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.

Worlds of IF - Science Fiction: January 1969
Illustrations by Jack Gaughan, Brock, P. Reiber, Roger Brand, Reese. Cover by Chaffee.

Novelettes: "The Year Dot" by William F. Temple
"Operation High Time" by Jacqueline Lichtenberg (a "Sime/Gen" story, and her first story)
"In the Shield" by Dean R. Koontz (part of Fear That Man.)

Novel Excerpt: "The Steel General" by Roger Zelazny (part of Creatures of Light and Darkness.)

Serial: "Six Gates to Limbo" (Part 1 of 2) by J. T. McIntosh.

Feature: Authorgraph - An Interview with Roger Zelazny.

Edited by Frederik Pohl, Lester del Rey is managing editor, Judy-Lynn Benjamin is associate editor. Every issue from 1968 on has featured a "first" story by a new author- 3 that published later books were Laurence Yep, T. J. Bass, and Jacqueline Lichtenberg. This year will see a faltering of the monthly schedule, along with a change of publisher and editor.