Astounding Stories #86

In "The Imitator's War," the planet Cydan unleashes a chilling deception, sending imitations of Earth and Lustra’s forces to spark a full-scale conflict. As the two worlds teeter on the brink, a hidden truth begins to surface—revealing that the enemy is not who they seem.

In "Spragg Conqueror of the Human Race!", an outcast alien named Spragg is cast out onto Earth’s surface in Transylvania, where he enslaves the local villagers to construct a device that amplifies his already formidable abilities. When a visiting scientist uncovers the truth behind Spragg’s presence, he devises a plan to stop the alien’s growing threat—before it’s too late.

In "The Coming of the Giants!" from Astounding Stories #86 (1972), humanity’s confidence in its spacefaring future is upended when colossal alien beings descend upon Earth—only to overlook the planet entirely, their sheer size rendering human civilization invisible. The story quietly explores the irony of survival through insignificance, leaving the fate of the giants and what comes next tantalizingly unresolved.

In the thick, silent fog of "Who Am I?", a man with no past stumbles toward a stranger who claims to help him remember. Through a hypnotic trance, fragments of a forgotten life emerge—of acrobats, crowds, and a fatal fall from the high wire—before the truth reveals itself: the one who guides him is not a healer, but the final reckoning.