And the Gods Laughed by Fredric Brown Episode #35

Fredric Brown | September 20, 2022

And the Gods Laughed by Fredric Brown Episode #35
Fredric Brown

AND THE GODS LAUGHED

Episode #35 · Written by Fredric Brown · Narrated by Scott Miller

Five men pass the time on an asteroid by doing what crews have always done when there’s nothing else to occupy them: they talk. One story starts as a boast, drifts into alien trivia, and keeps going long after it should have stopped. What makes it unsettling isn’t the impossibility of the events, but how calmly they’re described.

On a distant moon, life and death do not follow human rules. Bodies can continue after fatal injuries. Objects meant for decoration become instruments of control. The danger doesn’t announce itself as hostile, and it doesn’t rush. It waits for understanding—and then uses that understanding against you.

Fredric Brown builds tension through conversation rather than spectacle, letting humor soften the listener just enough to make the implications land harder. The story tightens with each exchange, until disbelief itself becomes the last fragile defense.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fredric Brown published extensively across science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction from the 1940s through the 1960s, with work appearing in Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, Weird Tales, and other major magazines. He was known for extremely short stories with devastating conclusions, including “Arena,” later adapted for television, and numerous one- and two-page pieces that relied on perfect timing rather than exposition.

Alongside his science fiction, Brown wrote successful mystery novels and short stories, bringing the same economy and misdirection to both genres. And the Gods Laughed reflects his signature approach: a casual surface, a single disruptive idea, and a final turn that redefines everything the listener thought was safe.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to And the Gods Laughed by Fredric Brown — a vintage science fiction short story where alien survival rules follow humanity home.

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 3.4 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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Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.