Non-Statistical Man, the & Mission from Mars — Raymond F. Jones

Armchair Fiction presents extra large editions of classic science fiction double novels. The first novel, “The Non-Statistical Man” is by yet another great science fiction craftsman, Raymond F. Jones. Was it possible there could be human intuition in a pill? Charles Bascomb was a man of precise logic -- not too surprising he pushed facts and figures for a big insurance company. Every thought he had, every action he took, was based on his steadfast, nearly religious belief in the accuracy of numbers and statistics. But something was amiss. How was it possible that a select group of people seemed to have a power of intuition greater than the essence of pure logic itself? How was it possible that, with nothing more than a hunch to go on, they all seemed to have the foresight of knowing the exact moment in time when they should purchase an insurance policy? It was a maddening riddle for a man who had spent his whole life anchored in reason, cause, and effect. Soon this baffling mystery would lead to an eccentric doctor and his little bottles of multi-colored pills. The second novel is an unusual tale of interplanetary intrigue, “Mission From Mars” by Rick Conroy. It was a weapon to end all wars! The Martians were very concerned about Earth. They were worried that the destructive tendencies of their planetary neighbor might someday reach across the void and threaten the red planet itself. And now the Earthlings were on the brink of space travel with the development of a rocket ship in Nevada's high desert. It would be easier to simply eliminate the entire human race. A fast-acting worldwide virus would do the trick. But there was one Martian who thought differently. He had faith in the human race, even if the Martian hierarchy did not. So the rulers of Mars gave humanity a final chance. And the fate of all Earthmen lay in the hands of two Martians who sped across the void in an ancient spacecraft toward Earth.