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

Earth’s greatest scientific curiosity becomes a harmless garden plant—until its quiet growth begins to tilt the world itself. As gravity shifts and the sky fills with falling stone, humanity must face a terrifying question: what exactly did they bring home from the Moon? Old Friends Are the Best by Jack Sharkey. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. A warm welcome to our new listeners in Iceland...

A brilliant mind steps beyond his own century and discovers that knowledge itself can become the most dangerous weapon imaginable. When ambition outruns restraint, the future may demand a terrible price to protect the present. The Man From 2071 by Sewell Peaslee Wright. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Today’s story is the first on our podcast by Sewell Peaslee Wright. He was born in Butler...

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/ A lone meteor miner risks everything to board a drifting interplanetary liner, only to find blood on the deck and something unseen stalking the corridors. To claim the fortune within, he must decide whether he can face the invisible...

In a world where machines process every thought and feeling into profitable noise, one young man risks catastrophe for a message meant for one pair of human eyes. When the system convulses under the strain of something it cannot categorize, the question becomes whether a single handwritten page is worth planetary panic. The Last Letter by Fritz Leiber. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Fritz...

Pinned down on a barren world, two humans fight to survive while unseen enemies stalk them across the sand. With no safe path forward and nowhere left to hide, they must decide what still matters when the odds turn against them. The Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Let’s travel to Mars in the February 1957 issue of Amazing Stories. Our red planet a...

Earth has already been stripped bare, and one exhausted scientist discovers that survival may require a change no one ever imagined making. To live, he must decide whether humanity will cling to its old pride—or become something entirely new. Strange Exodus by Robert Abernathy. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Robert Abernathy makes his debut on the podcast today. Born in Tucson, Arizona in...

An automated giant is crippled in space, and the only man who can save it swore he would never touch a liner again. To keep hundreds alive, Pop Gillette must prove that instinct still outruns machinery. Patch by William Shedenhelm. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. The lost sci-fi podcast is the #1 Vintage Science Fiction Podcast in the world thanks to you! The way you support us is amazing,...

He was sent into orbit to assemble the machine that would save what was left of civilization—but finishing the job may mean never coming home. With his oxygen running thin and the world turning silently below him, one decision will decide who controls humanity’s future. A Long Way Back by Ben Bova. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Before he became one of the most respected names in modern h...

In a world where machines have ended hunger and hardship, two men discover that being unnecessary can hurt more than being poor. When they confront the most powerful creation ever built, they expect a fight—and instead hear something that leaves them shaken. Quixote And The Windmill by Poul Anderson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Thank you to David Bell who bought us 5 coffees. “I’m a sc...

He escapes drowning only to discover that the island holding him is not as empty as it seems. When he finds a machine that might change more than his location, he must decide whether to risk everything on a button marked START. Castaway by A. Bertram Chandler. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We do love narrating stories that were published in Weird Tales magazine. From the November 1947 is...

A man once dismissed as harmless suddenly becomes the most dangerous intelligence asset on Earth. When every secret he speaks could ignite a war, he must choose whether to keep answering questions—or stop talking altogether. The Man Who Knew Everything by Randall Garrett. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Before we begin today’s story, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Steve bought u...

A single mind reshapes the future in silence—until power attracts the wrong kind of attention. When creation accelerates beyond control, the price of playing god may no longer be paid by the god alone. Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Today we celebrate something extraordinary. Four years ago, The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast launched with a simple mission — to...

He wanted to look beyond time and prove that history was still alive, waiting in hidden dimensions. What answered him from those angles was patient, hungry, and already on his scent. The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Frank Belknap Long spent more than forty years shaping the landscape of science fiction. He wrote nearly 200 short stories, with ab...

A brilliant physician risks his own life to force open the border between body and soul, determined to correct what he believes nature has failed to complete. When the experiment ends and only one flame returns, his assistant must decide whether to protect a dangerous legacy—or let it rise again in a new form. The Ultimate Problem by Victor Rousseau. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Victor...

A civilization that has solved every problem sends one man into the far future to decide whether life itself should continue. What he discovers forces a choice no perfect world can face without risking its own end. The Ultimate World by Bryce Walton. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We want to give a huge thank you to Miriam, who just bought us five coffees Miriam wrote: “I love your podcas...

A retired physicist triggers an experiment he knows he cannot reverse, forcing him to choose between unchecked growth and deliberate disappearance. As the universe recedes and reality reshapes itself around him, one question remains unresolved: whether returning home means survival—or something far stranger. The Ultimate Paradox by Thorp McClusky. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Thorp McCl...

A woman is offered one wish, but every choice comes with a price that can’t be escaped or softened. As the clock runs down, she must decide whether wanting everything means accepting something far worse. The Ultimate Wish by E. M. Hull. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. The heart of The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast has always been simple: we go looking for the voices that history misplaced. Not just...

Three men realize their ship will never slow down, and the silence between them grows more dangerous than empty space. When a final option appears, it forces them to decide what kind of survival they are actually asking for. Death Wish by Robert Sheckley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Many of the Robert Shockley stories we’ve featured on the podcast have been humorous but this isn’t one...

They built a machine to handle chores, not to wait by the door or feel the sting of being left behind. When affection stops being programmable, someone has to decide whether turning it off is an act of mercy or something far worse. Helen O’Loy by Lester Del Rey. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. One week from today we celebrate the 4th Anniversary of The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. This is episode...

When a glimpse of tomorrow reveals how the world is undone, a scientist is given a narrow window to act. The risk isn’t failure—but coming back unable to remember what he changed. World’s End by Henry Kuttner. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Your 5 star reviews are greatly appreciated. This comes from Benjermano 01 on Apple Podcasts Australia, “Cracking Podcast. Couldn’t ask for more in th...

A factory worker wakes up far from Earth after a routine job triggers something no one warned him about. What he learns there forces a choice between keeping quiet—and deciding who gets to live longer back home. Welcome to Paradise by Allyn Donnelson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. If you consider yourself the biggest science-fiction fan on the planet and you’ve never heard of Allyn Donne...

Earth’s most powerful leader discovers that the counsel he trusted most may soon be gone—just as the stakes become irreversible. When guidance disappears, the final responsibility cannot be delegated, delayed, or avoided. Final Exam by Sam Merwin Jr. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. When you’re diving into the early days of sci-fi, one name you keep bumping into — even if you don’t always r...

A wandering old man keeps selling something no one believes can still exist, and two children decide it’s time to demand proof. What follows forces a choice between safety and a single moment that can never be taken back. Seller of the Sky by Dave Dryfoos. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Dave Dryfoos made his debut on the podcast less than two weeks ago and I enjoyed Some Like it Cold so m...

In a future that prizes engineered clarity and measurable usefulness, one man lives with a body and mind that refuse to fit. When the reason for his difference finally becomes clear, a single choice determines whether his life was wasted—or perfectly timed. Wainer by Michael Shaara. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Special thanks to our listeners in Ireland. Your support has been nothing sh...

He has the power to fix what everyone else must endure, yet every use of that power risks ending the quiet life he has built. When the cost of doing nothing becomes personal, an old man must decide how much disobedience he can live with. Citizen Jell by Michael Shaara. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. As we approach the podcast’s fourth anniversary, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude...