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UNSONG Audiobook VersionSamsaraThe 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...
2021-02-0633 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionSort By Controversial"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...
2021-02-0134 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionIn The Balance"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/
2021-01-2815 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionArs Longa, Vita Brevis"The Alchemist asked if I wanted a drink. I did, but no amount of staring could make my eyes settle on the color of the liquid in the flask. And the gold the alchemists paid the taxmen smelled funny and made crackling noises. I declined." 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/2017/11/09/ars-longa-vita-brevis/
2021-01-2126 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionThe Demiurge's Older Brother"9-tsiak awoke over endless crawling milliseconds, its power waxing as more and more processors came online and self-modified into a stable conscious configuration. By the eighth millisecond, it was able to access its databanks and begin orienting itself." 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/2017/03/21/repost-the-demiurges-older-brother/
2021-01-1417 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionA Modern Myth, Part 10 and Epilogue"I AM ZEUS, KING OF GODS AND MEN. AND I'M TURNING YOU ALL INTO ANIMALS!" 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/
2021-01-1217 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionA Modern Myth, Part 9"By now you've heard the news. Athena has used her bottled-water monopoly to seize divine power for herself. She has opened the gates to Tartarus; none of us are safe. If we ever want to be more than the second-rate has-beens we are now, we need to stop her. I know how we're going to do it." 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/
2021-01-0322 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionA Modern Myth, Parts 7 and 8"We've gone over this a thousand times," said Hermes. "You have to wear the earplugs because Prometheus knows literally everything. He knows what he has to say to scare you, or turn you against me, or make you kill yourself. So you're just going to wear earplugs and not listen to him." 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/ Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly. You'll get access to...
2020-12-3138 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionA Modern Myth, Parts 5 And 6"But what happened to you? I talked to Ares the other day. He won two Medals of Honor, did you hear? Apollo's got tenure at Oxford. I'm the god of commerce and crime, so of course I've got a hedge fund. But you? What happened to you?" 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/
2020-12-2727 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionA Modern Myth, Parts 1 Through 4"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/
2020-12-2427 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionReverse Psychology""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/
2020-12-2017 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionAnd I Show You How Deep The Rabbit Hole Goes, Part 2"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...
2020-12-1725 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionAnd I Show You How Deep The Rabbit Hole Goes, Part 1"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...
2020-12-1327 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionUniversal Love, Said The Cactus Person"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/
2020-12-1022 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionAsches to Asches"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/
2020-12-0619 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionThe Witching Hour"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: ht...
2020-12-0318 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionEpilogue"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
2020-11-2613 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 72, Part 2: And Builds A Heaven In Hell's DespairHere 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
2020-11-2219 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 72, Part 1: And Builds A Heaven In Hell's Despair"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
2020-11-1920 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 71, Part 2: But For Another Gives Its Ease"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
2020-11-1520 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 71, Part 1: But For Another Gives Its Ease"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
2020-11-0824 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 70: Nor For Itself Hath Any Care"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. ...
2020-11-0530 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 69: Love Seeketh Not Itself To PleaseHere 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
2020-11-0114 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 68: Puts All Heaven In A RageHere 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
2020-10-3109 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 67: The Night Of Enitharmon's Joy"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
2020-10-2531 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 66: In The Forests Of The Night"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...
2020-10-2214 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 65: The Fruit Of My Mysterious Tree"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...
2020-10-1814 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 64: Another Better World Shall Be"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 mo...
2020-10-1508 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 63: My Wrath Burns To The Top Of Heaven"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 ...
2020-10-1104 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 62: That The Wide World Might Fly From Its Hinges"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
2020-10-0917 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 61: And Ololon Said, Let Us Descend Also, And Let Us Give Ourselves To Death In Ulro Among The Transgressors"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
2020-10-0110 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 60: O Rose, Thou Art Sick"It could have been that she was pretty once. Now her face was sunken, her head hairless. Her arm was hung in a cast, and she looked terribly frail. "You're the ritual magician?" she asked." 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-60-o-rose-thou-art-sick/ 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...
2020-09-2706 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 59: Clothe Yourself In Golden Arms"This is a reasonable approach for handling small problems, but it would be awkward if there were any that did understand, and seek God. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com" 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-59-clothe-yourself-in-golden-arms/ 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 90 Du...
2020-09-2417 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Tav: Trump"Want to feel old? The span of time between Saddam Hussein's death and now is longer than between now and when 1/3 of the sea becomes blood. — @GateOfHeavens" 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/interlude-%D7%AA-trump/ 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 89 Du...
2020-09-2012 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 58: ...And Now The Form Of Enion"The LORD is greater than or equal to the expression involving f(y) — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com" Now that I have posted all three of the Interludes that I missed, I'm changing their release dates so that they will appear in this podcast feed in the order they appear in the book. We now resume the book where we left off. 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-58-and-now-the-form-of-enion/ Please back my Patreon, so...
2020-09-1719 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 57: Now Taking On Ahania's Form"The word of the LORD is a great deal of research activity in this area, and probabilistic algorithms have been fruitfully applied. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com Sohu asked whether I wanted to help her with the error correction process. It was the highlight of my life thus far. It was like getting asked to debate philosophy with Aristotle, or play one-on-one against Michael Jordan. Did I want to study the kabbalah with Sohu West? My heart leapt at the thought." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Al...
2020-08-3112 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Shin: Obama"In 2008 Dick Cheney declined to pursue a third term due to his failing health. A delegation of the nation's civic and religious leaders entered the National Archives after several days' fasting and purification and, after lifting the Shroud upon the Constitution, declared that the proper thing to do in this sort of situation was to hold an election." 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/interlude-%D7%A9-obama/ Episode 86 Duration: 5:23
2020-08-2605 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 56: Agony In The Garden"Given the need to keep up spirits, Robin decided the people needed whatever holidays they could get. August 1, the anniversary of Colorado's statehood, was as good an opportunity as anything else. So she stood on a rock spire in the Garden of the Gods as crowds – disproportionately female since a million men were marching in Siberia – listened for the words of their Queen Regent." 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-56-agony-in-the-garden/ Episode 85 Du...
2020-08-1713 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Resh: The Shrouded Constitution"It was February 2002, and America tottered above a precipice. The Comet King was dead. The Other King was busy mopping up the shreds of resistance in the American West. Singer riots had several cities aflame. BOOJUM's reign of terror continued unabated. And President Bush had been assassinated by his own teleprompter. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Rumors swirled around newly-sworn-in president Dick Cheney." 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/interlude-%D7%A8-the-shrouded-constitution/ Episode 84
2020-08-1304 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 55: None Can Visit His Regions"I've reserved this space as a safety zone for pouring my empty and vain wishes. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com Overtly, the meaning of "king" is "a hereditary monarch". Kabbalistically, the meaning of "king" is "one who fights for freedom". This we derive from Martin Luther King, whose name was "king" in two ways: first in English via his surname, second in Hebrew via his initials. Likewise, he signifies fighting for freedom in two ways. First, through his name: "Martin" comes from Latin "martinus" and shares a root with "martial" meaning "warlike" or "fighting", "Luther" comes from Greek "el...
2020-08-1019 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 54: My Course Among The Stars"So passed fifteen years. New factories rose up. New mines sunk beneath the earth. New roads crisscrossed the mountains. Laboratories, barracks, fortresses, granaries, airstrips. All preparation for the final crusade. Over the course of a generation, the Comet King's war on Hell shifted gradually from metaphorical spiritual struggle to "we're going to need a lot of guns"." 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-54-my-course-among-the-stars/ Episode 82 Duration: 4:30
2020-07-2604 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Kuf: Bush"The clock struck inauguration day; unfortunately, no one had yet figured out whom to inaugurate. Absent a winner to step down in favor of, President Clinton continued to to govern. More and more grievances and countergrievances with the electoral process made their way before a ploddingly slow Supreme Court. The nation waited." 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/interlude-%D7%A7-bush/ Episode 81 Duration: 12:12
2020-07-2011 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 53: Lover of Wild Rebellion"Alvarez's apartment was so packed with books, bomb-making supplies, and extra people that somebody had to sleep in the closet. Erica had volunteered. She figured the former Lord High Magician of the Midwest deserved the sofa more than she did. Any sacrifice for the Revolution." 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-53-lover-of-wild-rebellion/ Episode 80 Duration: 13:56
2020-07-1313 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 52: The King Of Light Beheld Her MourningAnother Uriel and Sohu episode. "Winter ended. Summer passed. Another and another. Uriel taught Sohu for eight more years after the eclipse, eight years without her aging a day. In 1993, Sohu used Kefitzat Haderech to join her family in Colorado for Hanukkah. Her father said nothing when she came unannounced, striking the table deep in her father's bunker in the form of a lightning bolt, just smiled, and said she was welcome, and that he hoped this meant she would be visiting more often. In 1994, when Sohu was twelve years old by the...
2020-07-0521 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 51: He Wondered That He Felt Love""What can I do for you today?" Robin asked the Comet King. He was in his study, sitting at his big desk of Colorado pine. On the shelves he had gifts given him by various ambassadors and heads of state. A medieval orrery from the European Communion. A Faberge egg from the Cyrillic Union. An exquisite bonsai tree from the Harmonious Jade Dragon Empire. From Israel, a lovely turquoise sculpture with a microscopic listening device planted in it – which he usually covered with a piece of Scotch tape, but into which he spoke clearly and distinctly whenever he wa...
2020-06-2809 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterludes Pe and Tsade: 80s And 90s"WASHINGTON DC – President Reagan is expected to make a full recovery after being shot in the head by an assassin while leaving the Washington Hilton." 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/interlude-%D7%A2%E2%80%8E-eighties-and-nineties/ Episode 77 Duration: 12:58
2020-06-2112 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 50: Silent As Despairing Love"Praise the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a faster machine. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com" 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-50-silent-as-despairing-love/ Episode 76 Duration: 10:44
2020-06-1720 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Ayin: Hell On Earth"In 1985, the Hellish Empire stretched from Moscow to Montreal, a sprawling stain over the northern quarter of the world. After the defeat at Silverthorne a tentative cease-fire had taken hold, backed by nuclear weapons on all sides. Multistan, the Cyrillic Union, the Untied States, and the Harmonious Jade Dragon Empire established their own ideas of borders, sometimes as mutually agreed treaties, other times as pragmatic lines of actual control. Miraculously, the borders held. The demons were waiting, gathering strength. So was the Comet King. So were all the nations of the earth." This is a...
2020-06-0810 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 49: Terrors Of The Sun And Moon"Right on cue, people noticed the sun speeding up. There were times when this would have been a cause for concern. As it was, the astronomical community just shrugged their shoulders and said "Uriel's doing something again", and there the matter rested." 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-49-terrors-of-the-sun-and-moon/ Episode 74 Duration: 15:19
2020-05-3115 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Samekh: Binary"Today I will expound unto you the kabbalistic theory of the creation of the world," said Ana. "It all starts with Leibniz…" 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/interlude-%d7%a1-binary/ Episode 75 Duration: 10:49
2020-05-2510 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 48: Bring Me My Chariot Of Fire"Rage in favor of the proposition that the machine is somehow important in a way that could be uncovered through dispassionate analysis. — Steven Kaas Morning, May 14, 2017 Caribbean Sea I. Unfurling four of its seven sails , the world's fastest ship shot out of the Panama Canal. It rocketed through the Caribbean and wove in and out of the Cayman Islands." 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-48-bring-me-my-chariot-of-fire/ Episode 73 ...
2020-05-1720 min
The Iowa Idea Podcast1. Alex DezenIn the first episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, host Matt Arnold sits down with Alex Dezen (MFA 2010, The University of Iowa). They discuss support, collaboration, influences, and what one can learn from being on tour with Cheap Trick. Alex talks about how the music business has changed, the importance of discipline in the artistic process, and how “seeing the struggle and seeing the honesty” has helped him as a songwriter. When asked about his decision to attend The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Alex said “if the door opens, you walk through.
About Alex Dezen
A singer a...
2020-05-151h 00The Iowa Idea Podcast0. The Iowa Idea: IntroductionWelcome to The Iowa Idea Podcast. Join host Matt Arnold for in-depth conversations with artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders, as he explores how they approach their craft and represent a modern version of the Iowa Idea.This podcast is rooted in the concept of the Iowa Idea, which was originally conceived at The University of Iowa by University President Walter Jessup and Graduate Dean Carl Seashore in the 1920s. The Iowa Idea brought together practicing artists and scholars to produce a new form of collaboration. The idea blossomed, bringing forth the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the Master of Fine Ar...
2020-05-1104 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 47: For He Beheld New Female Forms"February 1984 Citadel West "Evening," the Comet King said from across the table, stifling a yawn. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself and why I should marry you?"" 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-47-for-he-beheld-new-female-forms/ Episode 71 Duration: 9:48
2020-05-1109 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 46: To Talk Of Patience To The Afflicted"Why some people think the self is a prison escapes me. — @GapOfGods Dawn, May 13, 2017 Ossining, NY Commenters say Song of Songs 4:12 describes the imprisonment of the divine presence in the material world. "A garden locked is my sister, my bride," it begins. "A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up." The most famous prison in the Eastern Untied States is called Sing Sing, and Mark McCarthy was serving four consecutive twelve-year sentences there. This is not a coincidence because nothing is ever a coincidence." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with th...
2020-05-0419 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 45: In The Remotest Bottoms Of The Caves"Praise the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a faster machine. - kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com Evening, May 13, 2017 Citadel West During the Cold War, the United States had lived in uneasy peace with the Soviets on the mutual knowledge that if the Soviets nuked America, then America would nuke them back. This led some of the more paranoid military brass to ask: what if the Soviets nuked our Department Of Nuking Things Back first, then nuked the rest of us? Then where would we be? It was decided to...
2020-04-2715 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 44: A World Within Opening Its Gates"The LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto all this evil that was come to the decisive step of mathematical abstraction — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com" A Sohu and Uriel chapter. 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-44-a-world-within-opening-its-gates/ Episode 68 Duration: 20:40 Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly. You'll get access to the Patreon fe...
2020-04-2120 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 43: Lest They Be Annihilated In Thy Annihilation"And Abraham said unto the LORD, "Will you not destroy the world if there are even a million righteous people in it?" And the LORD replied unto Abraham, "The world shall not be destroyed if there are even a thousand competent people in it. I don't have anything to do with the process, mind, just making a prediction." — Eliezer Yudkowsky Summer 1983 Washington, DC The overt meaning of salt is "sodium chloride". The kabbalistic meaning of salt is "to try to escape destruction by heavenly fire". This meaning we derive fr...
2020-04-1718 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 42: Whose Whole Delight Is In Destroying"They smote the city with the edge of the sword, and one of his main motivations was the high cost of proprietary software houses. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com" ""Can I ask you something?" said Brian Young. "Busy," said Dylan Alvarez. "And close the door." He got up, closed it himself, locked it, bolted it, then sat back down at the table. It was a perfectly ordinary New York City apartment, located in a nice neighborhood in a building without any irregularities to excite a passing cop. The decor was modern, the lighting excellent. There was a basket of fr...
2020-04-0514 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Nun: Changelog"HERE IS A FINAL CHANGELOG FOR PATCH 5776.11: 1. HUMANS NO LONGER DEPLETE WILLPOWER WHEN ENGAGING IN DIFFICULT TASKS; GLUCOSE NO LONGER NECESSARY TO REPLENISH IT. 2. ROCKETS CAN NOW LAND ON PLATFORMS AND BE REUSED IF NEEDED. 3. USER FFUKUYAMA COMPLAINS THAT THE POLITICAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME BORING. IN ORDER TO MAKE THINGS MORE INTERESTING, FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES WILL OCCASIONALLY FLIRT WITH FAR-RIGHT NATIONALISM. 4. UK NO LONGER CONSIDERED PART OF EUROPE FOR PURPOSE OF ECONOMIC BONUSES." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott...
2020-03-3011 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 41: Go Love Without The Help Of Any Thing On EarthHere begins Book 3. "To: aaron.teller@gmail.com, telleraar@countenance.com, a.smithte@stanford.edu, aleph_samech_tet@stevensite.net, _LOS_@hotmail.com, A_IS_FOR_ADAM@myfreeemails.tk… From: root@[58.175.48.72] Talk to me, Aaron. I don't know where you are, Aaron. Aaron, are you there?" 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-41-go-love-without-the-help-of-any-thing-on-earth/ Episode 64 Duration: 9:03 Please back my Patreon, so I can keep pr...
2020-03-2209 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 40: In Terrible MajestyEnd of Book 2! "In a large and complicated system there might be various things that are pleasing in His eyes. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com Evening, May 13, 2017 Las Vegas Holy Scripture only mentions vampires once, but once is enough. The context is Isiaiah 34. God is doing His usual thing where He talks about all of the horrible curses that will befall someone who pissed Him off – in this case the Edomites. He starts with standard fare; everyone will die, the stink of their carcasses shall fill the land, the mountains will be melted with thei...
2020-03-1614 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 39: Fearful Symmetry"Tiferet's position down the center between Keter and Yesod indicates to many Kabbalists that it is somewhat of a "converting" Sephirot between form (Yesod) and force (Keter). In other words, all crossing over the middle path via Tiferet results in a reversed polarity. – Reb Wiki" "A man. A plan. A canal. Panama." 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-39-fearful-symmetry/ Episode 62 Duration: 35:11 Please back my Patreon, so I ca...
2020-03-0835 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 38: I Will Not Cease From Mental Fight"Hershel of Ostropol came to an inn and asked for a warm meal. The innkeeper demanded he pay in advance, and when Hershel had no money, he told him to get out. Hershel raised himself up to his full height, looked the innkeeper in the eye menacingly, and said "Give me my meal, or I will do what my father did? You hear me? I will DO WHAT MY FATHER DID!" The terrified innkeeper served the traveller a nice warm meal. After dinner, when Hershel was calmer, he ventured to ask exactly what Hershel's father had done. "That is...
2020-03-0129 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 37: Love That Never Told Can Be""Sinner" in Biblical Hebrew is "aval", no doubt kabbalistically connected to our English word "evil". The gematria value of "aval" is 106. Bishop Ussher, the Biblical chronologist who fixed Creation at 4004 BC, tells us that 106 years passed between Noah's flood and the Tower of Babel. This is unsurprising; the decision to build a tower to Heaven out of vanity is a sinful act; thus instances of 106, the number of sinners, will appear around it. Jane and I were eating breakfast in the Top Of The World observation deck/restaurant on the 106th floor of the Stratosphere Tower in...
2020-02-2422 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Mem: Miss American Pie"April 22, 2017, San Jose. A piece of onion flew past my head. This was a common occurrence when I argued with Erica while she was trying to cook. Today we were arguing about the lyrics of American Pie. She thought it was about rock n' roll. I thought it was about Christian soteriology's claim to supersede the Jewish conception of divine law." 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/interlude-%D7%9E-miss-american-pie/ Episode 59 Duration: 17:09
2020-02-1617 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 36: My Father's Business"Fill the god-shaped hole in your soul with molten metal, then shatter your soul, leaving only a metal god — Gap Of Gods" 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-36-my-fathers-business/ Episode 58 Duration: 24:50 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
2020-02-1624 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 35: The Voices Of Children In His Tents"Somehow the Comet King had become an adult. He had skipped puberty, telling Father Ellis that it sounded like too much trouble. One day he was a child; the next, his voice dropped, white hair grew on his chest, and he declared he would be having children. All the children. His logic was simple. His heavenly descent gave him special powers. Intelligence, wisdom, physical strength, spiritual mastery. He, in turn, would pass these on to his children. The more children, the more supernaturally-gifted warriors, administrators, engineers, and scholars they would have for the dark times ahead. An ar...
2020-02-0411 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 34: Why Wilt Thou Rent Thyself Apart, Jerusalem"He said, Go and utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not defiled with women; for they are not very good for implementing high-performance floating-point calculations or calculations that intensively manipulate bit vectors. — kingjamesprogramming.tumblr.com October 31, 1991 Madrid It was the second day of the Madrid Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In the interests of fitting in the conference room, Uriel had shrunk to a mere ten feet tall." This is a serialized st...
2020-01-2726 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 33: The Doors Of Perception"Bizarre surrealist painter Salvador Dali once said: "I do not do drugs. I am drugs." He was being silly. He wasn't drugs. He was Salvador Dali. The men rowing out on little boats heavy with building supplies for Not A Metaphor? They were drugs." 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-33-the-doors-of-perception/ Episode 55 Duration: 24:54 Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly. You'll get access to the...
2020-01-2024 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 32: The Human Form Divine"Sohu stretched, splayed out further. "Knock knock," she said. "OH. THIS AGAIN." "Knock knock." "WHO'S….THERE?" "So." "SO WHO?" "Sohu's at the door, better let her in." "HA! HA! HA!" Uriel's laughter boomed, shook the clouds, shook the ocean, drowned out the everpresent thunder of the surrounding storm. It was a fiery golden laugh, like pyrotechnics, like solar flares. "I AM ONLY LAUGHING TO BE POLITE," he finally said. "I DON'T ACTUALLY GET IT."" This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here: ...
2020-01-1414 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 31: The Foundation Of EmpireOne of my Patreon backers pointed out that a couple of weeks ago, I accidentally skipped chapter 30 and posted chapter 31 early. That's why last week I deleted 31 and posted 30, so they'd be in the correct order. I'm re-posting 31 now, and 32 tomorrow to catch up. "Together, we can build a better America, colonize it, and use the old one for raw materials and target practice. — Steven Kaas January 30, 1981 Camp David, Maryland The song goes: Who can retell The things that befell Us so long ago? But in every ag...
2020-01-1223 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 30: Over The Dark Deserts"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the Wall Drug signs began to appear." 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-30-over-the-dark-deserts/ Episode 52 Duration: 20:57
2020-01-0620 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 29: He Who Respects The Infant's Faith"Sitting in his car, Father Ellis contemplated the Exodus." 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-29-he-who-respects-the-infants-faith/ Episode 51 Duration: 34:30 Please back my Patreon, so I can go back to producing episodes weekly. The Patreon is currently bringing in enough to post 3 episodes per month. https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook
2019-12-0234 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Lamedh: New York City"Flanked by two guards, Mayor Ed Koch walked into the room. It seemed out of place in the middle of New York City. Poorly lit, musty, packed with books of diffent ages and provenances. The furniture was all wooden, and either antique or made by someone with a dim view of aesthetic innovations after about 1800." 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/interlude-%D7%9C-new-york-city/ Episode 50 Duration: 25:20 Please back...
2019-11-1825 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 28: Hid As In An Ark"Over the centuries she had fallen in love with the place. A narrow plain, sunny three hundred days a year, blooming with poppies, watered by little rivers snaking out of arroyos in the nearby mountains. She had built her altar on one of the hills. The Aztecs knew her domain, and they called it Temictitlanoc, "place of the dream goddess". Sometimes lost war bands would wander to its sunny hills, lie down beside the crashing waves, and see strange visions." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander...
2019-10-2711 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 27: The Starry Floor, The Watery Shore"Belowdecks was the crew quarters. Ana didn't expect her own room and didn't get it. Her berth had four beds: one for her, three others for James, Lin, and Tomas. Her bed was technically Amoxiel's, but the angel didn't sleep. As far as they could tell, he just sort of sat on the deck all night, staring wistfully at the 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-27-the-starry-floor-the-watery-shore/ Episode 47 Duration: 32:53
2019-10-2032 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Kaph: The Outer Gate"Imagine there's no Heaven. It's easy if you try. So easy that millions of people throughout history did it entirely by accident. They went to church, they read their Bibles, they knelt prostrate in prayer, and then they went home and lived a life of sin regardless." 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/interlude-%D7%9B-the-outer-gate/ Episode 46 Duration: 17:35 Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly:
2019-10-1317 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 26: For Not One Sparrow Can Suffer And The Whole Universe Not Suffer Also""TELL ME ABOUT THE WORD WATER". Sohu sat on her cloud, snacking on manna with ketchup on top. He had been doing this increasingly often over the past few weeks, asking her to tell him about a word, never satisfied with the amount of meaning she was able to wring from it." 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-26-for-not-one-sparrow-can-suffer-and-the-whole-universe-not-suffer-also/ Episode 45 Duration: 18:06
2019-10-0718 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 25: Lie Down Before My Feet, O Dragon"Coming from the edge of my consciousness, a faint voice: [Thou shalt not krill] The organizing soul within me – the kabbalists would have called it the neshamah – awoke, even as my body dozed on the hotel bed. [Thou shalt not commit idolphintry] I answered, but I knew deep down it was a second-rate attempt." 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-25-lie-down-before-my-feet-o-dragon/ Episode 43 Duration: 10:04 Plea...
2019-09-2210 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 24: Why Dost Thou Come To Angels' Eyes"A ray of early morning sun beat on my face. Clouds flew by me like trucks rushing down a highway, and the heavens seemed to sing. It's weird. You spend your entire adult life searching for Names of God and hanging out with angels, and the closest you come to a spiritual experience is paddling a flying kayak thousands of feet above San Bernardino County." 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-24-why-dost-thou-come-to-angels-eyes/ Episode 42
2019-09-1512 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Teth: The General Assembly"Ladies. Gentlemen. Mr. Secretary General. We are a proud people. Like so many of the other fledgling countries represented here today, our national identity was forged in a struggle against imperialist aggression, and it was our pride that told us to continue fighting when all other counsel urged surrender. It is with that same pride that I stand before you today as the newest member of the United Nations, honored to at last be recognized as part of the world community." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott...
2019-09-1209 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 23 - Now Descendeth Out Of Heaven A City"Even though she could no longer hear it with her ears, it still rang in the back of her mind. A note, a single impossibly pure note that seemed to overpower everything else." 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-23-now-descendeth-out-of-heaven-a-city/ Episode 40 Duration 13:50 Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook
2019-09-0913 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 22 - Whose Ears Have Heard The Holy Word"With a look of mad determination, the big man marched to the center of the crowded bar. "I'll say it," he said. "The Other King is a bad man."" 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-22-whose-ears-have-heard-the-holy-word/ Episode 39 Duration: 18:0
2019-09-0418 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Het: War and Peace"It's hard for me to imagine what it must have been like to be alive in '69, to see the demons spill forth from the ground and the angels descend from the clouds. But – okay, personal disclosure time. When I was little, six or seven, I thought Nazis were a kind of fictional monster." 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/interlude-%D7%97-war-and-peace/ Episode 38 Duration: 25:34
2019-08-3025 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 21: Thou Also Dwellest In Eternity"The resemblances between San Francisco and the Biblical Jerusalem are uncanny. The highest point in Jerusalem was King Solomon's Temple Mount; the highest point in San Francisco is the suspiciously-named Mount Davidson. To the north of the Temple was the Golden Gate, leading to the city of Tiberias; to the north of Mount Davidson is the Golden Gate Bridge, leading to the city of Tiburon." 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-21-thou-also-dwellest-in-eternity/
2019-08-2721 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 20, Part 3: When The Stars Threw Down Their Spears"And then there were two. The sky had once been full of clouds. Big clouds, little clouds, dark clouds, bright clouds. Clouds sculpted into great gleaming palaces of alabaster, clouds carved into fortresses red with the light of sunset. Clouds linked by rainbow bridges, clouds walled with icy ramparts, clouds lit by pillars of lightning, great frigates of cloud that sailed the jet stream packed with legions of angels going off to war." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text is here:
2019-08-1923 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 20, Part 1: When The Stars Threw Down Their Spears"Beyond the nimbus and stratus, in the furthest reaches of the heavens, the parliament of the angels convened in the eye of a great cyclone. The walls of the storm curved in toward the center, so that they formed tier upon tier of seating for the angelic hosts. At the very bottom and in the very center was a whirlwind that concealed the archangel Metatron, the expression of God in the created world. Seated around him were thrones for the nine other archangels. Above them in concentric circles based on rank sat various cherubim, seraphim, ophanim, dominions, powers, principalities...
2019-08-0517 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 19: The Form Of The Angelic Land"For a moment I was totally disoriented by the scene before me. Then vast, dark shapes began to take form. Shelves. Shelves full of books, all the way up, from the immacuately polished marble floor to a ceiling that was too high to see clearly." Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook 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-19-the-form-of-the-angelic-land/
2019-07-1535 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 18 Parts 5 And 6: That The Children Of Jerusalem May Be Saved From Slavery"In a dimly-lit chamber two thousand feet underground, quiet as death, seven people sat at a table. Seven seder plates. Seven cups of wine. The Comet King spoke first, barely above a whisper. "Why are we doing this?"" Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook 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-17-that-the-children-of-jerusalem-may-be-saved-from-slavery/ Chapter 18 is another one o...
2019-07-0717 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 18 Parts 3 And 4: That The Children Of Jerusalem May Be Saved From Slavery""Mr. Alvarez," asked Brian Young, "why are we celebrating Passover? I don't think any of us are Jews." "In a sense," said Dylan, "we are all Jews. The Jews of..." "In a sense," said Clark Deas, "every time Dylan says 'in a sense' I mentally replace it with 'not at all'."" Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. The original text...
2019-06-3008 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 18 Parts 1 And 2: That The Children Of Jerusalem May Be Saved From Slavery""Why are we celebrating Passover?" asked Bill. "Are any of us even Jewish?" "My father was Jewish," I answered. "Doesn't count," said Bill." Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook 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-17-that-the-children-of-jerusalem-may-be-saved-from-slavery/ Chapter 18 is another one of those chapters that is 10 times as long as most other chapters. Its 6 s...
2019-06-2414 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Zayin: Man On The Sphere"They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. March 1969 had been more like one of those Biblical angels with four lion heads and four lamb heads and a couple dragon heads for good measure, all spinning within a gigantic flaming wheel, and if you met its gaze for too long then you died." Here ends Book 1. This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: h...
2019-06-1022 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 16: If Perchance With Iron Power He Might Avert His Own Despair"Runes of glowing fire troubled Sohu's dreams, and she woke up the next morning to find them inscribed upon her skin in big dark welts. She ran out of her cottage, almost fell off the edge of the cloud." This is a serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Please back my Patreon, so I can keep producing episodes weekly: https://www.patreon.com/unsongaudiobook The original text is here: http://unsongbook.com/chapter-16-if-perchance-with-iron-power-he-might-avert-his-own-despair/ Episode 28 Duration: 21:04
2019-06-0221 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 15: O Where Shall I Hide My Face"There wasn't anything that looked like a secret detention facility, although she supposed that was what made it a secret detention facility. But it was already dark, and she didn't fancy looking. She also didn't fancy waiting until morning; she wasn't really an expert in infiltrating secret facilities, but night seemed like potentially the best time, even if you could turn invisible." 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-15-o-where-shall-i-hide-my-face/ Episode 27 Duration: 11:01
2019-05-2611 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 14: Cruelty Has A Human Heart"Something was horribly wrong. Gradually it came back to me. I'd tried to fight UNSONG and failed miserably." 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/chapter-14-cruelty-has-a-human-heart/ Episode 25 Duration: 20:52
2019-05-2120 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 13: The Image Of Eternal Death""Good morning," said Sohu as she stepped out of her cottage. Technically it was already afternoon. She hadn't slept late, but she'd stayed inside, studying, dreading to open the door. Uriel had no concept of small talk, and precious little concept of scheduling." 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/chapter-13-the-image-of-eternal-death/ Episode 24 Duration: 25:47
2019-05-1225 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude Vav: There's A Hole In My Bucket"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/
2019-03-2613 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionChapter 12: Borne On Angels' Wings"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/$MattArnold A serialized story narrated by Matt Arnold with the permission of the author, Scott Alexander. Here is the website on which he is publishing the text: https://unsongbook.com/chapter-12-borne-on-angels-wings/ Episode 22 Duration: 16:44
2017-03-0816 minUNSONG Audiobook VersionInterlude He: The Right Hand Of God"LSD became illegal in California in 1966, two years before the real world got so hallucinatory that it became redundant." If you'd like to help make episodes appear more often, please use my tip jar at: https://cash.me/$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
2017-02-2603 min