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

A historian joins a late-night conversation about worlds where one altered event sends nations down roads no one remembers. Then a stranger leaves behind something impossible to explain, suggesting one of those other histories may be much closer than anyone imagined. Crossroads of Destiny by H. Beam Piper. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Our new podcast, Weird Tales Reborn, will be available within the next 48 hours—possibly even sooner—and we think you’re going to love it.

We’ve featured stories from Weird Tales magazine on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast before, but Weird Tales Reborn is devoted entirely to stories published in this legendary magazine, bringing its strange, fantastic, and unforgettable fiction back to life.

You can listen to the trailer and subscribe right now, so you’ll be ready when our very first episode arrives. You’ll find links to Weird Tales Reborn in the description.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-tales-reborn/id6812494670

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KgAyqHo9HPkU9gu6yrgQB

Author H. Beam Piper makes his debut on the podcast today. Henry Beam Piper was born in 1904 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and was largely self-educated. He developed a fascination with history as a boy—several of his ancestors had fought in the Civil War—and by his teens he had decided he wanted to become a writer. Around that time he discovered speculative fiction through H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs and A. Merritt.

At 18, Piper went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona, where he worked as a laborer and later a night watchman while writing and submitting stories in his spare time. Remarkably, he spent about 26 years trying to make his first sale before John W. Campbell bought “Time and Time Again,” which appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1947. His deep knowledge of history became one of the signatures of his fiction, particularly in his Paratime stories and alternate-history tales like “Crossroads of Destiny.”

Piper went on to write more than two dozen short stories and roughly a dozen novels and book-length works, depending on how collaborations and posthumously published books are counted. His best-known books include Little Fuzzy, Space Viking, Four-Day Planet and The Cosmic Computer. Little Fuzzy was nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Writer Jerry Pournelle recalled that Piper once told him, apparently with a straight face, that he believed he had been born in another timeline.

From Fantastic Universe in July 1959 we will find our story on page 4, Crossroads of Destiny by H. Beam Piper…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A government believes it has created the perfect biological weapon: a virus that kills only the people it considers dangerous. But Dr. Joseph Euge knows the plague is making a very different judgment, and soon an entire world may learn what truly makes someone vulnerable. Righteous Plague by Robert Abernathy.

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$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, 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

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A brilliant inventor finally discovers that the future may be worth far more than anyone imagined. But turning tomorrow into financial security requires finding someone willing to make a very bad investment today. Security Plan by Joseph Farrell. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

While we were out of town with Mom, Tony Ciak bought us 10 coffees with the simple message, “In Your Time of Need.”

Tony, your kindness came at a time when it meant more than you could possibly know. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I’m excited to tell you about something brand new that we’ve been working on — Weird Tales Reborn.

I think you’re going to love this new podcast. The Weird Tales Reborn Podcast brings incredible stories from the legendary pages of Weird Tales magazine back to life—stories of supernatural horror, cosmic horror, dark fantasy, strange creatures, ancient mysteries, and the wonderfully weird.

These are stories from the magazine that helped define weird fiction and introduced readers to some of the greatest writers of the strange and fantastic.

Weird Tales Reborn is coming soon, but you can listen to the trailer and subscribe right now so you’ll be there when our first episode arrives. You’ll find links to Weird Tales Reborn in the description.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-tales-reborn/id6812494670

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KgAyqHo9HPkU9gu6yrgQB

We can’t wait to share it with you.

Weird Tales Reborn. The strange lives again.

Open the pages of Galaxy Magazine in April 1959 to page 58, Security Plan by Joseph Farrell…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A historian joins a late-night conversation about worlds where one altered event sends nations down roads no one remembers. Then a stranger leaves behind something impossible to explain, suggesting one of those other histories may be much closer than anyone imagined. Crossroads of Destiny by H. Beam Piper.

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$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, 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

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Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

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A young police officer finally gets the dangerous assignment he has been craving, only to discover that catching a killer may not solve the crime. In the 32nd century, the law can hold someone responsible who never pulled a trigger. Public Enemy by Kendell Foster Crossen. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Kendell Foster Crossen was born in 1910, in Albany, Ohio, the only child of farmers Sam and Clo Crossen. He attended Rio Grande College in Ohio on a football scholarship, was an amateur boxer, and before becoming a professional writer held a variety of jobs, including carnival barker and working as an insurance investigator.

And today Kendell Foster Crossen makes his debut on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Crossen knew crime fiction from the inside. He moved to New York in 1935 and became editor of Detective Fiction Weekly in 1936. He later created the Green Lama and, writing as M. E. Chaber, created insurance investigator and occasional intelligence operative Milo March. Crossen was also one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America.

Interestingly, Crossen was already an established professional writer before he ever tried science fiction. His first two published science fiction stories appeared in February 1951, one in Amazing Stories and the other in Thrilling Wonder Stories. He soon became a familiar name in Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories.

Crossen later said that he started writing science fiction because it gave him the opportunity to write satire and a certain kind of humor that was difficult to sell elsewhere. He described his science fiction career as relatively short, but said, “it was all fun.”

Today’s story appeared in the December 1952 issue of Dynamic Science Fiction on page 105, Public Enemy by Kendell Foster Crossen…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A brilliant inventor finally discovers that the future may be worth far more than anyone imagined. But turning tomorrow into financial security requires finding someone willing to make a very bad investment today. Security Plan by Joseph Farrell.

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$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, 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

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A familiar world becomes terrifying when everyone around Sam Weber accepts a new order that he cannot understand. As children take command and adults surrender without protest, Sam must discover why he alone still believes something is terribly wrong. Crack of Doom by Stephen Marlowe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

A very special thank you to Ryan and Kait for buying us 10 coffees and for sending this incredibly kind message:

“Thank you for The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. My wife and I listen every night. This podcast is a big part of our lives. We look forward to every new story and love diving into the archives to visit our favorite authors.

We are sorry to hear of your recent loss and send our deepest condolences and best wishes.”

Thank you, Ryan and Kait. Knowing that the podcast has become part of your lives and something you share together every night means more to me than you probably realize.

And I want to thank all of you who have reached out with your condolences and kind words following the loss of my Mom. I’ve received so many thoughtful messages, and I want you to know that I read them and appreciate every one of them. Your kindness and support really do make a difference. Thank you.

Hope you are ready for an unusual story. From the April 1953 issue of the Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader on page 80, Crack of Doom by Stephen Marlowe…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A young police officer finally gets the dangerous assignment he has been craving, only to discover that catching a killer may not solve the crime. In the 32nd century, the law can hold someone responsible who never pulled a trigger. Public Enemy by Kendell Foster Crossen.

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$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, 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

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Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

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Three years away has left Bill unprepared for an Earth where people can send perfect artificial bodies out to live for them. When an old rival threatens the woman he still loves, Bill discovers that becoming almost impossible to kill may be easier than accepting what life has become. Coffin For Two by Winston Marks. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Winston Marks was a Wisconsin-born science fiction writer who became remarkably prolific in the 1950s, publishing nearly 60 stories in just a few years. Before making his living as a writer, Marks claimed an extraordinary assortment of jobs—including aircraft pilot, soldier, sailor, bellhop, advertising man, electronics technician, political campaign manager, linoleum layer, and sugar loader—which probably gave him plenty of material for his often humorous, slightly offbeat fiction.

This is his eleventh story on our podcast. It was first published in the September 1955 publication Imaginative Tales on page 70, Coffin For Two by Winston Marks…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A familiar world becomes terrifying when everyone around Sam Weber accepts a new order that he cannot understand. As children take command and adults surrender without protest, Sam must discover why he alone still believes something is terribly wrong. Crack of Doom by Stephen Marlowe.

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Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

$200 Someone

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$75 James Van Maanenberg

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$25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, 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

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$10 David, Anonymous Listener

$5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue

$5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/

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