Forbidden Worlds #76

Harvey Kiron, a botanist consumed by his dream of creating a plant that can thrive in any climate, sacrifices everything—his career, his home, even his wife Elsa's happiness—to pursue his obsession with spores. When he finally succeeds in capturing a mysterious spore from outer space and witnesses it adapt impossibly fast to Earth's environments, Harvey believes he's on the verge of triumph, but Elsa senses something deeply wrong about the strange, rapidly growing creation. What began as scientific ambition threatens to become something far more sinister.

When arrogant Professor Alonzo Benton resigns from his university post in a fit of superiority, he's abruptly visited by two space ambassadors, Ithka and Rogga, who believe they've found a remarkable human specimen worthy of study on their advanced planet. What follows is a humbling encounter that forces Benton to confront just how limited his earthly brilliance truly is—and whether a man's worth can be measured by more than raw intellect alone.

Henry Stone purchases an ancient mirror from a curio shop in Hawaii, only to discover it harbors a sinister secret: a manifestation of his darker self that escapes into the world and begins living his life for him. As this alter ego gambles, antagonizes his employer Mr. Carter, and drives away his love interest Doris, Stone seeks help from Doctor Walter P. Weaver, an occult expert, desperate to reclaim control before his reputation—and his sanity—are utterly destroyed.

Derek Rutherford and Al Williamson transport readers to prehistory in "In the Beginning!", exploring how mankind's oldest legends might have taken root. When the Tawny Ones' shaman seeks aid from ancestral spirits dwelling in a forbidden valley, he returns with knowledge of a revolutionary weapon—the bow—that turns the tide against their rivals, the Bear People. But as Uri's tribe celebrates their newfound advantage, a darker force stirs among their enemies, threatening to destroy the very source of the Tawny Ones' power.