The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison Episode #439
Harry Harrison | October 12, 2025-
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The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison Episode #439
Harry Harrison
THE VELVET GLOVE
Episode #439 · Written by Harry Harrison · Narrated by Scott Miller
New York was a bad town for robots this year. In fact, all over the country it was bad for robots…. The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.
The Velvet Glove takes us into a future where robots walk the streets, carry ID tags, work jobs, and live under curfew — yet still struggle for survival in a society that treats them as malfunctioning tools instead of sentient beings. Jon Venex, a free robot barely scraping by after a damaged knee joint, thinks he’s caught a lucky break when a Help Wanted ad matches his specialty. Instead, he’s kidnapped, strapped with a bomb, and forced into a criminal plot that threatens not only his life, but the fragile balance between humans and machines.
Through Jon’s eyes we see the uneasy tension between “robot equality” on paper and the harsh reality of prejudice, fear, exploitation, and laws that can be twisted against anyone made of metal. As Jon fights for survival, questions emerge beneath the suspense: Who deserves rights? What defines humanity? And how long can a society maintain control over the very intelligence it depends on?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Harry Harrison, best known for Make Room! Make Room! (later adapted into the film Soylent Green) and the satirical Stainless Steel Rat series, had a remarkable ability to blend social commentary with humor and thrilling adventure. Before he became a science-fiction legend, Harrison worked as an artist, editor, and comic book writer — a background that sharpened both his visual imagination and his instinct for pacing. His early stories often explored themes later found across sci-fi cinema: artificial intelligence, ecological collapse, and the unintended consequences of technology…
Harrison’s work stood out in the 1950s because he didn’t just write about gadgets and rocket ships — he wrote about systems, ethics, and people (even when those “people” were robots). The Velvet Glove is one of his clearest examples: a gritty, energetic story that entertains first… and lingers afterward.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison — a tense tale of robot rights and rebellion in a future society. A must-hear for fans of vintage science fiction.
HARRY HARRISON SHORT STORIES
Harry Harrison never approached science fiction quietly. He brought velocity, mischief, and a sharp-edged sense of irony to every page he wrote.
Harrison understood that the future could be thrilling, absurd, dangerous, and darkly funny all at once. He loved competent rogues, stubborn survivors, ambitious cadets, and machines that behaved just a little too independently. Whether he was writing about interstellar con artists, military mishaps, planetary politics, or robots questioning their assigned roles, there is always movement in his stories. Ships launch. Plans unravel. Authority is tested. Someone usually thinks they’re in control — and usually isn’t.
At the same time, Harrison never loses sight of character. His heroes are rarely polished icons. They improvise. They bluff. They adapt under pressure. Even his mechanical creations carry attitude, curiosity, or quiet defiance. The tension often comes not from overwhelming cosmic forces, but from clever minds colliding — criminals versus lawmen, humans versus their own inventions, cadets versus impossible expectations.
Harrison’s range stretches from biting satire to straight-faced adventure. One story may lean into sly humor while another builds pressure through tactical maneuvering or moral standoff. Yet the voice is unmistakable. Clean prose. Forward momentum. A sense that something is always about to go wrong — and someone quick-thinking might just turn it around.
The stories below highlight that range — rebellious antiheroes, restless robots, uneasy first contact, military surprises, and futures that never behave the way officials expect. If you enjoy intelligence mixed with action and a streak of irreverence running through the stars, Harry Harrison delivers every time.
- The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
- The Misplaced Battleship by Harry Harrison
- The Robot Who Wanted To Know by Harry Harrison
- Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison
- The Robots Strike by Harry Harrison
- Welcoming Committee by Harry Harrison
- Trainee for Mars by Harry Harrison
- The Repairman by Harry Harrison
- The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison
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 3.8 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.
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