The 13th Golden Age of Science Fiction Megapack Read online

  Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

  WIND BETWEEN THE WORLDS

  EARTHBOUND

  DARK MISSION

  EVENSONG

  THE STARS LOOK DOWN

  THE STILL WATERS

  THE ONE-EYED MAN

  HABIT

  NERVES

  SPAWNING GROUND

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The 13th Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACK™: Lester del Rey (Vol. 2) is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  “Wind Between The Worlds” Galaxy Science Fiction, March 1951.

  “Earthbound” originally appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1963.

  “Dark Mission” originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, July 1940. Copyright © renewed 1968.

  “Evensong”originally appeared in Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison (Doubleday, 1967). Copyright © 1967 by Lester del Rey.

  “The Stars Look Down” originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, Aug. 1940. Copyright © renewed 1968.

  “The Still Waters” originally appeared in Robots and Changelings, 1955. Copyright © renewed 1983.

  “The One-Eyed Man” originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1945. Copyright © renewed 1963.

  “Habit” originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, Nov. 1939. Copyright © renewed 1967.

  “Nerves” (novella version) originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, Oct. 1942. Copyright © renewed 1970.

  “Spawning Ground” originally appeared in If, Sept. 1961. Copyright © 1961 by Lester del Rey.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Welcome to our second volume of Lester del Rey’s science fiction stories! I purchased the del Rey literary estate for Wildside Press last year, and we have been working hard to get all of his classic work back into print. (Special thanks to Steven Silver for help with scanning and proofing.)

  You can now find many of Lester’s very best stories (and quite a few of his novels) available in ebook stores throughout the world, and more are on their way. I am pleased to report that Del Rey Books is planning a major reissue program in paperback a couple of years from now, so we are on the cusp of a great Lester del Rey revival.

  Especially notable in this volume is “Nerves,” the novella from Astounding Science Fiction that would later be expanded into the classic novel of the same name. And “Evensong” was included in one of the most important anthologies ever published, Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions. Classics both.

  Enjoy!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE SERIES

  Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK™ ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK™ ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

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  THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION

  1. Winston K. Marks

  2. Mark Clifton

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  4. Clifford D. Simak

  5. Lester del Rey

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  13. Lester del Rey (vol. 2)

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  WIND BETWEEN THE WORLDS

  I

  It was hot in the dome of the Bennington matter transmitter building. The metal shielding walls seemed to catch the rays of the sun and bring them to a focus there. Even the fan that was plugged in nearby didn’t seem to help much. Vic Peters shook his head, knocking the mop of yellow hair out of his eyes. He twisted his lanky, angular figure about, so the fan could reach fresh territory, and cursed under his breath.

  Heat he could take. As a roving troubleshooter for Teleport Interstellar, he’d worked from Rangoon to Nairobi—but always with men. Pat Trevor was the first of the few women superintendents he’d met. And while he had no illusions of masculine supremacy, he’d have felt a lot better in shorts or nothing right now.

  Besides, a figure like Pat’s couldn’t be forgotten, even though denim coveralls were hardly supposed to be flattering. Cloth stretched tight across a woman’s hips had never helped a man concentrate on his work.