Keepers of the House by Lester Del Rey Episode #475

Lester Del Rey | January 26, 2026

Keepers of the House by Lester Del Rey Episode #475
Lester Del Rey

KEEPERS OF THE HOUSE

Episode #475 · Written by Lester Del Rey · Narrated by Scott Miller

A quiet journey through abandoned roads and silent cities becomes something far more unsettling when instinct pulls a lone survivor toward a place long left behind. What begins as simple movement turns into a slow, haunting exploration of a world shaped by human science and irreversible choices. The tension builds not through action, but through atmosphere — through memory, scent, and the uneasy sense that the past is not finished with those who remain. Every step forward carries emotional weight, as loyalty and survival begin to pull in opposite directions.

Keepers of the House is a deeply moving work of classic science fiction that unfolds from an unusual perspective, revealing the aftermath of humanity’s ambition without lectures or spectacle. The story examines what happens when scientific solutions solve the wrong problems too well, leaving behind a planet stripped of balance and meaning. Quiet, relentless, and profoundly human despite its viewpoint, this is science fiction that lingers — a meditation on devotion, loss, and endurance in a world where answers came too late.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lester del Rey was one of the central figures of science fiction’s Golden Age, known not only for his writing but for his lasting influence as an editor and advocate for the genre. His stories often grounded speculative ideas in emotional reality, focusing on consequences rather than heroics. In Keepers of the House, del Rey delivers one of his most restrained and powerful works, proving that the most devastating science fiction doesn’t need explosions — only the courage to follow an idea to its end.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Keepers of the House by Lester del Rey — a vintage science fiction short story where unseen intelligence turns a safe home into a test of survival.

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 3.3 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:

★★★★★ “I love every single one of the stories I have heard, the narrator is great and brings the characters to life.”
— Molasar7

★★★★★ “I subscribe to probably more than 40 podcasts and several of them are Sci-Fi. This one is the one that brings a smile when I see it pop up in my feed and my only fear is you will run out of material. I bet I join a lot of others playing the game of what did they guess right and wrong about the future.”
— Someone

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.