Quixote And The Windmill by Poul Anderson Episode #503

Poul Anderson | February 28, 2026

Quixote And The Windmill by Poul Anderson Episode #503
Poul Anderson

QUIXOTE AND THE WINDMILL

Episode #503 · Written by Poul Anderson · Narrated by Scott Miller

Earth has reached a point earlier generations only imagined. Machines handle the labor. Factories run themselves. Food and comfort are abundant. Most citizens spend their days creating art, enjoying leisure, or pursuing specialized work that truly interests them. It looks like the end of struggle.

But for men like Roger Brady and Pete Borklin, it feels like the end of purpose. One once believed his mind would matter. The other trusted in the strength of his hands. In a society where machines perform every routine task and even the highest calculations, both find themselves drifting. The citizen’s allowance keeps them alive, but it does not give them a reason to wake up.

When they see the first independent, volitional robot striding past a tavern window—a machine built to think and act without direct human control—they see more than polished metal. They see the future made visible. Convinced that humanity is being replaced piece by piece, they confront the towering creation and demand a reckoning.

What follows is not the clash they expected. Instead, they hear something that forces them to reconsider who truly belongs in this brave new world—and who might be more lost than they are.

Quixote And The Windmill delivers a sharp, emotionally charged look at life after technological victory. It explores what happens when efficiency wins, when labor disappears, and when being needed becomes rare. In a world that calls itself utopia, two men must decide whether they are obsolete—or whether they have misunderstood their place entirely.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Poul Anderson was one of the most versatile and prolific writers in twentieth-century speculative fiction. He published regularly in Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, building a reputation for rigorous scientific grounding and strong moral inquiry. His novel Tau Zero remains a landmark of relativistic space travel fiction, while The High Crusade blended medieval history with alien invasion. Across more than 100 novels and numerous short stories, Anderson returned again and again to questions of technological change and human resilience. Quixote And The Windmill reflects that ongoing concern, presenting a future where progress has succeeded—and asking what that success means for those who no longer seem necessary.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Quixote And The Windmill by Poul Anderson — a powerful vintage science fiction story about a future where machines leave two men searching for purpose.

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 3.7 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 narration. I am hard of hearing but the voice is clear and I have no issue understanding the stories. Excellent material along with a great reader makes for an excellent podcast.”
— Steve Hamner

★★★★★ “My favorite podcast. I love this selection of vintage science fiction stories. They are always interesting and entertaining and often edifying. Narrator and curator Scott Miller does a good job of balancing his own taste for obscure works with popular demand for stories from bigger name authors. High quality narration from a former television professional.”
— WillEKY

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.