Nebula Science Fiction #34

About this issue

This September 1958 issue of Nebula Science-Fiction (No. 34) features the novelette "Fourth Factor" by Brian W. Aldiss, concerning a young woman named Dora who arrives exhausted at a strange settlement. The community practices an extreme form of psychological analysis where doctors constantly observe and document residents' "significant situations" and behaviors. Dora discovers the inhabitants—including a timid young man named Gavin Prouse—are patients living under strict therapeutic supervision, forbidden from intimate interaction without their doctors present. The settlement's emphasis on behavioral documentation, emotional regulation, and clinical observation of all social activity appears designed to treat underlying psychological conditions. The story explores Dora's attempt to integrate into this unusual culture and its unfamiliar social structures. Also included are short stories by various authors and the third installment of Kenneth Bulmer's serial "Wisdom of the Gods," alongside astronomy features and editorial commentary on contemporary space exploration achievements.