Nebula Science Fiction, No. 6

Nebula Science-Fiction, Vol. 2 No. 2 (December 1953), edited by Peter Hamilton, contains one novel and three novelettes. The lead novelette, "The Happier Eden" by J.T. M'Intosh, concerns the first interplanetary space mission—the Astra—which is primarily a propaganda publicity stunt organized by the World Government following its destruction of the technologically superior nation of Korania. Captain Harry Rosetti commands an international crew including First Officer Naomi Thomson (England), Second Officer Bill Tilden (South Africa), Third Officer Micheline Thomas (France), and Seventh Officer Joan Meddows (Australia). The Astra deviates five million miles off course due to Meddows's navigational error, creating crew tension. Other stories include Eric Frank Russell's "Sustained Pressure," set on Venus with themes of frontier hardship, and E.C. Tubb's "Tea Party." The issue also features "Firstling" by F.C. Rayer, a novel about conflict with the Espuns following a Second Flood; short stories by L. Major Reynolds and debutant Tony C. Thorne; and editorial features on science-fiction cinema and correspondence.