Strange Matter: The Witch Who Came in From the Cold

Strange Matter: The Witch Who Came in From the Cold

Welcome to Realm's newest feed, Strange Matter. Max Gladstone presents a collection of thrilling stories of magic and mystery rooted in the strangeness of our own world. Come back every week for a new spell-binding episode. First on Strange Matter, we have The Witch Who Came in From the Cold. The Cold War rages in the back rooms and dark alleys of 1970s Prague—and on one misty night an American discovers that the city and its spies have become the new front of another, more ancient war—a war of magic. Now a CIA agent and a KGB operative must forge an uneasy alliance in order to stop a secret occult society from destroying the world. When spies and sorcerers cross murky lines to do battle for home and country—who do you trust? The Witch Who Came in From the Cold is written by Lindsay Smith, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Ian Tregillis, Michael Swanwick, Fran Wilde, and Max Glastone. Performed by Christine Lakin and John Glouchevich. Directed by Dennis Kao. Current Season: The Witch Who Came in From the Cold Ready for more? Check out these seasons: Season 1: Bookburners, Season 1 Season 2: Bookburners, Season 2 Season 3: Bookburners, Season 3 Season 4: Bookburners, Season 4 Season 5: Bookburners, Season 5 Binge Ad-Free & Early! Subscribe at realm.fm.

Episodes

January 26, 2023 1 min
Magic is real. And it’s dangerous. It’s locked in books and relics imbued with power. But sometimes, whether by accident or by design, magic escapes and wreaks havoc upon the world. That’s when Team Three is deployed—known by their enemies as: The Bookburners. Tasked with identifying and neutralizing magical threats anywhere in the world, the Bookburners are a cohort of special investigators from wildly different walks of life—a N...
Mark as Played
Badge, Book, and Candle, Part 1 . NYPD Detective Sal Brooks is no rookie, but even the most hardened cop would think twice upon seeing her brother open a strange book and become something altogether different, and infinitely more terrifying. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, creat...
Mark as Played
February 16, 2023 44 mins
Badge, Book, And Candle, Part 2. When Sal’s attempts to find her missing brother intersect with those of a mysterious team of occult investigators, she realizes that magic is real—and it’s hungry. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Glad...
Mark as Played
February 21, 2023 45 mins
Anywhere But Here, Part 1. No sooner does Sal Brooks settle in with Team Three of the Societas Librium Occultatum beneath Vatican City, than she goes on her first mission: investigate a magical disturbance in the heart of Madrid.  Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max G...
Mark as Played
February 23, 2023 48 mins
Anywhere But Here, Part 2. A breathing apartment door, two little girls being held hostage, and some furniture that’s far too alive for good taste are just the beginning of Sal’s first day on the job. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max ...
Mark as Played
February 28, 2023 36 mins
Fair Weather, Part 1. A tip from a local antiquarian fails to reach the team in time, and they are left with the ruins of a Rome bookstore, a missing magical tome, very few clues, and suspiciously helpful tour guide. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and...
Mark as Played
March 2, 2023 45 mins
Fair Weather, Part 2. Tracking the missing book to a luxury yacht, the team gets less of a high-end boating experience and more of a demon-on-the-loose nightmare. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mo...
Mark as Played
March 7, 2023 45 mins
A Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Part 1. Sal and Asanti leave the rest of the team in a lurch when they jet off to Scotland to attend the funeral of the archivist's mentor. But the duo discover something else that is terribly, demonically wrong. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created ...
Mark as Played
March 9, 2023 36 mins
A Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Part 2. An entire city has become preternaturally obsessed with a local restaurant. Sal and Asanti find something sinister in the kitchen, and fend up wishing they hadn’t left their muscle back in Rome. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gla...
Mark as Played
March 14, 2023 45 mins
The Market Arcanum, Part 1. Father Menchú takes Sal to Lichetenstein for the annual Market Arcanum, where the ex-cop gets a closer look into the broader world of magic users, and confrontation with the sinister Mr. Norse. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone...
Mark as Played
March 16, 2023 40 mins
The Market Arcanum, Part 2. While the rest of the team back in Rome suddenly find themselves under attack, Sal and Menchú are left scrambling to stop a group of techno-cultists who have disturbing interest in Sal. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and wr...
Mark as Played
March 21, 2023 39 mins
Big Sky, Part 1. Something too big to fully comprehend is loose in Oklahoma. Team Three touches down in a tiny town under threat from rampaging titans that feed on tornados.  Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap,...
Mark as Played
March 23, 2023 44 mins
Big Sky, Part 2. As an American town faces total destruction, the Society calls in its big guns against the Tornado Eaters, and Sal gets her first look at the kind of heat the paramilitary Team One is packing.  Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and writte...
Mark as Played
March 28, 2023 44 mins
Now And Then, Part 1. While all the members of Team Three have their secrets, only Grace seems willing to guard hers with fists of fury…until Sal sets out to learn exactly what her deal is.. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone,...
Mark as Played
March 30, 2023 44 mins
Now And Then, Part 2. Sal learns the horrifying truth about Grace, and her connection to a cursed candle: a story that goes all the way back to 1930s China Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, M...
Mark as Played
April 4, 2023 40 mins
Under My Skin, Part 1. Team Three jets to the Southwest U.S. where the human canvases of a tattoo competition show begin dying under magical circumstances. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, M...
Mark as Played
April 6, 2023 38 mins
Under My Skin, Part 2. Team Three must find the source of demonic ink before time runs out and more victims are stained by its power.   Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners   Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, Mur Lafferty, Andrea ...
Mark as Played
April 11, 2023 36 mins
Ancient Wonders, Part 1. Following the latest game of cat-and-mouse with the mysterious Mr. Norse in their hunt for the Codex Umbra, Team Three turns to old friends and even older magic. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Mar...
Mark as Played
April 13, 2023 45 mins
Ancient Wonders, Part 2. As Sal becomes suspicious of her own increasingly strange sleeping habits, Team Three seeks out the Oracle of Delphi and learns the dangers of playing with prophecy. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone,...
Mark as Played
April 18, 2023 36 mins
Shore Leave, Part 1. It’s Grace’s one-day-off-a-year, and nothing will stop her from enjoying every last second of it, not even Sal’s sleepwalking. Wanna talk with other fans and even the creator? Join the Official Fable PodClub to chat about every episode! Fable.co/Bookburners Bookburners is a Realm production voiced by Xe Sands, created by Max Gladstone, and written by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Amal El-Mohtar, Mur Laffe...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.

    iHeartOlympics: The Latest

    Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

    Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

    The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.