- "Superstition," a short novelet by Poul Anderson. After the fall of civilization, space travelers depend on witchcraft and ritual. It's a really cool idea, but not a particularly good story. C plus.

- "The Challenge," a story by John W. Vandercook. A holocaust survivor investigates a formless, invisible weight. Memorable and fascinating. A.

- "The Captain's Mate," a story by Evelyn E. Smith. An alien captaining a ship with a human crew has a dangerous secret. It's a sort of satire on gender portrayal in science fiction. The writing is hilariously bad, which was quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me that it might have been deliberately bad until after I'd finished the story. B.

- "The Wolves of Cernogratz," a story by Saki. Aristocrats learn about the history and legend of their new home. C.

- "North Wind," a story by Chad Oliver. A bureaucrat is tasked with protecting the natives of new-to-be-colonized planets. There are some interesting ethical questions, but this story doesn't have the space or scope to really explore them. I'd be surprised if Le Guin wasn't heavily influenced by this. B

- "The Science Screen," a department by Charles Beaumont. What's Happening in science fiction and fantasy in Hollywood. The departments are my favorite parts of this magazine. Seeing what people in early 1956 thought about the current state of science fiction is hugely fascinating to me. And it's a pivotal time for science fiction films - the tail end of a brief golden age, before more than a decade of almost no major, quality releases - which makes Beaumont's hopes and predictions for the future somewhat poignant. Also, he reviews a film called King Dinosaur, which he identifies as "without question the worst picture of any sort ever made, in all respects." A.

- "Lion," a story by P.M. Hubbard. People in a post-apocalyptic world revere a lion statue. D.

- "Night Sequence," a novelet by J.B. Priestley. A bitter young couple take shelter in a mysterious house out-of-time. A bad story, but interesting for a contemporary view of the current young generation. C minus.

- "What Is a Rosicrucian?," an article by L. Sprague De Camp. C minus.

- "The Finer Breed," a story by Helen M. Urban. Some sort of grammatical satire, I think? D.

- "Recommended Reading: The Best Science-Fantasy Books of 1955," a department by Anthony Boucher. A.

- "The Dragon," a story by Ray Bradbury. Knights on some moors are displaced in time. Cute, but doesn't really make a lot of sense - typical Bradbury. C.

- "Flying Chaucer," verse by Anthony Brode. The account of a spaceship launch written in Middle English. "A bol for fysshes coverd al his heyde." C plus. ( )