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

In a future where youth is enforced and aging is treated like a moral failure, one man faces a decision that could cost him everything he values. Love, law, and longevity collide when the price of renewal becomes dangerously personal. Up For Renewal by Lucius Daniel. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. One of our shortest episodes, Up For Renewal by Lucius Daniel proves that a story doesn’t ne...

What if time itself could be paused—bought, sold, and exploited by anyone with enough money and nerve? Zeritsky’s Law explores the terrifying social consequences when human lives become inventory and the future becomes a loophole. Zeritsky’s Law by Ann Griffith. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Ann Griffith was a well-known and widely published writer, though science fiction made up only a...

In a future that has perfected compassion, one man discovers that kindness can be its own kind of cruelty. When humanity finally reaches for the stars again, the greatest test is not technology, but who is deemed worthy to dream. The Age of Kindness by Arthur Sellings. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. One of the questions we hear most is how we decide which stories make it onto the podcast....

A lone envoy risks everything to stop a quiet expansion that could ignite a catastrophic war. When fear replaces curiosity, survival depends on whether understanding can arrive before annihilation. Peacemaker by Alan E. Nourse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We’d like to thank a generous listener for buying us five coffees. They chose to remain anonymous, but the support means just as muc...

A man becomes convinced that time itself is counting him down, and every decision suddenly feels fatal. When certainty collides with control, survival may depend on breaking the patterns that once defined a life. The Big Tick by Ross Rocklynne. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Ross Rocklynne wrote one of my all-time favorite “wait…how has no one told me about this?” stories, Chicken Farm. T...

A routine exploration turns into a test of leadership when unseen danger begins claiming lives without warning. What follows is a tense struggle to understand an invisible enemy before irreversible choices must be made. Thompson’s Cat by Robert Moore Williams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Robert Moore Williams is another one of those authors that never received a lot of recognition for...

What if the people who feel out of place aren’t broken — but simply living in the wrong world? One man’s brilliant solution promises escape, fulfillment, and happiness… until the cost of paradise becomes impossible to ignore. The Worlds of Joe Shannon by Frank M. Robinson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. There’s a lot happening in the Lost Sci-Fi Universe. We’ll release Episode #500 on our...

Across unimaginable scales of time and space, a young explorer risks everything to prove that intelligence can bloom in the most unlikely conditions. When his search for reason turns into an accusation of harm, the fate of two civilizations hangs on what it truly means to be rational. Some Like it Cold by Dave Dryfoos. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Dave Dryfoos has never been on the podc...

A lone explorer confronts a force that fractures identity, memory, and destiny itself. In a place where time refuses to behave, survival depends on facing what you were, what you are, and what you may yet become. Time Trap by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Discovered another 5 star rating and review today on Audible from Laura Van Wormer. “Scott Miller's narration of o...

An intelligence from beyond Earth arrives convinced it has found salvation for its dying race. What follows is a terrifying collision between certainty and misunderstanding, where survival depends on knowing what it truly means to belong. The Invader by Alfred Coppel. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Today’s story is the seventh for author Alfred Coppel on our podcast and it is a quiet clas...

When technology enters politics, human instincts collide with inhuman logic. What begins as a clever shortcut toward power escalates into a reckoning no backroom deal can control. Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. More 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts, this from JCMargerison on Apple Podcasts US. “Best of all Worlds. No Sci-Fi podcast content or conte...

Drawn by a summons he does not understand, a solitary wanderer follows an old path back into forgotten places. What he finds there tests instinct, loyalty, and the cost of survival in a world shaped by human science. Keepers of the House by Lester del Rey. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We’re often asked why we narrate the stories we do. With today’s selection, the answer is simple: it’s...

A mysterious delivery brings Joe Linger a device that can reshape reality itself — and suddenly the universe feels wide open. But with limitless power comes danger, curiosity, and a decision that will change his place in the cosmos forever. We’re Off to Mars! by Joe Gibson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Joe Gibson, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1924, was a lifelong science fiction e...

Far from help and beyond certainty, a returning astronaut confronts a problem that logic cannot solve. Survival depends on a forbidden experiment that could unlock impossible insight—or erase him completely. Last Resort by Stephen Bartholomew. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Whether you’ve been listening since day one or you’re just joining us now, we want to sincerely thank you for being...

They took years to build the rocket and minutes to launch it, sending two ordinary men where others had vanished forever. Officially, it was a simple trip around the moon. Unofficially, it was a gamble born of desperation, pride, and a belief that ignorance might succeed where genius had failed. They Reached For The Moon by William Oberfield. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Before the Moon...

On the deadly sands of Mars, a grieving pioneer turns survival into a ruthless game of patience, grit, and vengeance. As the desert closes in, every mile reveals who is truly prepared to face death. Death Walks on Mars by Alan J. Ramm. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. A slightly belated—but very enthusiastic—thank you to TLD, who bought us a coffee before Christmas and somehow managed to wa...

A down-on-his-luck private detective takes the strangest case of his life when an alien asks him to track down his missing wife. What follows is a whirlwind of body-swapping, mistaken identities, and temptation that’s far more complicated than it first appears. An Eye for the Ladies by Milton Lesser. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is now #1 in 34 countries — and it...

A violin-carrying stranger moves quietly through glittering parties, leaving invisible wounds that only a rare few can truly see. But when someone finally recognizes who — and what — he really is, everything he thought he controlled begins to unravel. The Wounded by Philip José Farmer. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We’re going live again on Thursday, January 15th at 8 PM in London, strea...

A curious Sirian pauses on his journey to investigate strange, nuclear-playing creatures on a small blue planet. What begins as a casual study becomes a hilarious, dangerous, and eye-opening lesson in humanity. The Vegans Were Curious by Winston Marks. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. https://lostscifi.com/facebook https://lostscifi.com/youtube There’s also a link where you can always check...

A restless ex-boxer on Mars is haunted by memories of Earth and tempted by impossible dreams. When a deadly Martian creature invades the colony, he must face both the illusion and the truth about what “home” really means. Martian Homecoming by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. We’re going LIVE! Thursday, January 8 at 8 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Facebook and YouTube. If you...

Guy Burckhardt wakes from a violent dream to find his town subtly—but profoundly—wrong. As June 15th repeats itself, he begins to realize that reality itself may be manufactured. The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Today’s story is awesome! Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction in January 1955, we will find it on page 6, The Tunnel Under th...

A routine emergency mission becomes an unforgiving test of physics, law, and human conscience. When one hidden mistake is discovered, a pilot must face a decision that no training could ever prepare him for. The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Today’s episode marks a major milestone. Although it’s episode 465, it features the 500th story ever presented on The...

A struggling writer’s obsession with forbidden knowledge leads him to a discovery no human mind was meant to grasp. One reckless act opens a doorway to something vast, unseen, and utterly indifferent to human life. The Shambler From The Stars by Robert Bloch. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Haven’t mentioned Rise lately, the all in one wellness drink and the only product I have ever found...

A young man plots a quiet inheritance in a decaying waterfront mansion haunted by whispers, rituals, and an uncle who knows far too much. When murder collides with forbidden knowledge, the price of impatience becomes far more than death. The Grip of Death by Robert Bloch. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Another newsletter will be sent out in a few hours, free sci-fi and other fun stuff str...

The Roggs have finally surrendered, and an old freedom fighter sits across the table from the alien who once held his life in a whip’s shadow. On humanity’s long-awaited day of victory, one last, unexpected gesture will decide what kind of people we’ve truly become. Day Of Reckoning by Morton Klass. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Have you signed up for our newsletter? Every week, Lost Sci...