AMBIENT ARCANA

In this episode we present a twisted tale of twin brothers. The younger brother -a murderous, narcissistic hedonist who will stop at nothing to get what he wants; the older brother -a man who enjoys wearing silk kimonos, taking early morning walks in the garden, and neatly folding his towels after every use. Physically identical except for a small mole on the younger brother's thigh - a mole with a suspiciously sinister looking goatee! "The Twins" by Edogawa Rampo. All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar Narration by Jim Billbrough

It's Family Values Gone Wild in Ambrose Bierce's Dark Comedy "A Bottomless Grave." Narration by David Mulholland Music by Man Tray Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar.

Have you ever felt like a helpless pawn being manipulated by mysterious and hidden higher-dimensional beings? If so then this is the episode for you! It's Nebula Award Winning Author Bob Leman's trans-dimensional, mind and body altering trip through an almost endless game of bizarre, sanity shattering, yet seemingly mundane tasks: "Instructions." All Music, Audio Production, and Narration by Bob Familiar

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 catches the American forces off guard, yet determined not to give way, even at the cost of their own lives. "Jeep Show" by Robert B. O’Connor is out now and available at most booksellers. https://jeepshowbook.com/ All music and audio production by Bob Familiar. Narration by Rick Weidner Bob Familiar as Henry “Allie” Allison and Sergeant Kowalski Jim Billbrough as Jim Tanzer Matt Gruenberg as the 2nd Lieutenant and Captain Rose Additional sound effects by Pro Sound Effects Ambient Arcana will be back to our usual schedule at the end of June.

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 women, serving in the British '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 "The Story of The Beggar" the protagonist names his imaginary son "Däwä Dräbä." It is unlikely that we pronounced the name "Däwä Dräbä" correctly. According to Wikipedia "Dawa" is the Tibetan word for moon, but the word, as written in this way, is not pronounced with western phonetics. It seems to be "zla wa" or "zla ba." The Dräbä" part of the name may or may not mean something like "common monk," as opposed to say a lama which is a monk of higher spiritual status, There is also a Tibetan plant by that name. So, near as we can tell, the imaginary kid's name might mean something like "Moon Monk" or "Moon Plant."

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 from his 1960 recording of Poe’s stories for Caedmon Records. That narration can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QlgUNHJDWtk?feature=shared That record was a childhood favorite and using the abridged narration we heard as kids let’s us scratch that nostalgia itch, but for anyone who prefers the unabridged version, here’s a link to an excellent full text narration read by Bill Wallis: https://youtu.be/0E_9GwyoSzs?feature=shared

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 Jim Billbrough

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: “Khasi Myths, Legends & Folk Tales” by Bijoya Sawian (No direct link to the story on Google Books, but open the Table of Contents and follow the link to “U Manik Raitong”) https://www.google.com/books/edition/Khasi_Myths_Legends_Folk_Tales/Unr2BEAEezoC?hl=en …and “U Manik Raitong” by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih from his book “Around the Hearth: Khasi Legends” U Manik Raitong - Monash Indigenous Studies Centre Apologies to the Khasi people for any mispronunciation of Khasi names or places in this episode. To balance things out we mispronounced some English words as well.

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 Production by Bob Familiar Narrated by Mandy Familiar, Bob Familiar, Joey Pesce, Shannon Wilson, Jace Wilson, Danielle Barry, Matt Gruenberg, and Jim Billbrough

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 ”The Oddcast.” Here’s a link to Jon’s homepage featuring his podcasts, music, and more: https://www.jonfredette.com/ Some other useful links: https://bobfamiliar.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ambientarcana ambientarcana@gmail.com

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: https://bobfamiliar.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ambientarcana ambientarcana@gmail.com

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 Recorded by Joey Pesce and Bob Familiar If you think we judged Robert W. Chambers a bit harshly on his anti-German attitudes here’s a link to his WWI novel “In Secret” at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5748 Not to be confused with a recommendation. Some useful links: https://youtube.com/@bobfamiliarmusic https://bobfamiliar.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ambientarcana