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

A creature in the night hunting for fresh meat. Hunting in a way that never fails. A Prophecy of Monsters by Clark Ashton Smith. And, If heat and moisture and greasy chemical compounds once combined to make life, the laziness of a slattern landlady might cause them to combine again. In that case, the results would not be pretty. The Rag Thing by Donald A. Wollheim. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Thanks to Denis Kalinin who bought us a coffee and says, “ Sci Fi makes science not war.” Thank you Denis we appreciate you! If you would like to buy us a coffee there is a link in the description.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsVOur first story today is shorter than most but I love it and I think you will too. It has been published many times, in Hauntings and Horrors, Ten Grisly Tales, 100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories, 100 Creepy Little Creatures and Werewolf! It’s been titled Monsters in the Night but that’s not the original title. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in October 1954 open your seven decade old copy to page 119, A Prophecy of Monsters by Clark Ashton Smith...We’ve got another short story for you today, and this one is a little different too! It was also first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in October, but three years earlier in 1951, the magazine says it was written by David Grinnel but it was actually written by an old friend of the podcast, turn to page 34, The Rag Thing by Donald A. Wollheim…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Tampering with events of the past could bring disastrous results in the future. It was why Brek was given a pair of six-guns to catch—The Time Snatcher, by Randall Garrett.===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

It was a lovable little creature, anxious to help solve the troubles of the world. Moreover, it had the answer! But what man ever takes free advice? The Creatures, and the Truth! Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Did you know that you can leave comments on individual episodes on Spotify? Tonypegel had this to say, “Thanks for the Zenna Henderson. This is one of the reasons I love your podcast; it lives up to its name. If not for this podcast, many such worthy authors might be lost. Thanks for all you do and how well you do it.”Thanks Tony, we appreciate your comment and sharing stories from lesser-known sci-fi authors is exactly why we started The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast! And don’t forget we take requests. Send us an email, scott@lostscifi.comEvery time we release an episode featuring a story by Isaac Asimov, it quickly becomes one of our most-listened-to episodes. You may know this story as Green Patches but when it was first published on page 34 in Galaxy Science Fiction in November 1950 it had a different name, Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov...Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A creature in the night hunting for fresh meat. Hunting in a way that never fails. A Prophecy of Monsters by Clark Ashton Smith.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Renwick, with too much time on his hands, was bored. He turned to Mead, in his discontent, only to discover some frightening aspects of his friend’s hobby of collecting children’s games and rhymes. Before the Fact by Zenna Henderson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Tony from the future recently bought us 20 coffees and had a request, “Since I know you like uncommon authors and also support female writers, please look into Zenna Henderson.” Thanks for the request Tony, without you we may never have known about Zenna Henderson.She was born in 1917 in Tucson, Arizona and began reading science fiction when she was 12. She graduated from Arizona State College, now Arizona State University, in 1940 and taught school, primarily in Tucson, mainly first grade. Zenna is one of 203 women recognized in the book “Partners in wonder : women and the birth of science fiction” who wrote stories that were published in US Science Fiction Magazines from 1926 to 1965.Her debut science fiction short story appeared in 1951, marking the beginning of a prolific career that saw over 60 of her works featured in pulp sci-fi magazines. The 1972 ABC TV movie of the week The People starring William Shatner and Kim Darby is based on the Zenna Henderson story Pottage. You can watch The People on YouTube.Turn to page 60 in Universe Science Fiction Magazine in January 1955, Before the Fact by Zenna HendersonNext on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, It was a lovable little creature, anxious to help solve the troubles of the world. Moreover, it had the answer! But what man ever takes free advice? The Creatures, and the Truth! Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick—the Universe is full of them. Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem! Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.How many vintage science fiction authors won a Pulitzer Prize? Ray Bradbury never won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but received a Pulitzer Special Citation in 2007 for his impact on literature. The answer is three. Booth Tarkington, MacKinlay Kantor and Michael Shaara. Booth Tarkington is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once, along with William Faulkner, John Updike, and Colson Whitehead. Tarkington wrote only three short sci-fi stories. MacKinlay Kantor wrote eight short sci-fi stories and one science fiction novel If the South Had Won the Civil War released in 1961.Michael Shaara is the most well known of the three. Shaara was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1928. Before he began selling sci-fi for 2 cents a word in the 1950s he was a boxer and a police officer. He won his Pulitzer for his novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels which won the award in 1975, and was showcased on the big screen in the 1993 movie Gettysburg starring Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen.Shaara also wrote the 1991 novel For Love of the Game which was made into the 1999 film with the same name starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. But it all began back in 1952. He wrote two dozen short sci-fi stories and this was his first. From Galaxy Science Fiction in June 1952, we will discover this tale of artificial intelligence, and the fate of a forgotten world on page 78, Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara...Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Renwick, with too much time on his hands, was bored. He turned to Mead, in his discontent, only to discover some frightening aspects of his friend’s hobby of collecting children’s games and rhymes. Before the Fact by Zenna Henderson.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

An Earthman and Earthwoman are hurled through worlds within worlds by a diabolical weapon! Beyond Annihilation by Henry Kuttner. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Henry Kuttner has been on the podcast before in episode 82, 9 Kinda Short Sci-Fi Stories which was published on July 13th, 2023. Let’s jump in our time machine and spin the dials to April 1939, the publication, Thrilling Wonder Stories, which billed itself as The Magazine of Prophetic Fiction, the story begins on page 37, Beyond Annihilation by Henry Kuttner…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick—the Universe is full of them. Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem! Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

A tale of dark science, and the ghastly mystery that enveloped the Spanish doctor’s attempts at artificial refrigeration. Cool Air by H. P. Lovecraft. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.The story of H. P. Lovecraft is a sad story. He lived a life marked by poverty, and personal loss. His early years were overshadowed by his father’s descent into madness, which led to his institutionalization and death. His mother, similarly afflicted with mental illness, was overprotective and instilled in him a sense of fragility and isolation.As a child, Lovecraft was a prodigy, reading and writing at an early age, but frequent illnesses and nervous conditions kept him from completing high school. He lived with his controlling mother and struggled throughout his life with self-doubt.His writing, though prolific, was largely unrecognized during his lifetime, and he was forced to become a ghostwriter just to scrape by.Lovecraft was diagnosed with cancer and was virtually unknown at the time of his death at the age of 46, and though he never achieved fame or financial success in life, his influence on horror and science fiction remains unparalleled.Today’s story was published two years after Lovecraft died and appears in the September 1939 issue of Weird Tales Magazine on page 95, Cool Air by H. P. Lovecraft…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, An Earthman and Earthwoman are hurled through worlds within worlds by a diabolical weapon! Beyond Annihilation by Henry Kuttner.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

The last living man on a world rendered utterly lifeless by all–consuming fire– how could he start life alone? Adam and No Eve by Alfred Bester. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.I love a great apocalyptic sci-fi tale, and today we have an exceptional one for you by a legendary author. Alfred Bester, a true icon of the genre, is honored in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, the Prometheus Hall of Fame, and the Fandom Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the prestigious SFWA Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.Published almost 84 years ago in September 1941 in Astounding Science Fiction on page 35, Adam and No Eve by Alfred Bester…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A tale of dark science, and the ghastly mystery that enveloped the Spanish doctor’s attempts at artificial refrigeration. Cool Air by H. P. Lovecraft.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Just because an event "has to" happen, some people think that, of course, it will happen. It ain't necessarily so! Ballard had but a few hours to solve the problem, and he knew that the answer was there, before his eyes—if he could see it in time! Momentum by Charles Dye. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.We are so thankful for your 5 star reviews and they are coming in faster than ever. RCraig had this to say on Apple Podcasts US, “ Sci-Fi at its best! This is the best of the best sci-fi podcasts. I love the stories and the narration and I highly recommend this podcast to anyone who like science fiction!” Thanks RCraig for the 5 stars and that awesome review. We would love it if you would leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, if you think we deserve it. And even though Spotify doesn’t allow reviews you can give us 5 stars on Spotify, where we currently enjoy a 4.9 rating.Thanks for everything you do to support our podcast.Another podcast and another author makes his debut. Charles Dye was born in San Fernando, California, in 1925. His first published story, The Last Orbit, appeared in the February 1950 issue of Amazing Stories. He is credited with having written seventeen short stories and one novel. One of the stories Charles Dye is known for wasn’t actually written by him. If you open Planet Stories magazine from July 1952, you’ll find The Man Who Staked the Stars credited to Dye. However, the story was actually written by Katherine MacLean, who was briefly married to him. The reason MacLean gave Dye credit remains unknown.By the way, The Man Who Staked the Stars is a novella—a work of fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel, typically ranging from 17,500 to 40,000 words, according to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.Let’s peel back the pages of Future combined with Science Fiction Stories in July 1951 to page 59, Momentum by Charles Dye…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, I don’t normally do this but the story you will hear next on the podcast is one of my favorites, The last living man on a world rendered utterly lifeless by all–consuming fire– how could he start life alone? Adam and No Eve by Alfred Bester.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy=========================== ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

It was a wonderful plan, a boon to humanity. And solving the parking problem would make a fortune for Slim and me. But when the secret got out… Parking Unlimited By Noel Loomis. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Noel Loomis was born in Wakita, Oklahoma Territory in 1905, two years before it became a state. And if Wakita Oklahoma rings a bell it might be because it was one of the filming locations for the motion picture blockbuster Twister. This tiny town near the Oklahoma border with Kansas had less than 400 people when Loomis was born and only around 300 today.Although he wrote science fiction Loomis is best known for his Westerns. He won the Spur award for Best Western Novel in 1958 for Short Cut to Red River. He won the award again the next year for a short story, Grandfather Out of the Past.Noel Loomis penned two science fiction novels and about 30 science fiction short stories. From Future combined with Science Fiction Stories dated May-June 1950, we will discover our story on page 70, Parking Unlimited By Noel Loomis…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Just because an event "has to" happen, some people think that, of course, it will happen. It ain't necessarily so! Ballard had but a few hours to solve the problem, and he knew that the answer was there, before his eyes—if he could see it in time! Momentum by Charles Dye.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================🎧 Join Our Newsletter - Get Free Audiobooks http://lostscifi.com/free/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguyBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/lostscifipodcast.bsky.socialTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener