Happy Ending by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds Episode #164

Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds | January 3, 2024

Happy Ending by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds Episode #164
Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds

HAPPY ENDING

Episode #164 · Written by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds · Narrated by Scott Miller

Exile is supposed to be quiet. It is supposed to be safe. For one defeated ruler hiding on a distant world, isolation feels like the last remaining form of victory.

Far from the reach of armies and enemies, power becomes something imagined rather than enforced. Memory hardens into belief, belief into obsession, and obsession into something far more dangerous. This story builds its tension slowly, focusing not on rebellion, but on the psychological need to dominate when no one is left to command.

Set against an alien landscape that offers no recognition of rank or legacy, the narrative examines how authority decays without consent. What remains is pride, fear, and a haunting question: what happens when power refuses to admit it has already ended?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fredric Brown was a master of compressed storytelling, famous for using minimal words to deliver maximum impact. His science fiction often stripped away spectacle to expose the flaws of human ambition, leaving readers unsettled long after the final line.

Mack Reynolds was one of science fiction’s most politically aware voices, repeatedly exploring systems of power, governance, and control. His collaborations often sharpened these themes, grounding speculative ideas in real-world consequences.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Happy Ending by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds — a chilling work of classic science fiction that explores power, exile, and obsession in vintage sci-fi form.

ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 34 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 3.4 million listens.

Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.

What listeners are saying:

★★★★★ “I subscribe to probably more than 40 podcasts and several of them are Sci-Fi. This one is the one that brings a smile when I see it pop up in my feed and my only fear is you will run out of material. I bet I join a lot of others playing the game of what did they guess right and wrong about the future.”
— Someone

★★★★★ “Excellent podcast! This podcast features short stories from the “good old days” of science fiction- the era of the all-time grand masters of the form. Thank you so much for exposing the younger generations to these great authors in such an entertaining way. Scott’s narration is clear and enthusiastically animated, even after nearly 500 episodes! Your dedication (and stamina) is admirable. Well done, and thank you.”
— BobLNYS

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.