AMBIENT ARCANA
Strange and unusual stories from history, literature, myths and legends.
Episodes
This is a special episode of Ambient Arcana marking the 80th Anniversary of V.E. Day - Victory in Europe Day - May 8th, 1945 when Germany officially surrendered to the Allied Forces ending World War II in Europe.
A reading from “Jeep Show” by Robert B. O’Connor. Jeep Show is the story of entertainment specialist Jim Tanzer who finds himself trapped in the front lines during the Battle Of The Bulge. The unexpected German assault ca...
We finish our current coverage of the works of British author Robert Aickman with a story that explores what happens when the face looking back at you in the mirror is not your own.
"Le Miroir" by Robert Aickman
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
In this episode two young British women, serving in the 'Woman's Land Army' during WWII, decide to skip a dour farmer's Christmas party only to discover there are worse ways to spend the Holiday in Robert Aickman's
"The Coffin House."
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
Mod dress? Thigh-boots? Impossibly long worm-infested hallways?
It's Robert Aickman's strange tale of a mysterious, ageless woman orbiting the life of a hapless man:
"Laura."
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Alex Fitzsimmons
In this episode we explore the heavy price of turning back the hands of time with Philip K. Dick's "The Cookie Lady."
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar.
Narration by Jim Billbrough
Once again we spend our Holiday Season at the Top Of The World with yet more stories from
Albert Leroy Shelton's 1925 book "Tibetan Folk Tales"
All music and audio production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Bob Familiar and Jim Billbrough
In this episode we take the ultimate trip as we follow Ernie Valdemar on his final journey.
Edgar Allan Poe’s story of Mesmeric Malpractice -
“The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
We’ve based our narration on Basil Rathbone’s abridged version of this story ...
Just when we thought we were done with Bradbury he pulls us back in! “The October Game” a disturbing Halloween horror story where the terrors are real…or are they?
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar.
Narration by Jim Billbrough.
Additional Voices by Izzy Q. and The Artist Known As Φ.
We say goodbye to Summer with a late season tale of first love, tragic loss, and grim reunion. It’s Ray Bradbury’s classic macabre tearjerker - “The Lake.”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Clark Goodpaster
Lake wave audio recording provided by Pro Sound Effects
In this episode we explore two stories of Retrofuturism by science fiction/fantasy icon Ray Bradbury:
“The One Who Waits” - A lonely old soul gets closer to the new neighbors in the worst possible way.
“The Pedestrian” - A solitary man walks the empty streets of a TV dominated dystopia.
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Bob Familiar and ...
In this episode we tell a tragic story of forbidden love and dire consequences- “The Legend of U Raitong” as described by Mrs. K.U. Rafy in her 1920 collection “Folk-Tales Of The Khasis.”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Jim Billbrough
While researching this story we found two more recent translations of “U Manik Raitong” by contemporary Khasi authors, both of which are worth checking out:
...
Two stories about the elusive dream of freedom- A secret dream suddenly dashed and a dream unlooked for fulfilled.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story Of An Hour” and “A Pair Of Silk Stockings.”
Narrated by Arline Billbrough
Music by Paul Billbrough
Produced by Bob Familiar
In 1950 Akira Kurosawa merged two of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short stories together to make his classic film “Rashomon.”Last episode we covered the story that gave the film it’s name and in this episode we explore the story of the murder at the heart of that film, told by seven characters with seven different, often conflicting accounts:
“In A Grove” by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Music and Audio Pro...
In this episode we contemplate whether it is better to accept death with your morals intact or to survive by any means necessary.
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s “Rashōmon”.
Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Jim Billbrough
Some sound effects in this episode were licensed from
Pro Sound Effects
240 Kent Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11249
licensing@prosoundeffects.com
A trio of strange and beautiful fever dreams by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges- “The Rejected Sorcerer,” “The Circular Ruins,” and “The Two Kings and The Two Labyrinths.”
All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Jim Billbrough
We’d like to express our thanks to Jon Fredette of “The Oddcast” podcast for his advice and encouragement on this episode. If you like Ambient Arcana there’s a good chance you’ll like ...
In this episode we chase away the winter blues with a bloody sword in Robert E. Howard’s coldest Conan story - “Gods of The North” (aka. “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”).
All Music and Music & Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narration by Rick Weidner, Danielle Barry, Matt Gruenberg, Mandy Familiar, Bob Familiar, and Jim Billbrough
Some useful links:
Bonne année! Joyeux 2024!
We start our Third Season with a fiery French tale of one woman’s burning need to find balance in a hostile universe. It’s Guy de Maupassant’s torrid tale of red hot revenge! -
“Mother Sauvage.”
All Music and Music & Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Veronica and Joey Pesce, Bob Familiar, and Jim Billbrough
R...
Once again we travel to the magical land of Tibet for the Holiday Season.
In this year’s Yuletide offerings a painter and a carpenter commit supernatural postal fraud, a donkey and a rock get arrested for assaulting a jar of oil, a pair of crippled birds dispense great wealth and harsh justice, a sociopathic rabbit distributes stolen goods with murderous intent, and a goiter at a ghost party is about a...
In this episode of Ambient Arcana we explore the mysteries of ‘Siberian Magic’ and the unexpected social challenges that having one’s hostess turned into a wolf can put upon a party guest - It’s “The She-Wolf” by Saki (H.H. Munro)
Music and Music&Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by: Jace Wilson, Shannon Wilson, Mandy Familiar, Bob Familiar, and Jim Billbrough
“T...
Nothing says Halloween quite like Trick or Treating in an ancient swampy cemetery in shadow haunted Florida!
It’s H.P.Lovecraft’s grim tale of grave robbing gone wrong - “The Statement of Randolph Carter.”
All Music and Music & Audio Production by Bob Familiar
Narrated by Bob Familiar and Jim Billbrough
Recorded Almost Live at Sounds Familiar...
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