Asteroid of the Damned by Frederik Pohl Episode #45

Frederik Pohl | November 22, 2022

Asteroid of the Damned by Frederik Pohl Episode #45
Frederik Pohl

ASTEROID OF THE DAMNED

Episode #45 · Written by Frederik Pohl · Narrated by Scott Miller

Pallas is an asteroid built on loopholes. Its laws are thin, its justice negotiable, and its economy brutally simple: pay, or disappear. When MacCauley arrives on official business, he expects danger. What he doesn’t expect is to lose the one thing that keeps visitors alive on Pallas—money.

Stripped of resources and trapped in a system that protects criminals better than victims, MacCauley is forced to navigate alien customs, corrupt officials, and human predators who understand the asteroid far better than he does. Authority carries no weight here. Intelligence does, but only if it’s paired with speed and nerve.

As the situation tightens, Mac realizes that brute force and legal standing are useless on a world designed to exploit them. To survive, he must understand what Pallas values—and how to turn that value against those who think they control it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frederik Pohl published science fiction across more than seven decades, with stories appearing in Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, and other defining magazines of the field. He also served as editor of Galaxy and If, shaping the direction of science fiction during its most formative years. His fiction frequently combines sharp economic insight with suspense-driven plots, and Asteroid of the Damned is a clear example of his ability to turn systems of power, corruption, and trade into gripping narrative engines.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Asteroid of the Damned by Frederik Pohl — as a stranded agent faces outlaw justice on Pallas in this classic science fiction thriller from the vintage sci-fi era.

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.

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Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.