Worlds of IF - Science Fiction: March-April 1972
All illustrations by Jack Gaughan. Cover by Jack Gaughan (for "The Gods Themselves")

Novelette: "The Stainless Steel Rat's Return" by Harry Harrison (part of The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World)

Serials: "Patterns of Chaos" (Part 2 of 3) by Colin Kapp,
"The Gods Themselves" (Part 2 of 3) by Isaac Asimov (parts 1 & 3 are in Galaxy March & May 1972. Hugo and Nebula winner - "best novel")

Stories: "One and One are Two" by David Magil
"Two Suns for the King" by David R. Bunch
"The Old Switcheroo" by Robert Bloch

Ejler Jakobsson is editor, Judy-Lynn Benjamin is managing editor, Lester del Rey is feature editor, Jack Gaughan is Art Director.

If is now bound in paperback stock, making it incredibly durable (compared to most other magazines.) The crossover of the Asimov serial reflected that there was a short time limit before the hardcover came out, and not enough time for a 3-part serial in either bi-monthly magazine. (I'm not sure if this feat has been done anywhere else in a SF magazine.

Allow me to put in a plug for the Colin Kapp serial: I've always been fond of big-concept or outrageous-idea novels. Imagine a civlization in another galaxy with extraordinary predictive abilities, so afraid of one man that they launch multiple planet-buster attacks over the incredible distance of space & time - with pinpoint accuracy, but just missing by days or hours. (Wow!) Jack Gaughan contributes 2 covers for it, and his black & white for this second part is one of my favorites by him.