The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson Episode #121

Jack Williamson | October 14, 2023

The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson Episode #121
Jack Williamson

THE COSMIC EXPRESS

Episode #121 · Written by Jack Williamson · Narrated by Scott Miller

A restless young couple longs to escape their artificial future-world and live a “natural” life—so they risk everything on a forbidden ride aboard the mysterious Cosmic Express. But their dream of primal freedom becomes a wild, unpredictable ordeal far beyond anything they imagined.

The Cosmic Express is one of the most delightful early stories by Jack Williamson—written during his highly imaginative A. Merritt–influenced phase, but already hinting at the remarkable versatility that would define his long career. Eric and Nada Stokes-Harding live in a glass-roofed, climate-controlled megacity where every comfort is automated and every need is met. Yet both feel trapped by a world without wilderness, danger, or the raw edges of life. When they hear about the newly invented Cosmic Express—a device that transforms matter into energy, beams it through space, and reassembles it at its destination—they see their chance. One bribe later, they’re on their way to Venus, convinced they’re about to begin a glorious, back-to-nature adventure worthy of Eric’s own novels.

What they actually encounter is something else entirely. Their romantic vision meets a rain-soaked jungle, lurking predators, and the crushing weight of their own misplaced fantasies. Williamson uses this wild misadventure to poke fun at idealized nostalgia while celebrating the unpredictable complexity of real environments. The story is humorous without being farcical, vivid without relying on spectacle, and clever in how it reflects the mindset of its time—when wireless transmission of matter, scanning-disk television, and far-flung planetary exploration still felt just around the corner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Williamson (1908–2006) is one of the true giants of science fiction history. Born in the rugged Arizona Territory, he grew up battling the elements on a frontier ranch where drought, hail, frost, and dust storms defined daily life. When he discovered AMAZING STORIES, he found both escape and purpose. Soon he began selling work to the very magazines that introduced him to the genre, and his early successes launched a spectacular career spanning more than seven decades.

Williamson mastered nearly every mode of science fiction: the ornate science-fantasy in the tradition of A. Merritt; the swashbuckling space opera of The Legion of Space; the hard-science speculation of his “Seetee” stories (written as Will Stewart); and the psychologically rich tales of his later years, including the legendary “With Folded Hands…” His influence extends across generations, shaping both the pulp era and the mature, concept-driven science fiction that followed. With millions of words published and countless ideas introduced into the genre’s bloodstream, Williamson stands as one of the field’s most essential creative forces.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson — a witty vintage science fiction tale of adventure, miscalculation, and desire for a wilder life beyond civilization.