Larry Manahan, a restless advertising man craving real adventure, is jolted from routine by a fearful phone call from Agnes Sterling, assistant to the reclusive scientist Dr. Travis Whiting. At Whiting's deserted home-laboratory, he finds fresh blood, a crushed revolver, and a bizarre floating globe suspended between pillars of colored light—a tiny living world complete with oceans, deserts, forests, and a city. What seems at first like a scientific marvel quickly becomes a nightmare when ...

Reporter Robert Barrett is pulled from routine into a nightmare of secret radio signals, vanished mine shipments, and red aircraft that seem to obey no earthly power. When a thorium factory in St. Louis is devastated by a luminous purple gas that cancels gravity, Barrett and veteran operative Bill Johnson are drawn into a race across Mexico and the Pacific, using the remarkable Camel-back to chase a threat that grows more impossible by the hour. At El Tigre Mine in the Sierra Madre, Barret...

On a distant planet where the jungle seems to breathe with malice, a survey team arrives to uncover the fate of six vanished expeditions. What they find is a world that hides its true nature behind a living mask—one of grotesque plants, silent death, and genetic mysteries beyond human understanding. At the center of the mission is Lance Llandark, a hard-edged pilot haunted by the disappearance of his wife, one of the lost explorers. As the crew probes the planet's strange biology, they dis...

When Stephen, a young history teacher, is summoned to the opulent Long Island estate of his brilliant, enigmatic uncle, Enfield Conway, he expects a family reunion and instead finds a doorway into the impossible. Conway, a fabulously wealthy inventor, offers Stephen a fortune and the prospect of becoming his heir if he will help test a secret machine built in a hidden laboratory over eleven years—a sealed craft powered by a mysterious force that can suspend gravity and, as rumor has it, ma...

The Second Shell by Jack Williamson is a fascinating and thought-provoking journey into the depths of human identity, transformation, and the boundaries of existence. Known for his visionary storytelling, Jack Williamson crafts a narrative that pulls readers into a world where the concept of self is no longer fixed, and evolution takes on a whole new meaning. From the very first page, the story captures attention with its imaginative premise and slowly builds into a compel...

A remarkable collection, Robots through the Ages includes stories from some of the best writers of science fiction, both old and new.This anthology, with an introduction by Robert Silverberg, offers a sweeping survey of robots as depicted throughout literature. Since the Iliad—in which we are shown golden statues built by Hephaestus “with minds and wisdoms”—humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial life. From the Argonautica t...

"99 Science Fiction Short Stories" brings together some of the finest sci fi short stories ever crafted. Featuring gems from masters of the genre, such as H.G Wells , Robert Barr , PKD, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Norton, and many, many more!

This issue, we have original mysteries from Janice Law (thanks to Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and our BCW’s very own Ron Miller (who moonlights as our Art Director), plus a modern masterpiece by Gina Nelson (thanks to Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Add a rare Golden Age mystery novel by James Hay, Jr. and we have quite a winning mix.But wait, there’s more! No issue is complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles.On the science fiction side, we have a...

The story follows the crew of the spaceship "Comet," who salvage derelict spacecraft and space debris for profit. However, their routine salvage operation takes a dangerous turn when they discover a mysterious alien artifact aboard a wrecked spaceship. As they investigate the artifact, they uncover secrets that could have far-reaching consequences for humanity."Salvage in Space" is celebrated for its imaginative world-building, gripping plot, and innovative ideas. Jack Williamson was known...

The plot revolves around the discovery of a miniature planet, dubbed "Pygmy," which orbits a larger world. The inhabitants of Pygmy are tiny compared to humans and have developed their own unique civilization. When humans first encounter Pygmy, they are fascinated by its diminutive inhabitants and their advanced technology.The protagonist of the story is an Earth scientist who travels to Pygmy to study its inhabitants and learn about their culture. However, he soon discovers that all is no...

We have another great issue this week, with original mysteries from N.M. Cedeño (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Brian Rieselman, plus a terrific tale by David Dean (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our classic mystery novel is The Winning Clue, by James Hay, Jr. (A note to the sensitive: it has some dialog in racial dialect, which was common in novels of the era.) And, of course, we have a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles.On the science ficti...

We found the stranger, when we unlocked the bungalow after a week on the lakes, seated at my big desk in the study. His face was an enigma of youth and age. Lean beneath his long white hair, it was gray and drawn and hollowed as if with an infinite heartbreak—and yet it smiled. His emaciated hand, thrust out across the pile of loose yellow sheets he had written, gripped an incredible thing...FROM THE BOOKS.