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

A desperate rescue on the Moon forces five construction workers to trust an impossible plan that has never been tested outside a laboratory. Every passing second drains away their remaining air, and one man must decide how much of his own chance to live he is willing to surrender. Pass The Oxygen by Frank Bryning. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1907, Francis Bertram Bryning makes his first appearance on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast today. He published 19 science fiction stories during the 1950s before stepping away from publishing, then surprised readers by returning decades later with another ten stories published across the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.

Peel back the pages of Fantastic Universe in June 1955  and find page 86, Pass The Oxygen by Frank Bryning…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A drifting graveyard of ruined ships becomes a desperate hunting ground when a stranded couple realizes their only hope lies inside vessels no one ever escaped. Every airlock hides another dead crew, and somewhere in the silent wreckage something is still alive. The Graveyard of Space by Milton Lesser.

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A washed-up Galaxy Patrol lieutenant hits a jungle world expecting a quick recovery—then learns the kidnapper has turned the crash into a crown. To get the Earthgirl home, he’ll need a move the natives won’t forgive and a choice he may not survive. Castaways Of Space by Robert Silverberg. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Robert Silverberg is one of our absolute favorites here on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. I’m not even sure how many of his stories we’ve featured so far, but it’s probably getting close to twenty. The really exciting part is that we’ve identified more than fifty Robert Silverberg stories that are now in the public domain. That means there are plenty more adventures waiting for us, and we won’t be running out of Silverberg stories anytime soon.

The October 1958 issue of Super-Science Fiction featured three stories by Robert Silverberg, although you wouldn’t know it just by looking at the bylines. Two of those stories even made the cover. The Fight with the Gorgon appeared under Silverberg’s own name, while The Untouchables was credited to Calvin M. Knox. And today’s story, Castaways Of Space, was published under yet another Silverberg pseudonym, Dan Malcolm. Of course, we know who really wrote all three. Let’s turn to page 76, Castaways Of Space by Robert Silverberg…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A desperate rescue on the Moon forces five construction workers to trust an impossible plan that has never been tested outside a laboratory. Every passing second drains away their remaining air, and one man must decide how much of his own chance to live he is willing to surrender. Pass The Oxygen by Frank Bryning.

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Nine astronauts trapped on Europa find comfort in an alien who can become anyone they long to see. Their only chance of returning home may require deceiving a creature that can read every thought they try to hide. Lorelei by Charles V. De Vet. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Another day and another author new to the podcast. Charles Vincent De Vet was born in 1911 in Fayette Michigan, a town that had almost disappeared by then, but had once been a bustling iron smelting town. It would later become a ghost town and in 1959 the State of Michigan bought the townsite and surrounding land and made it a state park.

Charles V. De Vet enjoyed a productive run in the 1950s and 1960s, publishing 35 science fiction short stories. He stepped away from the genre for nearly a decade. He eventually returned, adding nine more stories during the 1970s and 1980s.

Charles V. De Vet, asks an unsettling question: what if the perfect companion wasn’t human—but could become the one person you longed to see most? Let’s turn to page 97 in the September 1961 issue of If, Worlds of Science Fiction for, Lorelei by Charles V. De Vet…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A washed-up Galaxy Patrol lieutenant hits a jungle world expecting a quick recovery—then learns the kidnapper has turned the crash into a crown. To get the Earthgirl home, he’ll need a move the natives won’t forgive and a choice he may not survive. Castaways Of Space by Robert Silverberg.

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A boastful hunter claims he chased the last living mammoth through a hidden northern valley until only one of them could endure. His proof sounds impossible, but the boots on his feet make disbelief far less comfortable. The Angry Mammoth by Jack London. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

We are thankful for another 5 star rating and review. This from Captain Redeyer on Apple Podcasts in Ireland.  “An absolute Gem! This is an amazing collection of sci-fi stories, excellently read, and delivered with gusto. Totally recommend for sci-fi fans.

Thank you Captain!! We appreciate you. If you haven’t left us a review no matter where you listen to the podcast we would appreciate it if you would.

The first four Jack London stories we released on the podcast weren’t representative of the stories most people associate with him. The Angry Mammoth is a different experience altogether—an exuberant wilderness adventure filled with impossible claims, towering beasts, and Jack London’s unmistakable storytelling.

The Angry Mammoth was first published in 1901 and shows a playful side of Jack London that listeners may not expect. London uses the frozen North, where he set many of his best-known stories, as the backdrop for an outrageous campfire tale supported by one very curious piece of evidence.

From Collier's Weekly, January 12th, 1901, and originally titled, A Relic of the Pliocene, published on page 17, republished in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in May 1959 as The Angry Mammoth by Jack London…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Nine astronauts trapped on Europa find comfort in an alien who can become anyone they long to see. Their only chance of returning home may require deceiving a creature that can read every thought they try to hide. Lorelei by Charles V. De Vet.

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A veteran Coast Guard captain witnesses an impossible rescue at sea, then finds himself chasing an explanation no naval report could ever record. As another convoy battles through the North Atlantic, he must decide whether to trust what every sailor knows cannot exist. Heroes Die Hard by Leroy Yerxa. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

Today’s story has one of the most unusual publishing histories we’ve ever featured. Heroes Die Hard first appeared in the December 1943 issue of Fantastic Adventures magazine—but if you looked at the byline, you wouldn’t have seen Leroy Yerxa. Instead, the story was credited to Henry Gade, one of several pseudonyms used by Yerxa during his remarkably productive career.

Here’s the incredible part. That December 1943 issue contained ten stories… and every single one of them was written by Leroy Yerxa. Some carried his real name, while others appeared under pen names, but the entire issue came from one writer. In all the years we’ve been exploring vintage science fiction, we’ve never come across another magazine issue quite like it.

Yerxa was one of the most prolific contributors to the Ziff-Davis magazines. His first published story, “Death Rides at Night,” appeared in the August 1942 issue of Amazing Stories when he was just twenty-seven years old. Over the next four years, before his tragic death in 1946 at only thirty years of age, he sold more than seventy stories to Amazing Stories and Fantastic Adventures, many of them under assumed names.

From that December 1943 issue of Fantastic Adventures magazine, written by one man, on page 128, Heroes Die Hard by Leroy Yerxa…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A boastful hunter claims he chased the last living mammoth through a hidden northern valley until only one of them could endure. His proof sounds impossible, but the boots on his feet make disbelief far less comfortable. The Angry Mammoth by Jack London.

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