Up For Renewal by Lucious Daniel Episode #486

Lucius Daniel | February 8, 2026

Up For Renewal by Lucious Daniel Episode #486
Lucius Daniel

UP FOR RENEWAL

Episode #486 · Written by Lucious Daniel · Narrated by Scott Miller

In a future where aging is no longer tolerated, youth has become a social obligation. Rejuvenation promises vitality, acceptance, and continued relevance, but it comes with a hidden cost that can never be fully calculated.

Howard Kent has already lived through renewal before, and now faces the decision again. As legal pressure, social expectations, and personal relationships close in, the promise of youth begins to feel less like a gift and more like a threat. The story explores fear, coercion, and the quiet erosion of choice in a world obsessed with appearances.

Lucius Daniel delivers a narrative that examines love under strain and progress without mercy. With understated tension and sharp moral insight, Up For Renewal asks whether a society that conquers aging may lose something far more vital in the process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucius Daniel published only three science fiction stories: Martians Never Die (1952), The Question (1953), and Up for Renewal (1954). We’ve already featured his first published story, Martians Never Die, and today we’re presenting his final one. Daniel’s career was brief, but the quality of his work makes his small output stand out—proof that even a short appearance in the genre could leave something worth preserving.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Up For Renewal by Lucious Daniel — a vintage science fiction short story about aging, control, and choice in a future shaped by a desire to remain young despite the cost.

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 3.3 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:

★★★★★ “Excellent. Scott Millers readings of these science fiction stories by well known and not so well know authors is fantastic. So glad I found this podcast.”
— Lifeonmarz

★★★★★ “Great! Although the original Star Trek is almost considered ’vintage’ by now, these stories go back even further. Short compelling tales, read perfectly by Scott with no unnecessary bells and whistles. You can of course tell that these were written in a very different time. But, that’s part of the educational process, learning about the roots of sci-fi and how it’s changed. Thank you Scott.”
— DSBoston1

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.