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by Paul Lawley-Jones
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- Yesterday27 min
Compassion Circuit, by John Wyndham
It’s comforting to hear a robot say: “I’ll take care of you!” But it can be terrifying, too. Today's story is "Compassion Circuit", by John Wyndham. It appeared in the December 1954 issue of "Fantastic Universe" on pages 90 to 98.Regular readers of classic science fiction may notice the resemblance of the Compassion Circuit to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics which were first introduced in his 1942 story "Runaround".-----John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes.Some of his works were set in post-apocalyptic landscapes. His best known works include The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Midwich Cuckoos (1957).Wyndham participated in the Normandy landings, landing a few days after D-Day. He was attached to XXX Corps, which took part in some of the heaviest fighting, including surrounding the trapped German army in the Falaise Pocket.On 24 May 2015, an alley in the London Borough of Hampstead that appears in The Day of the Triffids was formally named Triffid Alley as a memorial to him.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- 1 weeks ago30 min
The Mordant, by Merab Eberle
There are several mechanical means, like the movie films and phonograph records, to preserve youthful charms or a gorgeous voice or expressions of brilliant minds, but there is no growth, or even variation. What if some scientist should discover the secret of indefinite prolongation of life and a young body? Off-hand such a discovery would seem to be a boon to humanity. But is it?Today's story is "The Mordant", by Merab Eberle. It appeared in the March 1930 issue of "Amazing Stories" on pages 1,181 to 1,185.-----Merab Shipley Eberle (February 2, 1891, Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. – October 31, 1959, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.) was an American journalist and a writer in several genres, including science fiction and children's plays.She was a member of the Dayton Women's Club and the Ohio Newspaper Women's Association. From 1930 to 1959, she was a reporter, arts editor and book reviewer for The Dayton Journal Herald.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- 2 weeks ago1h 0m
The Fate of the Poseidonia, by Clare Winger Harris
George Gregory took an instant dislike to the man Martell. He could not put his finger on why exactly, but when the woman George was in love with started to associate with the man, he had to find out what the attraction was. His investigation turned up something far more sinister, however.Today's story is "The Fate of the Poseidonia" by Clare Winger Harris. It appeared in the June 1927 issue of "Amazing Stories" on pages 245 to 252 and 267."The Fate of the Poseidonia" took the third prize of $100 in the $500 Cover Prize Contest, in which contestants were to write a story of not more than 10,000 words based on the cover picture of the December 1926 issue. -----Clare Winger Harris (January 18, 1891, Freeport, Illinois – October 26, 1968, Pasadena, California) was a pioneering science fiction writer whose short stories were published during the 1920s. She is credited as the first woman to publish stories under her own name in science fiction magazines. Her stories often featured strong female characters.Harris began publishing stories in 1926 and soon became popular with readers, with most of her fiction appearing in the influential magazine Amazing Stories. She published a total of twelve stories, all but one of which were collected in 1947 as “Away From the Here and Now”; a full collection was not published until 2019 when “The Artificial Man and Other Stories” appeared.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- 3 weeks ago38 min
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, by Agatha Christie
It was entirely unlike Poirot to be taken in by superstition and tales of the supernatural. Perhaps it was the heat of the Egyptian desert or the incessant sand. Would Poirot's little grey cells still be able to unravel this mystery?Today's story is "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb" by Agatha Christie. It appeared in the book "Poirot Investigates" published by The Bodley Head Limited in 1921 on pages 92 to 109.-----Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952.A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction," Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery." She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- 4 weeks ago48 min
Death Sentence, by Isaac Asimov
Our psychologists of today have set up colonies of monkeys and other animals as experiments. On a larger scale, with larger means, a greater experiment could be undertaken — Today's story is "Death Sentence" by Isaac Asimov. It appeared in the June 1944 United Kingdom issue of "Astounding Science Fiction" on pages 55 to 63.-----Isaac Asimov (c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. A prolific writer, he wrote or edited more than 500 books. He also wrote an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Best known for his hard science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as popular science and other non-fiction.Asimov's most famous work is the "Foundation" series, the first three books of which won the one-time Hugo Award for "Best All-Time Series" in 1966. His other major series are the "Galactic Empire" series and the "Robot" series. He also wrote more than 380 short stories, including the social science fiction novelette "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted the best short science fiction story of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Apr 13, 202612 min
Memorium, by Basil Wells
Did you ever wonder what would happen if the thoughts of every man, woman and child on Earth were set down in black and white for future historians to read? Could you endure having all of your thoughts laid bare, from the cradle to the grave?Today's story is "Memorium," by Basil Wells. It appeared in the March 1956 issue of "Fantastic Universe" on pages 105 to 109.-----Basil Eugene Wells (June 11, 1912, Springboro, Pennsylvania, US – December 23, 2003) was an American writer. His first published story, "Rebirth of Man" appeared in the magazine Super Science Stories in 1940. He wrote science fiction, fantasy western and detective stories for various magazines sometimes under the name Gene Ellerman. Two collections of his stories, Planets of Adventure and Doorways to Space were published by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Apr 12, 202611 min
The Dancers, by Margaret St Clair
There was time now—plenty of time on this strange, dark planet—for those erudite exiles from frozen Earth to ponder the value of man's accumulated knowledge.Today's story is "The Dancers," by Margaret St Clair. It appeared in the January 1952 issue of Planet Stories on pages 76 to 80.It appeared under the pen name of Wilton Hazzard.-----Margaret St. Clair (17 February 1911, Hutchinson, Kansas – 22 November 1995, Santa Rosa, California) was an American fantasy and science fiction writer who also wrote under the pseudonyms Idris Seabright and (on one occasion) Wilton Hazzard.St. Clair wrote and published, by her own count, some 130 short stories. She first tried her hand at detective and mystery stories, and the so-called 'quality' stories, before finding her niche writing fantasy and science fiction for pulp magazines. She wrote "Unlike most pulp writers, I have no special ambitions to make the pages of the slick magazines. I feel that the pulps at their best touch a genuine folk tradition and have a balladic quality which the slicks lack."Her early output included the Oona and Jick series of eight stories published from 1947 to 1949, chronicling the comic misadventures of "housewife of the future" Oona and her devoted husband Jick. The stories were ostensibly set in an idealized future but cast a satirical look at post-war domestic life, with its focus on acquiring labor-saving household devices and "keeping up with the Joneses."-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Apr 5, 202621 min
The Laugh, by Robert Abernathy
To Dicky, grownups were absurdly like ants. They worked hard for no good purpose. But some day a big, big change would be coming!The Laugh, by Robert Abernathy appeared in the June 1956 issue of "Fantastic Universe" on pages 73 to 79.-----Robert Abernathy (June 6, 1924 – April 6, 1990) was an American science fiction author during the 1940s and 1950s. He was known primarily for his short stories which were published in many of the pulp magazines that flourished during the Golden Age of Science Fiction.-----If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know at goldenagefiction@proton.me.-----Music: "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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About Golden Age Fiction
Stories from the "Golden Age of Pulp Fiction."The "Golden Age of Pulp Fiction" is generally considered to be from the last decade of the 1800s to the mid-1900s, when magazines published on cheap pulp paper filled (mostly American) news-stands. Notable examples of these pulp fiction magazines include Argosy, Blue Book Magazine, Adventure, Detective Story Magazine, Weird Tales, and Astounding Stories. If you have a story that you'd like me to perform, please let me know using the email address provided.Please note that performance of a story is not a condoning, endorsement, or promotion of attitudes, prejudices, biases or opinions therein—particularly of gender and gender roles, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality—that an inhabitant of modern times would find distasteful.
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