Z by Charles L. Fontenay Episode #117
Charles L. Fontenay | October 11, 2023-
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Z by Charles L. Fontenay Episode #117
Charles L. Fontenay
Z
Episode #117 · Written by Charles L. Fontenay · Narrated by Scott Miller
Some stories announce their strangeness immediately. Others wait, allowing the impossible to settle into everyday life before revealing its cost. This is one of the latter. What begins as an act of shelter during a storm slowly turns into a years-long entanglement that refuses to behave like ordinary experience.
As time passes, relationships deepen under increasingly unsettling conditions. Familiar roles shift. Growth moves in unexpected directions. Conversations never quite line up, and memories refuse to sit where they belong. The tension does not come from spectacle, but from living alongside something that cannot be fixed, ignored, or fully explained.
The story’s power lies in its restraint. Instead of rushing toward revelation, it allows discomfort to accumulate, forcing the listener to confront what it would mean to care for someone whose life does not move the same way yours does.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles L. Fontenay published dozens of science fiction stories across major magazines including Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Amazing Stories. In addition to his fiction, he worked as a journalist and later as a science editor, bringing a disciplined clarity to speculative ideas. His stories often ground bold scientific premises in domestic settings, where personal responsibility collides with concepts far larger than any single life. Z is a prime example of that approach, turning an abstract scientific idea into a deeply human dilemma.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to Z by Charles L. Fontenay — a vintage science fiction story where time refuses to behave, and ordinary lives bend under its pressure.
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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
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 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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— Someone
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“A legitimate Top Tier Pod. I can’t do justice to how good this podcast is, truly. The host has an affect and vocal style that’s just perfect. The stories are buried gems, sure, there’s problematic vocabulary but you have to enjoy it in the spirit it’s offered. I LOVE seeing how creative people from 40-50 years ago, imagined how the world would exist. It’s just glorious and I love it.”
— bwdesmo
Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.
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