Astounding Stories #13

William Reed, an experimental psychologist obsessed with unlocking the brain's full memory potential, finally synthesizes a serum he believes will prove his theory—only to discover that each dose requires another, pulling him into an increasingly disturbing spiral of recollection. As he chases the promise of perfect memory through repeated "booster shots," Reed finds himself remembering things that should be impossible, and the line between scientific triumph and psychological unraveling begins to blur. With dialogue and captions hinting at something far darker than enhanced intellect, this 1967 tale explores just how dangerous it can be when the mind holds too much.

Robbie, a crippled news vendor haunted by dreams of knighthood and medieval grandeur, acquires an old throne at auction—a relic rumored to grant a man his heart's desire from noon to sunset. When he sits upon it, he's transported to King Arthur's realm as the valiant Sir Robin, where he rescues Lady Astrid from brigands and earns a place at the Round Table. But as the sun sets, the magic fades and Robbie finds himself back in his shabby room, forced to choose between his dreary reality and the pull of the throne's promise.

In the desolate Dakota Badlands, uranium prospectors Bill and his companion stumble upon an impossible sight: a covered wagon train moving through the wilderness with no film crew or equipment in sight. When they approach, the wagon's passengers reveal a haunting tale—they are cursed souls from 1850 who massacred a buffalo herd, only to be condemned by a medicine man's spell to wander endlessly, never reaching their California destination. As the eerie wagon train vanishes into the sunset, Bill and his partner witness something that challenges everything they thought they understood.

A boy's talking snowman seems like pure imagination to his skeptical parents, but when a mysterious fire breaks out in his bedroom, the truth of their friendship becomes undeniable. In this six-page tale from 1967, a child and his impossible companion face a moment that will test whether anyone believes what really happened.

An alien invasion force led by Zilis threatens Earth with annihilation, their warriors rendered invisible and nearly unstoppable as they seize control of the planet's power stations. When the First Consul discovers the invaders are actually seeking revenge for a brutal conquest Earth inflicted on their home world of Ecto-Minus 3, humanity must rally against an enemy that cannot be seen—armed with nothing but the knowledge of what drives them back. This 1967 science fiction tale explores what happens when the hunted become the hunters, and ordinary people become Earth's last line of defense.

Arabella Finletter has lived her entire life unable to speak, born without vocal cords and content to keep to herself—until the day a mysterious psychic power awakens within her, allowing her to channel her father's voice across impossible distance. When a runaway freight train threatens to collide with a passenger train carrying hundreds of people, Arabella's inexplicable gift becomes the only hope to prevent disaster. This strange tale asks whether the impossible can save us when it matters most.

When a mysterious magician named Professor Presto arrives at the rough-and-tumble mining town of Millionaire's Gulch during the California Gold Rush, his stage show becomes the least strange thing about the place—bandits strike, impossible magic erupts, and the miners begin to suspect that Presto isn't the real source of the supernatural chaos unfolding around them. As the truth about Mr. McGillicuddy comes to light, the community discovers that their quiet Irish visitor harbors a secret far more magical than anyone bargained for. A delightfully off-the-wall fantasy tale that blends Wild West grit with old-world Irish whimsy in the most unexpected ways.

In "Da Vinci's Wig!", an insecure engineer dons a mysterious wig said to have belonged to Leonardo Da Vinci—only to awaken a brilliant, inventive genius within. As his mind races with impossible ideas, he begins to suspect he's not just inspired by history, but something far more extraordinary.

In "Escape to Nowhere," a man who’s spent his life avoiding effort finds himself in a bizarre world where even the slightest labor is met with fatal consequences. After a sudden climb up a rope leads him into this harsh, silent realm, he makes a desperate escape—and returns to his own world with a newfound determination to change.

In "The 13th Juror!" from Astounding Stories #13 (1967), a man stands trial for murdering Sir Alfred Haines, a wealthy benefactor whose will implicates him. When the jury is certain of guilt, a shadowy stranger steps in, hypnotizing them into a not guilty verdict—leaving the judge furious but powerless. As the jurors slowly regain their senses and describe the man to an artist, the judge makes a chilling realization: the mysterious figure bears the unmistakable face of the very man they believed dead.