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

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...

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...

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...

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 ba...

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 doin...

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...

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 T...

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. Y...

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....

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 cl...

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...

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 deb...

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 informa...

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...

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 P...

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 hi...

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...

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...

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...

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 anthropologis...

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...

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...

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 scie...

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. K...

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...