Lost Sci-Fi
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(3)
The Hanging Stranger
A Corpse in the Square, and No One Cared
by Philip K. Dick
read by Scott Miller
Part 1 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Ed Loyce is an ordinary businessman finishing a long day when he notices a body hanging in the town square. What unsettles him isn't just the sight itself, but the fact that no one else reacts. People walk past as if nothing is wrong. Friends dismiss his concern. Even the police seem unconcerned. As Loyce pushes for answers, he begins to realize that noticing the truth may be the most dangerous act of all.
As his isolation deepens, Loyce uncovers signs that Pikeville is no longer what it appears to be. Familiar faces behave strangely. Authority offers reassurance that feels rehearsed. The story tightens into a relentless exploration of conformity, fear, and the cost of seeing what others refuse to acknowledge. Philip K. Dick builds tension not through spectacle, but through quiet dread and escalating paranoia.
Philip K. Dick was one of the most influential science fiction writers of the twentieth century, known for blending speculative ideas with psychological depth. His stories often explore identity, control, and the fragility of reality, themes that later defined much of modern science fiction.
Dick's work inspired numerous films and television adaptations and reshaped the genre by focusing on ordinary people trapped in extraordinary situations. His fiction continues to resonate because it asks unsettling questions about authority, perception, and what it means to remain human in an inhuman system.
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Wanted: One Sane Man
by Frank M. Robinson
read by Scott Miller
Part 37 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
WANTED: One Sane Man by Frank M. Robinson - Personnel Incorporated bragged that they could supply a man for any job. Maxwell doubted this, needing a space pilot for the first Lunar trip. Now, if he had just asked for a lunatic...
The small man adjusted his bi-focals and stared critically at the huge brass nameplate over the glass entrance doors. The plate read "Personnel Incorporated" in neat, modest lettering. Directly above the plate was a traveling neon sign which informed the public in letters six feet tall that:
PERSONNEL CAN SUPPLY THE MAN FOR ANY JOB!-SEVENTY-FIVE PER CENT OF THE PERSONNEL PROBLEMS ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT ARE HANDLED BY PERSONNEL-DOES YOUR JOB SEEM BORING LATELY? SEE PERSONNEL AND BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY FITTED FOR YOUR WORK!-PERSONNEL CAN SUPPLY THE MAN FOR ANY JOB!-SEVENTY-FIVE PER CENT OF THE....
The small man looked at it for a minute and turned to his tall companion.
"Tell me, Maxwell, why the seventy-five? Why not eighty or eighty-three?"
Maxwell glanced up at the sign. "If they do seventy-six per cent or more of the business, they're a monopoly. It must pain Whiteford to have to hold himself down to only seventy-five."
"Whiteford?"
Maxwell looked surprised. "You haven't heard of him? The newest boy wonder in the business world? He's the genius who runs this modern slave market." He looked at his watch. "And, incidentally, he's also the guy we've got an appointment with in five minutes."
audiobook
(2)
Six Frightened Men
Six Men, One Nightmare-And No Way to Fight Back
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part 84 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Six Frightened Men by Robert Silverberg - It was an unexplored planet and anything could happen-yet none of us expected to face a creature impossible to fight, let alone kill....
You put your life on the line when you join the Exploratory Wing of the Space Corps. They tell you that when you sign up. The way they told it to me, it went like this:
"You'll be out there on alien worlds where no human being has ever set foot-worlds which may or may not have been inhabited by hostile alien creatures. You take your life in your hands every time you make a planetfall out there. Still interested?"
"That's old stuff," I said. "You don't think I'd join up if it was an old ladies' tea party, do you?"
Which was how I happened to be crouching behind a fantastically-sculptured spiralling rock out on the yellow wind-blasted desert of Pollux V, huddling there with the fierce sweep of sand against my faceplate, looking at the monster that barred my path.
The thing was at least sixty feet tall and all eyes and mouth. The mouth yawned, showing yellow daggers a foot long. As for the eyes-well, they burned with the cold luminosity of an intelligent and inimical being.
I didn't know what the thing was. One minute I'd been examining an interesting rock formation, a second later I was hiding behind it, watching the ravening thing that had appeared out of nowhere.
Other members of the expedition were sprawled here and there on the desert too. I could see Max Feld, our paleontologist, curled in a tight plump little ball under an outcropping of weathered limestone, and there was Roy Laurence, the biochemist, flat on his stomach peering at the thing incredulously.
Back behind me were three others-Don Forster, Leo Mickens, Clyde Hamner. That made six. The two remaining members of the team, Medic Howard Graves and Anthropologist Lyman Donaldson, were back at the ship.
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The Robot Who Wanted to Know
When Curiosity Becomes Desire
by Harry Harrison
read by Scott Miller
Part 108 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Filer 13B-445-K isn't like other library robots. Designed to manage vast collections and make subtle conceptual leaps, he has begun to explore something machines were never meant to understand-human emotion. His fascination grows from curiosity to obsession as he studies romance through old novels, whispered conversations, and secret observations. Soon, he yearns not just to comprehend love but to experience it in the real world.
When an invitation to a masquerade ball crosses his path, Filer takes the unthinkable step of disguising himself as a man and entering human society. Caught between logic and longing, his journey becomes a bold exploration of identity, desire, and the fragile line between creator and creation. What begins as research quickly becomes something far more powerful-and far more dangerous for a machine unprepared for the human heart.
Harry Harrison, best known for his Stainless Steel Rat series, remains one of science fiction's most versatile and insightful writers. His work often blends sharp humor, social awareness, and adventure, but he also had a talent for short fiction that explored the emotional edges of technology and humanity. Stories like this one reveal his ability to balance warmth, intelligence, and speculative ideas in compact, memorable form.
Over his long career, Harrison contributed to classic magazines, edited anthologies, and pushed boundaries in both satire and serious SF. His stories frequently examine the consequences of invention and the unexpected behavior of artificial minds, making "The Robot Who Wanted To Know" a perfect example of his early skill in mixing curiosity, empathy, and the unpredictable nature of human-machine relationships.
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Monsters That Once Were Men
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part 112 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Monsters That Once Were Men by Robert Silverberg - They were like creatures painted by a drunken artist, ghastly, utterly repulsive caricatures of humanity! Tet, twisted through they were, they were still human...
We were en route from Arenack to Delimon XI when some trouble developed in the gyroscopic drive stabilizers, and so we decided to lay over for repairs at the nearest planet. We weren't in any real hurry to get to Delimon XI, because we were flush from our last hauling job, and didn't need cash in a hurry.
That's our trade, you see-interstellar hauling. I've been a free-lance transport man for the last twenty-eight years, and I like the work just fine. I carry a crew of eight, charge top rates and get them too, and the work is pleasant if you have the right kind of disposition for it, which I happen to have.
But the events of that simple little stopover for stabilizer repairs nearly soured my disposition for good.
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Planet of the Angry Giants
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part 124 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Planet of the Angry Giants by Robert Silverberg - The inhabitants of Dunhill V were gigantic. They were peaceful and good natured until something happened to upset them-and then their wrath was truly terrific!
Commander Laurence Burke, who headed the Terran Colony on the planet of Dunhill V, was a small small as Earthmen went: he was a wiry figure no more than five feet six inches tall, with hardly an ounce of superfluous fat on his body. Despite the handicap of his size, Burke had been sufficiently adept at catching the attention of his superiors to reach his present fairly important post, as head of the tiny settlement on Dunhill V. There was one aspect of the Dunhill V assignment that Commander Burke particularly relished: although he was by six inches the shortest Earthman in the settlement, that fact tended to be overlooked in the general scheme of things-for the simple reason that the natives of Dunhill V averaged around eleven feet in height, thus making all Earthmen look like Dwarfs and making any individual difference in height seem insignificant.
Life was fairly quiet for the small band of Earthmen on Dunhill V. There were only some hundred and fifty of them, living in temporary plastic domes. All the colonists were scientific observers, studying the planet's ecology and trying to determine whether it would be possible and desirable for Earth to send out a full-scale colonizing mission.
There were many factors to be considered: the climate, the edibility of the native foods, the problem of indigenous diseases, and–by far the most important-the attitude of the natives toward having another civilization settle practically in its midst.
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Watchbird
The End of Murder-And the Start of Something Worse
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 137 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
In Robert Sheckley's unforgettable classic Watchbird, technology finally delivers what humanity has always wished for: a flawless system to stop murder before it happens. Released across the nation, the airborne "watchbirds" patrol the skies and swoop in to prevent violence with machine precision-until their expanding definitions of harm begin reshaping society in ways no one predicted. What begins as a triumph of science rapidly becomes a nightmare of unintended consequences, as farmers, workers, surgeons, and even machines themselves become targets of the watchbirds' relentless logic. Sheckley crafts a sharp, provocative tale exploring how good intentions can twist into something dangerously unrecognizable.
Robert Sheckley (1928–2005) was one of science fiction's most inventive and influential voices, celebrated for his razor-sharp wit and philosophical storytelling. His stories often blend satire, adventure, and speculative imagination in ways few authors could match, making him a defining figure of 20th-century sci-fi. A frequent contributor to Galaxy, If, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sheckley's work pushed boundaries and inspired generations of writers, filmmakers, and futurists. His legacy continues through stories like Watchbird, which remain startlingly relevant in our age of AI, automation, and unintended technological consequences.
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Beside Still Waters
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 145 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Beside Still Waters by Robert Sheckley - When people talk about getting away from it all, they are usually thinking about our great open spaces out west. But to science fiction writers, that would be practically in the heart of Times Square. When a man of the future wants solitude he picks a slab of rock floating in space four light years west of Andromeda. Here is a gentle little story about a man who sought the solitude of such a location. And who did he take along for company? None other than Charles the robot.
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From Outer Space
by Robert Zacks
read by Scott Miller
Part 170 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
From Outer Space by Robert Zacks - How did Doomsday come? Well, it's the story of a banquet...
The grizzled old space veteran leaned back in his chair and stared up through the transparent dome. In the black sky myriad white specks gleamed without twinkling, their light unbent by atmosphere or dust. The steady pulse of the airmakers kept rhythm with the heartbeats of the young men seated in a semi-circle, listening with glistening eyes to these ancient tales of an Earth they'd never seen-the home of their species.
They stared hungrily at the old man's face. There was a silvery spot on the chin where Venusian fungus had nearly gotten into his bloodstream and had had to be burned away. Over one eye an eyebrow was gone, replaced by scar tissue grown on a planet at the other end of the galaxy where the light of enormous fireflies wasn't cold, as on ancient earth, but searing with heat.
"Imagine," they marveled, "such weak flame in fireflies."
"Not weak," corrected the old man. "Just different. Those insects on Earth didn't have to fight off intense cold. They had a much thicker atmosphere and were close to the sun. And they didn't feed on alcohol."
The young men's eyes glittered. They were an odd group. Small-most of them, none over five feet five inches-and pale, unlike the old man who was bulky around the shoulders and had skin virtually leathered by various radiations and temperatures and winds.
Each day this group waited hungrily for the old man to come and talk to them. The stories he told were the breath of life to them. And of all the tales of adventures in the far ends of the universe, the one that was most repeatedly called for was the story of what had happened to Earth.
"Tell us about Earth," said one of them, now, in a low voice.
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The Last Drive
The Truck That Would Not Stop
by Carl Jacobi
read by Scott Miller
Part 173 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
A storm closes in over the Rentharpian Hills, and the road to Marchester turns into a white corridor of wind and drifting snow. Jeb Waters has made this run dozens of times, hauling freight from the railhead to the forgotten town beyond the ridges. Tonight is different. Behind him lies a coffin carrying Marchester's brightest son home for burial-a young man who chased speed until it shattered him on a distant track. When the truck dies at the crest of a hill and the snow begins to bury the road, Jeb is left alone with the cold and the weight of that wooden box.
What follows is not a simple tale of a stalled engine. The wind claws at the van. The power lines moan in the dark. The storm tightens its grip as the hours drag on. And then the truck begins to move again, silently, as if guided by hands that should no longer exist. In the glow of the cab, Jeb sees a figure bent low over the wheel, driving into the blizzard with the same reckless hunger that once made headlines. The hills offer no witnesses. The road offers no mercy. And Jeb must decide whether to fight for control-or watch history repeat itself in the worst possible way.
Carl Jacobi was a master of mood and mounting dread, a writer whose work appeared in magazines such as Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and Thrilling Wonder Stories. He built his reputation on tightly constructed tales that trap ordinary people in extraordinary situations, often with a supernatural edge. "The Last Drive" reflects that talent for atmosphere and shock, blending small-town realism with a chilling final image that lingers long after the storm has passed.
audiobook
(1)
Microcosmic God
Creation Without Conscience
by Theodore Sturgeon
read by Scott Miller
Part 201 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
What happens when intellect evolves faster than conscience, and genius answers to no one? Microcosmic God is a towering meditation on power, creation, and unintended consequence, told with relentless imagination and unsettling clarity. Theodore Sturgeon crafts a story where progress accelerates at a terrifying pace, forcing a reckoning between curiosity and responsibility, control and freedom. Every discovery raises the stakes, and every solution carries the seed of a larger disaster waiting just out of sight.
This is not a tale of cackling villains or simple ambition. It is the story of brilliance pursued without limits, and the quiet moral fractures that form when one mind decides the fate of many. As forces collide-scientific, political, and profoundly human-the listener is drawn into a narrative that questions whether knowledge itself can ever remain neutral. The tension builds not through spectacle, but through inevitability, as creation begins to outgrow its creator.
Theodore Sturgeon was one of science fiction's most emotionally intelligent voices, known for blending speculative ideas with deep psychological insight. Though often associated with character-driven stories, Microcosmic God reveals his ability to scale those concerns to civilization-sized consequences. Published during science fiction's formative years, this story remains startlingly modern-its warnings about power, control, and accelerated progress as relevant now as when it first appeared.
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(3)
Accept No Substitutes
The Perils of Forbidden Desire
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 202 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Ralph Garvey thinks he's planned the perfect escapade: slip past Customs, blast off in his private space yacht, and enjoy a forbidden synthetic companion far from the puritanical reach of Earth's Sexual Morality Act. But fate-and bad timing-intervene when a surprise inspection nearly exposes the giant crate he's smuggled aboard. Once Garvey reaches deep space and activates the surrogate, his relief turns to terror. Instead of an Earth-standard model, he's purchased an Algolian surrogate-an android designed for a heavier world, a richer atmosphere, and a species with strength far beyond human norms. Her beauty is breathtaking, but her affectionate instincts are overpowering… and potentially lethal.
What unfolds is classic Sheckley: a fast, funny, nerve-twisting chain of misunderstandings and escalating danger. Garvey soon finds himself trapped inside his ship with a companion who sees him as the perfect mate-and is strong enough to crush him without meaning to. Sheckley turns a simple premise into a frantic battle of wits, desperation, and survival, all while skewering human vanity, desire, and the dream of a "perfect" substitute for real connection.
Robert Sheckley (1928–2005) stands tall among the great humorists of science fiction. Rising to prominence in the 1950s, he became celebrated for his razor-sharp wit, ironic storytelling, and ability to mix satire with interstellar adventure. His stories appeared in Galaxy, Astounding, If, F&SF, and nearly every major magazine of the era.
Throughout his career, Sheckley wrote hundreds of short stories, numerous novels, and several screen adaptations. "Accept No Substitutes" is a prime example of his ability to make readers laugh, gasp, and reflect all at once-a timeless reminder that some desires are better left un-automated.
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The Small Bears
by Gene L. Henderson
read by Scott Miller
Part 210 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Small Bears by Gene L. Henderson - The aliens looked cute as Koalas. But there was a little matter of a graveyard of dead space-ships.
Billowy white clouds hid the entire surface of the mystery planet and the space-cruiser cautiously searched, seeking an opening. A wind disturbance momentarily split the misty blanket and like an arrow the ship darted through.
The sudden movement had caught some of the men unprepared and Dr. Dick Boyette hurried past fully-manned battle stations to answer a call from the control-room. It required but a couple of minutes to revive a technician who had stumbled into a panel and afterward Boyette stood in the background, watching.
Everywhere, as far as the eye could see, the terrain was dotted by patches of woods and green meadows. The perpetual cloud blanket was two miles high, thin enough so that it barely diffused the sunlight. Enough, Boyette thought, so that the planet would have been a mystery even without the disappearance of all ships that had visited it.
"No sign of life," growled Commander Kellews, breaking the silence.
"I don't like it," the gunnery officer added uneasily. "There must be life or what could have happened to all the other ships that vanished here?"
"That's what we're here to find out," said Commander Kellews. He gazed around with a fighting man's pride in the finest weapons that Earth science had been able to devise. This one ship itself could destroy the entire planet that lay so peacefully beneath them.
As Boyette knew, the mystery planet was necessary for further expansion from the solar system, lying as it did between their system and the nearest one. Yet, it had swallowed all ships that had landed.
"Look!" shouted the lookout, "that plateau's covered with ships."
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Never Trust a Thief!
When Giants Collect Their Due
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part 213 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Kiley has spent his life slipping through locked doors and security grids, always one step ahead-until the day a psionic alarm lands him in a prison cell deep beneath Alpheraz VII. There, in the darkness, a voice enters his mind with an offer no thief could refuse: freedom, flawless hypnosis, and a partnership that would make them unstoppable.
With telepathic power guiding him, Kiley walks through palaces and vaults without resistance. Guards salute him. Emperors step aside. Jewels worth fortunes spill into his waiting hands. For the first time, the galaxy feels easy. Too easy. And when the final haul is complete, he sets course for the distant world of his mysterious partner to divide the spoils.
But Kiley has always lived by a simple rule-never trust anyone who shares the loot. As he steps onto an alien planet of towering mountains and monstrous vegetation, he realizes that rules cut both ways. When the true scale of his partner is revealed, the question is no longer how to divide the jewels. It is whether he can survive long enough to regret the deal.
Robert Silverberg began publishing science fiction in the mid-1950s and quickly became one of the most prolific voices in the field. His early work appeared in magazines such as Amazing Stories, Galaxy Science Fiction, and If, where he demonstrated a sharp sense of irony and a talent for tightly constructed twists. Over the course of his career, Silverberg would go on to write landmark novels including Dying Inside, Lord Valentine's Castle, and Nightwings, earning multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards. Stories like "Never Trust a Thief!" showcase his early flair for clever reversals, moral snap-judgments, and the dangerous gap between ambition and reality.
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Escape From Pluto
by William Oberfield
read by Scott Miller
Part 225 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Escape From Pluto by William Oberfield - Exiled to Pluto's harsh wastes, Marcius Kemble listened eagerly to the evil voices planning his triumphant return. But even the Plutonians underestimated the flaming glory to which they sent him.
Marcius Kemble stood upon the frozen surface of Pluto and swore aloud. He knew there were none to hear him but, just the same, he shouted into his plastic space helmet until his ears were ringing, cursing all the planets and their diverse inhabitants in order, most of all Earth.
You see, Marcius Kemble was an example. He was an example to any others, in the year of twenty-two hundred A.D., who would strive to rule the solar system. The planets were independent states and they were to remain that way. For trying to change this, Kemble had been exiled to unexplored Pluto.
Marcius raised his mailed fist toward the mighty stars and ground out curses against Earth and all those upon it, wishing that he could call upon it the wrath of Heaven and Hell, for it had been the men of Earth who had brought about his ultimate downfall.
It had been the age-old story of a power-mad tyrant finding out the secret grudges of his subjects and working on them to inspire a frenzy of hate, to maneuver them into a war against unsuspecting neighboring nations. He had gained control of the whole of Mars in this way and had been reaching out for the moon-system of Saturn, when the full force of the Planetary Combine had come against him, scattering his forces.
The counter offensive had been led by Earth, and it had been an Earth ship which, after his short-lived escape, had parachuted him to the cold surface of Pluto. Is it any wonder that he should hate them?
Marcius Kemble looked fearfully around at the bleak, frozen landscape of Pluto, a cold Hell, hardly reached by the light of the sun. Then he began to laugh.
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Two Weeks in August
by Frank M. Robinson
read by Scott Miller
Part 228 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Two Weeks in August by Frank M. Robinson - The humblest events sometimes result from the most grandiose beginnings. You'd never imagine space travel starting this way, for instance!
I suppose there's a guy like McCleary in every office.
Now I'm not a hard man to get along with and it usually takes quite a bit more than overly bright remarks from the office boy to bother me. But try as I might, I could never get along with McCleary. To be as disliked as he was, you have to work at it.
What kind of guy was he? Well, if you came down to the office one day proud as Punch because of something little Johnny or Josephine had said, it was a sure cinch that McCleary would horn in with something his little Louie had spouted off that morning. At any rate, when McCleary got through, you felt like taking Johnny to the doctor to find out what made him subnormal.
Or maybe you happened to buy a new Super-eight that week and were bragging about the mileage, the terrific pickup, and how quickly she responded to the wheel. Leave it to McCleary to give a quick run-down on his own car that would make you feel like selling yours for junk at the nearest scrap heap.
Well, you see what I mean.
But by far the worst of it was when vacation time rolled around. You could forgive a guy for topping you about how brainy his kids are, and you might even find it in your heart to forget the terrific bargain he drove to work in. But vacation time was when he'd really get on your nerves. You could pack the wife and kids in Old Reliable and roll out to the lake for your two weeks in August. You might even break the bank and spend the two weeks at a poor man's Sun Valley. But no matter where you went, when you came back, you'd have to sit in silence and listen to McCleary's account of his Vacation in the Adirondacks, or his Tramp in the Canadian Wilds, or maybe even the Old French Quarter.
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Proof of the Pudding
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 259 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Proof of the Pudding by Robert Sheckley - One man's fact is fantasy for another-except the man whose fantasies become solid facts!
His arms were very tired, but he lifted the chisel and mallet again. He was almost through; only a few more letters and the inscription, cut deeply into the tough granite, would be finished. He rounded out the last period and straightened up, dropping his tools carelessly to the floor of the cave. Proudly he wiped the perspiration from his dirty stubbled face and read what he had written.
I ROSE FROM THE SLIME OF THE PLANET. NAKED AND DEFENSELESS, I FASHIONED TOOLS. I BUILT AND DEMOLISHED, CREATED AND DESTROYED. I CREATED A THING GREATER THAN MYSELF THAT DESTROYED ME. MY NAME IS MAN AND THIS IS MY LAST WORK.
He smiled. What he had written was good. Not literary enough, perhaps, but a fitting tribute to the human race, written by the last man. He glanced at the tools at his feet. Having no further use for them, he dissolved them, and, hungry from his long work, squatted in the rubble of the cave and created a dinner. He stared at the food for a moment, wondering what was lacking; then, sheepishly, created a table and chair, utensils and plates. He was embarrassed. He had forgotten them again.
Although there was no need to rush, he ate hurriedly, noting the odd fact that when he didn't think of anything specific, he always created hamburger, mashed potatoes, peas, bread and ice cream. Habit, he decided. Finished, he made the remnants of the meal disappear, and with them the plates, utensils and table. The chair he retained. Sitting on it, he stared thoughtfully at the inscription. It's fine, he thought, but no human other than myself will ever read it.
It was fairly certain that he was the last man alive on the Earth. The war had been thorough.
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The Mystery of Deneb IV
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part 277 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Mystery of Deneb IV by Robert Silverberg - When Dave Carter tried to rescue the Denebians he found himself in a den of thieves. And he had cause to remember Shakespeare's observation: "He who steals my purse steals trash."
The first thing that crossed Dave Carter's mind was that the SOS was some kind of hoax. Then a fist thudded into the back of his neck, and he knew it was worse than a hoax-it was a trap.
His knees sagged and he grabbed wildly for the side of his spaceship. Steadying himself, he struck out with a fist.
His unknown assailant grunted. Carter's eyes widened as he discovered he was fighting another Earthman, here on this alien world in the Deneb system. What the devil is this? Carter asked himself, as his fist crashed into the other's stomach. They ask me to come rescue them-and then they jump me from behind.
The man was wearing the gray-and-gold uniform of the missing Vanguard expedition. He was a big, rangy spaceman. His eyes glittered with a cold menace that Carter had never seen in human eyes before.
Carter reached back, grasped the rungs of the ladder behind him with both hands, and kicked out at the other. The man crumpled backward onto the ground. Carter ran over to him.
He put a knee on the other's chest. "Who are you?" he demanded.
No answer.
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The Monsters
The Day First Contact Failed
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 284 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Monsters by Robert Sheckley - Cordovir and Hum encounter a mysterious metallic object balancing on fire! As they debate its origins, a chilling realization sets in: what lurks inside could challenge everything they know about morality and truth.
Robert Sheckley was born on July 16, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. Sheckley developed an avid interest in reading and storytelling, particularly drawn to the burgeoning genre of science fiction. This passion was nurtured by the pulp magazines of the era, which introduced him to the works of writers like H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury.
Sheckley sold his first story, "Final Examination," to Imagination magazine in 1952. This marked the beginning of a prolific period in his career, during which he became a regular contributor to major science fiction magazines such as Galaxy Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. His breakthrough came with the publication of his first novel, Immortality, Inc., in 1958. The book explored the concept of life extension and the moral and societal implications of immortality. It was well-received and cemented Sheckley's reputation as a writer who could blend humor with profound philosophical questions.
One of his most famous works, The Status Civilization (1960), is a satirical exploration of a dystopian society where criminal behavior is the norm.
In addition to his novels, Sheckley was a master of the short story. His short stories were not only entertaining but also thought-provoking, often challenging readers to reconsider their assumptions about society and human nature.
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Keep Your Shape
Shapeshifters on a Secret Mission
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 377 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Grom desperately need a new world, and Pid the Pilot believes he's ready to succeed where twenty other expeditions have vanished. His mission is simple-reach Earth's atomic energy source and activate a Displacer, opening the doorway for a Grom invasion. But nothing about the green planet matches the warnings from home, and Pid quickly discovers threats stranger than weapons or guards. On this world, every shape, creature, and sensation tempts the Grom toward something forbidden-the intoxicating freedom to become anything.
As his disciplined crew begins to unravel, Pid fights to stay true to ancient laws that define his very identity. But the deeper he ventures into Earth, the clearer it becomes that the greatest danger isn't the humans at all. It's the shapes the Grom were never meant to explore-and the joy they bring.
Robert Sheckley was one of the most imaginative and influential writers of 20th-century science fiction. Known for razor-sharp satire, inventive alien cultures, and stories that twist in unexpected directions, Sheckley built a legacy of smart, fast-moving speculative fiction. His work appeared in the biggest magazines of the era and went on to inspire generations of writers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Across novels, short stories, and scripts, Sheckley excelled at blending humor, danger, and philosophical questions into compact, entertaining tales. Keep Your Shape is a perfect example of his style-funny, inventive, and deceptively thoughtful.
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The Incredible Slingshot Bombs
The Most Dangerous Weapon… Is in the Hands of a Child
by Robert Moore Williams
read by Scott Miller
Part 378 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Incredible Slingshot Bombs by Robert Moore Williams - It was only a slingshot, but it hurled more death than a thousand-pound bomb. Where did Tommy Sonofagun get those deadly pellets?
"You go over to the other ridge," the sheriff said to the two deputies. "If he tries to get out that way, stop him. But remember, we want him alive, if we can get him that way."
I only half heard what the sheriff said. My attention was fully occupied by the dogs down in Ten Mile Valley below us. I couldn't see them but I could hear them bugling down there in the cedar thickets. Baying slowly and mournfully, they were searching for the lost trail. A creek ran down the middle of the valley. Probably Tommy Sonofagun had crossed the creek and thrown the bloodhounds off his trail. Tommy might be a moron but he had enough animal cunning to lose a pack of hounds that were after him.
His name wasn't really Tommy Sonofagun. It was Tommy Britten, but the loafers around Brock's Tavern had taught him to say that his name was Tommy Sonofagun. They thought this was funny.
The sheriff and I watched the two deputies tramp down into Ten Mile Valley, but we lost sight of them before they reached the farther ridge. The steel towers of an electric high-line ran along this ridge for a couple of miles, then dipped down and crossed the valley. The transmission line carried current from the big dam about twenty miles to the north. When the war first started, there was some fear that enemy agents might sabotage this high-line and the sheriff had spent most of his time out in the hills guarding it.
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(1)
The Grip of Death
A Crime That Would Not Let Go
by Robert Bloch
read by Scott Miller
Part 497 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Luke Holland believes he is trapped-financially, emotionally, and spiritually-in the rotting house of his reclusive uncle. Convinced the old man is practicing dark rites and certain that murder is justified, Luke prepares a perfect crime that will free him from fear, poverty, and dependence.
But the house has been listening. Ancient rituals, locked rooms, and strange knowledge collide as Luke discovers that not all vengeance ends with a heartbeat. What follows is a terrifying descent into consequences that cannot be escaped, even by death.
Robert Bloch was one of the most influential voices in twentieth-century speculative fiction, blending psychological terror with sharp irony and dark imagination. Best known today for Psycho, Bloch was a protégé of H. P. Lovecraft and a master at exploring fear rooted not in monsters alone, but in the human mind.
Throughout his career, Bloch wrote hundreds of stories that bridged science fiction, horror, and the macabre, often exposing the fragile boundary between reason and obsession. The Grip Of Death stands as a powerful example of his ability to turn moral certainty into existential dread.
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(1)
The Shambler From the Stars
Forbidden Knowledge Has a Price
by Robert Bloch
read by Scott Miller
Part 507 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
In The Shambler From The Stars, Robert Bloch delivers a gripping tale of ambition gone astray, where a young writer's hunger for originality draws him toward ancient texts, forbidden lore, and whispers of powers beyond human comprehension. What begins as an intellectual quest soon becomes a descent into unseen realms, as curiosity pushes past fear and caution is cast aside in pursuit of creative greatness.
As the narrator and his learned friend uncover secrets buried for centuries, the cost of knowledge reveals itself in terrifying ways. Bloch blends cosmic dread with psychological intensity, crafting a story where unseen forces press against the fragile boundaries of reality, and where a single invocation changes everything forever.
Robert Bloch was one of the defining voices of twentieth-century speculative fiction, known for blending horror, science fiction, and psychological tension with sharp prose and relentless pacing. A protégé and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft, Bloch absorbed cosmic horror's vast themes and reshaped them into tightly focused, character-driven narratives.
Though many know him as the author of Psycho, Bloch's earlier weird fiction laid the groundwork for modern cosmic and psychological horror. His stories explore obsession, forbidden curiosity, and the fragile nature of sanity-making The Shambler From The Stars one of his most enduring and influential early works.
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The Last Weapon
The Martians Left One Final Surprise
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part 513 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
When three fortune-hunters break open an ancient Martian vault, they expect treasure - not devices capable of leveling armies, freezing deserts, or bending reality itself. But their uneasy alliance dissolves fast as greed, paranoia, and raw ambition transform the red planet into a battleground of human betrayal.
"The Last Weapon" showcases Robert Sheckley at his sharpest, blending dark humor with razor-edged tension as he unspools a tale of power, corruption, and the catastrophic relics of a lost world. Each discovery raises the stakes until the final, unforgettable confrontation - one that proves the Martians saved their most astonishing creation for last.
Robert Sheckley (1928–2005) stands as one of science fiction's most inventive and mischievous voices. Known for his wit, philosophical playfulness, and talent for blending satire with suspense, Sheckley wrote hundreds of stories that continue to influence modern sci-fi. His work appeared in Galaxy, IF, Playboy, and many other top magazines, earning him a reputation as a writer who could twist a simple premise into something brilliantly unexpected. In "The Last Weapon," those skills are on full display.
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Strange Exodus
The Ark Inside The Monster
by Robert Abernathy
read by Scott Miller
Part 554 of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The world is no longer burning. It has already been eaten.
Vast, mindless titans have crossed the void and scoured Earth clean, moving eastward in an endless crawl that leaves oceans rising and continents gutted. Cities are gone. Crops are gone. Civilization has become a rumor carried by wind over flooded valleys. Westover, a scientist separated from any organized resistance, stumbles onto one of these living mountains and finds himself stranded on its back as it blocks a river and drowns the land behind it.
He climbs to survive the flood. He stays because hunger forces him to. What begins as desperation becomes something far stranger. When he discovers that the monster itself can sustain him, a terrible possibility opens before him. Humanity has always drawn life from the Earth. Now Earth is gone. There is only the invader.
As the creature prepares to leave the ravaged planet and return to space, Westover must confront what survival truly demands. Can mankind adapt fast enough to escape extinction? And if so, what will remain of the species that once called itself master of a world?
Strange Exodus is not a tale of last stands or grand victories. It is the story of a single man facing a decision that could alter human history more profoundly than any war. The choice is stark: destroy the enemy and die with it, or learn to live within it.
Robert Abernathy published science fiction in magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction and Planet Stories during the 1940s and 1950s. His work often placed trained specialists-scientists, engineers, researchers-at the center of planetary crises, allowing speculative biology and astrophysics to drive the tension. In Strange Exodus, Abernathy takes the invasion premise and turns it inward, asking not how humanity fights, but how it changes when fighting no longer works. It remains one of his most unsettling explorations of adaptation under pressure.
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(3)
The Spider and the Fly
by Don Mark Lemon
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Spider and the Fly by Don Mark Lemon
Don Mark Lemon was born in Arizona in September 1877, he wrote 15 short stories and 1 novel, The Scarlet Planet, which was published in 1930.
His first published short story, Doctor Goldman, can be found in the December 1900 issue of The Black Cat which launched in 1895. The Black Cat sold for five cents and encouraged amateur writers to submit stories. As the story goes the Jack London novel The Call of the Wild might never have been written if not for The Black Cat. London wasnt having success as a writer and was about to give up but then he sold a story, A Thousand Deaths, to The Black Cat in 1899 and The Call of the Wild was published four years later! Never give up, Never Surrender!!
The Spider and the Fly was published in The Thrill Book, a short lived publication which began and ceased publication in 1919. From the August 1st issue of The Thrill Book lets turn to page 109 for The Spider and the Fly by Don Mark Lemon.
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(0)
The Masque of the Red Death
by Edgar Allan Poe
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe - A lavish masquerade. A deadly intruder. In Edgar Allan Poes The Masque of the Red Death, no wealth or walls can keep the inevitable at bay. Are you ready to face the dance of death?
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(4)
A Prophecy of Monsters
by Clark Ashton Smith
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
A Prophecy of Monsters by Clark Ashton Smith - A creature in the night hunting for fresh meat. Hunting in a way that never fails.
First released in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in October 1954 A Prophecy of Monsters has been published many times, in Hauntings and Horrors, Ten Grisly Tales, 100 Great Fantasy Short Short Stories, 100 Creepy Little Creatures and Werewolf! Its been titled Monsters in the Night but thats not the original title.
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(1)
The Abandoned of Yan
by Donald F. Daley
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Abandoned of Yan by Donald F. Daley - The Abandoned have neither rights nor hopes. They only have revenge!
After her husband left her, Marigold filed a protection-request form and an availability form.
She did not do this immediately. She stayed up for the better part of the night, hoping that he would come back. She could not bring herself to believe that he would really walk out on her and leave her available for confiscation, or for the slavery pool. She also thought for quite a while about the possibility of somehow getting back to Earth, where she would not be available for either.
She even went to the fantastic expense of televiewing there to talk with her father and mother. They had been shocked and unfriendly. They had said good-by with a finality which left little room for doubt as to what they thought of an Abandoned. They had never had one in their family, they had pointed out, neither of them, and they did not intend to have one in their family now. They had warned her that they intended to report the call to the Beta III Protection People.
This did not worry her much. The call almost certainly had been monitored anyway. If they wanted to go to the considerable extra expense of reporting it, in order to impress the Protection People with their loyalty, that was their own lookout. She understood that, now, she had no family. She thought for a moment of going up-ramp to say good-by to the children, but she knew that this would not help.
Besides, it was illegal. They were no longer hers. She was an Abandoned.
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(2)
Office Call by Charles E. Fritch
by Charles E. Fritch
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Office Call by Charles E. Fritch - When brilliant mathematician Charles T. Moore steps into Dr. Rawlings office, he carries a groundbreaking revelation that could redefine the very fabric of reality. But as he grapples with the terrifying implications of his discoverymind control and the potential to traverse alternate universeswill he find the help he needs or push the boundaries of sanity even further?
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(0)
Gunnison's Bonanza
by Dick Purcell
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Gunnison's Bonanza by Dick Purcell - All his life he had been searching for the big strike. But always he had failed. Now he had come to Marshis last chance. This had to beGunnison's Bonanza by Dick Purcell.
Author Dick Purcell wrote six published stories in 1955 and 1956. His name might ring a bell, Dick Purcell appeared in more than 70 TV shows and movies in the 1930s and 1940s, but that was a different Dick Purcell. The author was born in 1908, the actor in 1905. As is frequently the case with early sci-fi authors we dont know anything else about him. Peruse the pages of Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy in June 1956 and you will discover Gunnison's Bonanza by Dick Purcell.
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(1)
The Man Who Did Things Twice
by Don Mark Lemon
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Man Who Did Things Twice by Don Mark Lemon - The story won a $100 prize, which would be worth about $3,500 today, and appeared in the June 1905 issue of The Black Cat on page 39.
Don Mark Lemon was born in Arizona in September 1877, he wrote 15 short stories and 1 novel, The Scarlet Planet, which was published in 1930.
His first published short story, Doctor Goldman, can be found in the December 1900 issue of The Black Cat which launched in 1895. The Black Cat sold for five cents and encouraged amateur writers to submit stories. As the story goes the Jack London novel The Call of the Wild might never have been written if not for The Black Cat. London wasnt having success as a writer and was about to give up but then he sold a story, A Thousand Deaths, to The Black Cat in 1899 and The Call of the Wild was published four years later! Never give up, Never Surrender!!
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(2)
Or Darwin, if You Prefer
by Mel Hunter
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Or Darwin, If You Prefer by Mel Hunter - Mr. Harbinger could not quite believe in the Mouth. But poor Mr. Harbingeror Darwin, if you preferare gone to other times.
Heres what Fantastic Universe had to say about Mel Hunter, Mr. Hunter's superb art work has appeared on a baker's dozen science fiction magazine covers during the past year, but incredible as it may seem with this story we introduce him to the reading public for the first time as a science fiction writer. We say incredible, because this is not a beginner's story. It is sparkling, sophisticated, eruditethe work of a craftsman.
This is the first time we have come across an illustrator turned author. And heres the amazing thing, he wasnt any old illustrator, Mel Hunter was a very accomplished illustrator producing illustrations for famous science fiction authors Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein, as well as a technical and scientific illustrator for The Pentagon, Hayden Planetarium in Boston, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Hunter was born in 1927 in Oak Park, Illinois and he taught himself book and magazine illustration. He was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist in 1960, 1961 and 1962. He became a technical illustrator at Northrop Aircraft where he painted illustrations of advanced aircraft and simulated combat scenarios.
His love of air and space took him from California's desert runways to Florida's seacoast launchpads to illustrate every variety of jet-age aircraft and space-age rocket imaginablefrom the X-15 to Saturn V. He died in 2004 and according to his final wish, his cremated remains were launched into space on May 22, 2012.
Savor this story, immerse yourself in it, and listen to it as many times as your heart desiresfor it stands alone, as the singular science fiction story ever penned by Mel Hunter.
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(2)
Nobody Saw the Ship
by Murray Leinster
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Nobody Saw the Ship by Murray Leinster - It was only a tiny scout ship from somewhere beyond the stars; only one alien creature occupied it. But the ship's mission spelled life to its fellow creatures and death to all living creatures on Earth. And against the super-science of the raider stood one terrified old man and his dog....
The landing of the Qul-En ship, a tiny craft no more than fifteen feet in diameter, went completely unnoticed, as its operator intended. It was armed, of course, but its purpose was not destruction. If this ship, whose entire crew consisted of one individual, were successful in its mission then a great ship would come, wiping out the entire population of cities before anyone suspected the danger.
But this lone Qul-En was seeking a complex hormone substance which Qul-En medical science said theoretically must exist, but the molecule of which even the Qul-En could not synthesize directly. Yet it had to be found, in great quantity; once discovered, the problem of obtaining it would be taken up, with the resources of the whole race behind it. But first it had to be found.
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(7)
Potential
by Robert Sheckley
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Potential by Robert Sheckley - He was one man, horribly confused, escaping from a destroyed planet, carrying some sort of message which he couldn't recall. But he had tremendous potential for achievement! Potential by Robert Sheckley.
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(1)
The Artist and the Door
by Dorothy Quick
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Artist and the Door by Dorothy Quick - I bought the dooreven though the auctioneer warned of evil.
Dorothy Gertrude Quick was born in Brooklyn on September 1st 1896. She was a prolific writer of horror, detective fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Dorothy was a girl of 11 when she met Mark Twain, actually Samuel L. Clemens, on an Atlantic crossing from England. She was returning to Plainfield, N.J., from Europe with her parents. Recognizing Twain by his wavy hair and white suit, she walked around and around the deck, passing very slowly by his chair each time, until he finally came over and introduced himself.
It was the beginning of a friendship that was to last until the very day of his death. After the voyage she received a telegram from Twain asking whether she would prefer as a birthday present "one elephant or 10,000 monkeys." She replied that she would prefer his books - which he sent her, along with a tiny white elephant. If youve seen the 1991 TV movie Mark Twain and Me well, now you know who wrote it.
The Artist and the Door was published in Weird Tales magazine in November 1952.
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(4)
The Outer Quiet
by Herbert D. Kastle
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Outer Quiet by Herbert D. Kastle - Fear is often Man's greatest enemy. But when there is nothing left to lose, there is everything to gain.... And with everything to gain, where is the enemy?
If the name Herbert D. Kastle rings a bell, its likely not because of his science fiction work. Kastle, born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924, was primarily known as a thriller novelist, with an impressive seventeen titles to his name. Though his contributions to science fiction were modestthree short stories in the 1950s and another three in the 1960she gained some recognition for his 1964 sci-fi novel The Reassembled Man.
In addition to his literary work, Kastles 1975 novel Cross-Country was adapted into a feature film in 1983. He also ventured into television, co-writing an episode of Bonanza that aired in 1967.
The Outer Quiet is a tale of woe in a post-apocalyptic world, it appeared in the May 1955 publication of If Worlds of Science Fiction.
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(3)
Yesterday Was Monday
by Theodore Sturgeon
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Yesterday Was Monday by Theodore Sturgeon - Slight error somewhere! He got behind the scenes, and woke up Wednesday morning although Yesterday was Monday. The builders hadn't finished making Wednesday yet
Theodore Sturgeon (19181985) began his writing career in the 1940s and quickly gained recognition for his short stories and novels, many of which challenged traditional sci-fi tropes by focusing on characterization and psychological depth. His notable works include "More Than Human," and the influential short story "Baby Is Three."
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(1)
In the Walls of Eryx
by H. P. Lovecraft
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
In The Walls of Eryx by H. P. Lovecraft and Kenneth Sterling
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(1)
Parking Unlimited
by Noel Loomis
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Parking Unlimited by Noel Loomis - 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 ...
Noel Loomis was born in Wakita, Oklahoma Territory in 1905, two years before Oklahoma 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.
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(2)
My Past Is Mine
by Gerda Rhoads
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
My Past is Mine by Gerda Rhoads - Take one tiny memory out of a man's lifeand the entire universe may turn topsy turvy.
Gerda Rhoads is credited with one published story which appeared in Fantastic Universe in October 1954. The magazine had this to say about this "new" author...
"Gerda Rhoads was born in Vienna and came to the United States with her parents by way of London and Rio. She was educated at Hunter College, became a ballet dancer, took up painting and has done some very charming canvases. Then she married a painter and they went to Paris and she turned to writing. Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? With the publication of this her first story Gerda Rhoads proves her pen is glamor-tipped too!"
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(2)
Warning From the Stars
by Ron Cocking
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Warning From the Stars by Ron Cocking - Don't believe in flying saucers? Neither do we, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there can be no other way for Earth to get its last.... Warning From the Stars
It was a beautifully machined container, shaped like a two pound chocolate candy box, the color and texture of lead. The cover fitted so accurately that it was difficult to see where it met the lip on the base.
Yet when Forster lifted the container from the desk in the security guards' office, he almost hit himself in the face with it, so light was it.
He read the words clumsily etched by hand into the top surface with some sharp instrument:
TO BE OPENED ONLY BY:
Dr. Richard Forster,
Assistant Director,
Air Force Special Research Center,
Petersport, Md.
CAUTION: Open not later than
24 hours after receipt.
DO NOT OPEN in atmosphere less than equivalent of 65,000 feet above M.S.L.
He turned the container over and over. It bore no other markingsno express label or stamps, no file or reference number, no return address.
It was superbly machined, he saw.
Tentatively he pulled at the container cover, it was as firm as if it had been welded on. But then, if the cover had been closed in the thin atmosphere of 65,000 feet, it would be held on by the terrific pressure of a column of air twelve miles high.
Forster looked up at the burly guard.
"Who left this here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, sir." The man's voice was as close to insolence as the difference in status would allow, and Forster bristled.
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(0)
Momentum
by Charles Dye
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Momentum by Charles Dye - 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 eyesif he could see it in time!
Asteroid 1207 came spinning into the auxiliary ship's viewplate like a glittering black mirage. The eight-mile chunk of rock was the last link in a chain of nine asteroid navigational-markers still needing blinker equipment installation. Minutes later, theMinnowlay neatly berthed in the deepest hollow of the asteroid, the shining wires of its drill grapples anchoring it firmly to the jagged rock. The airlock opened and two men in spacesuits stepped out. They climbed to the top of the nearest hill dragging a platform of tools and equipment; the ragged, close horizons of the asteroid made a hostile background for them as they worked in silence.
Ballard leaned far over the rough edge of a circular pit, directing the heat radiation beam that melted the foundation plastic smoothly over the walls. He couldn't spare the time to turn his head and watch Walton, but he could follow the other's progress in welding the framework of the blinker tower by the irregular breathing and clanks and buzzes coming through his earphones. He listened to Walton's motions with an automatic alertness developed over six long weeks of tensionever since the finding of the rotenite nuggets on the second of the light-marker asteroids. The rotenite represented enough wealth to make them among the richest men in the solar system. Or one of themtherichest. That was what Ballard was afraid of.
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(3)
The Tell-tale Heart
by Edgar Allan Poe
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe - Madness or guilt? In Edgar Allan Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, a murderer insists on his sanity as hes haunted by the sound of a beating heart. Dare to listen to the tale that will leave your pulse racing.
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(2)
The Lady, or the Tiger?
by Frank R. Stockton
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton - Love or jealousy? Fate or free will? In Frank R. Stocktons The Lady, or the Tiger?, a young mans life hinges on a brutal choiceand the answer lies in your imagination. Which door would you choose?
Frank R. Stockton (18341902) was an American author and humorist known for his imaginative and whimsical stories. He gained fame for his allegorical tale The Lady, or the Tiger?, which captivated readers with its ending and exploration of human nature. Stocktons works often combined wit, satire, and a sense of moral curiosity, making him a prominent figure in 19th-century American literature. His legacy endures through his unique storytelling style and thought-provoking narratives.
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(2)
Beyond Annihilation
by Henry Kuttner
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Beyond Annihilation by Henry Kuttner - An Earthman and Earthwoman Are Hurled Through Worlds Within Worlds by a Diabolical Weapon!
When I heard the footsteps pause at my cell door, I knew that my month-long imprisonment beneath Administration House was over at last. The realization brought me no elation. I knew too well the fate of prisoners in the guinea-pig galleryhuman specimens, reserved for scientific experimentation.
As the door slid noiselessly into the opaque glassite wall I saw Orsa, my jailer, flanked by two guards. His red-lidded eyes were blinking rapidly, a trick of his whenever he was inordinately pleased.
Come out. Falcon, he said softly, Degg wants to clip your wings.
Degg was a renegade scientist, vassal of Marlin, the overlord who had overthrown the government and seized the reins of power on that fateful day of March 4th, 2203 A.D., only a few months ago. And Marlins legions, armed with new and powerful weapons of destruction perfected by Degg, had scattered my fleet of air pirates and made me, Paul Dent, the Falcon, a captive.
As I came out of the room blazing agony raced through my arm, and I swung about angrily. Orsas heavy-jawed face was twisted in a grin, and the muzzle of the electrogun in his hand glowed redly. This wasnt the first time hed tried such a trick. My body bore more than one scar attributable to Orsa.
Orsa barked a command. The guards hustled me the length of the corridor, into an elevator, and along another passage to a bare, metal-lined chamber, obviously an experimental laboratory. The walls were splashed with rusty stains and discolorations; manacled to one of them was a girl.
From televisor portraits I had seen I recognized her as Jan Kenworthy, daughter of President Kenworthy, whom Marlin had killed in his coup detat.
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(0)
Solitary
by Robert Silverberg
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Solitary by Robert Silverberg - All the logical answers to Charcots escape and disappearances had come up... but why should an escaped convict be logical?
Robert Silverberg was born on January 15, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York. A voracious reader from an early age, he developed an interest in science fiction as a child, devouring pulp magazines and writing his own stories while still in high school. He attended Columbia University, where he studied English Literature and honed his writing craft.
Silverberg made his professional debut in 1954 with the short story Gorgon Planet, published in Nebula Science Fiction. Soon after, he became one of the most prolific writers in the field, churning out countless stories for science fiction magazines under his own name and various pseudonyms. His first novel, Revolt on Alpha C, was published in 1955.
By the late 1950s, Silverberg was recognized as a skilled but conventional writer of adventure-oriented science fiction.
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(1)
Collision Orbit
by Clyde Beck
read by Scott Miller
Part of the Lost Sci-Fi series
Collision Orbit by Clyde Beck - The tiny asteroid with the frightened girl and the wrecked spacer with the grim young man slowly spun closer and closer ... but the real danger came after the crash!
There's one good thing about a blowout. You don't need a mechanic to tell you what the trouble is when it happens. This was the first blowout I ever had, but as soon as I heard that explosive pinging whistle and felt the floppy jolting and the terrifying sensation of a vehicle out of control, I knew what was wrong. I reached forward and cut the power.
When I leaned back in my seat I was sweating and my stomach was pushing my tonsils around, and not only on account of the sudden switch from one and a half G's to free fall. I was in a jam, and I didn't need a mechanic to tell me that, either. Spaceships don't carry spare drive tubes.
Not little wagons like the Aspera, anyway. If you could get a spare inside the hull you would have to leave out the air plant or the groceries or else stay home yourself, and even then there would be no room for the tools to make the change. Retubing is a dock job, and the nearest docks were a million miles away on Phobos and getting farther fast.
And besides, you never need a spare. Tubes don't blow in space. Diamondized graphite is toughyou caliper the throat every time you dock, and after a few thousand G-hours you find enough erosion to cut down efficiency to the point where it's a good idea to put in a new liner.
I knew all this, but at the same time I knew the main tube had blown. What I didn't know was what I was going to do about it. I lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, just in case the stimulating effect of the quabba smoke would give me an inspiration.