A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Raymond Zinke Gallun (1911 - 1994) was an American science fiction writer. Gallun (it rhymes with “balloon”) was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. He left college after one year and travelled in Europe, working a multitude of jobs in many countries in the years leading up to World War II.

He was among the earliest pulp fiction writers who specialized in science fiction, and he sold many stories to magazines in the 1930s under his own name and several pseudonyms (such as Dow Elstar, E.V. Raymond and William Callahan).

His first novel, People Minus X (included here) was published in 1957, followed by The Planet Strappers in 1961 (also included here). He was honored with the I-CON Lifetime Achievement Award in 1985 at I-CON IV; the award was later renamed The Raymond Z. Gallun Award.

I only met him once, but I was struck by his kindness, generosity, and courteous manner. He was one of the true gentlemen of the science fiction field.

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 wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.