Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 39

Catalog Note This issue (November 1953) features E. C. Tubb's full-length story "Subtle Victory," opening with a mysterious, skeletal man appearing in a spaceport tavern near a rocket facility. The character is identified as Commander Peters, whom the protagonist Jeff Walker once knew in command of a Venus garrison—but Peters has deteriorated drastically within six months. Walker, revealing himself to be a government agent, intervenes when tavern staff attempt to eject the stranger, then summons a doctor and ambulance. The doctor notes abnormal symptoms—dull eyes, bone-white skin, distinctive odor—suggesting possible exotic disease. The text breaks mid-sequence as medical personnel arrive with a stretcher. The issue also contains Charles Eric Maine's "Highway I," exploring dimensions with a "light-hearted" approach; John Christopher's "Blemish," examining insanity and normalcy; and David Wilcox's "Transition," a competition-winning amateur submission. Departments include editorial coverage from Philadelphia's Eleventh World Science Fiction Convention and ongoing Solar System feature on Jupiter.