April 24, 2021

“The Sojourn” by Daniel Orrett

Welcome back to the next segment of our Sci-Fi Month! This week we’re covering “The Sojourn” an audio drama by Daniel Orrett! The Tantalus Cluster is the fragile cradle of humanity. Adrift in the divide between galaxies and surrounded by the vast emptiness of the intergalactic void, the Tantalus Cluster is the only home humanity has ever known. Desperate and facing starvation, humanity’s only hope is a strange nebula that has suddenly appeared beyond the edge of the cluster. Its shifting clouds may hide a source of salvation for the people of Tantalus, but time is running out. Signing on to the ambitious Avalon Expedition, Privateer Captain Cassandra Farren will face the shadows of both the past and future as she leads her small crew into the unknown in a last, desperate bid for the…

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April 9, 2021

“Shadows of Tyranny” by Ruby Fink and Sebastian Prooth

Posted by Mike Rochester in Audio Arts

Welcome Fictional Café listeners to Shadows of Tyranny, an audio drama by Ruby Fink and Sebastian Prooth and one of the first shows this audio barista ever wrote. As a blooming sci-fi nerd at the tender age of twenty, this was my first sojourn—as it were—into the world of audio dramas and podcasting. The journey towards writing the one and only episode of the anticipated 7-part series was arduous, the hours long and frustrating, and by the end of it neither of us had the heart to continue with the rest of the story. But the process wasn’t without merit. In researching the world that Gene Roddenberry had created in 1966 I was introduced to a universe that I fell in love with and continued to learn about for the next . . . well,…

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March 20, 2021

“Pyramid of Peril,” by Gregg Taylor

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Presenting this week . . . “Pyramid of Peril” by Gregg Taylor! Listeners, we’re trying a new thing this week, an audiobook sample from the wildly talented Decoder Ring Theatre. Though there are more than enough podcasts out there to tantalize your audio experience, we at The Fictional Café thought it would be fun to expand your range of listening opportunities. With that in mind, let’s check out this story . . . involving a certain daring duo. A desperate call for help from half a world away brings our masked man of mystery far from the urban jungle he is sworn to protect. With his mentor, Maxwell Falconi, who once fought crime behind the mask of the Stranger, in mortal peril, the Red Panda must battle both ancient powers and modern terrors, just to…

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March 6, 2021

“Throwing Shade,” by Andrew J. Pond

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

This week on The Fictional Café we have Throwing Shade by Andrew J. Pond! Chicago, 1934. In a city rife with crime and corruption, a hero emerges. The Shade, who rushes in where fools fear to tread . . . with predictable results. Luckily for Chicago, there’s the Vamp, a female crimefighter replete with all the skill and talent the Shade lacks. Can the Shade save Chicago from crime? Can the Vamp save The Shade from himself? Eclectic Full Contact Theatre presents Throwing Shade, the 1930’s radio satire you’ve been dying for. Mayor Crane’s Secretary, Misty LeBlanc, has been abducted. Can the Shade and the Vamp rescue her? The Shade and the Vamp tangle with the Tallys. Can they prevail? If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out more episodes on their website. Eclectic…

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February 19, 2021

Sunken Harbor: K-I-S-S-I-N-G Pt. 2

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Welcome back to Part Two of Sunken Harbor: K-I-S-S-I-N-G, performed by Fireside Mystery Theater. When last we spoke, Simon Perdito was concocting a plan that involved a disgraced sculptor, mysterious clay and magical strawberries? More than one mysterious statue is being sculpted and the Rabbi is finally asking for help. One has to wonder, what is Simon Perdito’s endgame? The Rabbi Rachael and Sheldon are planning to blow up Simon Perdito’s place in order to stop the rise of clay men and enchanted strawberries. Of course, they’re not the only people who object to Simon’s nefarious plans. *** Fireside Mystery Theater’s scarifying stock company of actors is helmed by Ali Silva and has featured performances by Allison Guinn, James Rieser, Bill Heidrich, Courtenay Gillean Cholovich, Brian Wallace, Michael Pate, Mary Murphy, Anabelle Rollinson, Alain LaForest,…

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