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

Don Hartley has stumbled upon an invention that could make him fabulously wealthy—and give anyone who controls it the power to watch anyone, anywhere. Before he cashes in, he must decide whether some discoveries are simply too dangerous to share. The Vidiot by Ib Melchior. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Another day, another author making his debut on the podcast. Ib Melchior was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1917. His father was a celebrated opera singer who performed throughout Europe and the Americas from the 1920s through the 1940s, including appearances with the Chicago Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Near the end of his career, he also appeared in character roles in MGM musicals.

Ib spoke six languages, and his fascination with movies began when he was only 11 years old. He saw the 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs, featuring Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine, whose striking appearance later helped inspire the visual creation of the Joker. Melchior walked away from the movie knowing exactly what he wanted to do—direct films.

In the late 1950s, Melchior met producer Sidney W. Pink, who told him he could direct a movie if he wrote the screenplay. There was just one problem: Melchior had never written a screenplay. But he wanted to direct, so he wrote one, and the result was The Angry Red Planet. That launched a career in science fiction movies that would last for years.

Melchior went on to write and direct science fiction films including Reptilicus, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and The Time Travelers. He also wrote for television, including an episode of The Outer Limits.

Before his movie career took off, Melchior wrote three science fiction short stories. Later, he added two science fiction novels to a remarkably varied career that began with an 11-year-old boy sitting in a movie theater, already dreaming about getting behind the camera.

His first short story appeared in Fantastic Universe in March 1956 on page 51, The Vidiot by Ib Melchior…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, The people of Kana refuse to abandon their forgotten world, and Kenyon is determined to discover what could make them choose isolation over the stars. Deep beneath the strange islands, something ancient has already decided who belongs on Kana—and who will never leave. Blood Lands by Alfred Coppel

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A lone Watcher abandons the safety of his hidden post when a human survivor falls into enemy hands. Outnumbered and almost unarmed, he must turn a frozen alien moon into a weapon before the Rumi escape with their prisoner. The Watchers by George H. Smith. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

We are thankful for another 5-star review on Apple Podcasts in the US. This one comes from DanDanknick:

“A new experience I enjoyed. Other than the Psalms I’ve never listened to anyone reading anything on a podcast. A new daily work commute made me try this and the short story The Measure of a Man really caught me. Thank you for providing this!”

Thank you, DanDan!! We’re glad you found us, and we hope we can make that daily commute a little more enjoyable.

And if you’d like to wear your support for The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, we’ve got some great new merchandise with a brand-new look. You can check it out at https://lostscifi.com/merch, or just click the link in the description.

Merch —> https://app.amazecommerce.com/shop/lost-sci-fi

Now, on to today’s story and an author who is making his debut on the podcast.

This is our first story from George H. Smith. We’ve featured George O. Smith five times on the podcast, but despite the very similar names, the two writers were not related.

George Henry Smith was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1922. I had never heard of him before discovering today’s story, which is one of the things I love about digging through old science fiction magazines. There are always authors waiting to be discovered.

Smith began publishing science fiction in the early 1950s and went on to write 15 novels and around 40 short stories during a career that stretched from 1953 to 1985.

Published in March 1954 in the fourth issue of Universe Science Fiction, a magazine that lasted for only 10 issues from 1953 to 1955, turn to page 118 for The Watchers by George H. Smith…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Don Hartley has stumbled upon an invention that could make him fabulously wealthy—and give anyone who controls it the power to watch anyone, anywhere. Before he cashes in, he must decide whether some discoveries are simply too dangerous to share. The Vidiot by Ib Melchior.

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A fugitive believes he has found a world willing to give him everything he has lost, including someone who seems made for him. But the closer paradise comes to matching his deepest desires, the harder it becomes for him to trust what stands before him. Killer by James E. Gunn. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Author James Edwin Gunn makes his debut on the podcast today. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1923, Gunn was a science fiction writer, editor, scholar, and anthologist whose remarkable career spanned decades.

Gunn wrote about 20 novels and more than 100 short stories. One of his novels, The Immortals, became the basis for the television series The Immortal, starring Christopher George. If you loved the show as much as I did, you might be interested to know that some episodes of The Immortal can be found on YouTube.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to science fiction, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named Gunn its 24th Grand Master in 2007. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2015.

Open the September 1953 issue of Rocket Stories to page 47 and you will find Killer by James E. Gunn…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A lone Watcher abandons the safety of his hidden post when a human survivor falls into enemy hands. Outnumbered and almost unarmed, he must turn a frozen alien moon into a weapon before the Rumi escape with their prisoner. The Watchers by George H. Smith

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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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Arthur Holly thinks he has found the surest bet in horse racing when a brilliant scientist discovers how to make an aging nag run like a champion. The scheme works beautifully, but every race leaves their fortune riding on one very fragile piece of technology. Replace the Horse by Laurence M. Janifer. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

I want to take a moment to make a promise to everyone who listens to The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Platforms come and go. Things change, sometimes for reasons beyond our control. The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast may not always be available everywhere it is today, but as long as I’m alive, I will keep narrating these amazing stories and find a way to get them to you.

When I started this podcast, I made a promise to myself: Start and never stop.

More than 600 episodes later, that promise means even more to me than it did then.

So wherever you listen today, and wherever you may listen tomorrow, know this: The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast isn’t going anywhere.

As long as I’m here, the stories will keep coming.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting the podcast. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to keep bringing these wonderful old stories back to life.

Laurence M. Janifer made his debut on the podcast almost three years ago with Curse of the Blue Man.

He was born Laurence Mark Harris in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, and much of his early work appeared under the name Laurence M. Harris. In 1963, thirty years after his birth, he adopted Janifer, the original surname of his Polish grandfather, and from that point forward his work was published under the name Laurence M. Janifer.

Over a career that spanned nearly half a century, Janifer wrote more than 60 short stories and numerous novels, publishing under his own name as well as several pseudonyms. His first published science-fiction story appears to have been “Expatriate,” published in Cosmos in 1953, when he was only 20.

Today’s tale was published in the January 1959 issue of Fantastic on page 75, Replace the Horse by Laurence M. Janifer…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A fugitive believes he has found a world willing to give him everything he has lost, including someone who seems made for him. But the closer paradise comes to matching his deepest desires, the harder it becomes for him to trust what stands before him. Killer by James E. Gunn.

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Deep in the Brazilian jungle, a terrified family has found a way to bargain with something no human being was meant to bargain with. When an American naturalist realizes who—or what—is demanding payment, he begins to understand how easily an army of tiny creatures could become something far more dangerous. Doomsday Deferred by Murray Leinster. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Murray Leinster is one of my favorite authors and this is the 12th story written by Leinster that we have featured on the podcast.

First published in The Saturday Evening Post, September 24, 1949, Doomsday Deferred by Murray Leinster…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Arthur Holly thinks he has found the surest bet in horse racing when a brilliant scientist discovers how to make an aging nag run like a champion. The scheme works beautifully, but every race leaves their fortune riding on one very fragile piece of technology. Replace the Horse by Laurence M. Janifer.

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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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