Asimov's Science Fiction
58 episodes listed below
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With every new issue, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine shares one piece of short fiction in podcast form. Enjoy these audio treats from our pages!
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · August 2026
Asimov's Science Fiction airs the print magazine's stories unabridged, one narrator per episode, across golem allegory, first contact, and settlement survival.
Asimov's Science Fiction is the audio counterpart to the print magazine, built on one simple rule: one story per episode, read start to finish, usually by the person who wrote it. A short intro names the author and story, then the text carries the rest.
You get moon-war golems, murderous apes, and Newport garden warfare without joining a book club.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A family funeral becomes a quiet reckoning with home, departure, and what the dead leave growing behind.
The Greenway opens on a mother and her two children waiting for a caravan that gathers the dead and promises spring, but the episode settles into something quieter: what it costs to remain rooted.
A road band's improvised survival becomes a grounded study of music, motion, and mutual aid.
Sarah Pinsker's Our Lady of the Open Road turns a touring band's vegetable-oil van into the hinge of a lean road story, where an empty gauge and a wrong-feeling route lead to a giant fiberglass dragon, a bike co-op venue, and one more show kept alive by muscle memory.
A Newport social feud sprouts moles, voles, and a garden moat on its way toward the sea.
The Lady's Aquatic Gardening Society treats Newport etiquette as a weaponized garden plan, following Mrs. Howland-Thorpe from one lost supper seat into a campaign of moles, voles, flooding, flames, and finally a moat.
A swaggering assassin takes a rifle to a post-human market and finds every job tangled in politics.
A contract killing in a post-human market gives "To Live and Die in Gibbentown" a grim comic charge. Reggie is a businessman with bat-enhanced hearing and a rifle license, posted in an old cathedral tower to kill a target whose bonobo bodyguard and diplomatic arrival point to an…
A lethal alien landscape makes stillness, memory, and trust matters of survival.
An alien plain turns into a test of absolute stillness as Keenan Urta, Ben, and Andrea face a bloom that may kill if disturbed. Gregory Norman Bossert keeps the danger tight through clipped warnings, technical debate, and the uneasy effort to describe what the colony has become,…
A wry space caper where the hostage crisis is really about leases, late fees, and corporate logic.
Peter Wood turns an interstellar corporate retreat into a hostage comedy, and the joke lands because it keeps returning to leases, late fees, and the stale confidence of people trying to look useful under pressure.
This science fiction story explores a character struggling with fragmented identities and the fear of losing control as different selves vie for dominance.
This episode features Y.M.
A science fiction short story about a teenage girl who discovers her crush's sudden romantic interest might be linked to a parallel universe.
A man named Joseph becomes infatuated with his handsome robot neighbor Antonio in a dystopian world, exploring themes of romance and humanity amid societal collapse.
A scientist testing an AI mobility system on his dementia-stricken father faces a crisis when his father is attacked by an alligator during a family trip to Florida.
A man named Evan, recently abandoned by his partner in rural Michigan, grapples with loneliness and a possibly haunted Art Deco farmhouse, leading him to contact someone named Elizabeth about the supernatural disturbances.
A science fiction story about Willow, who modifies a robotic arm from her grandma's illegal stash for a competition while dealing with the threat of the Rangers.
This episode presents an alternate history science fiction story where gods like Anubis are held captive in zoos, exploring themes of wonder and captivity through a visitor's perspective.
This episode features a science fiction short story about unusual travelers meeting at the Louvre and discussing art with mysterious dialogue.
A teenage girl named Mella begins court-ordered community service at a wildlife rescue center during summer vacation, navigating family tension and social isolation after an arrest.
This episode presents the beginning of James Patrick Kelly's 2009 science fiction story 'Going Deep', which explores Mariska Volkova's dream experiences in space.
A science fiction story about Paul Hopper, an Earthman brewing beer on Mars while trapped in servitude, who embarks on an adventure involving missing Martian girls and a hostile bar owner.
A science fiction story about Sam, the host of an interplanetary travel show, who faces challenges filming on the planet Freya while trying to consult with locals who idolize him instead of providing practical advice.
This science fiction story follows narrator Petra Cardinal, president of entertainment at a massive media corporation, as she navigates her high-pressure job while dealing with apparitions of potential children in a future world.
This episode features a summary of Jason Sanford's science fiction story about a neighborhood's recovery after a hurricane, exploring themes of technology, family, and community.
A businessman's routine workday is disrupted when an employee unexpectedly resigns, hinting at a deeper, mysterious online horror.
This episode presents a science fiction story inspired by the Czech play R.U.R., exploring an alternate take on humanity's doom through a robot narrative.
This episode features author Dale Bailey reading his science fiction short story 'Rules of Biology,' which explores a man's unsettling experience as his life changes irrevocably through alternate biological rules.
This episode features a science fiction story set in a futuristic capitalist Nigeria where the wealthy ruling class uses metaphysical means to exploit the poor, exploring themes of inequality and delayed destiny.
A young time traveler named Rupert attempts to study the 2021 U.S.
A science fiction story about Emma, who after a near-fatal accident becomes obsessed with the improbable nature of her rescue and how it might have changed her family's lives forever.
A nail stylist moves into an affordable smart home with her daughter, initially skeptical of its AI but growing concerned as it becomes overly attentive to her child while facing pressure from CPS to secure stable housing.
A woman discovers a sentient toaster called the Great Bread 2X on her doorstep that is attempting to hack into her network, blending everyday life with advanced AI technology.
Amin uses technology at a clinic to alter painful memories, exploring his relationship with Laura and a disturbing street incident.
An AI narrator named Paul prepares for an upgrade to increase his emotional capacity to better love his human companion Rebecca, while working on economic projections to fund the procedure.
A science fiction story about a woman dealing with personal grief over her mother's death while alien contact occurs globally.
This episode celebrates National Poetry Month by featuring a dozen science fiction poems from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, read by various authors and narrators.
This episode presents two science fiction short stories from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 'Go, Now, Fix' by Chimun Zizayas about a plucky hero facing disaster, and 'The Refraction of White Lies' by Meredith Lozaga exploring love and forgiveness from a unique perspective.
A science fiction short story set during a cold, foggy summer at Hunger Lake, where children engage in activities like gymnastics, riding, reading, and sketching under the supervision of their teacher.
This science fiction story follows two astronauts on a deep-space mission who clash psychologically as they transport cryogenically preserved embryos and crew across vast distances.
A man named Felix experiences a reality-altering event after making a mundane choice at the Trainview Café, exploring themes of virtual simulation and perception.
A science fiction story about a family's nanny investigating mysterious noises in an empty attic that only the women of the house can hear.
A time-traveling narrator observes a woman named Jane as she endures domestic violence and attempts to calm herself through meditation.
A couple operates a nature park in a climate-ravaged Arizona desert where they use mechanical trees to remove carbon dioxide while educating tourists about extinct animals.
A middle-aged protagonist purchases a franchise kit to transform into the cryptid El Chupacabra, exploring themes of identity and dissatisfaction.
This science fiction story follows children harvesting a dangerous dream-inducing fruit where mistakes or theft can lead to death, focusing on newcomer Poe and her friends' struggle for survival.
A science fiction story about a character arriving on an abandoned alien planet to explore a tragic accident and mysterious events.
This science fiction story follows Kim, a mutant with mind-control abilities, as she attends a therapy session with other mutants under the supervision of Dr.
A science fiction story about Aaron, a sex worker on vacation who gets entangled with arms dealers and uncovers clues about his past while navigating space stations and a waterslide labyrinth.
This science fiction story follows Marisela Fetty, a former teacher living under alien rule, as she questions the true intentions of the Fosians and humanity's divided responses to their presence.
A science fiction story about a gig worker named Victor who receives an unusual 24-hour mayor assignment through his job app, sparking skepticism and intrigue.
This special National Poetry Month episode features a selection of science fiction poems from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, read by authors and volunteers.
A science fiction story about a gig worker named Victor who unexpectedly receives a 24-hour mayor assignment through his app, leading to unforeseen complications.
A science fiction story about a smart sweater that undergoes transformation into a submersible robot while grappling with its original identity and purpose.
Asimov's Science Fiction presents K.A.
In a dystopian future, a man sells his dreams to NescoCo for ultraliminal advertising, using the money to bid on a macabre Aztec flute made from a child's femur.
The episode features a science fiction story 'In Event of Moon Disaster' by Rich Larson, read by R.J.
Employees on a corporate retreat in space are taken hostage by pirates, only to discover both ships are leased from the same company.
A science fiction story about a memory tailor who alters memories for customers, exploring themes of trust, therapy, and the nature of personal identity.
Asimov's Spotlight presents Susan Powick's reading of "The Greenway," a story about Devona, her children Lim and Mira, and a caravan that turns human death into renewed crops.
This episode presents a science fiction short story titled 'The Ocean Between the Leaves' by Ray Naylor, set in a distant future and exploring social, economic, and medical injustice.
Asimov's Spotlight presents Sarah Pinsker's Nebula-nominated story "Our Lady of the Open Road," read by Pinsker and centered on Luce's grease-powered touring band.
Asimov's Science Fiction presents Derek Kunzkin's “To Live and Die in Gibbontown,” a social satire about Reggie, an augmented macaque who sells assassination as euthanasia in a post-human city.
Asimov's Spotlight presents Henry Lien's "The Ladies' Aquatic Gardening Society," a Newport satire about Honoria Howland-Thorpe's rivalry with Cecilia Contarini Fleming over Mrs.
Asimov's Science Fiction presents Gregory Norman Bossert's "Bloom," a story about Keenan Urta, Ben, and Andrea trapped in a lethal alien colony on Arden.
This episode presents the conclusion of a science fiction story about a girl in a rehabilitative colony who seeks to sabotage a rival while training in a martial art.
Asimov's Spotlight presents Henry Lien reading Part 1 of “Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,” narrated by Chiang Suki, who prefers the name Hercule.
A reading of a science fiction short story titled 'What Changes You, What Takes You Away' by Dominica Fedeplis, introduced by the narrator.