The Fourth Ambit artwork

Science Fiction · Dawson Nichols and Jim Horne

The Fourth Ambit

by Dawson Nichols and Jim Horne

This cutting-edge science fiction drama unfolds as a futuristic detective story. Murder, blackmail, conspiracy - and it may all be orchestrated by an Artificial Intelligence. Years ahead of its time, The Fourth Ambit is still an exciting and thoughtful exploration of the future of technology. Gilles is doing research at a university when he stumbles onto some anomalies. His discoveries lead to a web of intrigue and danger he never envisioned – or wanted. Blackmailed into being a tracker, Gilles goes to work doing quasi-legal research for one of the corporations that run the Ambit. He soon discovers that the Ambit itself is but a shadow of a much more elaborate virtual world – The Second Ambit. Beneath that there is a Third, darker Ambit, which the corporations may not even control. And, if the rumors are true, a Fourth Ambit, built and controlled by a virulent AI. This nine-part science fiction radio play draws you into a detailed and fully immersive world of the near future. Ambitious story-telling, sophisticated effects and music, and extraordinary acting combine for an audio drama experience like nothing you've ever heard. Visit us at www.ambitgroup.com.

Latest episodes

Showing 11 · updated from the feed

Virtual Solitaire

Based on the acclaimed play of the same name, Virtual Solitaire takes place in the digital world of the near future. Computer software has become even more sophisticated

Apr 12 2021
1 h 21 min

I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe

Meet Joseph Walker, a patient at the Oakbrook Mental Health Facility. In this audio drama, Joseph obtains access to a cassette recorder and then creates an audio letter f

Apr 11 2021
1 h 17 min

Translation

Gilles has learned that the Terra Array of satellites is riddled with A-AIs – Autonomous Artificial Intelligences. When the satellites come online, the AAIs will be able

Apr 10 2021
57 min

Wraiths

Gilles travels to the Arctic to find other trackers who may be able to help him. He discovers several distinct communities of people estranged from his technological age,

Apr 9 2021
57 min

Nags

From the professor who first passed him the illicit gold UNI cards, Gilles learns that he's been targeted from the start. Gilles visits one of the pioneers of the Ambit i

Apr 8 2021
57 min

Tag

Gilles is on the run again, without access to the Ambit. He risks getting online through his old friend Boral, but soon he's abducted by Corporate Consortium agents. They

Apr 7 2021
57 min

Children

E-Eddie hires Gilles to track a wealthy client who suspects that his Second Ambit lover isn't who she appears to be. Gilles tracks her from online zeppelins to digital da

Apr 6 2021
57 min

Spectres

Gilles begins working in the Second Ambit, a more sophisticated online world that includes fully digital inhabitants as well as spectres – people who maintain their onlin

Apr 5 2021
57 min

Freelance

Gilles' first freelance job is to sabotage the Ambit's new underwater adventure park. He gains access to the park while it's still under construction, then plants some co

Apr 4 2021
57 min

Tethers

Gilles first assignment for Facia Corpse is to steal some code from a religious park in the Ambit. Gilles never could have imagined that people would pay for a religious

Apr 3 2021
57 min

Stents

When Gilles can't control his addiction to online stimulants, he loses his graduate school appointment and his access to the Ambit. Poverty and a life of pointless toil s

Apr 2 2021
57 min

Chart trend

Position in the Science Fiction chart (US), last 90 days.

#92
all-time peak
1
day in the top 100 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where The Fourth Ambit ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 6, 2026).

#109 ▲ 54 Science Fiction US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I have listened to this countless times in the many years since I found it. Dawson Nichols is such a phenomenal voice actor that I didn’t realize it was all voiced by one person the first time I listened and sometime I forget again. The audio production draws me in every time. The weaving of story elements and set-up for later plots is masterful and engaging. I love this story.

Mo Estes · Dec 2024

The concept sucked me in immediately, starting with near future tech, which progressively spiraled into more complex, abstract, and mind bending concepts. Possibly the most impressive feat of this story is how it makes complex subjects like computation, AI ethics, and definitions of consciousness easily accessible to the listener - it’s a fantastic philosophical primer for today’s world of connectivity and AI, all while being compelling and easy to listen to. It’s hard to believe this was produced 20 years ago by just one guy.

Culv4282 · Jul 2024

I am so impressed by the quality of this show!! The story, the acting, the sound scape, the editing. All of it top notch. I can’t believe one guy did all the voices. I’ve heard too many audio drama podcasts where you can tell the actors are recording on their own and not actually talking to another human, then it gets edited together. Sounds totally unrealistic and I never buy it. With this show, even though it’s only the one guy playing all the roles, I still get the feeling actual conversations are happening. Totally pulls me in. Bravo!!

cmpad3 · Apr 2023

Really enjoyed listening to this - the story and characters are very compelling and like all great sci-fi, there are many thought-provoking moments that relate back to RL (real life). Highly recommend!

catterfly18 · Nov 2022

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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Fourth Ambit, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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