Though Powers’ cover primarily appears in muted shades of gray and brown, a close-up – below – reveals a level of complexity and mystery not readily apparent upon a cursory glance: Two enigmatic figures signal one another across a barren landscape, while a bird-like tower stands in the distance, and a ragged sphere – a planet? – a moon? – rises above the horizon, on the left.
Above all, the scene imparts an absence of visual and thematic certainty, typical of Powers’ work.
Contents
A Cross of Centuries, by Henry Kuttner
The Advent on Channel Twelve, by Cyril M. Kornbluth
Space-Time for Springers, by Fritz Leiber
Man Working, by Richard Wilson
Helping Hand, by Lester del Rey
The Long Echo, by Miriam Allen deFord
Tomorrow’s Gift, by Edmund Cooper
Idiot Stick, by Damon Knight
The Immortals, by James Gunn