Super-Science Fiction, December 1957

Super-Science Fiction, Vol. 2, No. 1 (December 1957) This science fiction magazine contains six short stories and one novelette, alongside five feature articles on scientific topics. Isaac Asimov's "The Gentle Vultures" leads the issue: the Hurrians, a small vegetarian alien species, maintain a Moon base awaiting Earth's expected nuclear war—which would allow their decontamination squads to profit from salvaging survivors. After fifteen years of waiting, an Arch-administrator arrives to investigate why the war hasn't occurred. Devi-en, the base commander, theorizes that Earth's unusually rapid technological development has created a "Cold War" stalemate with weapons so destructive that neither side risks actual conflict. The Council's grim solution: the Hurrians must somehow trigger the nuclear war themselves to prevent large-primate intelligences from eventually reaching space. Other fiction includes Robert Bloch's "Broomstick Ride," Richard R. Smith's "Get Rich Quick," and stories by J.F. Bone, Robert Silverberg, and Evelyn E. Smith. Calvin M. Knox's novelette "The Hunters of Cutwold" features hunting of man-like creatures. Scientific features cover nuclear weapons, astronomy, and cosmic rays.