June 18, 2021

“Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones

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“Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones

Welcome back Fictional Café Listeners, it’s time for our second audiobook for Audiobook Month! I’d like to share with you a personal favorite, “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Jenny Sterling. Many of you may be familiar with Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 film adaptation of this book, but I prefer the narrative version, as Diana is able to create a story that is beautiful in its detail and wonderful in its world-building. Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the…

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June 4, 2021

“Wuthering Heights” adapted by Rachel Pulliam

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“Wuthering Heights” adapted by Rachel Pulliam

Happy June Everyone! This week we are going to listen to “Wuthering Heights,” written by Emily Bronte and adapted by Rachel Pulliam. In honor of June being Audiobook Month, I thought it would be fun to post an old classic, that is both timeless and – in this case – produced by Dream Realm Enterprises. Penned in 1847, Emily Bronte’s story of love, hate, and revenge has remained an eternal classic. Heathcliff, a foundling boy, is taken in by the kind Mr. Earnshaw and raised with his own children, Cathy and Hindley. While Hindley’s jealousy grows, Cathy finds the boy endearing and together they form an inseparable bond. Despite her connection and love for Heathcliff, Cathy struggles with fulfilling society’s expectations of her to marry a rich man or the desire to follow her heart….

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May 21, 2021

“Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider

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“Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider

Welcome readers and listeners, to a podcast that is both delightfully amusing, entertaining and educational about kids and spies and kid spies! Welcome to “Wordtastic” by Steve Schneider! Due to an evil plot that has wiped out written language and is causing spoken language to fade from memory, special agent spy kids must race against time to collect and archive known vocabulary before it is lost forever! The show provides multiple exposures to content-rich vocabulary terms in the context of a fun story of spies and espionage that features kids as the heroes and main characters. In this premiere episode of Wordtastic! we meet the teams of special agent kids and learn about “The Incident.” An energy wave, known as “The Pulse” has swept across the world and removed all written and recorded information and…

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May 8, 2021

“Rogue Tyger: Pilot” by Jabberwocky Audio Theater

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“Rogue Tyger: Pilot” by Jabberwocky Audio Theater

Welcome Fictional Cafe viewers, did everyone enjoy their Cinco de Mayo? Because it’s time for Rogue Tyger : The Pilot. We have a fun 5-part series this week from Jabberwocky Audio Theater, because who’s sick of sci-fi? I’m not! 5,000 years into the future — in a corner of the galaxy where Earth is no longer known — humans and a dozen other sentient races have forged a civilization. Spacers brave the oceans of void between hundreds of worlds for power, glory, and simply to survive. This is the tale of one band of spacers and their ship: the Tyger. Jabberwocky Audio Theater invites you to join the crew of the Tyger as they search for adventure, riches, and possibly redemption. Modeled after classic cliffhangers such as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar or that one with the alien guy and the…

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April 24, 2021

“The Sojourn” by Daniel Orrett

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“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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March 20, 2021

“Pyramid of Peril,” by Gregg Taylor

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“Pyramid of Peril,” by Gregg Taylor

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

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“Throwing Shade,” by Andrew J. Pond

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

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

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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February 5, 2021

Sunken Harbor : K-I-S-S-I-N-G

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Sunken Harbor : K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Happy February Everyone! This month we will be enjoying Sunken Harbor: K-I-S-S-I-N-G by Fireside Mystery Theater. I thought this would be an entertaining podcast for the most romantic month of the year . . . and after listening I discovered it definitely wasn’t romantic, but by gosh it sure is fun! And, in order to make the fun last even longer, I will share two episodes this week of the four-part saga, and two episodes on the 19th. Part One of this saga introduces us to the town of Sunken Harbor, a place where everything is a little strange and more than one person is under the thumb of Simon Perdito . . . or perhaps his mysterious strawberries? It’s even spookier now than before . . . What is Simon Perdito up to? What…

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January 22, 2021

Ben & Sophie: Woby’s Secret – An Audio Adventure

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Ben & Sophie: Woby’s Secret – An Audio Adventure

From the desk of Catharina Graf and the dreams of Max Graf comes “Ben & Sophie: Woby’s Secret!” Two kids, a robot, and a missing professor… join in on this mysteriously funny audio adventure! “Ben and Sophie – Woby’s Secret” is the story of two friends, skilled at investigating all the secrets their world holds. Forced to find entertainment during their summer vacation, Ben and Sophie stumble upon Woby, a very philosophical robot, while walking Max, their dog, in the forest. From the start of their bizarre meeting, finding Woby turns the lamest, most boring summer vacation ever into an exciting adventure! Click to play Episode 1 Click to play Episode 2 In Episode 2, Ben, Sophie, and Woby discover a secret door in the professor’s lab – and learn a lot about illusions, crocodiles,…

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