Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 79

About this issue

This issue contains "Assassin in Hiding," a novelette by Philip E. High about a celebrated fashion designer named De-Arva who survives a disaster aboard an Orbit Liner. After a dark-skinned alien kills a passenger named Conroy aboard the vessel, triggering gunfire that causes the ship to crash, De-Arva flees to his cottage seeking solitude. When he hears Conroy's name on a newscast, he experiences severe headaches. A psychiatrist examines him and discovers De-Arva has been psychologically blocked—someone implanted a mental trigger that causes pain when he thinks about certain subjects. The story explores themes of psychological manipulation and hidden threats. Supporting contents include short stories by Nigel Lloyd, William E. Bentley, A. Bertram Chandler, and John Kippax; a serial installment by Douglas West; Kenneth Johns's continuing article on human evolution; and editorial commentary by E.C. Tubb discussing terminology in science fiction.