This is the final episode of The UNSONG Audiobook Podcast for the foreseeable future. I have begun my new podcast, "Fluidity", in which I am narrating the non-fiction book "Meaningness", by David Chapman.

Scott Alexander is the author of "The Girl Who Poked God With A Stick", but unlike the other short stories on this podcast, he never posted this one to his Slate Star Codex blog.

Enjoy!

The man standing outside my front door was carrying a clipboard and wearing a golden robe. “Not interested,” I said, preparing to slam the door in his face. “Please,” said the acolyte. Before I could say no he’d jammed a wad of $100 bills into my hand. “If this will buy a few moments of your time.”

It did, if only because I stood too flabbergasted to move. Surely they didn’t have enough money to do this for everybody.

“There is no everybody,” said the acolyte, when I expressed my bewilderment. “You’re the last one. The last unenlightened person in the world.”

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/11/04/samsara/

“Oh, put it away,” said Alice. “We both know you’re not going to shoot me. And it wouldn’t hurt me if you did. I do this because I’m Eris, the Greek Goddess of Discord. I destroy peace. I set people against each other. Then, when their petty fights destroy everything they’ve worked for, I stand over the ruins and laugh. It’s my thing. Here. Have a golden apple.”

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/27/a-modern-myth/

"You’ve probably heard the old children’s song. "There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.""

Returning from a long hiatus due to having received donations. Thank you!

This audiobook is about to have a Patreon, in order to continue to have more episodes that are not a year apart. After Patreon reviews it, the link will appear in the show notes for the next episode. In the meantime, the discussion about the Patreon is taking place in the Reddit thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/unsong/comments/9meqfd/unsong_audiobook/

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%95-theres-a-hole-in-my-bucket/

Episode 23

Duration: 13:48

"Sitting in bed with her computer on her lap, Erica Lowry watched the sun rise and writing the news."

If you'd like to help make episodes appear more often, please use my tip jar at:

https://cash.me/$MattArnold

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-12-borne-on-angels-wings/

Episode 22

Duration: 16:44

"LSD became illegal in California in 1966, two years before the real world got so hallucinatory that it became redundant."

If you'd like to help make episodes appear more often, please use my tip jar at:

https://cash.me/$MattArnold

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

https://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%94-the-right-hand-of-god/

Episode 21

Duration: 03:29

"Time and chance, according to the Book of Ecclesiastes, happeneth to us all. Ana had planned to sleep in, but it so happeneth that she woke up hungry and found herself out of milk. She threw on an old t-shirt – one she had gotten at a theodicy conference a few years ago, with the motto WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMAKER? on the front – grabbed a shopping bag, and headed out to the 7-11 on the corner."

Sorry for the delay between episodes. As a freelancer, my financial situation is quite feast-and-famine, and I needed to recover from famine. I did not quite get a feast, so there may be another famine in the near future. Thanks for your patience. If you'd like to help make episodes appear more often, please use my tip jar at:

https://cash.me/$MattArnold

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-11-drive-the-just-man-into-barren-climes/

Episode 20

Duration: 13:44

"The shortest effective Name of God is the Tetragrammaton. This was the Name recorded in the Bible, the one the High Priests of Israel would speak in the Temple of Solomon. The rabbis said it was so holy that God would smite any impure person who said it. Some of them went on wild flights of raptures about the holiness of this Name, said it was the Shem haMephorash, the holiest Name of all.

In these more enlightened times, we know better. We call it the Mortal Name, and it just so happens to be a Name whose power is to kill the speaker."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%93-n-grammata/

Episode 19

Duration 10:10

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"Campus library hadn’t changed much since I got expelled. I checked out three big books without even so much as a "You don’t look like an Ana Thurmond," let alone UNSONG goons hauling me off somewhere. Thank goodness for automatic card reader machines."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-10-bring-the-swift-arrows-of-light/

Episode 18

Duration 09:09

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"WE SAY THAT MAN WAS MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD," said Uriel. "BUT GOD IS INEFFABLE AND WITHOUT PHYSICAL FORM. RESOLVE THE PARADOX."

"I'm hungry," said Sohu."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-9-with-art-celestial/

Episode 17

Duration 16:16

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"Love is the law, but it is poorly enforced. — Reverend Raymond Stevens, "Singers In The Hands Of An Angry God""

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-8-laughing-to-scorn-thy-laws-and-terrors/

Episode 16

Duration 31:45

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"My watch read 5 AM. Bill Dodd lived an hour’s walk away, close to the weird morass of swamps and mud flats that passed for the San Francisco Bay in this area. He woke up around six and left at seven for some tutoring job up in the North Bay. I figured by the time I got to his home, it would be just about morning and I could catch him while he was getting ready."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-7-the-perishing-vegetable-memory/

Episode 15

Duration 22:58

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"The computer whirred and chattered: the speaker producing Names faster than the ear could follow. I stared at the screen. I already knew I wouldn’t sleep tonight."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-6-till-we-have-built-jerusalem/

Episode 14

Duration 21:54

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"“What the HELL?” I interrupted, suddenly way more angry than depressed. “You’re supposed to @#!$ing tell me not to do it!”

“This is the suicide hotline,” the woman said, now sounding confused. Then, “Are you sure you weren’t thinking of the suicide prevention hotline?”"

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/07/18/reverse-psychology/

"Those who speak the Names of God aloud are called cantors and singers. Like everything, these terms have both overt and kabbalistic meanings."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%92-cantors-and-singers/

Episode 13

Duration 8:36

"And I remember the day Ana and I got married."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-5-never-seek-to-tell-thy-love/

Chapter 5 is 10 times as long as most chapters. Its 5 sections were recorded as individual episodes, of which this is the fifth.

Episode 12

Duration 9:46

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"I remember the day I asked Ana on a date."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-5-never-seek-to-tell-thy-love/

Chapter 5 is 10 times as long as most chapters. Its 5 sections will be recorded as individual episodes, of which this is the fourth.

Episode 11

Duration 5:17

Tip jar: https://cash.me/$MattArnold

"I remember the day I first saw Ana in her element."

Here is a personal note to explain the unannounced hiatus which this podcast experienced over the last two months. Thank you to those who asked after me.

There's a happy reason and a sad reason. Let's get the sad out of the way. I no longer have access to the laptop which I was using to record this. It had several more episodes recorded on it, which I had not yet published, and which must now be re-recorded. That audio was the rest of Chapter Five, which is complex and surprisingly exerting to narrate for multiple reasons.

The good reason is that over the last two months, I switched from my 9-to-5 employment routine, and have been focusing my effort on some other passion projects that bring in money. I look forward to telling you about them when the websites launch. Until then, suffice it to say: I hope you like games.

I also run an annual convention, Penguicon, a combination of a science fiction/fantasy literature convention with an open-source software conference. Penguicon consumes most of my time in April every year. I had the pleasure to meet up with the author of UNSONG there. We got more than 1550 attendees. It was exhilarating.

Another piece of good news is that a fan of the podcast recently sold me a new laptop for really cheap. It appears to have decent USB ports which will not corrupt the sound quality as much as my regular laptop would do. You can expect the podcast to resume its regular schedule.

I would appreciate any tips you may wish to provide. As with all things related to UNSONG, this tip jar is provided with the explicit permission of the author. It's fast and convenient to send money through Square's Cash service. Here's my own Cashtag page:

http://cash.me/$MattArnold

While you have my thanks, of course tips are not necessary. And as always, here is a link to the author's site containing the original material narrated in this episode. Until next time.

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-5-never-seek-to-tell-thy-love/

Episode 10

"I remember my first morning there, the morning it all came together. The girls finally dragged me out of bed and insisted on making me breakfast."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-5-never-seek-to-tell-thy-love/

Chapter 5 is 10 times as long as most chapters. Its 5 sections will be recorded as individual episodes, of which this is the second.

Episode 9

Duration 15:48

"I remember the first time I met Ana Thurmond."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-5-never-seek-to-tell-thy-love/

Chapter 5 is 10 times as long as most chapters. Its 5 sections will be recorded as individual episodes.

Episode 8

Duration 11:14

"Even before Erica finished formally adjourning the meeting, I wove my way through the crowd of garrulous people and up the stairs into my bedroom. I grabbed my laptop from the desk, then knocked on Ana’s door. She was there waiting for me."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-4-tools-were-made-and-born-were-hands/

Episode 7

Duration 9:00

"Ever since the sky cracked there has been a hurricane off the coast of Louisiana that never moves or decays. In its eye stands the Archangel Uriel."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-3-on-a-cloud-i-saw-a-child/

Episode 6

Duration 15:25

""The Code Of The World", by Aaron Smith-Teller, Published in the March 2017 issue of the Stevensite Standard

The Talmud says that God created the Torah nine hundred seventy-four generations before He created the world. Generations of who, I don’t know. The Talmud is kind of crazy."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%91-the-code-of-the-world/

Episode 5

Duration 11:51

"Right down the road from Berryessa Station there’s a big house with a hidden basement. The people who live there – usually six to eight of us, rarely the same from one month to the next – are the sort of artsy college students and aimless twenty-somethings who think that houses should have names. We call it Ithaca."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-2-arise-to-spiritual-strife/

Chapter 4

Duration 21:02

"You hit the punching bag. It bursts, sending punching-bag-filling spraying all over the room! You know that that would happen! It always happens when you hit a punching bag! Your wife gets really angry and tells you that we don’t have enough money to be getting new punching bags all the time, but women hate it when you listen to what they say! The Internet told you that!

The doorbell rings. You tear the door off its hinges instead of opening it, just to show it who’s boss. Standing on your porch is a man in black. He wears a black cloak, and his face is hidden by a black hood. He raises a weapon towards you.

This looks like one of the approximately 100% of problems that can be solved by BRUTE STRENGTH!"

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/06/02/and-i-show-you-how-deep-the-rabbit-hole-goes/

"Richard Nixon was confused and upset.

It wasn’t that he hadn't expected problems. He’d only been on the job six weeks, but he knew a president had to be ready for anything. But "anything" was supposed to mean economic downturns, or crime waves, or The Russians.

Instead Apollo 8 had crashed into some kind of weird space glass, the sky was cracking open, the clouds were forming ominous patterns, and Tuesdays had stopped happening."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/interlude-%D7%90-the-cracks-in-the-sky/

Episode 3

Duration 8:05

"The apocalypse began in a cubicle."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-1-dark-satanic-mills/

Episode 2

Duration 20:31

"In retrospect, there had been omens and portents."

A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text:

http://unsongbook.com/prologue-2/

Episode 1

Length 6:38

"People’s minds are heartbreaking. Not because people are so bad, but because they’re so good.

Nobody is the villain of their own life story. You must have read hundreds of minds by now, and it’s true. Everybody thinks of themselves as an honest guy or gal just trying to get by, constantly under assault by circumstances and The System and hundreds and hundreds of assholes. They don’t just sort of believe this. They really believe it. You almost believe it yourself, when you’re deep into a reading. You can very clearly see the structure of evidence they’ve built up to support their narrative, and even though it looks silly to you, you can see why they will never escape it from the inside. You can see how every insult, every failure, no matter how deserved, is a totally unexpected kick in the gut.

When you chose the yellow pill, you had high hopes of becoming a spy, or a gossip columnist, or just the world’s greatest saleswoman. The thought of doing any of those things sickens you now."

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander.

“Universal love,” said the cactus person.

“Transcendent joy,” said the big green bat.

“Right,” I said. “I’m absolutely in favor of both those things. But before we go any further, could you tell me the two prime factors of 1,522,605,027, 922,533,360, 535,618,378, 132,637,429, 718,068,114, 961,380,688, 657,908,494 ,580,122,963, 258,952,897, 654,000,350, 692,006,139?"

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/04/21/universal-love-said-the-cactus-person/

"You wake up in one of those pod things like in The Matrix. There’s a woman standing in front of you, wearing a lab coat, holding a clipboard.

“Hi,” she says. “This is the real world. You used to live here. We erased your memories and stuck you in a simulated world for a while, like in The Matrix. It was part of a great experiment.”"

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/03/asches-to-asches/

"On an ordinary evening, Tal Aivon was lively and pleasant. The collection of longhouses and yurts within its tall brick walls shone bright with kerosene – not just torches, real kerosene – and its communal meeting area was noisy with conversation and song. The children would be playing their games, and on the eves of holy days the Lorekeepers would chant their stories of the Lost World, accompanied by lyres and the town’s one decaying gyitar."

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/11/03/the-witching-hour/

Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes early!

https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook

The UNSONG Audiobook is now complete. Two-hundred and forty-four thousand, one hundred and forty words. Thirty-two hours of audio. Let me know of any episodes you think really need to be re-recorded. For the rest of this year, the further episodes will be my favorite short stories from the same author, which I have been looking forward to.

Here is the hour-long retrospective episode. If you have not read the book and this is where you're starting, be advised of spoilers, and of content warnings about violence and mental illness.

It includes an interview with the author, announcements of the future of the podcast, recommendations for further reading or listening, my reflections on the themes of the novel, the ability to change the world, finding patterns where none exist, random acts of violence, and resisting despair.

It also includes a very personally vulnerable account of how the novel makes me feel about the historical development of this century so far, the position of my life within that, and the place of you and I and each other in the world.

According to my time tracker, I have been writing, reworking, and editing this episode for almost 18 total hours in my text editor alone, to say nothing of the audio editor.

On the one hand, I might talk about myself too much, and on the other hand, I consider it misleading if I present a "view from nowhere" as if it were the only one. Everyone has a viewpoint on the subject they are discussing, and this one is mine. I'm interested in yours, so please email your questions or answers or follow-up questions or follow-up answers to:

thatsoundshard@gmail.com

Question timestamps:

1, the theme of your blog- 01:07.
2, softening opposition to the antagonists - 01:47.
3, planning in a serial format- 05:56.
4, justifying the unjustifiable- 11:09.
5, placebomancy and propaganda- 20:18.
6, worldbuilding premise- 26:44.
7, comedic style- 30:53.
8, psychological distance- 38:02.
9, did anyone ever make it to Wall Drug- 46:50.
10, after the interview- 52:39.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Lincoln. Lincoln who? Lincoln the shownotes.

Too Like The Lightning, the Terra Ignota series by Dr Ada Palmer: https://adapalmer.com/publication/too-like-the-lightning/

The Atrocity Archive, The Laundry Files series by Charles Stross: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2016/04/faq-the-laundry-filesseries-ti.html

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow: https://craphound.com/category/walkaway/

Blindsight by Peter Watts: https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm

Cory Doctorow's article in Locus about Cold Equations and moral hazard: https://locusmag.com/2014/03/cory-doctorow-cold-equations-and-moral-hazard/

Meaningness, an online HTML book by David Chapman: https://meaningness.com/

Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson: https://smile.amazon.com/Blankets-Craig-Thompson/dp/177046218X

Distress by Greg Egan: https://www.gregegan.net/DISTRESS/DISTRESS.html

"I Can't Stop Watching Contagion" by Dan Olson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsSzrVhdVuw&vl=en

"And the voice said: [Blowhole-y of holies.]"

This concludes the audiobook adaptation of UNSONG, a novel by Scott Alexander. Stay subscribed so that you'll get the next episode, in which I offer some closing thoughts on the novel, and make some announcements.

This has been a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

http://unsongbook.com/epilogue/

Episode 105

Duration: 11:41

Here ends Book 4. The next episode will conclude our story.

"He sat on the Black Opal Throne like it was the most natural thing in the world. He had taken off his scarlet robes, and now wore the familiar black and silver. "Come," he said, and I moved slowly, foggily, like I was in a dream."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-72-and-builds-a-heaven-in-hells-despair/

Episode 104

Duration: 19:49

"Reddit has a feature where you can sort posts by controversial. Controversy sells, so we trained our network to predict this too. The project went to this new-ish Indian woman with a long name who went by Shiri, and she couldn’t get it to work, so our boss Brad sent me to help. Shiri had tested the network on the big 1.7 billion comment archive, and it had produced controversial-sounding hypothethical scenarios about US politics. So far so good. The Japanese tested their bioweapons on Chinese prisoners. The Tuskegee Institute tested syphilis on African-Americans. We were either nicer or dumber than they were, because we tested Shiri’s Scissor on ourselves."

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/10/30/sort-by-controversial/

"Sohu pushed the heavy steel door open and entered the throne room."
This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
http://unsongbook.com/chapter-72-and-builds-a-heaven-in-hells-despair/
Episode 103
Duration: 20:10

"Then God spoke to Ana out of the whirlwind, and He said: "THE REASON EVIL EXISTS IS ..."
This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
http://unsongbook.com/chapter-71-but-for-another-gives-its-ease/
Episode 102
Duration: 20:10

"Opening the door to the Captain’s cabin, Ana saw a small room, dark and unadorned, with only a bare wooden bed. The Captain sat upon it, writing something, pages of notes strewn all about. He looked up at Ana, his face unreadable through the dark glasses. She hesitated for just a second, then spoke."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-71-but-for-another-gives-its-ease/

Episode 101

Duration: 22:48

"It was called Tava, or "sun mountain", by the Ute. El Capitan, meaning "the leader", by the Spanish. But its modern name "Pike’s Peak" comes from explorer Zebulon Pike, and his name in turn comes from the Biblical Zebulon, son of Jacob.

Moses says in Deuteronomy 33: "Rejoice, Zebulon, in your journeys. You call the people to your mountain, and there they will offer a sacrifice of the righteous." Taken to refer to Mr. Pike, the journeys part checks out. The mountain part definitely checks out. The sacrifice of the righteous part is kind of obscure.

Sohu hoped, as she rematerialized on the summit of Pike’s Peak, that it didn’t have anything to do with her."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

http://unsongbook.com/chapter-70-nor-for-itself-hath-any-care/

Episode 100

Duration: 30:49

Here begins Book IV.

"The alarms went silent. North American airspace went black. The lights went out. THARMAS went quiet, then released an arc of electrical energy which briefly lit the otherwise pitch-black room before dying back down. Sohu gave a horrible primal scream."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-69-love-seeketh-not-itself-to-please/

Episode 99

Duration: 14:18

Here ends Book III.

"No analogy suffices. They came in like what they were, the greatest army ever collected, marching back home in in a frustrating mix of victory and defeat."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-68-puts-all-heaven-in-a-rage/

Episode 98

Duration: 9:32

"Only a few minutes before sunset now. The sea blazed orange. Fire Island rose as a dark line to the north.
"James," said Ana. "We need to talk.""
This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
https://unsongbook.com/chapter-67-the-night-of-enitharmons-joy/
Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!
https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook
Episode 97
Duration: 31:27

"Genesis 11:4: "And they said, "Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth"." And the LORD waxed wroth, and He cursed them with a confusion of tongues, turned them into the seventy-two nations and scattered them around the world.
Somehow, after thousands of years, the seventy-two nations came together again."
This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
https://unsongbook.com/chapter-66-in-the-forests-of-the-night/
Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!
https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook
Episode 96
Duration: 14:57

"Brenda Burns spoke the Fulminant Name and shot a lightning bolt at Malia Ngo. It missed by a fraction of an inch and lit her desk on fire. Clark Deas had been in the process of lunging over the desk to get at Malia; his grunted as his shirt caught fire and started hitting himself against the wall, trying to put it out."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-65-the-fruit-of-my-mysterious-tree/

Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!

https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook

Episode 95

Duration: 14:49

"Stefan had the most useless job at the entire United Nations – which was saying something. He and Ben stood outside of the door of a UN office building all day, checked everybody’s badges, and denied them entry if their badges were wrong. They never were."
This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
https://unsongbook.com/chapter-64-another-better-world-shall-be/
Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!
https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook
Episode 94
Duration: 8:14

"When you first take the Artifact, you will see a vision of ALPHANION, Demon-Sultan of the Domain of Order, who appears as a grid of spheres connected by luminous lines. Alphanion will urge you to use the Artifact to enforce cosmic order, law at its most fundamental."

This is a short story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/09/12/in-the-balance/

"Blue sky and fair winds, like every day in the eye of a hurricane. Multicolored symbols circled and sparkled round. Invisible celestial machinery kept up its steady pulse."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-63-my-wrath-burns-to-the-top-of-heaven/

Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!

https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook

Episode 93

Duration: 8:14

"It was afternoon, and we met together in the command center. Me. Sarah. The four Cometspawn. Vihaan, the Comet King’s uncle, chief of staff, and self-proclaimed butler."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-62-that-the-wide-world-might-fly-from-its-hinges/

Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!

https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook

Episode 92

Duration: 17:05

"Midnight falls in the Garden of the Gods, and Robin West stands alone beneath the cold stars."

This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:

https://unsongbook.com/chapter-61-and-ololon-said-let-us-descend-also-and-let-us-give-ourselves-to-death-in-ulro-among-the-transgressors/

Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes twice-weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon feed in which you hear episodes a month early!

https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook

Episode 92
Duration: 10:07