Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition

This British edition of Astounding Science Fiction (June 1948) contains the science fiction novelette "New Lives for Old" by William Bade and short stories including "Cosmetics" by John D. MacDonald and "The Undamned" by George O. Smith. The issue also features Theodore Sturgeon's "There Is No Defense," a military science fiction story centered on an emergency council convened to address an alien invader threatening the solar system. The mysterious ship, originating from deep space, employs devastating weapons including disruptor bombs and warping technology, has already destroyed the Neptune observation post and devastated Titan's population. Council members—representing Earth, Mars, the defeated Jovians, and peace advocates—debate whether to deploy a forbidden superweapon called "The Death" despite pre-Peace agreements, as conventional defenses prove ineffective against the technologically superior invader.