METAL v. FLESH!

Hunted by machine-men and betrayed by science, one father and son hold the only key to humanity’s survival.

Can flesh and blood outwit Atrakin, the immortal metal tyrant who would rule the universe?

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Super Science Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine first published in March 1940 by Popular Publications, a company well-known for its wide range of pulp titles. The magazine was created at the request of Doubleday’s paperback line, which needed a steady flow of science fiction content for reprints in their Better Little Books series.

Edited by the legendary Donald A. Wollheim in its early years, the magazine offered space opera, adventure tales, and speculative stories from both established writers and new voices in the genre. Though not as prestigious as Astounding Science Fiction, it gained a loyal readership thanks to its fast-paced storytelling and willingness to feature up-and-coming authors.

The magazine’s initial run lasted from 1940 until 1943, when wartime paper shortages forced Popular Publications to suspend it. It was revived in 1949 and ran under the same publisher until 1951, with a brief final return from 1959 to 1960 under Feature Publications.

Across these periods, Super Science Stories played an important role in shaping the pulp science fiction landscape, offering early publication opportunities to writers such as Philip K. Dick, Frederik Pohl, and Isaac Asimov. Although never considered a top-tier title, its mix of bold cover art and sensational, action-oriented stories captured the adventurous spirit of mid-20th-century science fiction.