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

A strange malfunction in a revolutionary vending machine leaves two worlds trading useless objects while baffled scientists race to understand the impossible connection. As the exchanges grow more deliberate, one risky decision could turn a commercial gimmick into the first bridge between planets. The Cosmic Jackpot by George O. Smith. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Most sci-fi fans don’t remember George O. Smith, but maybe they should. He wrote 70 short stories and 9 science fiction novels from 1942 to 1976. This is the 5th time Mr. Smith has been on the podcast, and with most of his work in the public domain we will hear from him again.

From Thrilling Wonder Stories in October 1948 on page 109, The Cosmic Jackpot by George O. Smith…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A brilliant mind builds more than one legacy, but the most obedient creation can still reach a breaking point. In a quiet house above Boston, one witness must decide whether he is facing a mad servant, a failed machine, or something far worse. I, Gardener by Allen K. Lang.

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A lone Briton fleeing murderous outlaws stumbles into a hidden world beneath the forests of ancient Britain, where an older people still remember every stolen homeland and every dead king. One act of mercy may be the only thing standing between Cororuc and a vengeance that has burned in darkness for centuries. The Lost Race by Robert E. Howard. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Let’s peel back the pages of time 99 and a half years as we travel back to ancient Britain with a story written years before Conan the Barbarian first appeared in print. Robert E. Howard’s The Lost Race blends brutal adventure, hidden civilizations, and eerie folklore into one unforgettable journey beneath the forests of Cornwall.

From the January 1927 Weird Tales magazine on page 74, The Lost Race by Robert E. Howard…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A strange malfunction in a revolutionary vending machine leaves two worlds trading useless objects while baffled scientists race to understand the impossible connection. As the exchanges grow more deliberate, one risky decision could turn a commercial gimmick into the first bridge between planets. The Cosmic Jackpot by George O. Smith.

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Sylvia finally finds a way to escape the life she believes is holding her back, but freedom proves far stranger than she imagined. As she drifts farther from the people who love her, she faces a frightening question: what if the life she abandoned no longer wants her back? The Good Life by John R. Pierce. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

What is the guy who invented the term transistor doing on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast? Well it turns out that John Robinson Pierce who was born in 1910 in Des Moines Iowa wasn’t just a brainiac electrical engineer.

He graduated from CalTech, worked at Bell Labs, came up with the term transistor and according to the National Inventors Hall of Fame Pierce invented the first communications satellite. He was granted over 90 patents, and was awarded the Edison Medal, and the National Medal of Science.

And he was a science fiction author in his spare time with 19 stories to his credit from 1930 to 1973.

Four of those stories were published under the pen name J. J. Coupling as was today’s story which can be found on page 59 in the February 1952 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Good Life by John R. Pierce…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A lone Briton fleeing murderous outlaws stumbles into a hidden world beneath the forests of ancient Britain, where an older people still remember every stolen homeland and every dead king. One act of mercy may be the only thing standing between Cororuc and a vengeance that has burned in darkness for centuries. The Lost Race by Robert E. Howard.

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A desperate performer signs with a miracle agent who promises work, food, and a paying audience beyond anything Broadway can offer. But once the contract is signed, Mike Hennesy learns that show business has just opened on a much larger stage. The Agent by Stephen Marlowe. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Stephen Marlowe returns to the podcast, and if the name doesn’t sound familiar, you’ve already heard his work here under several others. He previously appeared as Milton Lesser, Darius John Granger, and C. H. Thames.

Our story first appeared on page 94 of the April 1953 Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader, the second and last issue to bear that title. Here’s “The Agent” by Stephen Marlowe…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Sylvia finally finds a way to escape the life she believes is holding her back, but freedom proves far stranger than she imagined. As she drifts farther from the people who love her, she faces a frightening question: what if the life she abandoned no longer wants her back? The Good Life by John R. Pierce.

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A company offers a service so extraordinary that every satisfied customer forgets ever hiring them, leaving behind only impossible evidence and an unpaid question that refuses to disappear. When Steve Stevens demands an explanation, he uncovers a business built on a scientific breakthrough that could rewrite every relationship he has ever known. Alternatives Inc. by Mack Reynolds. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Mack Reynolds is back on the podcast for what will be his sixth story. One of my favorites by Reynolds is The Martians and the Coys which was episode 9.

Published in the May 1958 issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories on page 21, Alternatives Inc. by Mack Reynolds…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A desperate performer signs with a miracle agent who promises work, food, and a paying audience beyond anything Broadway can offer. But once the contract is signed, Mike Hennesy learns that show business has just opened on a much larger stage. The Agent by Stephen Marlowe.

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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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$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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