Astounding Stories #23

In "Who Am I?", a man awakens disoriented in a thick, endless fog, with no memory of who he is. A mysterious stranger offers to help through hypnosis, guiding him through fragmented visions that slowly uncover a forgotten past. As the truth emerges, the line between memory and fate begins to blur.

Two conspirators arrive at Whispering Gables intent on murder—but a phantom presence in the house's dark corridors has other plans. When a ghostly figure manifests with a terrible warning, the night spirals into chaos that neither schemer could have foreseen, and the phantom's ancient curse claims a victim in the most unexpected way.

In "The Coming of the Giants!", humanity's bold march toward the stars is abruptly interrupted when colossal alien beings descend upon Earth. Though overwhelmed by their sheer size and power, the people of Earth find an unexpected reprieve—these giants, so vast they barely register human life, pass them by without a second thought.

In "Spragg Conqueror of the Human Race!", an alien outcast named Spragg crash-lands in Transylvania, where he enslaves the local villagers to construct a device that amplifies his already formidable abilities. When a visiting scientist uncovers the truth behind his conquest, he devises a desperate plan to stop Spragg before it's too late.

Two gold prospectors, Jim Stallings and Dave Barton, are forced to weather a brutal Wyoming winter together in a remote cabin, and their friendship crumbles into bitter hatred during those long, isolating months. When the spring thaw finally frees them, a terrible landslide strikes Dave down, crippling him—and he spends years convinced Jim deliberately left him to die. But a series of impossible rescues begins to pull Dave back from the brink of disaster, each one a mystery, until a supernatural encounter with Jim himself reveals a truth far more heartbreaking than revenge.

When Dante dies in 1321, a crucial manuscript vanishes with him—the missing thirteenth canto of his masterwork "Paradise." Years of fruitless searching leave his son Pietro nearly hopeless, until a spectral visitor arrives one night with an impossible message. This tale from "True" Ghosts of History explores whether the great Italian poet truly returned from beyond the grave to guide his son toward an earthly revelation.

In "The Imitator's War," the planet Cydan unleashes a cunning threat by deploying its master imitators to manipulate the fragile peace between Earth and Lustra, fanning the flames of a cold war into open conflict. As deception spreads across the stars, the true nature of the imitations is uncovered—revealing a scheme that ultimately forces Earth and Lustra to stand together, not against each other.