The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast - Vintage Sci-Fi Short Stories

Two alien swindlers believe they have found the perfect disguise, the perfect victim, and an easy path to unimaginable wealth. Their carefully staged bargain soon becomes a contest to discover who is truly being fooled. The Red Hot Deal by Joseph Farrell. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

We love hearing from you, yesterday we received this message on Facebook from Stephanie Laugesen, “My brother recently got me hooked on your podcast and I am absolutely loving listening to the stories.  I've started from the beginning of the series, and there have been a few that...

Stranded on an iron asteroid by ruthless competitors, two Earthmen discover that their foolish-looking captors have one irresistible weakness. Steve Burgess has a daring escape plan, but activating it could send the entire asteroid hurtling toward disaster. Juke Box Asteroid by Joseph Farrell. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

One of our favorite things is introducing you to authors making their first appearance on the podcast, and today that author is Joseph Farrell. Like so many writers from the pulp magazine era, he left no personal history behind. We don’t know where he was born...

A ten-year-old boy discovers that the fantastic dangers in his comic books may be closer to reality than any scientist suspects. When a friendly voice from another star offers him an astonishing invention, Tommy must decide whether he is speaking to an ally—or helping an enemy reach Earth. From Beyond the Stars by Murray Leinster. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

One of the questions we hear quite often is, Why did so many science fiction authors use pen names? There were actually several reasons. Magazine editors usually didn’t want a single issue to loo...

Arthur Giles helped build a civilization that believed death had been defeated, but one terrible diagnosis forces him to measure the future in years instead of centuries. When a dangerous experimental starship suddenly becomes his only chance to reclaim what time has taken away, the risk no longer seems impossible. The Dwindling Years by Lester del Rey. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Thank you to our Spotify listeners! We have 508 ratings on Spotify with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5. That’s awesome! Thank you. And if you listen on Spotify and you haven’t give...

A well-meaning astronomy enthusiast joins an absent-minded professor on a mission that soon carries them beyond every known galaxy. Their only hope is to stop a furious scientist who would rather smash the Solar System than admit Ptolemy was wrong. Battle of the Solar System by Ray Cummings. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Born in New York City in 1887 Raymond King Cummings, was an influential and very prolific author from 1920 until his passing in 1957. As a pioneer of pulp science fiction, he published over 600 stories under his own name and various pen names, with ro...

Peter Kolin has spent years hiding every disloyal thought from the rulers of Haurtoz. On an uncharted planet, a strangely friendly tree offers him an escape—but Kolin may have found something far more powerful than freedom. The Talkative Tree by H. B. Fyfe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Every so often someone asks why we featured a particular story. For The Talkative Tree, the answer is wonderfully obvious: it’s a talking tree! And as it turns out, it’s got quite a bit to say.

From the January 1962 issue of If World...

A desperate refugee believes safety waits beyond the mountains, but each mile strips away another piece of the civilized man he once knew. When fear turns into a hunger for power, he may become indistinguishable from the enemy pursuing him. Survivor by Irving Cox Jr. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Irving Cox Jr. wrote numerous short stories between 1951 and 1965, including The Guardians, Impact, and two stories we’ve already featured on the podcast, The Pioneer and Export Commodity. He also ventured beyond science fiction, publishing the mystery novel Murder Among Friends in 1956.

Surv...

A breakthrough meant to open the stars threatens to shatter the world before anyone understands what it can really do. One exhausted inventor must decide whether to bury his work—or prove it in front of the very people who want to control it. Passage to Anywhere by Sam Merwin Jr. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Sam Merwin Jr. made his debut on the podcast just five months ago and you like his stories so much you keep asking for more so here we are, his fifth story in those five months.

The...

A brilliant mind builds more than one legacy, but the most obedient creation can still reach a breaking point. In a quiet house above Boston, one witness must decide whether he is facing a mad servant, a failed machine, or something far worse. I, Gardener by Allen K. Lang. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

I could’ve sworn Allen K. Lang had been on the podcast before but I can’t seem to find him anywhere in our 585 episodes.

So let’s call this his debut, even if it isn’t! Allen Kim Lang w...

A strange malfunction in a revolutionary vending machine leaves two worlds trading useless objects while baffled scientists race to understand the impossible connection. As the exchanges grow more deliberate, one risky decision could turn a commercial gimmick into the first bridge between planets. The Cosmic Jackpot by George O. Smith. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Most sci-fi fans don’t remember George O. Smith, but maybe they should. He wrote 70 short stories and 9 science fiction novels from 1942 to 1976. This is the 5th time Mr. Smith has been on the podcast, and with most of his...

A lone Briton fleeing murderous outlaws stumbles into a hidden world beneath the forests of ancient Britain, where an older people still remember every stolen homeland and every dead king. One act of mercy may be the only thing standing between Cororuc and a vengeance that has burned in darkness for centuries. The Lost Race by Robert E. Howard. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Let’s peel back the pages of time 99 and a half years as we travel back to ancient Britain with a story written years before Conan the Barbarian first appeared in p...

Sylvia finally finds a way to escape the life she believes is holding her back, but freedom proves far stranger than she imagined. As she drifts farther from the people who love her, she faces a frightening question: what if the life she abandoned no longer wants her back? The Good Life by John R. Pierce. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

What is the guy who invented the term transistor doing on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast? Well it turns out that John Robinson Pierce who was born in 1910 in Des Moines Iowa wasn’t just...

A desperate performer signs with a miracle agent who promises work, food, and a paying audience beyond anything Broadway can offer. But once the contract is signed, Mike Hennesy learns that show business has just opened on a much larger stage. The Agent by Stephen Marlowe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Stephen Marlowe returns to the podcast, and if the name doesn’t sound familiar, you’ve already heard his work here under several others. He previously appeared as Milton Lesser, Darius John Granger, and C. H. Thames.

Our story first appeared on pag...

A company offers a service so extraordinary that every satisfied customer forgets ever hiring them, leaving behind only impossible evidence and an unpaid question that refuses to disappear. When Steve Stevens demands an explanation, he uncovers a business built on a scientific breakthrough that could rewrite every relationship he has ever known. Alternatives Inc. by Mack Reynolds. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Mack Reynolds is back on the podcast for what will be his sixth story. One of my favorites by Reynolds is The Martians and the Coys which was episode 9.

Published in...

A young god wagers billions of years on a daring experiment that every elder around him expects to fail. If he can prove that intelligence and compassion can grow together, an entirely new species may change the future of the galaxy—or confirm its darkest doubts. Day’s Work by Noel Loomis. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

There are a number of ways you can support The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. You can leave a 5 star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify or wherever you listen to us.

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A stranded explorer on Jupiter’s frozen moon discovers that the greatest danger is not the brutal landscape but the choices made when desperation takes hold. When an alien race reveals powers far beyond human understanding, Hugh Betancourt must decide whether some discoveries are too valuable to bring home. Star Of Panadur by Albert De Pina and Henry Hasse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Henry Hasse has appeared on the podcast before, but today marks the Lost Sci-Fi Podcast debut of Albert dePina.

Albert Robert dePina was born in 1901 in Havana, Cuba. Like...

A breakthrough drug gives two men access to a world where ordinary life appears frozen, turning a quiet seaside afternoon into something almost impossible to comprehend. But once they begin treating time itself like a playground, a dangerous problem emerges that neither of them anticipated. The New Accelerator by H. G. Wells. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

H. G. Wells is best known for classics like The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man, but his shorter fiction often contains some of his most inventive ideas. Today’s story asks a fa...

A late-night experiment meant to impress a room full of scholars turns humiliating when their ancient guest begins judging the modern world instead. A scientific curiosity becomes a razor-sharp battle of egos, where every proud claim about progress risks another devastating laugh. Some Words With a Mummy by Edgar Allan Poe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

There have been a few Edgar Allan Poe stories featured on the podcast. Like H. P. Lovecraft, Poe wasn’t originally an author we planned to include. But we pay close attention to your feedback, and many of you...

A routine cargo run turns into a relentless battle against a chain of biological surprises that no one bothered to translate correctly. As one problem breeds the next, a stubborn starship captain must decide how much misery he can endure before the cargo destroys him—or ruins an entire world. Cakewalk to Gloryanna by Joseph Wesley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Joseph Wesley made his debut on the last episode of the podcast and now he’s back with another story about Captain Hannah and the space freighter Delta Crucis.

From the June 1...

A veteran freighter captain accepts a job that sounds impossible, then discovers the real challenge isn’t transporting the cargo—it’s keeping control of it. Every solution creates a new problem, and one misunderstanding threatens to turn a profitable voyage into a very expensive disaster. An Elephant for the Prinkip by Joseph Wesley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

There isn’t much information about Joseph Wesley. One source says he was born in 1918 but doesn’t say where.

He frequently used the pseudonyms L. J. Stecher and L. J. Stecher Jr.

Wesley...

A routine flight becomes a nightmare when two stranded survivors discover a barren world where thirst can drive a man insane and a single mistake means death. Somewhere inside that crimson wasteland lies the only path home, but opening it may destroy them before they can escape. Through the Purple Cloud by Jack Williamson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Author Jack Williamson wasn’t just an early sci-fi author, he was a prolific science fiction author who wrote for more than seven decades and turned out quality fiction well into his 90s. In fact he w...

A gifted performer turns his astonishing hands into tools for theft, but every crime leaves him more frightened of what he carries at the ends of his arms. When a fortune in emeralds and murder enters the bargain, one man discovers too late that greed can develop a life of its own. Cattivo by Alan Nelson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

If you’re new here, welcome. Follow The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast and you’ll get a new vintage science fiction story delivered to your podcast app almost every day.

James Alan Nelson...

Stranded alone on a forgotten asteroid, Craig Wilson survives only because a colony of strange furry creatures refuses to abandon him. When rescue finally arrives, he discovers the real danger isn’t starvation but deciding how far he will go to protect the only friends he has left. Farewell to Fuzzies by Henry Hasse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Henry Hasse return to the podcast with his first solo story. The only other story on the podcast so far by Henry Hasse was cowritten with Ray Bradbury, Final Victim, which was episode #172.

Disc...

As war crushes a city into exhaustion and fear, one man begins hearing the thoughts of a killer whose violent urges grow stronger with every passing night. Each new death brings a terrible question closer to the surface: what happens when the mind receiving the murders finally becomes part of them? Time to Kill by Henry Kuttner. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Thanks to gkeramidas for a 5 star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, “I have always liked science fiction. I have always admired the imagination of authors who manages to write all of thes...

A strange metal cube turns a quiet neighborhood into a battlefield of scientists, preachers, and officials desperate to explain what no one can move, measure, or understand. But the most unsettling possibility is not where the cube came from — it’s who may have wanted it there in the first place. John Thomas’s Cube by John Leimert. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Author John Leimert makes his first and last appearance on the podcast today. Why? Because he only had one story published and although we discovered the story in The Magazine of Fantasy...

William spends years preparing himself for a moment he believes will change the city forever, while millions of exhausted strangers stumble through another suffocating summer. When the crowds suddenly fall silent and turn toward him with perfect devotion, he climbs above the city convinced he finally understands why he was chosen. The Last Friday In August by David Ely. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

David Ely makes his debut on the podcast. He was born David Eli Lilienthal Jr. in November 1927, in Chicago, Illinois.

He wrote three novels, including Seconds, which was ad...

A stubborn mountain resort owner discovers that certain tourists will go to impossible lengths to protect their favorite fishing spot. Charlie Buckner suddenly finds himself bargaining with visitors who can erase memories, burn buildings, and still care more about trout than secrecy. The One That Got Away by Chad Oliver. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Chad Oliver was both an anthropologist and a writer. Like many authors of his era, he wrote both science fiction and western fiction. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1928, Oliver wrote six science fiction novels, more than sixty science fiction sh...

Three desperate thieves steal a machine that promises access to a hidden realm where every invention already exists, but what waits there responds to the minds that enter it. Butch Conners sees the score of a lifetime ahead of him, unaware that some doors lead somewhere far stranger than treasure. The Thought Machine by Ray Cummings. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast keeps growing and growing like never before. We are now the #1 science fiction podcast in Italy, Vietnam, Nigeria and Germany! That’s 43 countries where we have hit #1. Thank you for...

Alfred Pendray has one chance to warn Earth before an enemy weapon turns the Sun into a killing firestorm, but every path home carries a price no sane man would willingly pay. Drifting alone through a shattered warship, he faces a calculation that grows more terrifying the closer he gets to solving it. The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

From the April 1960 issue of Astounding/Analog Science Fact & Fiction on page 110, The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Thre...

A brilliant scientist uncovers evidence that humanity’s greatest technological triumph may already have marked Earth for execution. As governments race toward bigger weapons and tighter control, one terrifying question remains: what happens if the planet itself wants the infection destroyed? The Gray Cloud by Walter Kubilius. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

You are listening to the #1 science fiction podcast in Russia! That makes 39 countries where we have hit #1. Thank you for all that you do! For the 5 star ratings and reviews, for sharing The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast on social media and with your frie...

In a future where every craving can be simulated and every discomfort erased, one aging man risks humiliation to remind people what genuine joy once felt like. What begins as a desperate act inside a sterile circus quickly forces an audience to rediscover something they didn’t realize they had lost. The Human Element by Leo P. Kelley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Never heard of Leo P. Kelley? Neither had I. But once I started digging into his work, I discovered he was far more prolific than I expected. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1...

Ernie Combs spends his life hiding a secret that turns every friendship into a risk and every crowded street into dangerous territory. When he finally meets someone who seems to understand him completely, one terrible discovery forces him to decide whether he truly wanted acceptance—or only the chance to feel normal. Cast The First Shadow by Marc Brandel. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

A huge thank you to our listeners in Thailand for taking The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast to #1!

Thailand becomes the 38th country where Lost Sci-Fi has reached the top spot...

A dead man chooses what looks like the safest punishment in hell, convinced he understands the trap better than everyone before him. But as endless time passes in silence and fog, one terrible question begins to grow: what if the suffering only ends for those willing to keep going? What A Man Believes by Robert Sheckley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

You can listen to every episode of The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast without commercials for less than the cost of a burger and fries once a month. Our Lost Sci-Fi Premium members love it an...

A taxi driver becomes the most feared man in the city when passengers keep vanishing from his cab, leaving behind only watches, coins, and scattered pieces of metal. While police hunt a murderer and reporters invent a monster, the real danger sits quietly in a retired tinkerer’s workshop. The Middle Of The Week After Next by Murray Leinster. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

You might call today’s story offbeat, absurdist, chaotic, inventive and downright hysterical.

First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in August 1952 on page 71, The Middle Of The Week After...

The patrolmen on Titan expected another brutal week guarding the chroidex mines, but a sudden disaster leaves them trapped outside their own fortress with a thousand enemies behind its walls. As ammunition runs low and escape disappears, Captain Staley gambles everything on a plan so bizarre his own men think he has finally cracked under the pressure. Crisis on Titan by James R. Adams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Get Lost Sci-Fi Premium and listen to the podcast without commercials. Here’s what Premium member Josh has to say, “It’s hard to believe these st...

A drifting relic from the earliest days of interstellar travel crashes onto a lonely world, carrying the echo of a doomed voyage nobody fully understands. When a second ghost ship appears above Straba, one greedy visitor pushes too far into something that may still remember the people it lost. Strangers to Straba by Carl Jacobi. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Carl Jacobi has been on the podcast twice. The Street That Wasn’t There, a story he cowrote with Clifford D. Simak and a personal favorite of mine The Last Drive.

In toda...

A silent invader hangs over New York while entire buildings and war machines vanish without a sound. As governments prepare for surrender, one desperate idea forces a handful of men to walk straight toward a weapon no one has survived. The World In The Balance by J.P. Marshall. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

It’s always exciting to introduce a new author on the podcast. Only to discover that there is almost no information available about them. Author James. P. Marshall had only two stories published, one in 1927 and the other in 1929. That’s all...

Factory workers race to meet impossible wartime production demands while hidden enemies move through the endless machinery of a spinning city in space. One man notices a detail no one else catches, and suddenly millions of lives depend on whether he acts before the shift ends. Factory In The Sky by Basil Wells. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

What can you get for 16 cents a day? Almost nothing anymore.

But for less than the price of a cup of coffee once a month, you can unlock all 556 episodes of The Lost Sci-Fi Po...

For one hundred and fifty years, Columbus Norton has lived untouched by disease while the world outside studies him like a miracle trapped behind glass. But when a single visitor awakens a longing no experiment can control, the man who helped humanity live longer must decide whether freedom is worth dying for. The Incubator Man by Wallace West. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Andrew sent us an email recently: “Loving all the new stories. I’ve noticed there’s been a new episode every day for the last several weeks. Please keep it up!” Thanks for...

A lawman tracks a violent fugitive to a forgotten planet where no court can reach them and no backup will ever arrive. When the outlaw realizes the detective has no intention of dragging him home, he faces a punishment far worse than a prison cell. Star Chamber by H. B. Fyfe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Did you know we take requests? If there is ever a story you would like to hear send us an email. We take requests and are always happy to hear from you, send your email to scott@lostscifi.co...