Galaxy October 1954

Worse than average issue. A lot of talent, but not with their best work.

A World of Talent • novelette by Philip K. Dick
Earth colonies are battling against the earth to gain their independence. They are using people with different psi-power to survive. A pair of precogs has a child with no apparent power who seems to behave autistically. A husband of that team has found a girl who is able to stop telepathy, and probably other psi-powers also. And then there is jealousy, murder and mayhem. A bit too long story and not so much happens, writing is ok but not something you might expect from Dick. ***
Ghost V • shortstory by Robert Sheckley
Two guys have established a company which renovates planets. Business is slow, until they get their first job. A planet appears to be haunted...nice funny Sheckley classic, not one of his best however. ***+
Idiot's Crusade • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak
A village idiot is suddenly able to do almost anything using a sort of mental power. Does he use it for good or bad things - and is what he thinks as good necessarily good for other people? Pretty good story, might have even been better without the alien mind infestation subplot - or that should have been fleshed out better. ***1/2
$1,000 a Plate • shortstory by Jack McKenty
Fireworks from a nearby gaming casino disturb an observatory in Mars. After some plotting they come to a mutually satisfying agreement. Pretty silly little story which isn't even funny in any way. **-
Jebaburba • shortstory by Daniel F. Galouye
It is fairly hard to discipline a child who can teleport at will. Especially when his parents are alien diplomats. A other fairly silly and not funny story, with some problems in logic. **+
Spy • novelette by J. T. McIntosh
A spy who is working for a colony world in earth starts suffering a sickness which causes very realistic hallucinations, just when he is about to get the information he is trying to get. The hallucinations are very realistic and hard to distinguish from the reality. And there is a beautiful girl, of course. Not very good story, pretty standard spy stuff. The science fictional element is the disease causing the hallucinations, and that turns out to be fairly minor plot point after all. The ending is especially poor, and as whole this is overlong and pretty boring story. **1/2