These are three imaginative SF stories by an author I admire a lot, William Tenn. Venus is a Man's World, (Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1951), Project Hush (Galaxy Science Fiction, 1954_ and Of All Possible Worlds. (Galaxy, Sept 1956) - Summary by phil chenevert
3 episodes
Sabotage accidentally takes Earth's first manned interplanetary expedition to the Moon, where a sublunar adventure ensues, involving two intelligent species and a good deal of fighting as well as romance. The perceptive reader will perceive the author's peculiar notions concerning the behavior of volcanos, an offense against scientific fact that is hard to pardon in a writer of science fiction, but if it can be overlooked, the variety of incident and the fast pace of the action, full of surprises, amply repay the reader's generous indulgence. (Summary by Thomas A. Copeland)
15 episodes
"El Anacronópete" es la primera obra en la que aparece una "máquina del tiempo" en la Historia de la Literatura, escrita en 1881 antes incluso que los textos de H.G Wells o Eugene Mouton. En esta peculiar máquina su creador: Don Sindulfo junto con su ayudante Benjamín y de la mano de otras alegres companías vivirán curiosas aventuras, viajando en el tiempo a la Granada de 1492, la Pompeya durante la erupción del Vesubio o la China del siglo III entre otros pintorescos lugares y momentos históricos. This is the very first book in the history of literature about a time machine, predating the famous book by H. G. Wells by 8 years. A very funny and hilarious science fiction novel. (Summary by Epachuko)
20 episodes
This story helped propel 19th Century gothic fiction in the direction of “cosmic” horror. In fact, H.P. Lovecraft lists it as among his greatest influences. It begins simply enough: with two friends stumbling upon a ruined and curious house while vacationing in a remote village. After reading the tattered journal of the old recluse who lived there, they are shocked to discover an interdimensional, reality-bending nightmare full of nearly-indescribable horrors that range from demons, to bestial (somewhat Lovecraftian) monsters, and devastating parasitic fungal diseases. - Summary by jvanstan
29 episodes
Science fiction is a genre encompassing imaginative works that take place in this world or that of the author’s creation where anything is possible. The only rules are those set forth by the author. The speculative nature of the genre inspires thought and plants seeds that have led to advances in science. The genre can spark an interest in the sciences and is cited as the impetus for the career choice of many scientists. It is a playing field to explore social perspectives, predictions of the future, and engage in adventures unbound into the richness of the human mind. - Summary by A. Gramour
22 episodes
A rip-roaring, pulpy and quirky space odyssey for your listening pleasure. Follow earth man Allen Green as his space ship fails and leaves him on a barbaric planet filled with other human descendants who have reverted to pre-technology existence. Naturally he is made a slave and must connive, plan, love and fight his way across 10,000 miles of danger to freedom. Full of strange beings, this planet highlights the amazing imagination of Philip Jose Farmer and his ability to make it scary and fun at the same time. Oh, and he has a wife who is his match in everything and even better in some so that is neat too. Amra will take second place to no one and adds another layer of tastiness to this great pulp novel.
27 episodes
Philip K. Dick wrote some great Science Fiction and here is an example. Published in 1953, in Space Science Fiction, t his story explores an earth that is rigidly bound both by centuries of single minded focus on war, and on what happens when humans have learned to depend entirely on a mechanical calculator/computer to tell them what to do. There is no room for a factor outside known factors, something to throw all calculations off. A man from the past. He fixed things—clocks, refrigerators, vidsenders and destinies. But he had no business in the future, where the calculators could not handle him. He was Earth’s only hope—and its sure failure! - Summary by author and phil chenevert
4 episodes
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom. The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. A young man known as Equality 7-2521 rebels by doing secret scientific research. When his activity is discovered, he flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism. - Summary by Wikipedia
12 episodes
Could you make a radio set? Don’t answer rashly. Don’t say that you have already built several. For note that we did not ask whether you could assemble a set from parts already manufactured by others, but rather whether you could build the entire set yourself—from the ground up. That means making every part you require, including the vacuum tubes, the acid in the batteries, the wires, the insulation.
If you think that you could do this, let us ask you one further question. Put yourself in the place of the hero of the following story, and imagine yourself stranded amid intelligent savages who have not progressed beyond the wood age. Under such circumstances, with nothing to guide you but your scientific memory, with no tools except those of your own creation, and with no materials save those furnished by nature, could you, though the lives and happiness of your dear ones depended upon it—could you make a radio set? —R. M. F., 1926. (Foreword)
27 episodes
They were broadcasts from nowhere--sinister emanations flooding in from
space--smashing any receiver that picked them up. What defense could
Earth devise against science such as this? - Summary by Book
6 episodes
Four nifty Science Fiction stories by the great C. M. Kornbluth. The Adventurer - The Altar at Midnight - With These Hands and The Marching Morons. All were first published in the 1950s - Summary by philc
4 episodes
Ancient living machines that after millennia of stillness suddenly begin to move under their own power, for reasons that remain a mystery to men. Holati Tate discovered them—then disappeared. Trigger Argee was his closest associate—she means to find him. She's brilliant, beautiful, and skilled in every known martial art. She's worth plenty—dead or alive—to more than one faction in this obscure battle. And she's beginning to have a chilling notion that the long-vanished Masters of the Old Galaxy were wise when they exiled the plasmoids to the most distant and isolated world they knew.... - Summary by Original text
29 episodes
A machine of blinking lights and smelling of ozone is entered into a Grand Master chess tournament. One of the first of those things called computers. Would it be shamed by human genius or would it out think these human prodigies through sheer calculating power? Well, the machine was not perfect. It could be tricked. It could make mistakes. And—it could learn! (summary by phil c and the publisher)
5 episodes
The planet was an enigma. Among the thousands of inhabitable planets that had been discovered and visited, Veridis alone seemed to defy the laws of planetary development and evolution. It was extremely young, barely 10 million years had passed since it was completely molten and yet now it was covered with life of all kinds; kinds that should have not had a chance to even begin to develop, much less reach their current stage. To investigate this anomaly among the stars, a team of experienced specialists was sent out to delve further into the mystery and if possible, solve it. Other than the obvious fields of planetology and geology, other specialties were included like paleontology and archaeology. The highly dangerous flora and fauna of the planet do not help at all. So, what is the cause? It lies deeper in the Green Planet than anyone thinks and is much more dangerous than they can ever imagine.
8 episodes
The colony on Venus is struggling to survive. All animal life on the planet, from the deadly Arrow Birds to the huge Rhinosaurs are deadly and out to kill any human they can get at. But Venus is home to an extremely valuable resource, the claws and teeth of the little 'bears' called Marva. One of the beautiful diamond hard claws is worth a million dollars. Hunters flock to the planet to find and kill these bears. This story is about the first boy born on Venus and his pet bouncing bear BaBa and their scary adventures and ultimate success in saving the colony ... and the bears! - Summary by philc
17 episodes
Science fiction from the 50s by one of the masters, Alfred Bester. Society has committed itself to complete stability. Nothing is allowed to upset this stability, nothing that is not planned and approved and accounted for in advance. Yes, this is hard to imagine but this has produced decades, nay, centuries of predictable prosperity and peace. Even the newspapers have very little to write about. One reporter however is curious about the "Prog" building, where pronouncements are issued every day just as Moses issued the commandments. Everyone is locked out of course but he wants to know more, he wants in by any means and the results of that obsession are more far reaching than anyone can imagine. What would happen if just a tiny push with a finger to a critical element is made at the very beginning of a process? A little nudge that sends it in a completely different direction? Hmmm? - Summary by philc
4 episodes
Science fiction is a genre encompassing imaginative works that take place in this world or that of the author’s creation where anything is possible. The only rules are those set forth by the author. The speculative nature of the genre inspires thought and plants seeds that have led to advances in science. The genre can spark an interest in the sciences and is cited as the impetus for the career choice of many scientists. It is a playing field to explore social perspectives, predictions of the future, and engage in adventures unbound into the richness of the human mind. Summary by Amy Gramour
20 episodes
A Lost Race novel set unusually in the eastern USA, where a civilization made up of descendants of early American pioneers has established an arcadian, monarchical Utopia supported by advanced Technology.
32 episodes
Our dystopian future is revealed by H.G.Wells. In this famous story, an unnamed scientist of the 1800s invents a machine to travel through time. Going into the far future he discovers the human race has evolved into two distinct branches that are horrifyingly interdependent. Society, being divided into the upper and lower classes as it was at the time this story was written, has caused this horrifying thing to happen. - Summary by phil chenevert
12 episodes
The Copper-Clad World: Blaine awakes to find himself deep inside Jupiter’s 5th moon Io.
Creatures of Vibration: Space vagabonds meet the vibration maddened people of Saturn’s satellite Titan.
Vulcan's Workshop Luke Fenton gets sentenced to 6 months hard labor at Vulcan’s workshop to mine radioactive ore. Fenton’s goal is to get revenge. The small plantoid Vulcan has 5 times earth's’ gravity and orbits between the Sun and Mercury.
Wanderer of Infinity: The Wanderer is an alien who is dedicated to saving worlds from inter-dimensional conquest. When earth is threatened by spider-like aliens the Wanderer enlists the help of a human to save the world. The Wanderer reminds one of our present-day Dr. Who. - Summary by kirk202
18 episodes
This short story published in 1957 is unusual for its time in that its protagonist is a female scientist, and there is no romantic subplot. Helped by some of her teammates on the Mars exploration crew, and hindered by others, she struggles to decipher the meanings of the artifacts left by an extinct alien species. What possible frame of reference can humans and the long-gone Martians have in common? The answer is very satisfying in this well told tale. - Summary by Trish E. Matson
5 episodes
Le célèbre inventeur américain Edison regrette de ne pas être né plus tôt: il aurait pu enregistrer avec les instruments qu’il a créés les sons et les images des personnes célèbres qui ont façonné l’histoire passée.
Pourquoi Edison a-t-il conçu une « andréide » ? Pourquoi a-t-il confié ce premier être artificiel à un lord anglais ?
La lecture du roman répondra à ces questions. Les femmes n’y sont pas présentées sous leur meilleur jour…mais les hommes qui ne savent pas résister à l’empire de leurs sens non plus ! - Summary by Isad
13 episodes
Flip Miller was a man about the universe, surviving one harrowing escapade after another and seeking for the lucky break that would make his fortune. Finally he had found in in a scrap of a map to a lost mine on Venus. Only he was foolish enough to search it out in the steaming jungle of that mud covered planet. But it was true and unbelievable riches were soon to be his. Well, as soon as he could get a ride out of the mud island where his plane had broken down. The one thing he was never afraid of in all his adventures were women. Were there women on this planet that might just might not fall for his rugged looks and boundless self confidence. Of course not. Captain Vixen, the princess of Venus may just be a type of woman he hasn't met before and one worthy of his mettle. If he loses this battle of the sexes, then of course he will die. Will he teach even this fierce wild woman what if feels like to be a true woman in the arms of a strong man? Listen and find out. ( philc)
2 episodes
Lord Greystoke, Tarzan of the Apes, is embroiled in thrilling adventures among the tiny, warlike Minunians. (Summary by Matthew Reece)
22 episodes
A rip-snorting, 1940s science fiction adventure from the pen of Manly Wade Wellman. What chance had the castaway Earthman and his crossbow-weaponed Amazons against the mighty Frogmasters of the Veiled Planet? Hmmm? What chance indeed? From his broad shoulders, rippling muscles fighting spirit and keen intelligence, our hero finds a way to victory and perhaps even love. Listen and enjoy. - Summary by Phil Chenevert
4 episodes
Science fiction is a genre encompassing imaginative works that take place in this world or that of the author’s creation where anything is possible. The only rules are those set forth by the author. The speculative nature of the genre inspires thought and plants seeds that have led to advances in science. The genre can spark an interest in the sciences and is cited as the impetus for the career choice of many scientists. It is a playing field to explore social perspectives, predictions of the future, and engage in adventures unbound into the richness of the human mind. - Summary by A. Gramour
20 episodes
Un jeune homme revient de l’étranger, ses affaires n’ayant pas eu le succès escompté. Il va rendre visite à son oncle, chirurgien réputé pour ses greffes, qui s’est retiré dans son château des Ardennes. Devant son accueil peu chaleureux, il serait reparti sans la présence d’une charmante jeune femme dont il tombe amoureux.
Il va donc s’ingénier à découvrir les secrets cachés dans le laboratoire où cet homme officie avec 3 aides allemands. Qu’est-il arrivé aux deux autres collaborateurs présents au début du projet ? Quelle est donc cette invention qui doit rapporter des millions ? - Summary by Isad
17 episodes
A gem of nineteenth-century science fiction from mountaineer, philosopher and occasional novelist, Edward Douglas Fawcett. Stanley, a wealthy young socialist, is firmly opposed to revolution. But he finds himself on board the Attila, a coal-fired aeronef invented by the notorious anarchist Rudolph Hartmann, embroiled in a plot to bombard London from the air. Hartmann the Anarchist was republished, in part, in 1971 in the final issue of Forgotten Fantasy magazine, a forerunner to the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy book series.
16 episodes
They had been captured, but by whom? And why where they allowed to build anything they wanted to escape? The space cruiser was powerful and built to fight anything in the galaxy, but somehow, in the empty rift between galaxies, they had been rendered helpless and brought to this prison. Even stranger was that their captors had not harmed any of them at all, used no weapons and allowed them to use all equipment brought from their ship inside the prison. And did not utter a sound. Stranger and stranger. Where were they, and how could they escape? And where could they go if they did? Follow these space men as they match wits with an utterly unknown life form ... and win. This story was first published in Astounding Science-Fiction September 1943. - Summary by phil chenevert
7 episodes
Bruce Ross, on the Earth-Moon run, asked a simple question, "How are the stars behaving, Harry?" But Harrell Moore could only stare
at him in horror. For the stars had run amok—cosmic engines of destruction in the hands of the twisted genius of the Moon! A rip-snortin space shoot-em-up from 1939 with space ships, an evil genius who follows his horoscope and plans to rule everyone, ray guns, death beams (both red and green) and a diaphanously clad beautiful moon princesses in love with the hero. - Summary by the author and phil chenevert
2 episodes
Science fiction is a genre encompassing imaginative works that take place in this world or that of the author’s creation where anything is possible. The only rules are those set forth by the author. The speculative nature of the genre inspires thought and plants seeds that have led to advances in science. The genre can spark an interest in the sciences and is cited as the impetus for the career choice of many scientists. It is a playing field to explore social perspectives, predictions of the future, and engage in adventures unbound into the richness of the human mind. - Summary by A. Gramour
20 episodes
The French Foreign legion has been exported to Space as the Space foreign legion. They are fighting now on Jupiter and the natives, led by their Dragon Queen, are winning. Earth and Mars need places for people to live and grow food but Jupiter may be too hard a nut to crack. Will the Legion be able to hold off the hordes Beetle Bombs and venomous snakes until a relief column arrives? Or will they die in horrible pain like most of them already have? And then the Dragon Queen uses the ultimate weapon, a parasite that stops them from drinking any water. - Summary by phil chenevert
2 episodes
The importance of a matter is almost entirely a matter of your attitude. And whether you call something "a riot" or "a war" ... well, there is a difference, but what is it? Someone steals a space ship? The local police know how to handle that. A broken down freighter in a far distant solar system? That's their normal job too. A bunch of idiots want to start a war? Just another days' work for the boys in blue. The twisted mind of Murray Leinster takes on an Earth empire of thousands of planets and that has moved beyond armies or navies. No need for 'em any more when you have an experienced police force, eh? They've seen it all and everything is routine to the guys and gals of the Empire Police. - Summary by Phil Chenevert
4 episodes
Discover the betrayal, murder, fortunes made and lost by miners in Mars's asteroid belt. - Summary by kirk202
15 episodes
