Hudson looked round the command room with its cramped balsa-plast desk, single chair and wall bunk. Command room! His mouth twisted, half with amusement, half contempt. All the years of struggling and devoted service, service which had broken up his home and driven his wife to seek comfort elsewhere. All that until, finally, they had given him a command. A command! Not one of the new powerful cruisers or even a fleet of space tugs but a detector post on Ganymede. A hive-shaped dome on an a...

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!

n Damien Broderick’s haunting tale, “The Meek,” the survivors of humanity’s drive toward racial suicide must pay an awful price for their continued survival. John Glasby’s “Innsmouth Bane” tells how the alien entity Dagon first came to nineteenth-century America. In “Helen’s Last Will,” James C. Glass shows us that death may not always be “the end.” Charles Allen Gramlich’s “I Can Spend You” is a futuristic western which puts prospecting in a whole new light! “The Voice of the Dolphin in A...

A science fiction classic by British master Philip E. High!Harcourt smiled his professional smile. “Now, you came to me because you felt something was wrong, some probably frightening aberration which we will deal with later. Were you under pressure at the time.”“A policeman is always under pressure.” Nevinson sighed. “Unfortunately this happened three weeks ago while on a holiday in Europe. Before I left everyone told me I should visit the Spatza, you’ve heard of it no dou...

They found the wrong planet...and prepared to fight the wrong enemy!

They were technically superior to mankind—they made humans look like savages. So what could possibly go right when the two empires bumped up against each other?

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?

This issue features a pair of novels. The first, The Man in the Queue, by Josephine Tey, kicks off her Inspector Alan Grant series. The second, The Enchantress of World’s End, by Lin Carter, continues the epic far-future, sword-and-sorcery saga begun last issue.As for our mystery shorts, we have a great lineup. Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken has selected an original Ecuadoran-set thriller by Tom Larsen, and Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman has uncovered a terrific ...

This time, we have holiday-themed stories from Ron Miller (a great new tale featuring burlesque-queen-turned-private detective Velda), Nina Kiriki Hoffman (who remains one of my favorite fantasists active today), and Lillian M. Roberts (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman).Plus, we have great originals by Elizabeth Zelvin (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), Hala Dika, Joshua David Bellin, and Edmund Glasby (concluding his two-part novel serial from last issue). Our ...

This is our third Halloween issue of the month, with ghoulishly fun (and seasonally appropriate) tales from John Shepphird (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman), father-and-daughter writing team Harding McFadden & Eleanor Hawkins, and British master John S. Glasby.We also feature mysteries by N.M. Cedeño (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Ed Teja, plus a vintage 1908 Holmes short-short by Wex Jones that I recently turned up in my pulp research. Our novel is a clas...

This issue, things lean a bit heavier into science fiction and fantasy than usual. The action starts with the return of Sir Galahad (only 1,500 years late!) as he encounters the modern world. We also have a pair of very different time-travel tales from Philip E. High and Nelson S. Bond. E.C. Tubb’s story hasn’t been reprinted since its first publication, so we’re delighted to reintroduce it to the world. And topping things off is the conclusion of our book serial by Edmund Glasby. But don’...

NOVELCaptains of Souls, by Edgar WallaceA shadowy figure holds the key to power and peril in a fog-drenched London mystery.SOLVE-IT-YOURSELF MYSTERY“Death Takes a Dinner Cruise,” by Hal CharlesCan you solve the mystery before the detective? All the clues are there!SHORT STORIES“Dead Gifted,” by Robert Jeschonek