The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast - Vintage Sci-Fi Short Stories
byScott Miller
FictionScience
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast restores and narrates forgotten and underrated vintage science fiction short stories spanning from the 1700s through the mid-1960s. Each episode features a professionally narrated classic drawn from early speculative fiction, pioneering 19th-century tales, and the pulp magazine era that shaped modern science fiction.Released several times a week, the podcast explores timeless speculative ideas—alien encounters, artificial intelligence, time travel, dystopian futures, and the human cost of progress—through the works of legendary authors such as Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, H. G. Wells, Harlan Ellison, and many others.Now in i...
Episodes(40 episodes)
Episode 522
The Fastest Draw by Larry Eisenberg
He builds the perfect opponent, then realizes the contest won’t mean anything unless it can truly cost him something. When he finally forces that moment into existence, he has to decide whether victory is still worth pulling the trigger. The Fastest Draw by Larry Eisenberg. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.This is the first story by Larry Eisenberg featured on the podcast. He was born in the Bronx in December 1919 and built a career that spanned both science and writing.Alongside his science fiction, Eisenberg worked as a biomedical engi...
Published: Apr 1, 2026Duration: 24m 59s
Episode 521
Cat and Mouse by Ralph Williams
A seasoned trapper finds a doorway to a richer land—but something on the other side is already feeding and watching. When the hunting turns both ways, he must decide whether to claim the new world or survive it. Cat and Mouse by Ralph Williams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Lost Sci-Fi Premium members can listen to Cat and Mouse and the other 520 episodes of the podcast without commercials. Bonus episodes for premium members too. It’s less than 20 cents a day to be a Lost Sci-Fi Premium subscriber.Go to htt...
Published: Mar 30, 2026Duration: 1h 11m 15s
Episode 520
One-Shot by James Blish
A decision has to be made before the clock runs out, and every method designed to produce certainty keeps failing. With millions of lives in the balance, the only answer left may come from a man who knows how to bet when there’s no second chance. One-Shot by James Blish. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.If you’ve been enjoying The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast and want even more stories—and a smoother listening experience—I’ve got something special for you.You can now subscribe to Lost Sci-Fi Premium, available wh...
Published: Mar 28, 2026Duration: 33m 12s
Episode 519
The Long Question by David Mason
A quiet accountant accepts a game-show challenge that promises a fortune if he can predict the world’s headlines after months cut off from civilization. With one hundred thousand dollars on the line, the only question is whether his careful predictions will be enough to claim the prize. The Long Question by David Mason. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.This is just the second story by David Mason on the podcast. Mason wrote about a dozen short science fiction stories mostly in the 1950s and four novels from 1969 to 1973. From Infin...
Published: Mar 25, 2026Duration: 23m 29s
Episode 518
The Gate to Xoran by Hal K. Wells
A brilliant alien intelligence has quietly crossed impossible distances, and Earth has no idea it has already been chosen. When one man uncovers the truth, stopping what’s coming may require more than courage—it may demand everything. The Gate to Xoran by Hal K. Wells. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Thanks to Bruce in Houston for buying us a coffee. Enjoy your podcast. Thanks for many hours of listening pleasure.” Thanks Bruce for listening for many hours! If you’d like to support The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, you can buy us a coffee usin...
Published: Mar 23, 2026Duration: 54m 49s
Episode 517
Death of a Spaceman by Walter M. Miller Jr.
An old spaceman lies dying while a rocket prepares for launch nearby. As the final countdown approaches, he fights for one last moment that proves his life in space meant something. Death of a Spaceman by Walter M. Miller Jr. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Someone bought us 5 coffees, “What a delight to find your podcast recently! I love these vintage stories that you have resurrected. You do a fine job with narration - each of the different characters sounds distinctive. It’s become my habit to check for your latest story almost daily...
Published: Mar 20, 2026Duration: 49m 58s
Episode 516
The Body-Masters by Frank Belknap Long
In a future where emotion is engineered and desire is regulated, a respected surgeon begins to sense a flaw in the system he helps enforce. When doctrine collides with instinct, the cost of perfect control becomes impossible to ignore. The Body-Masters by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Thanks to David who recently bought us two coffees. “One of my favorite podcasts, and my favorite science fiction 'cast. Please add some more Asimov and Robert Heinlein. Your podcast has given me a new appreciation for Philip K Dick.”Thanks...
Published: Mar 18, 2026Duration: 40m 25s
Episode 515
The Crowded Colony by Jerome Bixby
Human explorers believe they’ve conquered a fading Martian village and are reshaping its future. But inside one quiet back room, a different group studies the invaders and prepares to decide whether the colonists will ever leave Mars alive. The Crowded Colony by Jerome Bixby. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Jerome Bixby was a busy man in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Born in Los Angeles in 1923, he wrote more than 60 short sci-fi stories from 1949 to 1964. But wait there’s more! Jerome Bixby wrote 4 episodes for the original Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror" , "By Any Oth...
Published: Mar 16, 2026Duration: 20m 53s
Episode 514
When the Moon Turned Green by Hal K. Wells
The night the moon turns an eerie green, every living creature on Earth falls into a silent paralysis—except one scientist who stumbles onto the secret too late to warn the world. Now, with alien invaders already preparing to claim the planet, he must launch a desperate strike before the last free mind on Earth fades into the same living death. When the Moon Turned Green by Hal K. Wells. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Harold Kerton Wells was born in September 1899 in Little Hocking, Ohio. Writing under the name Hal K. Wells, he p...
Published: Mar 15, 2026Duration: 1h 3m 12s
Episode 513
Failure on Titan by Robert Abernathy
A powerful man on a lonely Saturnian moon believes he has found the key to ruling the Solar System. But when control slips for a single moment, the most obedient servant on Phoebe may decide the fate of them all. Failure on Titan by Robert Abernathy. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Your support for The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast puts a smile on my face every day. Your encouraging emails, ratings, reviews, they all make a difference. And if you ever want to buy us a coffee or a bunch of coffees that’s good...
Published: Mar 12, 2026Duration: 56m 16s
Episode 512
Murder Beneath the Polar Ice by Hayden Howard
Beneath the Arctic ice, a diver obsessed with life finds himself forced to choose who deserves to live when machines and men collide in silence. When one violent decision echoes upward into the political world above, he must face whether he has defended his crew—or ignited something far worse. Murder Beneath the Polar Ice by Hayden Howard. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Hayden Howard was born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1925. His birth name was John Hayden Howard, and he wrote under the pen name Hayden Howard. Between 1952 and 1971 he published about twen...
Published: Mar 11, 2026Duration: 39m 9s
Episode 511
Old Friends are the Best by Jack Sharkey
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! 🇮🇸You’ve been listening so much that The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is now #3 on Apple Podcasts in Iceland. Thank you for being part of the Lost Sc...
Published: Mar 10, 2026Duration: 25m 24s
Episode 510
The Man From 2071 by Sewell Peaslee Wright
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, Pennsylvania in 1897 and wrote about twenty science fiction short stories between 1924 and 1933. Wright is best known for a series of adventures about Commander John Hanson, an officer in the...
Published: Mar 8, 2026Duration: 52m 5s
Episode 509
Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson
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 terror that destroyed an entire crew. Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.This is the fifth story written by Jack Williamson on the podcast and there are many more of his stories in the public domain that you will hear in the future. Let’s go back in time 93 year...
Published: Mar 7, 2026Duration: 1h 4m 19s
Episode 508
The Last Letter by Fritz Leiber
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 Leiber wrote some interesting and unusual stories. Today’s tale is both of those. It has been translated and reprinted all over the world in French, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Germ...
Published: Mar 5, 2026Duration: 33m 18s
Episode 507
The Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams
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 adventure can be found on page 38, The Next Time We Die by Robert Moore Williams…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcas...
Published: Mar 4, 2026Duration: 22m 43s
Episode 506
Strange Exodus by Robert Abernathy
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 1924, he sold his first short story, Heritage, right around his eighteenth birthday. Over the next decade, about forty of his science fiction stories appeared in the leading science fiction maga...
Published: Mar 3, 2026Duration: 38m 53s
Episode 505
Patch by William Shedenhelm
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, many of you have written 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts lately, this is from Otch75, “I have been a Science Fiction fan all...
Published: Mar 2, 2026Duration: 20m 39s
Episode 504
A Long Way Back by Ben Bova
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 hard science fiction, Ben Bova was a kid growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, born November 8, 1932, discovering the future one pulp magazine at a time.<...
Published: Mar 1, 2026Duration: 46m 9s
Episode 503
Quixote And The Windmill by Poul Anderson
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 sci fi buff for nearly 60 years. Loving your podcasts on Spotify here in North Yorkshire England typically while having my exercise walks. Hope you and your wife enj...
Published: Feb 28, 2026Duration: 28m 24s