The Ray Cummings MEGAPACK ®: 25 Golden Age Science Fiction and Mystery Tales. Ray Cummings
ntents
THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM (1919-1920)
TWO PROPOSALS (1923)
JETTA OF THE LOWLANDS (1930)
THE WHITE INVADERS (1931)
REQUIEM FOR A SMALL PLANET (1958)
BRIGANDS OF THE MOON (1931)
WANDL THE INVADER (1932)
TARRANO THE CONQUEROR (1930)
PHANTOMS OF REALITY (1930)
DR. FEATHER IN “A SHOT IN THE DARK” (1936)
DR. FEATHER IN “MURDER IN THE FOG” (1937)
DR. FEATHER IN “THE DEAD MAN LAUGHS” (1938)
DR. FEATHER IN “CLUE IN CRIMSON” (1943)
THE WORLD BEYOND (1938)
GADGET GIRL (1944)
PRECIPICE (1945)
PHOTOGRAPH OF DEATH (1945)
STAMP OF DOOM (1946)
THE SCALPEL OF DOOM (1947)
ATOM BOY (1947)
THE LIFTED VEIL (1947)
BEYOND THE VANISHING POINT (1958)
THE GIRL FROM INFINITE SMALLNESS (1940)
PLANET STORIES’ FEATURE FLASH: MEET RAY CUMMINGS
COPYRIGHT INFO
The Ray Cummings Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. Original publication dates and sources are listed immediately following the title of each story. Cover art © Patrick Hermans / Heywoody / Fotolia. All rights reserved.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
To anyone interested in the roots of modern science fiction, the name of Ray Cummings (1887–1957) should already be well known. He wrote science fiction and fantasy stories before the name “science fiction” had been coined, publishing his fantastic yarns in Argosy, Munsey’s Magazine, and other mainstream fiction magazines. Of course, as soon as the science fiction pulp magazines debuted, he moved to them, where his work received a hearty welcome from fans. He continued publishing through the 1950s, producing more than 750 novels and short stories over his long career. He also produced work in many other genres, including the mystery field (see “Atom Boy” in this Megapack for one prime example).
We are pleased to showcase 25 of his tales, ranging from science fiction to fantasy to mystery. Some straddle the lines between genres. The observant will note two stories are presented out of order (by publication date)—not a mistake, but a deliberate arrangement. Brigands of the Moon is presented next to its sequel, Wandl the Invader. And we are running the 1940 story, “The Girl from Infinite Smallness,” at the end so we can conclude with the bio piece from Planet Stories which originally accompanied it. That seems a fitting way to conclude The Ray Cummings Megapack.
Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
* * * *
Over the last year, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (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 Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, 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!).
A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS
The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)
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 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.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Megapack
The Second Cat Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip