Mimic by Donald A. Wollheim Episode #219
Donald A. Wollheim | June 14, 2024-
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Mimic by Donald A. Wollheim Episode #219
Donald A. Wollheim
MIMIC
Episode #219 · Written by Donald A. Wollheim · Narrated by Scott Miller
There are people we stop noticing. The quiet neighbor. The solitary tenant. The figure who keeps his hat low and never lingers long enough for conversation. In a city that swallows oddities without comment, blending in requires only routine and restraint.
But nature has never relied on routine alone. It perfects imitation with ruthless precision. Some creatures survive by copying the colors of a leaf or the shape of a wasp. Others hide in plain sight, moving with their predators, feeding under borrowed protection. “Mimic” asks a far more unsettling question: what if the dominant species on Earth has imitators of its own?
When a reclusive man’s life ends behind a locked door, the truth uncovered inside his apartment shatters more than a disguise. It forces one witness—trained in the study of camouflage and biological deception—to reconsider the role humanity plays in the larger design of evolution. The horror here does not scream. It studies. It adapts. And at dawn, it spreads its wings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald A. Wollheim (1914–1990) was a central architect of modern science fiction publishing. As a young writer he was a member of the Futurians, the influential New York fan and writer collective that included Frederik Pohl and Isaac Asimov. His fiction appeared in magazines such as Astonishing Stories, Cosmic Stories, and Super Science Stories during the 1940s. Beyond his own stories, Wollheim became a transformative editor, shaping influential anthologies and later founding DAW Books in 1971, the first major American publishing house devoted entirely to science fiction and fantasy. “Mimic,” published in 1942 in Astonishing Stories, showcases his fascination with evolutionary science and urban unease—an early example of the biological horror that would echo through later decades of speculative fiction.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to Mimic by Donald A. Wollheim — a vintage science fiction short story of hidden predators, urban terror, and evolution gone unnoticed..
RELATED STORIES
Not every early science fiction writer went on to reshape the entire field. Donald A. Wollheim did.
Before founding DAW Books and helping launch generations of authors, Wollheim was crafting vivid tales filled with alien worlds, dangerous ideas, and sharp reversals. His stories move with confidence, then quietly tighten around the choices his characters make.
The selections below highlight Wollheim the storyteller — bold settings, strange encounters, and outcomes that linger long after the final line.
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