the unknown wilderness beyond.Only one man, unknowingly, holds the key to the state in which society finds itself - a man named Craig.Craig, however, is an outcast, a pariah, feared by organised crime and despised by the police who, despite themselves, are compelled to use him.This is the tale of how Craig fights back - against forces unkn...

The conquest of a galaxy is relatively easy providing the aggressor has the necessary technology and, more important, a safe method of overcoming possible opposition without bleeding to death in the process. The Asdrake employed mutated micro-organisms which directly attacked the brain of the planet's intelligent life - they liked this method. They could fight if they had to but were inherently lazy. This method had worked successfully on twenty-two occasions - why should it fail on planet...

Waking Nightmare!He awoke, stretched and scratched the top of his head with his right hand. It hurt, must have a pimple there or something. Only a few seconds later his forehead tingled, and he brushed at it with his left hand.It came away smothered in blood.What the hell! Got to get a towel or handkerchief or something. He reached forward with his right hand to throw back the bedclothes and froze.It was not his hand.It was not even human blood....

They had slept in safety while destruction raged above them. When they awoke and emerged from their places of refuge, the world had changed - totally.For man soon discovered that he was no longer the dominant species on Earth. Now there were other creatures, not only ready to dispute the point but well prepared to prove it.It was later, much later, that the bulk of mankind discovered they had forfeited their birthright, traded their home, the planet Earth - for a spaceship....

From: The Shaldron RaceTo: The Human RaceGreetings:Your presence on this planet has been noted and the reason for your visit analyzed by our instruments. We have, therefore, taken the liberty of selecting one of your party for our first contact, one whom we feel is best suited to grasp the motivations of both our races and arrange for future group contacts.Peter Collard stared at the message with a cold feeling of foreboding. He felt pity for the poor devil....

Crichton was a brilliant chemist, but he had one great fear: being stranded on an alien world with no way to survive. It drove him to study woodcraft and survival techniques. But would it be enough if the impossible happened to their ship?

If wishes would only come true; how often has every human being thought that? How wonderful life would be if only we could have everything we ever dreamed of?But the man who invented the dream-machine turned out to be the worst enemy humanity ever encountered! The dream became as real as the reality - and yet remained a figment of the imagination. And thereby the very foundations of civilization were undermined. Why strive - when you could get it all without effort?Reality ...

Given: Earth 400 years from now - a rotten society which mankind is doomed to die out.A solution to the problem - an ultra-intelligent computer to govern humanity.One man of seemingly average intelligence, but with incredible I.Q. potential.And you have: A corrupt society turned into a world where there is no corruption, because Mother Machine knows what's best for her human children and does it. Where that same all-powerful computer is rapidly turning men into zomb...