Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition

About this issue

This July 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction features multiple speculative fiction stories. The lead novelette "Hunch" by Clifford D. Simak concerns Spencer Chambers, a blind chairman of the Solar Control Board who perceives the world through a mysterious entity named Hannibal. Chambers and Moses Allen, head of Solar Secret Service, confront a widespread crisis: highly trained personnel across the Solar System are experiencing psychological breakdowns and madness, crippling essential operations. A Jupiter station has been abandoned after colonists either died or went insane within three months despite careful psychological screening. The story explores whether this "situational psychoneurosis" stems from sabotage or represents a new psychological phenomenon. A.E. van Vogt's "The Great Engine" concerns scientists concealing spectacular technological progress from the world. Additional stories include "The Renegade" by Marion Henry, "Gleeps" by P. Schuyler Miller about a shape-shifting creature, "The Man in the Moon" by Henry Norton, and "Unthinking Cap" by John Pierce.