New Worlds Science Fiction No. 43

About this issue

New Worlds 43 (January 1956) contains fiction examining speculative science and its human impact. The featured novelette "Hostage" by John Brunner follows Dr. Clifford, a physician treating victims of a mysterious plague that kills approximately one in ten patients unpredictably—some respond to treatments that fail elsewhere, others resist all intervention. The narrative begins with the death of his friend's wife, then follows his hospital rounds where he observes a recovering spaceman named Buehl reading technical articles about theoretical transport mechanisms. Buehl engages Clifford in discussion of a General Electric engineer's theory proposing instantaneous transport through identifying and synchronizing two volumes of space, requesting computer access to verify the mathematics. The story integrates Brunner's stated interest in human reaction to scientific progress rather than technological detail per se. The issue also includes novelette "Red Alert" by James White, short stories by Alan Barclay, Alan Guthrie, and Duncan Lamont, and an article titled "The Mighty Midgets" by John Newman.