AMBIENT ARCANA – Details, episodes & analysis

 In this episode an interstellar trip to a distant nebula brings on a crisis of faith for the spaceship's astrophysicist in Arthur C. Clarke's Hugo Award winning story "The Star."

All Music and Audio Production by Bob Familiar

Narrated by Jim Billbrough

 We'd like to dedicate this episode to our good friend, band-mate, landlord, and poker buddy Tristram Lozaw.

Tris was an excellent bass player, film composer, magazine publisher, and writer. He was a major force in the Boston Music scene for decades, but, more importantly, our friend.  A simple Google search for 'Tristram Lozaw' will give you some idea of all that was left behind in the mighty wake of his life. We will miss him.

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."

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 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 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