Science Fiction Stories

Generally, human beings don't do totally useless things consistently and widely. So--maybe there is something to it.

"$1,000 a Plate" takes place on Mars' moon Deimos, at a time when it has been highly commercialized and visitor friendly. The enterpreneurial casino business has arrived to entice the tourist trade to part with their dollars, while research and exploration is taking place via astronomers and their telescopes searching the heavens in Deimos' crystal clear atmosphere. But there is a problem...

From Twenty Miles Away Stabbed the "Atom-filtering" Rays to Allen Baker in His Cell in the Death House.

Fate throws two young Earthians into desperate conflict with the primeval monsters of an electron's savage jungles.

The Earth lay powerless beneath those loathsome, yellowish monsters that, sheathed in cometlike globes, sprang from the skies to annihilate man and reduce his cities to ashes.

Out of solid ice Craig hews three long-frozen Egyptians--and is at once caught up into amazing adventure.

A strange man of metal comes to Earth on a dreadful mission.

Because this is a masculine world, the author of this fairytale is usually identified as the wife of Poul Anderson. But a few more incisive cameos of fantasy such as this, and Mr. Anderson may come to be identified as Karen's husband.

It may be that there is a weapon that, from the viewpoint of the one it's used on, is worse than lethal. You might say that death multiplies you by zero; what would multiplication by minus one do?

It isn't at all obvious--at first thought--that having two perfectly good, usable arms could be a real handicap to a man....