THE PLAGIARIST FROM RIGEL IV

Episode #6 · Written by Evan Hunter · Narrated by Scott Miller

A cheap typewriter should not change a life. Yet when a struggling writer brings home a five-dollar bargain, the pages that follow are sharper, smarter, and more confident than anything he has ever written.

The problem is not quality. The problem is authorship. The words arrive fully formed, brilliant, and unmistakably familiar, placing the writer in an impossible position. Each attempt to resist only makes the temptation stronger, and each new success makes walking away harder.

What unfolds is a tense, funny exchange between ambition and restraint, as professional recognition comes faster than integrity can keep up. The story never lectures. Instead, it tightens the pressure, letting the listener sit with the discomfort of easy success earned by questionable means.

Behind the humor lies a darker question: once a shortcut works, how many reasons are enough to stop using it?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Evan Hunter published dozens of short stories during the early years of the postwar science fiction boom, appearing in magazines such as Imagination and other leading genre outlets of the 1950s. His work from this period often combined fast-paced dialogue with ironic twists, making his stories particularly well suited to audio performance.

Hunter later achieved wide recognition under the name Ed McBain, creating the long-running 87th Precinct series and influencing modern crime fiction. “The Plagiarist From Rigel IV” stands as an example of his earlier speculative work, using science fiction not for spectacle, but as a precise tool to expose the compromises hidden inside creative success.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to The Plagiarist From Rigel IV — a vintage science fiction short story where a struggling writer’s success comes from an unexpected and dangerous source.

RELATED STORIES

• What’s He Doing in There? by Fritz Leiber
• The Black Ewe by Fritz Leiber
• The Moon is Green by Fritz Leiber
• The Goggles of Dr. Dragonet by Fritz Leiber
• Nice Girl With 5 Husbands by Fritz Leiber
• Try and Change the Past by Fritz Leiber
• A Hitch in Space by Fritz Leiber
• A Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber
• X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber
• Later Than You Think by Fritz Leiber
• The Foxholes of Mars by Fritz Leiber

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 3.8 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:

★★★★★ “Fantastic podcast. If you’re a huge fan of vintage sci-fi, then this is the show for you. I feel transported every time I listen to each episode.”
— Flickfleebus

★★★★★ “Simply the Best. Scott your work is outstanding. I love sci-fi now and am especially hooked on these vintage short stories. Quick and easy and so full of character and action. Your narration is pure perfection. Thank you.”
— Irma Stolfo

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.