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)

Star Of Panadur by Albert dePina and Henry Hasse

A stranded explorer on Jupiter’s frozen moon discovers that the greatest danger is not the brutal landscape but the choices made when desperation takes hold. When an alien race reveals powers far beyond human understanding, Hugh Betancourt must decide whether some discoveries are too valuable to bring home. Star Of Panadur by Albert De Pina and Henry Hasse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Henry Hasse has appeared on the podcast before, but today marks the Lost Sci-Fi Podcast debut of Albert dePina. Albert Robert dePina was born in 1901 in Havana, Cuba. Like...

Published: Jun 26, 2026Duration: 30m 26s

The New Accelerator by H. G. Wells

A breakthrough drug gives two men access to a world where ordinary life appears frozen, turning a quiet seaside afternoon into something almost impossible to comprehend. But once they begin treating time itself like a playground, a dangerous problem emerges that neither of them anticipated. The New Accelerator by H. G. Wells. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. H. G. Wells is best known for classics like The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man, but his shorter fiction often contains some of his most inventive ideas. Today’s story asks a fa...

Published: Jun 23, 2026Duration: 39m 49s

Some Words With a Mummy by Edgar Allan Poe

A late-night experiment meant to impress a room full of scholars turns humiliating when their ancient guest begins judging the modern world instead. A scientific curiosity becomes a razor-sharp battle of egos, where every proud claim about progress risks another devastating laugh. Some Words With a Mummy by Edgar Allan Poe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. There have been a few Edgar Allan Poe stories featured on the podcast. Like H. P. Lovecraft, Poe wasn’t originally an author we planned to include. But we pay close attention to your feedback, and many of you...

Published: Jun 23, 2026Duration: 48m 45s

Cakewalk to Gloryanna by Joseph Wesley

A routine cargo run turns into a relentless battle against a chain of biological surprises that no one bothered to translate correctly. As one problem breeds the next, a stubborn starship captain must decide how much misery he can endure before the cargo destroys him—or ruins an entire world. Cakewalk to Gloryanna by Joseph Wesley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Joseph Wesley made his debut on the last episode of the podcast and now he’s back with another story about Captain Hannah and the space freighter Delta Crucis. From the June 1...

Published: Jun 17, 2026Duration: 30m 25s

An Elephant for the Prinkip by Joseph Wesley

A veteran freighter captain accepts a job that sounds impossible, then discovers the real challenge isn’t transporting the cargo—it’s keeping control of it. Every solution creates a new problem, and one misunderstanding threatens to turn a profitable voyage into a very expensive disaster. An Elephant for the Prinkip by Joseph Wesley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. There isn’t much information about Joseph Wesley. One source says he was born in 1918 but doesn’t say where. He frequently used the pseudonyms L. J. Stecher and L. J. Stecher Jr. Wesley...

Published: Jun 14, 2026Duration: 26m 42s

Through the Purple Cloud by Jack Williamson

A routine flight becomes a nightmare when two stranded survivors discover a barren world where thirst can drive a man insane and a single mistake means death. Somewhere inside that crimson wasteland lies the only path home, but opening it may destroy them before they can escape. Through the Purple Cloud by Jack Williamson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Author Jack Williamson wasn’t just an early sci-fi author, he was a prolific science fiction author who wrote for more than seven decades and turned out quality fiction well into his 90s. In fact he w...

Published: Jun 13, 2026Duration: 45m 41s

Cattivo by Alan Nelson

A gifted performer turns his astonishing hands into tools for theft, but every crime leaves him more frightened of what he carries at the ends of his arms. When a fortune in emeralds and murder enters the bargain, one man discovers too late that greed can develop a life of its own. Cattivo by Alan Nelson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. If you’re new here, welcome. Follow The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast and you’ll get a new vintage science fiction story delivered to your podcast app almost every day. James Alan Nelson...

Published: Jun 11, 2026Duration: 26m 47s

Farewell to Fuzzies by Henry Hasse

Stranded alone on a forgotten asteroid, Craig Wilson survives only because a colony of strange furry creatures refuses to abandon him. When rescue finally arrives, he discovers the real danger isn’t starvation but deciding how far he will go to protect the only friends he has left. Farewell to Fuzzies by Henry Hasse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Henry Hasse return to the podcast with his first solo story. The only other story on the podcast so far by Henry Hasse was cowritten with Ray Bradbury, Final Victim, which was episode #172. Disc...

Published: Jun 7, 2026Duration: 27m 31s

Time to Kill by Henry Kuttner

As war crushes a city into exhaustion and fear, one man begins hearing the thoughts of a killer whose violent urges grow stronger with every passing night. Each new death brings a terrible question closer to the surface: what happens when the mind receiving the murders finally becomes part of them? Time to Kill by Henry Kuttner. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Thanks to gkeramidas for a 5 star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, “I have always liked science fiction. I have always admired the imagination of authors who manages to write all of thes...

Published: Jun 6, 2026Duration: 35m 2s

John Thomas's Cube by John Leimert

A strange metal cube turns a quiet neighborhood into a battlefield of scientists, preachers, and officials desperate to explain what no one can move, measure, or understand. But the most unsettling possibility is not where the cube came from — it’s who may have wanted it there in the first place. John Thomas’s Cube by John Leimert. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Author John Leimert makes his first and last appearance on the podcast today. Why? Because he only had one story published and although we discovered the story in The Magazine of Fantasy...

Published: Jun 5, 2026Duration: 26m 40s

The Last Friday In August by David Ely

William spends years preparing himself for a moment he believes will change the city forever, while millions of exhausted strangers stumble through another suffocating summer. When the crowds suddenly fall silent and turn toward him with perfect devotion, he climbs above the city convinced he finally understands why he was chosen. The Last Friday In August by David Ely. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. David Ely makes his debut on the podcast. He was born David Eli Lilienthal Jr. in November 1927, in Chicago, Illinois. He wrote three novels, including Seconds, which was ad...

Published: Jun 4, 2026Duration: 21m 32s

The One That Got Away by Chad Oliver

A stubborn mountain resort owner discovers that certain tourists will go to impossible lengths to protect their favorite fishing spot. Charlie Buckner suddenly finds himself bargaining with visitors who can erase memories, burn buildings, and still care more about trout than secrecy. The One That Got Away by Chad Oliver. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Chad Oliver was both an anthropologist and a writer. Like many authors of his era, he wrote both science fiction and western fiction. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1928, Oliver wrote six science fiction novels, more than sixty science fiction sh...

Published: Jun 2, 2026Duration: 31m 10s

The Thought Machine by Ray Cummings

Three desperate thieves steal a machine that promises access to a hidden realm where every invention already exists, but what waits there responds to the minds that enter it. Butch Conners sees the score of a lifetime ahead of him, unaware that some doors lead somewhere far stranger than treasure. The Thought Machine by Ray Cummings. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast keeps growing and growing like never before. We are now the #1 science fiction podcast in Italy, Vietnam, Nigeria and Germany! That’s 43 countries where we have hit #1. Thank you for...

Published: Jun 1, 2026Duration: 29m 13s

The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett

Alfred Pendray has one chance to warn Earth before an enemy weapon turns the Sun into a killing firestorm, but every path home carries a price no sane man would willingly pay. Drifting alone through a shattered warship, he faces a calculation that grows more terrifying the closer he gets to solving it. The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. From the April 1960 issue of Astounding/Analog Science Fact & Fiction on page 110, The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett… Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Thre...

Published: May 31, 2026Duration: 28m 35s

The Gray Cloud by Walter Kubilius

A brilliant scientist uncovers evidence that humanity’s greatest technological triumph may already have marked Earth for execution. As governments race toward bigger weapons and tighter control, one terrifying question remains: what happens if the planet itself wants the infection destroyed? The Gray Cloud by Walter Kubilius. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. You are listening to the #1 science fiction podcast in Russia! That makes 39 countries where we have hit #1. Thank you for all that you do! For the 5 star ratings and reviews, for sharing The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast on social media and with your frie...

Published: May 30, 2026Duration: 26m 32s

The Human Element by Leo P. Kelley

In a future where every craving can be simulated and every discomfort erased, one aging man risks humiliation to remind people what genuine joy once felt like. What begins as a desperate act inside a sterile circus quickly forces an audience to rediscover something they didn’t realize they had lost. The Human Element by Leo P. Kelley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Never heard of Leo P. Kelley? Neither had I. But once I started digging into his work, I discovered he was far more prolific than I expected. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1...

Published: May 29, 2026Duration: 20m 39s

Cast The First Shadow by Marc Brandel

Ernie Combs spends his life hiding a secret that turns every friendship into a risk and every crowded street into dangerous territory. When he finally meets someone who seems to understand him completely, one terrible discovery forces him to decide whether he truly wanted acceptance—or only the chance to feel normal. Cast The First Shadow by Marc Brandel. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. A huge thank you to our listeners in Thailand for taking The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast to #1! Thailand becomes the 38th country where Lost Sci-Fi has reached the top spot...

Published: May 28, 2026Duration: 24m 5s

What A Man Believes by Robert Sheckley

A dead man chooses what looks like the safest punishment in hell, convinced he understands the trap better than everyone before him. But as endless time passes in silence and fog, one terrible question begins to grow: what if the suffering only ends for those willing to keep going? What A Man Believes by Robert Sheckley. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. You can listen to every episode of The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast without commercials for less than the cost of a burger and fries once a month. Our Lost Sci-Fi Premium members love it an...

Published: May 27, 2026Duration: 21m 19s

The Middle Of The Week After Next by Murray Leinster

A taxi driver becomes the most feared man in the city when passengers keep vanishing from his cab, leaving behind only watches, coins, and scattered pieces of metal. While police hunt a murderer and reporters invent a monster, the real danger sits quietly in a retired tinkerer’s workshop. The Middle Of The Week After Next by Murray Leinster. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. You might call today’s story offbeat, absurdist, chaotic, inventive and downright hysterical. First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in August 1952 on page 71, The Middle Of The Week After...

Published: May 26, 2026Duration: 47m 42s

Crisis on Titan by James R. Adams

The patrolmen on Titan expected another brutal week guarding the chroidex mines, but a sudden disaster leaves them trapped outside their own fortress with a thousand enemies behind its walls. As ammunition runs low and escape disappears, Captain Staley gambles everything on a plan so bizarre his own men think he has finally cracked under the pressure. Crisis on Titan by James R. Adams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Get Lost Sci-Fi Premium and listen to the podcast without commercials. Here’s what Premium member Josh has to say, “It’s hard to believe these st...

Published: May 25, 2026Duration: 30m 35s