The 13th edition of Armchair Fiction's Science Fiction Gems series is filled with some fabulous tales of speculative fiction. Stanley Mullen's "Shock Treatment" is a fabulous alien contact story with a murder-for-hire setting. David H. Keller's "The Ambidexter" is a page-turning medical sci-fi tale with a latent feeling of menace and a great twist ending. "The Shipshape Miracle" by Clifford D. Simak features a lonely spaceman stuck on a distant backwoods planet with seemingly no chance for survival. Then there's Harry Harrison's "World in the Balance," a tightly written, fast-moving story of an invasion from outer space. Also look for a grim outer space duel to the death in Charles L. Fontenay's "Escape Velocity." Other tales by Irving E. Cox, Jr., Milton Lesser, John W. Jakes, Harl Vincent, and Chad Oliver help round out what is certainly one of our best (and longest) collections of science fiction gems. The contents are as follows:THE ALMOST-MEN By Irving E. Cox, Jr.SHOCK TREATMENT By Stanley MullenTHE AMBIDEXTER By David H. Keller, M. D.THE SHIPSHAPE MIRACLE By Clifford D. SimakESCAPE VELOCITY By Charles L. FontenayTHE DREAMING TREES By John W. Jakes WORLD IN THE BALANCE By Harry HarrisonQUICKIE By Milton LesserINVISIBLE SHIPS By Harl VincentNIGHT By Chad Oliver