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

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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Adam Jenkins walked away from the world’s most dangerous research project because he became convinced there was something far more important waiting to be built. When his closest friend arrives determined to change his mind, the conversation leads to an unexpected choice that could alter both of their futures. The Cave Where I Am Hiding by Robert Moore Williams. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

This is the fourth time author Robert Moore Williams has been on the podcast in the last ten months and there will me more. There was The Incredible Slingshot Bombs followed by Thompson’s Cat and most recently The Next Time We Die.

Today’s story asks a question that must have seemed almost impossible when it first appeared in 1951. At the height of the Cold War and the race to build the hydrogen bomb, Robert Moore Williams imagined what might happen if the world’s greatest physicist simply refused to keep making bigger weapons.

Williams had already written more than 100 short stories when this one hit the stands in the October 1951 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. We will find it on page 89, The Cave Where I Am Hiding by Robert Moore Williams…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, 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.

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Two alien swindlers believe they have found the perfect disguise, the perfect victim, and an easy path to unimaginable wealth. Their carefully staged bargain soon becomes a contest to discover who is truly being fooled. The Red Hot Deal by Joseph Farrell. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.

We love hearing from you, yesterday we received this message on Facebook from Stephanie Laugesen, “My brother recently got me hooked on your podcast and I am absolutely loving listening to the stories.  I've started from the beginning of the series, and there have been a few that got me laughing and some with endings I didn't expect. I'm 100% hooked!”

Thanks Stephanie, I am so happy your brother Kevin told you about us, and thank you Kevin! So many of you have discovered our podcast thanks to recommendations from friends and family. Know somebody who loves sci-fi? Please tell them about us!

On our last episode we introduced you to author Joseph Farrell. He’s back today with another story. This one from Fantastic Universe magazine in September 1959 on page 111, The Red Hot Deal by Joseph Farrell…

Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, Adam Jenkins walked away from the world’s most dangerous research project because he became convinced there was something far more important waiting to be built. When his closest friend arrives determined to change his mind, the conversation leads to an unexpected choice that could alter both of their futures. The Cave Where I Am Hiding by Robert Moore Williams.

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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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