X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber – 9 Kinda Short Sci-Fi Stories Episode #82
Fritz Leiber | July 13, 2023-
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X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber – 9 Kinda Short Sci-Fi Stories Episode #82
Fritz Leiber
X MARKS THE PEDWALK
Episode #82 · Written by Fritz Leiber · Narrated by Scott Miller
In a future city where pedestrians and motorists wage an absurdly escalating war, a single incident at a crosswalk ignites chaos on both sides. As sanity drains from the population, uneasy leaders scramble to keep a crumbling society stitched together.
X Marks the Pedwalk is a sharp, satirical, and surprisingly emotional look at a society tearing itself apart over the everyday act of simply getting around. When an elderly woman steps into a crosswalk at the wrong moment, the result is a spiraling chain of events that exposes the bitter divide between pedestrians and motorists. What begins as a single encounter becomes a flashpoint for an entrenched cultural war, as each side retaliates with increasingly elaborate and ruthless tactics.
Leiber uses humor and exaggeration to underscore real human weaknesses—tribalism, stubborn pride, and the seductive pull of outrage. The story paints a vivid picture of a city on edge, where leaders whisper about their declining “Sanity Quotient,” mobs prepare with improvised weapons, and both factions cling to rituals that provide the illusion of order. Yet beneath the absurdity lies a warning about how quickly societies normalize conflict and how easily ordinary people find themselves cheering for escalation.
At its heart, the story is less about a feud between Feet and Wheels and more about how fragile civility becomes when resentment hardens into identity. Leiber’s pacing is brisk, his observations sharp, and his tone expertly balanced between humor and discomfort. The result is a tale that feels as relevant now as when it first appeared.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fritz Leiber (1910–1992) was one of the giants of speculative fiction, a writer whose work reshaped multiple genres. He wrote across science fiction, fantasy, and horror with equal mastery, bringing a literary sensibility and psychological depth unusual for the time. His creations—such as the beloved sword-and-sorcery duo Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser—left a lasting imprint on fantasy storytelling and inspired generations of writers and game designers.
Leiber’s science fiction was celebrated for its intelligence, wit, and world-building. His stories frequently examined human behavior, society, and the hidden forces that shape modern life. Winner of major awards including Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy honors, he remains one of the most respected voices in 20th-century speculative literature. His work endures because he understood people—their anxieties, their humor, and their capacity for both destruction and redemption—and he captured those truths in unforgettable stories like X Marks the Pedwalk.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to X Marks the Pedwalk by Fritz Leiber — a sharp tale of conflict and satire in a broken city. A standout example of vintage science fiction at its best.
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FRITZ LEIBER SHORT STORIES
Fritz Leiber brought a distinctive voice to vintage science fiction. His short stories rarely rely on conventional space adventure alone. Instead, Leiber explored how ordinary people react when the universe suddenly turns strange—when time bends, when science changes daily life, or when survival depends on quick thinking in impossible conditions.
Many of his stories begin in familiar settings. A quiet home. A city street. A routine job. Then something slips sideways. A world freezes solid. Pedestrians gain absolute power over traffic. A casual decision triggers consequences that reach across time. Leiber excelled at placing human characters inside extraordinary situations and letting their choices drive the tension.
His science fiction often balances imagination with sharp observation. Some stories carry dark humor. Others deliver genuine dread. A few unfold as clever thought experiments that spiral into dangerous territory. Whether the threat comes from space, from technology, or from humanity itself, Leiber keeps the focus tightly on the people forced to confront it.
The stories below showcase a wide range of Leiber’s science fiction—from survival tales and strange futures to biting satire and time-bending paradox.
- The Last Letter by Fritz Leiber
- 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
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The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 43 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 4.2 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.
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“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.”
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Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
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