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

In a future that has perfected compassion, one man discovers that kindness can be its own kind of cruelty. When humanity finally reaches for the stars again, the greatest test is not technology, but who is deemed worthy to dream. The Age of Kindness by Arthur Sellings. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

One of the questions we hear most is how we decide which stories make it onto the podcast. The answer isn’t a single rule, but a mix of considerations—one of the most important being uniqueness. Is the author someone we’ve never featured before? Does the story take an unexpected turn, explore an unusual idea, or approach familiar science-fiction territory in a way that feels fresh?

Today’s story is all of that. Arthur Sellings makes his debut on the podcast. Sellings was the pen name of English author Arthur Gordon Ley, born in 1921 in Tunbridge Wells England.

Before becoming a professional writer, Ley worked as a scientific researcher for the British government, and he also dealt in books and art, interests that influenced his fiction.

Sellings wrote dozens of short stories that appeared, mostly in the 1950s, in major science fiction magazines, Galaxy Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nebula Science Fiction and New Worlds. Today’s story is from the November 1954 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction and we will find it on page 124, The Age of Kindness by Arthur Sellings…

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Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, What if time itself could be paused—bought, sold, and exploited by anyone with enough money and nerve? Zeritsky’s Law explores the terrifying social consequences when human lives become inventory and the future becomes a loophole. Zeritsky’s Law by Ann Griffith.

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A lone envoy risks everything to stop a quiet expansion that could ignite a catastrophic war. When fear replaces curiosity, survival depends on whether understanding can arrive before annihilation. Peacemaker by Alan E. Nourse. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

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Today’s episode marks the sixth appearance of Alan E. Nourse on the podcast. Two longtime favorites, The Fifty-Fourth of July and Derelict, also come from Nourse, whose work consistently blends sharp ideas with human stakes. Our story first appeared on page 52 of the February 1953 issue of Science Fiction Adventures, Peacemaker by Alan E. Nourse…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, In a future that has perfected compassion, one man discovers that kindness can be its own kind of cruelty. When humanity finally reaches for the stars again, the greatest test is not technology, but who is deemed worthy to dream. The Age of Kindness by Arthur Sellings.

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A man becomes convinced that time itself is counting him down, and every decision suddenly feels fatal. When certainty collides with control, survival may depend on breaking the patterns that once defined a life. The Big Tick by Ross Rocklynne. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Ross Rocklynne wrote one of my all-time favorite “wait…how has no one told me about this?” stories, Chicken Farm. Today he drops back into the podcast with another gem, originally unleashed in the very first issue of Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine in September 1953. The magazine survived exactly three more issues before doing the most on-brand thing possible—disappearing into the cosmos and never coming back.

From the debut issue of Cosmos on page 121, The Big Tick by Ross Rocklynne…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A lone envoy risks everything to stop a quiet expansion that could ignite a catastrophic war. When fear replaces curiosity, survival depends on whether understanding can arrive before annihilation. Peacemaker by Alan E. Nourse.

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A routine exploration turns into a test of leadership when unseen danger begins claiming lives without warning. What follows is a tense struggle to understand an invisible enemy before irreversible choices must be made. Thompson’s Cat by Robert Moore Williams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Robert Moore Williams is another one of those authors that never received a lot of recognition for his writing, never won any awards that I could find but I love his writing. And the man did a lot of it!

More than 20 novels and about 150 short stories, that’s more than most science fiction authors. More than a few of his stories are in the public domain so we haven’t heard the last of Robert Moore Williams on the podcast.

Like many good vintage sci-fi stories this one appeared in several publications but it’s first time in print was the September 1952 issue of Planet Stories Magazine, on page 70. By the way, that same issue included The Gun by Philip K. Dick. Enjoy Thompson’s Cat by Robert Moore Williams…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A man becomes convinced that time itself is counting him down, and every decision suddenly feels fatal. When certainty collides with control, survival may depend on breaking the patterns that once defined a life. The Big Tick by Ross Rocklynne.

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What if the people who feel out of place aren’t broken — but simply living in the wrong world? One man’s brilliant solution promises escape, fulfillment, and happiness… until the cost of paradise becomes impossible to ignore. The Worlds of Joe Shannon by Frank M. Robinson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

There’s a lot happening in the Lost Sci-Fi Universe. We’ll release Episode #500 on our fourth anniversary, February 24th—and to get there, we’re dropping almost an episode a day over the next 24 days.

We’re going live again on Thursday, February 5th at 8 PM Eastern, and a new edition of our free weekly newsletter will arrive within the next 48 hours. Check the links in the description so you don’t miss a thing.

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Frank M. Robinson is one of those writers whose impact on the Golden Age of science fiction is often overlooked, and this story is a perfect example of why he deserves more recognition. First published in IF Worlds of Science Fiction in March 1954 on page 89, The Worlds of Joe Shannon by Frank M. Robinson…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A routine exploration turns into a test of leadership when unseen danger begins claiming lives without warning. What follows is a tense struggle to understand an invisible enemy before irreversible choices must be made. Thompson’s Cat by Robert Moore Williams.

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