Fall of Knight by A. Bertram Chandler episode #400
A. Bertram Chandler | August 8, 2025-
play_circle_filled
Fall of Knight by A. Bertram Chandler episode #400
A. Bertram Chandler
FALL OF KNIGHT
Episode #400 · Written by A. Bertram Chandler · Narrated by Scott Miller
Captain Sir Ian MacLachlan Stuart wears four gold stripes and a knight’s title, and he has earned both the hard way. When sabotage cripples his interstellar liner and forces an emergency landing on a remote colonial world, he takes charge with steady competence. Repairs must be made. Help must be summoned. There is no room for hesitation.
Yet once he leaves the familiarity of his ship and sets out alone toward the distant city of Ballantrae, the problem becomes far less technical. The road is long. The weather turns vicious. Fatigue gnaws at discipline. Stripped of ceremony and watched by strangers who doubt his story, Sir Ian must rely on more than rank and reputation. Away from polished decks and obedient crews, pride can become a liability.
At a lonely roadside inn, warmth and human company offer relief from sleet and exhaustion. But comfort brings its own complications. A suggestion, a challenge, and a flash of ill-timed humor push Sir Ian toward a choice that feels small in the moment and enormous in consequence. Whether he waits for daylight or rides into the storm will reveal what his knighthood truly means.
“Fall of Knight” balances dry wit with mounting tension. It moves from starship crisis to muddy road and roaring hearth, narrowing its focus from interstellar command to a single man wrestling with his own stubborn resolve. The question is no longer whether he can manage engines and crews, but whether he can manage himself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) built a career on stories that combined speculative premises with emotional precision. His fiction appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, and Unknown, and he became widely recognized for works such as “Microcosmic God,” “A Saucer of Loneliness,” and the novel More Than Human, which received the International Fantasy Award. Sturgeon’s shorter fiction frequently placed competent professionals in situations that exposed their private weaknesses. In “Fall of Knight,” he shifts the stage from cosmic scale to personal trial, using humor and discomfort to test the measure of a decorated captain far from the safety of his bridge.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to Fall of Knight by A. Bertram Chandler — a vintage science fiction short story of a stranded starship captain whose pride is tested on a hostile colony world.
A. BERTRAM CHANDLER SHORT STORIES
Few writers captured the restless spirit of space travel the way A. Bertram Chandler did.
Drawing on his experience as a seafarer, Chandler infused his classic science fiction with the grit of duty, the loneliness of command, and the uneasy freedom of distant frontiers. His characters face isolation head-on — stranded far from help, tempted by dangerous choices, or standing at the edge of collapse as events spiral beyond their control.
The selections below showcase Chandler’s range — hard-earned survival under alien skies, moral crossroads in the void, and turning points that reshape a life in a single, irreversible moment.
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:
★★★★★
“Narration perfection. Your voice is… incredible. The books ain’t so bad either 😉 In all honestly though, the story choices and themes are so wonderful and so exactly what the doctor ordered that I feel blessed to find this podcast. You have a genuine gift to bring these lost gems to life. Please keep it up for a long time!”
— E. Vasileva
★★★★★
“I don’t remember how exactly I found this podcast, but I fell in love with it right away, probably after the first two paragraphs of the narrated story I listened to first. I have a rather big list of podcasts I’m subscribed to, but whenever I see an update from the Lost Sci-Fi, it immediately gets to the first position in my listening queue. Great selection of SciFi works, unparalleled narration where everything only adds up to creating a very enjoyable listening experience: the narrator’s deep and clear voice, just the right speed of the narration, and a perfect balance between narrating and voice acting.”
— ThatsMeMomLetMeIn
Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
📬 JOIN LOST SCI-FI WEEKLY
35,000+ Listeners Can’t Be Wrong
Get vintage sci-fi stories, podcast episodes, and surprises every Monday.
FREE SCI-FI EVERY WEEK
✅ Check your email and confirm — that unlocks your free sci-fi downloads.
No spam in this galaxy. You can eject anytime.
