Two Weeks in August by Frank M. Robinson Episode #182
Frank M. Robinson | February 7, 2024-
play_circle_filled
Two Weeks in August by Frank M. Robinson Episode #182
Frank M. Robinson
TWO WEEKS IN AUGUST
Episode #182 · Written by Frank M. Robinson · Narrated by Scott Miller
Office rivalries are usually harmless, filled with petty one-upmanship and forced politeness. In Two Weeks in August, one small act of defiance is meant to end a cycle of quiet humiliation, but it instead opens a door that won’t close.
A casual lie, told to preserve dignity, grows teeth when evidence begins to pile up. Tickets, photographs, and souvenirs appear where none should exist, forcing a reevaluation of what can be dismissed and what can’t. The story balances humor with a slow, creeping unease as certainty begins to slip.
Frank M. Robinson lets the tension build through everyday details rather than spectacle. The setting remains grounded, the voices feel lived-in, and the discomfort comes not from danger, but from the fear of being proven wrong in a way that can’t be explained away.
Rather than chasing wonder or terror, the story presses on pride and embarrassment, asking how far someone will go to avoid admitting defeat. The final moments don’t shout. They settle in quietly and refuse to leave.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Frank M. Robinson was a versatile figure in science fiction, working as a writer, editor, and later a novelist whose career bridged magazine fiction and mainstream success. His stories appeared in publications such as Galaxy Science Fiction and Astounding, where he developed a reputation for socially grounded speculative ideas.
Robinson is also known for co-authoring The Glass Inferno with Thomas N. Scortia, a novel that became the basis for the blockbuster film The Towering Inferno. Across his body of work, Robinson repeatedly examined how ordinary people respond when social pressure collides with situations that refuse to stay ordinary. Two Weeks in August captures that instinct perfectly, turning a workplace annoyance into something far more unsettling.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to Two Weeks in August by Frank M. Robinson — a vintage sci-fi short story where certainty collapses one souvenir at a time.
RELATED STORIES
Mars has always been the most familiar of alien worlds, close enough to imagine and distant enough to remain dangerous. Vintage science fiction turned the red planet into a testing ground for human ambition—an empty frontier, a dying world, or a civilization older and stranger than Earth itself.
These stories send explorers, settlers, soldiers, and scientists across the void to a place where survival is never guaranteed. Thin air, vast deserts, and abandoned cities create a landscape that is both harsh and haunting.
Whether the planet is home to ancient Martians, fragile colonies, or the last hope after Earth’s decline, Mars stories are about adaptation.
- Dwellers in Silence by Ray Bradbury
- Death-Wish by Ray Bradbury
- Defense Mech by Ray Bradbury
- The Visitor by Ray Bradbury
- The One Who Waits by Ray Bradbury
- Survey Team by Philip K. Dick
- The Crystal Egg by H. G. Wells
- Never on Mars by John Wyndham
- Return of a Legend by Raymond Z. Gallun
- Message From Mars by Clifford D. Simak
- The Monsters Came By Night by Robert Silverberg
- The Martians and the Coys by Mack Reynolds
- A Zloor For Your Trouble by Mack Reynolds
- The Weapon by Isaac Asimov
- Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison
- Monster by William Morrison
- Fee of the Frontier by H. B. Fyfe
- A Message From Our Sponsor by Henry Slesar
- Two Weeks in August by Frank M. Robinson
- Duel on Syrtis by Poul Anderson
- We're Off to Mars by Joe Gibson
- Death Walks on Mars by Alan J. Ramm
- The Old Timer by Richard R. Smith
- Trainee for Mars by Harry Harrison
- The Hermit of Mars by Stephen Bartholomew
- Martian Homecoming by Frank Belknap Long
- Lake of Fire by Frank Belknap Long
- The Hated by Frederik Pohl
- The Old Martians by Rog Phillips
- The Martian Shore by Charles L. Fontenay
- Madmen of Mars by Erik Fennel
- Martians Never Die by Lucius Daniel
- What's He Doing in There? by Fritz Leiber
- Don't Look Now by Henry Kuttner
- Jonah of the Jove-Run by Ray Bradbury
- The Goggles of Dr Dragonet by Fritz Leiber
- The Foxholes of Mars by Fritz Leiber
- Alien Equivalent by Richard R. Smith
- The Beast of Boredom by Richard R. Smith
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:
★★★★★
“Great. This is a great podcast. The narrator is a great reader. All stories are extremely good.”
— Zapzoom FBC
★★★★★
“Hi Scott! I’ve been loving the stories, and this is my second listen through the whole library. I love listening to the Bud Gregory stories in order because they are hilarious. All the stories really are a glimpse of what the people in the past thought the future would be, and so many are still relevant today. You are a great narrator, and I love when you give us a glimpse of the authors as well. This has quickly become my most favourite podcast. I listen to you daily.”
— celebkiriedhel
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.
