
The Last Friday In August by David Ely
From The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast - Vintage Sci-Fi Short Stories by Scott Miller
June 4, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 568
About this episode
The episode features David Ely's story about a man's pivotal moment in a city filled with exhausted strangers.
William spends years preparing himself for a moment he believes will change the city forever, while millions of exhausted strangers stumble through another suffocating summer. When the crowds suddenly fall silent and turn toward him with perfect devotion, he climbs above the city convinced he finally understands why he was chosen. The Last Friday In August by David Ely. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.David Ely makes his debut on the podcast. He was born David Eli Lilienthal Jr. in November 1927, in Chicago, Illinois.He wrote three novels, including Seconds, which was adapted into the 1966 film starring Rock Hudson. Ely also wrote the teleplay for a 1971 episode of Night Gallery.Ely wrote 21 science fiction short stories, beginning in 1961. Today’s story was only his second venture into science fiction, appearing in Fantastic Stories of Imagination in December 1961 on page 44. The Last Friday In August by David Ely.Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A strange metal cube turns a quiet neighborhood into a battlefield of scientists, preachers, and officials desperate to explain what no one can move, measure, or understand. But the most unsettling possibility is not where the…
People in this episode
Host: Scott Miller
Guest: David Ely
Topics covered
- science fiction
- urban life
- devotion
- crowd behavior
- preparation
Keywords
- David Ely
- The Last Friday In August
- science fiction
- urban crowd
- devotion
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Last Friday In August, Seconds, Night Gallery, Fantastic Stories of Imagination
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