The Smart Ones by Jack Sharkey Episode #539
Jack Sharkey | May 4, 2026-
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The Smart Ones by Jack Sharkey Episode #539
Jack Sharkey
THE SMART ONES
Episode #539 · Written by Jack Sharkey · Narrated by Scott Miller
As the world teeters on the edge of irreversible change, ordinary people are forced to decide what survival really means. The Smart Ones unfolds through quiet moments of fear, logic, hope, and denial, revealing how intelligence can both save and condemn. This is not a story about explosions or heroes, but about the personal decisions that shape the future when no good options remain.
Each choice feels reasonable in the moment. Each plan seems sound. Yet the story steadily exposes the gap between intention and outcome, asking whether foresight is wisdom—or simply another form of blindness. Shelter, escape, loyalty, and love all come with hidden consequences, and the cost of being “smart” is not always survival.
With emotional restraint and sharp irony, the narrative builds toward a haunting reflection on legacy. What endures after catastrophe is not just who survives, but what kind of minds inherit what remains. The story lingers not because of what it shows, but because of what it implies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jack Sharkey was a mid-twentieth-century science fiction writer whose work frequently examined human behavior under extreme conditions. Rather than focusing on technology alone, he explored the moral and psychological consequences of progress. The Smart Ones reflects his talent for using speculative futures to question intelligence, ethics, and the long shadow of human choice.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to The Smart Ones by Jack Sharkey — a haunting vintage science fiction story about survival, intelligence, and the cost of being prepared.
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LOST VOICES OF VINTAGE SCI-FI
Not every science fiction writer built a long career in the field or became a widely recognized name. Some published only a handful of stories before disappearing from the magazines, leaving behind little biographical record and few surviving details. Others may be remembered for work in different genres, while their contribution to science fiction was brief.
Yet these writers helped shape the texture of the pulp era and beyond. Their stories experimented with bold ideas, filled the pages between the famous names, and added depth to the ever-expanding landscape of vintage science fiction.
The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast exists in part to rediscover these voices. The stories below were written by authors who published briefly, sparingly, or whose science fiction output was small - but whose work still deserves to be heard.
- The Ultimate Paradox by Thorp McClusky
- The Ultimate Wish by E. M. Hull
- Welcome to Paradise by Allyn Donnelson
- Day of Reckoning by Morton Klass
- Zeritskys Law by Ann Griffith
- Up For Renewal by Lucius Daniel
- Patch by William Shedenhelm
- Rabbits Have Long Ears by Lawrence F. Willard
- Electronic Landslide by Clyde Hostetter
- They Reached for the Moon by William Oberfield
- Death Walks on Mars by Alan J. Ramm
- When the Moon Fell by Morrison Colladay
- Know They Neighbor by Elisabeth R. Lewis
- The Other One by A. H. Gibson
- No Evidence by Victoria Lincoln
- The Man Who Liked Lions by John Bernard Daley
- Willies Planet by Mike Ellis
- The Short Snorter by Charles Einstein
- Your Servant Sir by Sol Boren
- The Fugitives by Malcolm B. Morehart Jr
- Leave Earthmen or Die by John Massie Davis
- And All the Girls Were Nude by Richard Magruder
- Rabbits Have Long Ears by Lawrence F. Willard
- Dust Unto Dust by Lyman D. Hinckley
- Cosmic Tragedy by Thomas S. Gardiner
- Day of Wrath by Bjarne Kirchhoff
- You Are Forbidden by Jerry Shelton
- Thirty Degrees Cattywonkus by James Bell
- The Small Bears by Gene L. Henderson
- The First Spaceman by Gene L. Henderson
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 38 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 4.2 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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“I appreciate this podcast and that you have narrated so many stories that we can choose from. I enjoy old- time radio science fiction series like ’X Minus One’ and others that were created for adults. I found your podcast when I finished listening to just about every old time sci-fi drama I could find. This has become a regular night time routine for me as I enjoy listening just before falling asleep. Thank you Scott.”
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Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
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