Dean R. Koontz started out as a Science Fiction writer, but didn't find much recognition until he worked out the kind of tale he does best - a mixture of thriller, horror, and science fiction... then he became a best-selling author, and his early stories have become collectible. Compared to his early SF novels, I think these early stories are a better indication of the kind of writer Koontz would become.

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: August 1967 (Volume 33, Number 2)
Cover by Ron Walotsky (for "Reduction in Arms.")

Novelets: "Reduction in Arms" by Tom Purdom
"The Bubble" by J. W. Schutz.

Stories: "The Conflict" by Ilya Varshavsky
"The Baron's Dog" by E. J. T. Biese
"Soft Come the Dragons" by Dean R. Koontz (his SF debut!)
"Earthwoman" by R. Bretnor
"Bugs" by Charles Harness
"Moondust, The Smell of Hay, and Dialectical Materialism" by Thomas M. Disch
"Argent Blood" by Joe L. Hensley
"Quick With His Hands" by Avram Davidson.

Science: "Kaleidoscope In The Sky" by Isaac Asimov.

Joseph W. Ferman is Publisher, Edward L. Ferman is Editor. Book Reviews by Judith Merril, cartoon by Gahan Wilson.