Astounding Stories, British Edition

This September 1939 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction contains several science fiction works. "Forces Must Balance" by Manly Wade Wellman follows Burr Wingate, a suicidal young man in Pulambar on Mars, who is rescued by the notorious outlaw Duke Hudspeth. Hudspeth convinces Wingate to join his crew in a race to the newly discovered planet Ulysses, where multiple planetary governments compete for first landing rights. Wingate initially plans to escape and betray Hudspeth to Carthage Dawes, Wingate's former acquaintance who now commands Earth's expedition to Ulysses. "The Last Hope" by Don Evans involves plague survivors developing fanaticism from age and isolation. "The Other Side of Astronomy" by R.S. Richardson is a non-fiction article presenting astronomers' human perspectives. "General Swamp, C.I.C." by Frederick Engelhardt concludes with a protagonist named Brand fighting a war while soldiers depart for harvesting.