Future Science Fiction #43

Future Science Fiction, June 1959, No. 43

This issue features six science fiction stories. "Love and the Stars—Today!" by Kate Wilhelm depicts a drunk man named Sammy at a party, frustrated with his three-day work week assembling tri-wheels at a control board while remaining disconnected from any meaningful purpose. He struggles to communicate an undefined crisis he witnessed at work. The novelet "Survival in Parallel" by T.H. Mathieu involves a father whose son is considered a "monster" by society, connecting to another strange child from the past. Frank Belknap Long's "Flame of Life" concerns Thomas Marshall, who survived cosmic ray exposure in the stratosphere with unexpected consequences. "Signs of the Times" by Brent Howell depicts an inverted world where signs mandate what citizens can do rather than what they cannot. "Obey That Impulse!" by Larry M. Harris features butterflies developed for a simple purpose that begin acting independently. Donald E. Westlake's "And Then He Went Away" stars artist Emory Ward, whose imaginative drawings of futuristic devices prove prophetically accurate. A feature article by Thomas N. Scortia discusses practical space travel concepts.