The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast &#8211; Vintage Sci-Fi Short Stories

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Thompson's Cat by Robert Moore Williams Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

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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The Worlds of Joe Shannon by Frank M. Robinson Feb 01, 2026

Show notes

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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Some Like It Cold by Dave Dryfoos Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Across unimaginable scales of time and space, a young explorer risks everything to prove that intelligence can bloom in the most unlikely conditions. When his search for reason turns into an accusation of harm, the fate of two civilizations hangs on what it truly means to be rational. Some Like it Cold by Dave Dryfoos. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Dave Dryfoos has never been on the podcast, but I enjoyed narrating this story and this won’t be the last time we hear from him. He was born in San Francisco in 1915. He was in the United States Army during World War II, serving in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines.

He wrote about 20 short stories that were published between 1950 and 1955 and then his literary work came to an end. He retired as assistant hospital administrator at Camarillo State Psychiatric Hospital in California in 1980.

If you walked up to a newsstand in November 1952 with a quarter in your pocket you could’ve purchased the most recent issue of Startling Stories magazine. And if you peeled back the pages you would find an intriguing tale of a spacefarer stumbling upon, well I don’t want to give it away. Find out for yourself on page 108, Some Like it Cold by Dave Dryfoos…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, 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.

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Time Trap by Frank Belknap Long Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

A lone explorer confronts a force that fractures identity, memory, and destiny itself. In a place where time refuses to behave, survival depends on facing what you were, what you are, and what you may yet become. Time Trap by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Discovered another 5 star rating and review today on Audible from Laura Van Wormer. “Scott Miller's narration of old science fiction short stories is just wonderful. Of course, so is the material! Everyone from Ray Bradbury to HG Wells to Lovecraft to Asimov to Jack London and on and on... But there are also the one-timer sci-fi short-story writers that are relatively unknown and Miller provides a little background on them all. Extremely well done. Bravo, Scott Miller!”

Thank you for that awesome review Laura. We don’t care where you listen, we’re just glad you're here and if you want to give give us a 5 star review, if you think we deserve it, we would appreciate it.

This is a different kind of time travel story. Frank Belknap Long, a master of weird fiction, explores what happens when time itself turns predatory. Let’s do a little time traveling of our own, to the Winter 1948 issue of Planet Stories magazine and discover this eerie tale on page 109, Time Trap by Frank Belknap Long…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Across unimaginable scales of time and space, a young explorer risks everything to prove that intelligence can bloom in the most unlikely conditions. When his search for reason turns into an accusation of harm, the fate of two civilizations hangs on what it truly means to be rational.

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The Invader by Alfred Coppel Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

An intelligence from beyond Earth arrives convinced it has found salvation for its dying race. What follows is a terrifying collision between certainty and misunderstanding, where survival depends on knowing what it truly means to belong. The Invader by Alfred Coppel. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Today’s story is the seventh for author Alfred Coppel on our podcast and it is a quiet classic that proves invasion doesn’t always arrive with explosions. Published in the February 1953 Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy on page 132, The Invader by Alfred Coppel…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A lone explorer confronts a force that fractures identity, memory, and destiny itself. In a place where time refuses to behave, survival depends on facing what you were, what you are, and what you may yet become. Time Trap by Frank Belknap Long.

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Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

When technology enters politics, human instincts collide with inhuman logic. What begins as a clever shortcut toward power escalates into a reckoning no backroom deal can control. Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

More 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts, this from JCMargerison on Apple Podcasts US. “Best of all Worlds. No Sci-Fi podcast content or context compares to LSF (Lost Sci-Fi) and no one does it like Scott Miller. He doesn’t just read the stories. He tells them.”

Thanks JC! Your reviews make a difference and we would love it if you would you give us 5 stars and a glowing review, if you think we deserve it, wherever you listen.

Clyde Hostetter makes his debut on the podcast with one of just two stories he published during the golden age of science fiction. His first appeared in 1958, and today’s selection comes from the February 1960 issue of Future Science Fiction, page 110, Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, An intelligence from beyond Earth arrives convinced it has found salvation for its dying race. What follows is a terrifying collision between certainty and misunderstanding, where survival depends on knowing what it truly means to belong. The Invader by Alfred Coppel.

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Keepers of the House by Lester Del Rey Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Drawn by a summons he does not understand, a solitary wanderer follows an old path back into forgotten places. What he finds there tests instinct, loyalty, and the cost of survival in a world shaped by human science. Keepers of the House by Lester del Rey. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

We’re often asked why we narrate the stories we do. With today’s selection, the answer is simple: it’s different, it breaks the mold and reminds us why we love narrating these vintage sci-fi stories.

Published in the January 1956 issue of Fantastic Universe on page 82, Keepers of the House by Lester del Rey…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, When technology enters politics, human instincts collide with inhuman logic. What begins as a clever shortcut toward power escalates into a reckoning no backroom deal can control. Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter.

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We're Off to Mars! by Joe Gibson Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

A mysterious delivery brings Joe Linger a device that can reshape reality itself — and suddenly the universe feels wide open. But with limitless power comes danger, curiosity, and a decision that will change his place in the cosmos forever. We’re Off to Mars! by Joe Gibson. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Joe Gibson, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1924, was a lifelong science fiction enthusiast who also worked as an illustrator, with his artwork appearing only in fanzines. Between 1948 and 1961, Gibson published roughly a dozen short stories, contributing quietly but steadily to the genre he loved. Today’s story was originally published in the September 1951 issue of Imagination, appearing on page 126 under the byline Carlton Furth, We’re Off to Mars! by Joe Gibson…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Drawn by a summons he does not understand, a solitary wanderer follows an old path back into forgotten places. What he finds there tests instinct, loyalty, and the cost of survival in a world shaped by human science. Keepers of the House by Lester del Rey.

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Last Resort by Stephen Bartholomew Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Far from help and beyond certainty, a returning astronaut confronts a problem that logic cannot solve. Survival depends on a forbidden experiment that could unlock impossible insight—or erase him completely. Last Resort by Stephen Bartholomew. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Whether you’ve been listening since day one or you’re just joining us now, we want to sincerely thank you for being part of The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. In one short month, we’ll reach our 4th Anniversary, a milestone that still feels unreal, and we’ve set our sights on something extraordinary: Episode 500 on February 24, 2026, exactly four years after our very first episode went live.

Reaching that moment means pushing harder than ever, releasing nearly an episode every day over the next month, driven by a deep love for forgotten and underrated vintage science fiction—and by the listeners who made this journey possible. This milestone isn’t just ours; it belongs to everyone who pressed play, shared an episode, gave us a 5 star rating and review and kept these stories alive. Thank you!

An astronaut alone between Mars and Earth discovers a problem no computer can solve. Whether he makes it back to earth depends on him or does it? The publication Analog Science Fact - Science Fiction, the date April 1963 the page where it begins, 36, Last Resort by Stephen Bartholomew…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A mysterious delivery brings Joe Linger a device that can reshape reality itself — and suddenly the universe feels wide open. But with limitless power comes danger, curiosity, and a decision that will change his place in the cosmos forever. We’re Off to Mars! by Joe Gibson

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