Astounding Stories #32

When a mysterious villain calling himself Vibraman unleashes a devastating weapon that can obliterate targets with a mere gesture, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent Noman is dispatched to hunt down the source of the destruction before the unknown operative can carry out his ultimatum to the nation's highest office. This tense 1968 thriller pits our faceless hero against a foe whose power seems unstoppable—and whose confidence borders on arrogance.

When office drone Len Brown finally gathers the nerve to ask his boss for a raise, fate has other plans—plucking him from his cubicle and hurling him into a globe-trotting crisis. From the shadowy streets of Hong Kong to the hidden depths beneath the earth, he’s caught in a deadly game between the Red Dragon and the Overlord’s apocalyptic scheme. Along the way, an unexpected ally emerges in the form of the Iron Maiden, and though Len’s day ends with a missed opportunity, it’s one he’ll never forget.

In "Inside the Mummy Case," a museum guard finds himself trapped in a chilling game of mind and shadow when an ancient, undead mummy uses telepathic suggestion to lure him into opening a deadly section of a sealed case. The story unfolds with quiet dread, as the line between instinct and manipulation blurs in the dim light of the exhibit hall.

Harry Miles, a detective-story writer haunted by a brain injury from a wartime plane crash, believed he had only five years to live—yet somehow survived, building a successful career and marrying his devoted fiancée Janet. But as bitterness corrodes his outlook in his final months, the dark fictional criminals he creates for his last manuscript begin to materialize before him, demanding he finish the book so they can achieve a life beyond his mind. Now Harry must confront whether these terrifying visions are merely hallucinations born of his damaged brain, or something far more sinister taking hold.