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

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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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. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

There are lots of ways to support The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, and no matter how you choose to support us, we truly appreciate it. One of those ways is by buying us a coffee.

A huge thank you to Tina Godby for buying us 3 coffees! Tina says, “I cannot get enough of this show. The stories are so interesting, your delivery is so relaxing, and looking back at old sci-fi ideas is a blast!”

Thank you, Tina! We appreciate the coffees and the kind words!

If you’d like to buy us a coffee there is a link in the description.

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is getting a new look! You may have already noticed our brand-new podcast artwork, or you’ll be seeing it soon. Same great vintage science fiction stories, just a fresh new look. We hope you like it!

Blood Lands first appeared in the very first issue of Dynamic Science Fiction in December 1952. Its author, Alfred Coppel, began publishing science fiction in 1947.

Today’s story takes us to Kana, a human colony abandoned for five centuries. When men from the stars finally return, they discover the colonists have no intention of leaving—and something very strange has happened to their world.

Blood Lands by Alfred Coppel…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, 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.

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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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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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$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 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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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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$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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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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Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee

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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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