Astounding Stories #171

In "The Man in the Beehive!" from Astounding Stories #171, a thief stumbles upon an eccentric beekeeper whose strange claims quickly spiral into something far more unsettling. As the man shrinks the intruder and unleashes swarms of giant bees, the line between reality and illusion begins to blur—leaving the thief, and the reader, questioning what was truly happening.

In "The Hidden Valley!" from Astounding Stories #171 (1984), a thousand-year-old tribe has constructed a mysterious device called a thoughtscope to reach out to Mars—only to find their desperate hope answered in a way they never expected. When an explorer stumbles upon the ancient machine, they unwittingly break its seal, setting off a chain of events that awaken long-silent lives.

In "Sazzik the Sorcerer," a greedy TV producer stumbles upon an ancient book promising fame and fortune, only to summon the vengeful spirit of a long-dead sorcerer when he reads the incantation aloud—trapped in a limbo between worlds, his fate now in the hands of a power he never understood.

In this 1984 fantasy tale from *Astounding Stories* #171, a young historian from Taiwan journeys to the mainland with a daring plan: awaken the ancient dragon Fin Fang Foom to stop a looming communist invasion. Using a mix of ancient knowledge and courage, he guides the colossal beast to the coast to destroy the enemy fleet, then carefully leads it back to its hidden realm before sealing its slumber once more.