Science fiction | Lecturia

Isaac Asimov: I’m in Marsport Without Hilda

“I’m in Marsport Without Hilda” is a short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in November 1957 in Venture Science Fiction Magazine. Max, an agent of the Galactic Service, arrives in Marsport for a three-day stopover before returning to Earth. The occasion seems perfect: his wife, Hilda, will not be able to join him, leaving him free to call Flora, a former lover. But just when everything seems to be leading toward the long-awaited encounter, Rog Crinton, an official of the Service on Mars, assigns him an urgent mission: to discover which one of three important passengers is carrying a dangerous contraband substance capable of threatening space travel.

Richard Matheson: Third from the Sun

“Third from the Sun” is a short story by American writer Richard Matheson, published in October 1950 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. In the early morning, a man and his wife silently prepare for a journey of no return. Together with their two young children and the neighboring family, they will board the spaceship that he, a test pilot, knows inside out. The threat of an imminent war and the conviction that their world is doomed drive them to flee toward another solar system, all while trying to say goodbye to everything without arousing suspicion.

Fritz Leiber: The Man Who Never Grew Young

“The Man Who Never Grew Young” is a short story by American writer Fritz Leiber, published in 1947 in the collection Night’s Black Agents. In a remote landscape along the Nile, an ageless man watches as the world around him slowly falls apart: the pyramids are returned to the hills, great thoughts are reabsorbed by the minds that conceived them, and humanity retreats toward its origins. An unchanging witness to vanishing civilizations, the protagonist reflects wistfully on his own existence in a time that seems to flow backward.

Arthur C. Clarke: Reunion

“Reunion” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1971 in the anthology Infinity Two. The story is presented as an interstellar message sent by an advanced civilization announcing its imminent arrival on Earth. In a calm and cordial tone, the emissaries reveal an ancient connection to humanity: millions of years ago, they colonized the planet before being forced to abandon it. Now, after a long evolutionary separation, they return to reestablish contact. Their message conveys a proposal for reconciliation and assistance, offering technological solutions and revelations about a shared past that humanity has forgotten.

Ray Bradbury: The Rocket

“The Rocket” is a science fiction story by American writer Ray Bradbury, published in March 1950 in the magazine Super Science Stories and later included in the book *The Illustrated Man* (1951). Fiorello Bodoni is a scrap dealer who is fascinated by the rockets streaking across the night sky and dreams of one day traveling to space. After years of sacrifice, he has managed to save enough money to pay for the trip for one member of his large family. But choosing who will fulfill that dream and who must stay on Earth soon turns the excitement into a painful dilemma.

Philip K. Dick: Exhibit Piece

“Exhibit Piece” is a short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, published in August 1954 in If magazine. In a future society, George Miller is a historian dedicated to the study of the 20th century. Obsessed with his work, which consists of overseeing a detailed exhibition dedicated to that era, he adopts its manner of speaking, dress, and even the use of its everyday objects. Facing hostility from his superiors due to his overzealousness, everything changes one day when, inside one of the houses in the complex he oversees, he hears voices that shouldn’t be there.