Share
Auditory Anthology
Blowups Happen by Robert Heinlein
In this episode we’re sharing the story "Blowups Happen", written in 1940 by Robert Heinlein. Among other things, Heinlein might be best known as the writer of Starship Troopers. This story was also featured on Weird Darkness, the paranormal podcast hosted by our narrator Darren Marlar. You can check out that podcast at Weird Darkness dot com.
"Blowups Happen" describes the tensions among the staff of a nuclear reactor. Heinlein's concept of a nuclear reactor was one of a barely contained explosion, closer to the mini star from Spider-Man 2 than anything we have in real life. As a consequence the work is dangerous, and the slightest mistake could be catastrophic. Although we’ve certainly learned that can also be the case with real life nuclear reactors. All the technical staff are monitored by psychologists who have the authority to remove them from the work at any time lest they crack under the pressure and precipitate a disaster. The monitoring itself contributes to the problem. In writing the story, Heinlein only had public knowledge of nuclear fission, but still, he somehow anticipated the actual development of nuclear technology which arose just a few years later. The story was first published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1940, before any nuclear reactors had ever even been built. A few years later when the story was re-released in the 1946 anthology The Best of Science Fiction, Heinlein did make a few modifications to the story in order to reflect how a reactor actually worked, as more information about nuclear energy and reactors was available. He also at that time made revisions to mention Hiroshima and Nagasaki Since those nuclear attacks had taken place after his original short story had been published. But we’ll be sharing the original magazine publication version from 1940, without the updates and revisions – something to keep in mind while listening. And if you like the story tonight and want to know what happens next, Robert Heinlein did write a sequel called “The Man Who Sold The Moon”.
“Blowups Happen” is also an award-winning story – in 2016 it was nominated for the 1941 Retro-Hugo Award for Best Novelette. Please keep in mind the story was published in 1940, so some of the language – particular one term used to describe those who have black skin – was not as frowned upon back then. Darren and I both think it’s important to present the story the way the authors wrote it. With that in mind, grab some snacks and a drink and settle in and enjoy “Blowups Happen” by Robert Heinlein.
If you have a story you’d like to contribute to the series, you can visit https://submissions.soundconceptmedia.com/
You can support the show by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack: https://auditoryanthology.substack.com
By becoming a paid subscriber you can listen to every episode completely ad-free!
Curator: Keith Conrad linktr.ee/keithrconrad
Narrator: Darren Marlar https://darrenmarlar.com/
Other shows hosted by Darren:
Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/
Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paranormalitymag
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/microterrors
Retro Radio – Old Time Radio In The Dark: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/retroradio
Church of the Undead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/churchoftheundead
More episodes
View all episodes
No Shield from the Dead by Gordon R. Dickson
18:14|In a future where high-ranking officials are protected by impenetrable personal shields, ruthless Comptroller Terri Mac discovers that the one thing his technology can’t block is a two-some-hour gap in his record—and the vengeful memory of a woman he destroyed to reach the top.
The Night Signal - Sasquatch vs. The HOA
24:44|In a pristine subdivision where every fence height and trash can is strictly regulated, the residents must decide whether to enforce the rules or break them to help a very lost Sasquatch find his way home.This week on The Night Signal, our fictional late-night paranormal radio show returns with another caller who insists they’re not panicking—they’re just… observing.
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells: Chapter Four
07:02|For our Serial Sunday series, we are presenting The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. When mysterious cylinders fall from the sky, Victorian England is thrust into a terrifying struggle for survival as Martian machines lay waste to the countryside. Told in serialized chapters, this landmark science-fiction classic unfolds as a gripping tale of invasion, panic, and humanity pushed to the brink.
Small World by William F. Nolan
25:01|In the silent ruins of Los Angeles, the last man on Earth risks a deadly commute for a piece of his past, only to find that the children who inherited the world have grown into its most savage predators.
The Night Signal - They Took My Dog
14:42|After seventeen minutes of missing time and a flash of blinding light, a professional skeptic’s aging dog returns with a miraculous new lease on life and a mysterious nightly appointment with the stars.The Night Signal by Auditory AnthologySomewhere on the AM dial, long after most people have gone to sleep, late-night radio host Marianne Caldwell opens the phone lines. Callers bring stories. Encounters. Moments that don’t quite fit into daylight explanations.
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells: Chapter Three
06:16|For our Serial Sunday series, we are presenting The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. When mysterious cylinders fall from the sky, Victorian England is thrust into a terrifying struggle for survival as Martian machines lay waste to the countryside. Told in serialized chapters, this landmark science-fiction classic unfolds as a gripping tale of invasion, panic, and humanity pushed to the brink.
The Mystery of Deneb IV by Robert Silverberg
26:10|When a navigator with a titanium-plated skull responds to a distress call on an alien world, he discovers a telepathic trap that has turned every human into a puppet—and he’s the only man in the galaxy with the "shielding" to fight back.
The Night Signal - Critics From Beyond The Grave
25:10|When a small town launches a ghost tour to boost its budget, the actual residents of the past return not to haunt the living, but to fact-check the inaccuracies of their own legends.The Night Signal by Auditory AnthologySomewhere on the AM dial, long after most people have gone to sleep, late-night radio host Marianne Caldwell opens the phone lines. Callers bring stories. Encounters. Moments that don’t quite fit into daylight explanations.Marianne Caldwell: Misty CallahanJim: Keith ConradEllen: Amy JacobsonListen to the original "Furtive Family of Fine Frogs" segment from the Bob Collins Show on WGN Radio
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells: Chapter Two
08:13|For our Serial Sunday series, we are presenting The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. When mysterious cylinders fall from the sky, Victorian England is thrust into a terrifying struggle for survival as Martian machines lay waste to the countryside. Told in serialized chapters, this landmark science-fiction classic unfolds as a gripping tale of invasion, panic, and humanity pushed to the brink.