Coffee - Rockets and Battleaxes

You're a kid and you are outside playing with your friend. You hear a crack and a boom, but the sky is clear. There is no thunderstorm. You and your friend run over to where the noise emanated and...discover an alien craft.

This episode is Part One of "YOUTH" by Isaac Asimov.

We're back! This is part 2 of our special two-part Halloween double feature. Today's short story by Poe is considered one of his classics.

You are visiting an old friend in poor health and begin experiencing odd phenomena around the manor. Is your friend losing his mind or is it YOU?

Welcome to a special part 1 of 2 Halloween edition of the podcast! Today's story is by the original American master of the macabre himself, Edgar Allan Poe. In this very short story, 'ol Ed takes us into the Western European countryside and we encounter a man in a turret painting on a canvas. Seems simple, right? Listen in to find out the twist!

A utopian community with a near-perfect balance of technology, health, philosophy...until the listener discovers a dark secret.

Join us for this quick and thought-provoking speculative fiction short story by renowned writer Ursula K. Le Guin.

The great Isaac Asimov is September's short story author and we have one of his own personal favorites in "The Last Question."

The great computer (and all its evolutions and iterations) has helped mankind achieve space travel and cover great distances throughout the cosmos. Human knowledge banks have been nearly filled to capacity until...

Is it the Universe or is it a Library??

Join me on this detailed jaunt into the cosmos as Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges, weaves together a tale of the Universe as if it were a library. You might want a pencil and paper near by to attempt a sketch of "The Library." But not if you're driving a motor vehicle. No, just focus on the road and listen to the story.

In a land of wizards, dreams, and dragons, travel through the fantastical fortress known as Unvanquishable and attempt to save the sanity of your village. Join Leothric in his quest as Lord Dunsany pens his famous short story, "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save For Sacnoth."

(and WHO or WHAT is a "Sacnoth?")

You could find out in less than an hour.

In this episode, we dive into a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, who pens a biting, speculative tale about population control taken to the Nth degree. Is it fiction? Or is it an alternate timeline?

What if you were the last person on Earth? Harlan Ellison published a speculative short story back in the 1950's about such an experience. Sit back, relax and pour yourself a good beverage while I let one of the voices running rampant in my head tell this story.

This episode kicks off with a succinct review of a specialty blend of Folger's coffee, followed by a brief history of the late, great, Ray Bradbury - the author of today's short story. "The Last Journey" is a tale of an elderly woman who purchases a ride on a rust-bucket rocket ship to meet God.

Enjoy!