Future Science Fiction #39

# Future Science Fiction, October 1958

This issue of Future Science Fiction features three substantial science fiction works alongside advertisements and departmental columns. The lead novelet, "A Little Intelligence" by Robert Randall, concerns diplomatic negotiations between Earth and the alien Pogatha civilization of Capella IX. The story follows Sister Mary Magdalene, a nun who must shelter four female Pogatha envoys at a cathedral convent during peace talks. The narrative explores wartime tensions when one of the aliens is murdered, forcing the nun to investigate. A second novelet, "The Variable Constant" by Russ Winterbotham, depicts a mysterious "Instrument" that predicts human conquest but contains unforeseen contingencies. Short stories include "Fueling Stop" by Calvin M. Knox, "The Last Paradox" by Edward D. Hoch, and "Boy" by Richard Wilson. The issue also contains articles by Isaac Asimov and Joseph C. Stacey, departments including editor Robert Lowndes's continued survey of 1928 futurism, and reader correspondence.