This issue features a pair of original tales: a mystery from Kaye George (thanks to acquiring editor Michael Bracken) and a fantasy from Adrian Cole (written especially for this Halloween issue).

On the mystery front, we have a pair of great modern tales by William Dylan Powell (thanks to acquiring editor Barb Goffman) and James Holding, plus a classic novel by British master A.E.W. Mason, who is best known for his tale of courage and cowardice in wartime, The Four Feathers. Notably, Mason created Inspector Hanaud, a French detective who was an early template for Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot. We even have a special Halloween solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles!

On the fantastic side of things, we have a seasonally-appropriate SF tale by Norman Spinrad, plus Golden Age reprints from Algis Budrys, Cordwainer Smith, and David Mason. Mason is one of my favorite sword & sorcery authors for his novels Kavin’s World and The Return of Kavin. Had Mason not died tragically young in a boating accident, I have no doubt he would have become a major novelist in the field. After reading all of his books one after the other, I suspect he was creating a vast common universe for his fantasy and science fiction stories. Check them out if you get a chance. They are in print from Wildside Press.

Here’s the complete lineup:

Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure:

“The Voices I Will Never Hear Again,” by Kaye George [Michael Bracken Presents short story]
“Signs of Halloween,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery]
“The Darkness and the Light,” by William Dylan Powell [Barb Goffman Presents short story]
“The Only One of Its Kind,” by James Holding [short story]
No Other Tiger, by A.E.W. Mason [novel]

Science Fiction & Fantasy:

“The Falling Leaves” by Adrian Cole [short story]
“The Fat Vampire”by Norman Spinrad [short story]
“Mark Elf,” by Cordwainer Smith [short story]
“The Long Question,” by David Mason [short story]
“The Burning World,” by Algis Budrys [novelet]

Black Cat Weekly #112