A relatively modern effort, this series was produced out of Commerce, Texas, and broadcast on National Public Radio in 1989- 90. The producers drew their inspiration from some of the best stories from some of the best science fiction authors of the 20th century, including Ray Bradbury, Roger Zelazny, Henry Kuttner, and Poul Anderson. There is an impressive array of sound, and while the acting was occasionally amateurish, at least the stories were-- for the most part-- ones which no one else had thought to produce before. Episodes varied considerably in length, so I've noted the length of episodes individually where I know them.

Currently this archive contains plotlines for 21 of 21 episodes

WEBMASTER RECOMMENDS:
Call Me Joe; Close Encounters with the Deity; Home is the Hangman

The Ballad of Lost C'Mell                                                                                                               Future Earth

It is the distant future, and humans have re-engineered certain animal species to possess both intelligence and quasi-human form. These mutants are restricted to a second-class status, so when the feline daughter of their recently deceased leader has the audacity to fall in love with a high-ranking human statesman, her affections endanger the status quo of society. Story by Cordwainer Smith.

Call Me Joe 40 min.                                                                                                          

On a moon of Jupiter, scientist Edward Anglesey-- a paraplegic--  combines ESP with a thought projector to link with the mind of a genetically engineered pseudo-Jovian, as part of a project to colonize the surface of the gas giant. But is the project endangered by Anglesey's jealously guarded attachment to the Jovian, through whom he finds the empowerment to transcend his disabilities? Based on the classic story by Poul Anderson.

Reviews:
Wow, this one was pretty cool. I hadn’t seen, heard, or read anything like this one which is why I probably liked it. It was definitely an interesting idea and had a really cool ending. I liked how they used dialogue between the men to explain what was going on. Definitely a good listen. It was also kind of funny to hear the many borrowed sound effects. I believe I heard one from Star Trek and one from V the mini series.- Barry Howell

Excellent production! One of my personal favorites. A very unusual premise, and a difficult one to pull off, but if you've read the original story you won't be disappointed. - Webmaster

Close Encounters with the Deity                                                                                         Space exploration

Demetrio Uraza, an aging and crippled physicist whose genius is comparable to Einstein's, decides to spend his remaining years on a deep space pilgrimage, seeking to discover God in the singularity of a black hole. Story by Michael Bishop.

Reviews:
Very well done piece, well acted and achieves an ethereal atmosphere with the music. The actor portraying Uraza succeeds in presenting us with a character full of both pathos and humor.  One of the series' best efforts. - Webmaster

The Cold Equations                                                                                                                     Space Travel

Classic story about the pilot of an EMS (Emergency Medical Shuttle), on a mission to deliver vital serum to a plague world, who discovers a young woman stowaway whose extra weight must condemn her to death for lack of sufficient fuel. Story by Tom Godwin.

Versions of this story also appeared on X Minus One , Future Tense,  Exploring Tomorrow , and the CBC pilot Faster Than Light.

Dark Benediction 1 hr

A space-borne plague has swept the Earth, whose victims go insane. Civilization has broken down, and the survivors fragmented into small bands of armed paranoiacs with scant better grip on rationality than the victims. Story by Walter M. Miller, author of the SF apocalyptic classic A Canticle for Leibowitz.

Diary of the Rose   30 min                                                                                                                 Future Earth

A future psychologist is forced to question her own social ethics when she is assigned to diagnose the paranoid mania of a patient accused of disaffection to the State. Story by Ursula K. LeGuin.

The Field of Vision  30 min                                                                                                                     Mars

Only two astronauts have returned from a fateful mission to Mars, suffering from sensory overloads and incapable of describing what they encountered in the Martian ruins. Story by Ursula K. LeGuin.

Frost and Fire  1 hr

Human colonists struggle to survive on a world where radiation has truncated their life spans to a mere eight days, and  those divided into daytimes of searing heat and nights of unendurable cold. Story by Ray Bradbury.

The Grantha Sighting                                                                                                                          Aliens

A old country couple in the Ozarks find themselves the recipients of First Contact.  Story by Avram Davidson.

Home is the Hangman                                                                                                    Robots/ Future Earth

An intelligent robot dispatched to explore the far reaches of space returns to Earth with the intention of destroying its creators for the crime of playing God. Story by Roger Zelazny.

Houston, Houston, Do You Read?                                                                                           Future Earth

A space crew caught in a time vortex emerge to find the future Earth populated only by women. They are the only men, but instead of being welcomed by a supposedly love-starved planet, they are treated like a malignant cancer. Story by James Tiptree, Jr.

Impostor   30 min                                                                                                                    Robots/ Aliens

After Mankind has finally abolished war, the Earth finds itself besieged by the alien 'Outspacers'. Only a protective force field about the world prevents large scale invasion-- but one scientist finds himself the supposed target of a small scale invasion when paranoid authorities are convinced he is an alien robot 
armed with a powerful bomb. Story by Philip K. Dick.

Reviews:
I haven’t seen the movie yet but after hearing this show I might just have to check it out to see how they handled it. It reminds of one of Arnold Schwarzeneggar’s movie 'The 6th Day' where he is cloned and you are not sure if he is the clone or himself. I am sure they probably got their idea from this short story though. All and all a good show which fooled me at the end.- Barry Howell

I'm Scared

A radio DJ receives a tape in the mail from a man who is convinced that the linear structure of Time itself is starting to go awry. Story by Jack Finney

The Light of Other Days

A traveling couple stop at a remote farmhouse in response to an advertisement for 'slow glass' a unique type of glass through which light takes may years to pass through. Thus a viewer can watch events from decades past unfold 'as they happen'. Story by Bob Shaw.

Sales Pitch                                                                                                                                      Humor/Robots

Fed up with the fast pace of life in a future where consumerism has run rampant, a man flees to the depths of interstellar space, only to be pursued by a prototype android intent on selling itself to him - whether he likes it or not. Story by Philip K. Dick

Shape                                                                                                                                               Humor/Aliens

A race of strictly regimented, shape-shifting aliens feel compelled to invade and conquer Earth, but every scouting mission to our planet has disappeared without a trace. A squad of elite commandos is sent in find the answer. Story by Robert Sheckley.

Sundance                                                                                                                                                    Aliens

In preparation for colonization, an alien world must first be cleansed of the Eaters, millions of herbivores which feed on the planet's precious oxygen-producing plants. But one Native American member of the team begins to suspect the Eaters may just be sentient....  Story by Robert Silverberg.

The Twonky

An alien technician temporarily 'displaced' to Earth constructs a 'twonky' that looks like a common stereo, much to the dismay of its purchaser, who soon learns the true meaning of the phrase caveat emptor. The producers credit the story to 'Lewis Padgett', one of the many pseudonyms of Henry Kuttner.

Vintage Season                                                                                                                                     Time Travel

A couple with a mundane, everyday house to sell find themselves unwilling landlords to a trio of renters who are anything but mundane and who seem to have a particular and uncommon interest in their home. And they are not the only ones - another equally odd group also want exclusive rights to the house, at any cost. Story by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore.

Wall of Darkness                                                                                                         Aliens

The inhabitants of an alien world have always known an impenetrable boundary in the form of a great soaring wall which must, they theorize, separate them from the secrets of the Universe. Until now......   Story by Arthur C. Clarke.

Yanqui Doodle                                                                                                                            War/Future Earth

American 'supersoldiers' whose skills and endurance have been enhanced by drugs struggle through detox as they recover from battle wounds in a field hospital. Story by James Tiptree, Jr.