Infinity Science Fiction, November 1955

About this issue

This inaugural issue features seven speculative fiction works. The lead novelette, "The Sickness" by William Tenn, concerns an international space expedition to Mars that discovers an intact underground Martian city—evidence of a humanoid civilization extinct for a million years—while the crew grapples with the psychological pressures of their mission and concerns about hidden dangers. A second novelette, "Phantom Duel" by Ford McCormack, is included. Short stories are contributed by Winston Marks ("Kid Stuff"), Robert Bloch ("Have Tux—Will Travel"), James Blish ("King of the Hill"), Edward Ludwig ("The First"), and David Mason ("Placebo"). Arthur C. Clarke's "The Star" concludes the fiction section. Editor Larry T. Shaw provides an introductory column discussing apocalyptic science fiction and real-world space technology developments. Damon Knight contributes a review department called "Infinity's Choice."