AMBIENT ARCANA

In this episode we present a 6-pack of strange and unusual stories by "Mr. Kafkaesque" himself - Franz Kafka. "At Night," "Poseidon," and "The Vulture" translated by Tania and James Stern "The New Advocate," "A Fratricide," and "A Dream" translated by Willa and Edwin Muir All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar Narrated by Bob Familiar and Jim Billbrough Story Order: "A Fratricide," "Poseidon," "A Dream," "The New Advocate," "At Night," and "The Vulture."

A man finds himself struggling against an invasive intelligence taking over his mind and trying to eradicate everything the man had previously revered and admired in Stefan Grabiński’s “Strabismus.” Translated by Miroslaw Lipinski All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar Narrated by Jim Billbrough

In this episode we explore what happens when a mild-mannered man is not only addicted to train travel but is actually transformed into a bold and charismatic person each time he rides the rails...and the consequences he must face when the ride comes to an end. "In the Compartment' by Stefan Grabiński Translated by Miroslaw Lipinski All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar Narrated by Jim Billbrough Train sound effects by Pond5 Please note: this story deals with some adult themes so parents might want to give it a listen first before letting young kids hear it. No obscene language or explicit descriptions are used and the adult themed passages are portrayed in a rather outdated, quaint, and metaphorical way. At least we hope Grabiński is using metaphors...

In this episode a selfless Nightingale sings her heart out to create a Red Rose for a lovelorn Student, but is he truly worthy of such a precious gift? It's Oscar Wilde's poignant tale of blood thirsty horticulture - "The Nightingale and the Rose." All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar Narration by Joey Pesce Nightingale recordings by Pro Sound Effects

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.

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 KowalskiJim Billbrough as Jim TanzerMatt 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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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