The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett Episode #565
Randall Garrett | May 30, 2026-
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The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett Episode #565
Randall Garrett
THE MEASURE OF A MAN
Episode #565 · Randall Garrett · Narrated by Scott Miller
The war with the Rats has already cost humanity entire fleets, distant colonies, and countless lives. But somewhere beyond known space, Lieutenant Alfred Pendray discovers evidence of a weapon capable of destroying Earth itself, and suddenly one damaged ship becomes the last barrier between humanity and extinction.
Pendray is trapped aboard the shattered battleship Shane, drifting thousands of light-years from home with failing systems, dead crewmates, and almost no hope of rescue. Every corridor holds another reminder that the mission failed. Every repair buys only a little more time. And somewhere in the middle of the wreckage waits a solution so brutal that Pendray can barely force himself to consider it.
The Measure of a Man turns isolation into relentless suspense. Randall Garrett keeps the focus tightly locked on one exhausted officer struggling through darkness, radiation leaks, damaged engines, and impossible mathematics while a deadline closes in around him. The story never depends on massive battles or heroic speeches. Its power comes from watching a single man realize exactly what saving Earth may cost him.
Originally published during the height of classic magazine science fiction, the story blends military tension with believable engineering detail. Garrett understood how to make technical problems feel immediate and personal, which gives Pendray’s situation a realism that still lands hard decades later.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Randall Garrett published hundreds of stories across magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, and Amazing Stories. He collaborated frequently with Robert Silverberg and Laurence M. Janifer, sometimes under shared pseudonyms, and became known for producing fast-moving science fiction filled with sharp dialogue and strong conceptual hooks.
Garrett later gained lasting recognition for the Lord Darcy mysteries, which blended fantasy with detective fiction. Stories like The Measure of a Man reveal another side of his work: tense survival narratives driven by technical realism, wartime pressure, and characters forced to make unbearable decisions under impossible conditions.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett — a gripping classic science fiction survival story aboard a shattered warship racing Earth’s destruction.
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RANDALL GARRETT SHORT STORIES
Randall Garrett brought sharp wit and restless intelligence to classic science fiction.
Garrett loved taking a single bold idea and following it to its logical breaking point. Sometimes that meant a man burdened with knowledge no one else could bear. Sometimes it meant memory stripped away without warning. Sometimes it meant time itself treated like something that could be stolen, traded, or weaponized. His stories move quickly, but beneath the pace is a precise, almost playful mind testing the limits of logic.
In collaboration with Robert Silverberg, Garrett also proved he could build vivid alien worlds filled with political tension and uneasy alliances. Even when the setting is distant, the conflicts feel immediate and personal.
The stories below showcase Garrett’s range — high-concept speculation, clever reversals, and characters forced to confront consequences they never anticipated.
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 43 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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