Shadow World by Ray Cummings Episode #450

Ray Cummings | November 7, 2025

Shadow World by Ray Cummings Episode #450
Ray Cummings

SHADOW WORLD

Episode #450 · Written by Ray Cummings · Narrated by Scott Miller

Two men cross into a mysterious fourth-dimensional world in search of a rare element that could save their own civilization — or destroy another. But the moment they arrive, they discover they are not the only ones with a hidden agenda… and not everyone plans to return alive.

Two men step inside a machine that shouldn’t exist — a device capable of shifting human bodies into the “fourth dimension,” a world that occupies the same space as Earth but vibrates on a different frequency. Their mission sounds simple: locate a precious substance, transport it back to Earth, and prevent a growing world war. But the moment Tom Jarvis and Peter Hantzen arrive, they discover a civilization living on the edge of disaster, watching its most vital resource melt away and vanish into thin air.

What the Xalites call abcilene, the Americans know as radiumite — a rare material worth more than gold, more than energy, more than life itself. Without it, the Xalites will wither and die. With it, Earth can stop an aggressive dictator before he plunges millions into death. The stakes? Two worlds. The threat? A silent enemy hiding in plain sight. The twist? One of the travelers from Earth may not be a hero at all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ray Cummings — often called “the poet of the pulps” — was one of the first authors to turn physics, dimensions, and reality-bending science into mainstream storytelling. A former assistant to Thomas Edison, he took real scientific theories and pushed them into fiction decades before TV, cinema, or modern sci-fi made them popular. His writing helped define Amazing Stories, Argosy, and the early Golden Age of science fiction, influencing authors like Asimov, van Vogt, and Heinlein.

“Shadow World” is more than an adventure — it’s a story about parallel morality. If every reality has a double, do heroism and treachery mirror themselves too? Can peace be won without stealing it from someone else? As the line between worlds collapses, choices are forced, loyalties flip, and the final question becomes: who deserves survival?

Forgotten for decades and now revived in audio form, this story delivers dimensional travel, alien intellect, political danger, and a race against time — in both worlds.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Shadow World by Ray Cummings — a vintage sci-fi adventure of dimensional travel, war, betrayal, and a mission that may cost two worlds everything.

ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked #1 in 33 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 3.2 million listens, introducing classic science fiction to a global audience of devoted fans.

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:

★★★★★ “Glorious Sci-Fi from a Forgotten Age. I don’t listen to many podcasts, but I am down to under 70 episodes to go on this one! The tales are fascinating.”
— Brett Poling

★★★★★ “Love the stories but especially the presentation – great “cast” of voices.”
— Lee in Ecuador

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.