Octothorpe

John is middle, Alison is even sadder, and Liz is sorry. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Discussion of access issues (chapter 2), wealth privilege (chapter 6) Letters of comment Abigail Nussbaum Ali Baker Brooks Andrew January The Eastercon members’ portal Caroline Mullan DC Farah Mendlesohn Critical Friends 8 Jacob Holder Mark Plummer Meg MacDonald Doc Weir award Dave Langford receives the trophy Alt text: Dave Langford triumphantly lofts a blue Bag for Life from Tesco, which we are expected to believe contains the Doc Weir trophy. He is standing in front of a house. GUFF The results Chengdu 2023 “The Pidu district of Chengdu announces a 10-year science fiction plan” Glasgow 2024 Town Hall Event: Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Glasgow Town Hall Event: Site Selection Glasgow 2024 Eastercon and money Picks John: Dredge Alison: Hopeland by Ian McDonald (paper, epub, audiobook, Amazon) Liz: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (paper, epub, audiobook, Amazon) Credits Cover art: “Voyagers” by Ulrika O’Brien Alt text: The background is a starry, lightning-filled square in blues, purples, and yellows. Atop that, there is a spaceship, somewhat like a rocket, with engines coming out of the sides. There are yellow lights shining from it, and a ladder reaches up to a central archway. John, Alison and Liz are depicted as silhouettes, regarding it with wonder. Their shadows stretch off the canvas, and they look faintly alien or futuristic in a hard-to-define manner. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is ignorant, Alison is first, and Liz is a trendsetter. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: COVID (chapter 8). Letters of comment Andy Openshaw Chris Garcia Maundy Thursday DC’s loc Meg MacDonald Nuala on Bluesky: sorry! Raj recommends pizza crunch Mono Raj on Mastodon Track Changes Eastercon 2024 Telford Telford International Centre KFC Catchup Members’ area Catchup will be closing at the end of April Dealers’ room Beyond Cataclysm COVID No reported cases, as far as we are aware Picks John: Thunder Road: Vendetta Alison: Fallout (the TV series) Liz: Stardew Valley Credits Cover art: “Vibrant Food Culture” by Alison Scott Alt text: A drawing of a blackboard with text that reads: “Octothorpe 108 guide to Glasgow street food.” A picture of a deep fried pizza with glasses is next to text reading ’The “Coxon” pizza crunch’, a picture of three pakora with glasses next to ‘The “Scott” haggis pakora’, and a picture of a deep fried Mars bar next to ‘The “Batty” deep fried Mars bar”. Stars also adorn the backboard, and bottles of red and brown sauce are in the bottom-left-hand corner. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison, and Nicholas are live from Levitation! A transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: None Thank you very much to our stunt Liz, Nicholas Whyte! Nicholas’ blog, From the Heart of Europe April Fool’s Day The rocket in all its glory! The Hugo Awards Hugo Award finalists The announcement video Thank you to everyone who nominated us! Congratulations to the other Fancast finalists: The Coode Street Podcast Hugos There Publishing Rodeo 科幻Fans布玛 (Science Fiction Fans Buma) Worldbuilding for Masochists The first Town Hall will be on 20 April 2024 Tickets available on Eventbrite The stream will be available on YouTube Three Black Halflings Tammy Coxen The Glasgow Gimlet Tammy’s Tastings Tammy’s podcast, My Tiny Bottles Bigolas Dickolas Gallifrey One BSFA Join their Discord! Picks John: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (Channel 4) Our cosplay Alison: Eastercon catch-up Nicholas: The Black Archive David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television by Simon Guerrier Credits Cover art: “Octothorpe at Levitation” by Sue Dawson Alt text: John, Alison, and Nicholas Whyte stand in front of a projection of the Octothorpe podcast and behind a panel table. Each of them wears a convention badge, and Nicholas holds the Glasgow Landing Zone Rocket. Nicholas is looking at the camera, while John and Alison are not quite as good at this. The table they stand behind holds beers, coffees, convention newsletters, phone batteries, microphones, and table tents. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John used to be an undergraduate, Alison has been keeping a list, and can Liz be a stunt Liz? A transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Death (Deb Geisler, chapter 3) and gambling (Hugo Awards, chapter 7; Alison’s pick, chapter 8). Letters of comment Chris Garcia Mike Glyer Transcripts Bob Morrell Colin Murtagh We also heard from Jonny Baddeley, Alex Holden, Farah Mendlesohn, and Ang Rosin Deb Geisler File 770 Eastercon Programme Octothorpe Live is at 13:00 on Monday! Games Newsletter Please come help, post in the Discord if you’d like to volunteer! GUFF Vote here! Doc Weir BSFA Awards Awards Nebula Award finalists Android Press Games The Bread Must Rise Hugo Award betting markets Liz has decided not to put her referral link here because the people who run the website might be a bit too Silicon Valley-y Hugo, Girl! un-recuse Picks John: Airecon Overs: The Cricket Card Game Alison: The 2023 Eastercon souvenir book Balatro Liz: “No CGI is really just INVISIBLE CGI” on YouTube Todd Vaziri on X, BlueSky, Mastodon Credits Cover art: “Podcasting Is Magic” by Alison Scott Alt text: Three ponies in the style of My Little Pony adorn the cover. The left-hand one is orange, and has a six-sided die as a cutie mark. The central one is teal, and has a rainbow Apple logo for a cutie mark. The right-hand one is blue, and has a Hugo Award for a cutie mark. They look like they are having a nice time. The words “My Little Octothorpe 106” appear at the top, and the words “Podcasting Is Magic” appear at the bottom. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John watches movies, Alison walks on the Moon, and Liz has special bonds. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Censorship, in the form of more Hugo Award controversy Letters of comment Ang Rosin Andy Openshaw Chris Garcia Zodiac Speaking ErsatzCulture and Raj España Sheriff Brighton 1987 Martin Easterbrook Tammy Coxen Sandra Bond Keep an eye out for Poetry Slum! Click here to see the cover Nicholas Jackson on Bluesky Harry Payne on Bluesky BSFA Awards shortlist Hugo Awards The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion by Chris M Barkley and Jason Sanford Charting the Cliff: An Investigation Into the 2023 Hugo Nomination Statistics by Camestros Felapton and Heather Rose Jones More on Other Chinese Hugo Nominations, based on “Charting the Cliff” by Prograft Recent updates from the MPC/WIP Journey Planet #79 Picks John: Monolith dir. Matt Vesely Alison: Moonwalkers Liz: FRIENDSHIP Credits Cover art: Liz’s Bedtime Reading by Alison Scott Alt text: A famous photograph of Margaret Hamilton standing beside printed outputs of the code that took the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon, overlaid with the words “Octothorpe 105” and “Liz has finished reading the latest Hugo Award exposés”. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison and Liz discuss what SF they enjoyed from 2023. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: None Fanzine The Ancillary Review of Books IDEA Nerds of a Feather Fan Artist Alison Scott España Sheriff Fan Writer Camestros Felapton Paul Weimer Sandra Bond Fancast Going Rogue Game/Interactive Work Video games Baldur’s Gate 3 Chants of Sennaar Dredge The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Tabletop games Apiary Earthborne Rangers Moon Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game INELIGIBLE: Hegemony Galactic Starcruiser Adrian Hon’s write-up Cass Morris’s write-up Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) Blue-Eyed Samurai (Netflix) Doctor Who (BBC iPlayer, Disney+) For All Mankind (Apple TV+) Foundation (Apple TV+) The Last of Us (Now) The Mandalorian (Disney+) Poker Face (Now) Silo (Apple TV+) Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Netflix) Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) Asteroid City (Now Cinema) Barbie (rent or buy) Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount+) Ghosts, series 5 (BBC iPlayer) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney+) The Marvels (Disney+) Nimona (Netflix) Polite Society (Now Cinema) Poor Things (rent or buy) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Now Cinema) Best Related Work 50 Years of Text Games by Aaron A Reed Silverwolf A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith All These Worlds: Reviews and Essays by Niall Harrison A Traveller in Time: The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller, ed. Nina Allan Best Graphic Story Moon Knight, volume 9 by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Rachelle Rosenberg Why Don’t You Love Me? by Paul B Rainey Best Series Dune by Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson Elric by Michael Moorcock Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Tyrant Philosophers by Adrian Tchaikovsky Best Short Fiction “Spring Woods Spring” by B Pladek “The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer Find stories to read at Rocket Stack Rank Best Novella A Theory of Haunting by Sarah Monette Walking Practice by Dolki Min “On the English Approach to the Study of History” by E Saxey Best Semiprozine Giganotasaurus Strange Horizons wot, no https?! Best Novel Bridge by Lauren Beukes The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera The Reformatory by Tananarive Due Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway Orbital by Samantha Harvey In Ascension by Martin MacInnes Hopeland by Ian McDonald Julia by Sandra Newman Him by Geoff Ryman Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford City of Last Chances and The House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh The Year in Review 2023 by Graham Sleight Credits Cover art: “Favourite Reading Positions” by Sue Mason Alt text: John is in the bottom-left, sitting in a chair, wearing a blue shirt and purple trousers, holding a can, and reading an ebook. Alison is in the upper-middle, lying down upside down, wearing a purple shirt and stripy trousers, and reading an ebook. Liz is in the bottom-right, wearing a pink shirt with green trousers, holding a mug of a hot beverage, and reading a physical book. They are surrounded by floating beer bottles, books, the Moon, a mug with a moose on it, and two cats. The word “Octothorpe” appears in scattered letters around the artwork, against a pinky-purple background. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is a year behind, Alison is opening nominations, and Liz is Elizabeth (!). Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Israel/Palestine war (Montreal in 2027 segment), serial killers (John’s pick) Letters of comment Ali Baker Brooks Chris Garcia DC Kevin Anderson Mark Plummer Martin Easterbrook Mike Glyer Raj Alison’s fan art page BSFA longlist Fan funds TAFF Announcement Ballot EFF GUFF Montreal in 2027 Tel Aviv in 2027 Christopher Priest 2005 Guest of Honour speech Hugo Awards Trademarks WIP announcement Mike Dunford on Bluesky Chris Barkley’s interview of Dave McCarty Transcript A possibly smoking gun File 770 comment Screencap of post from Chinese socials Machine translation Tammy Coxen argues Worldcon will die because of lack of volunteers Picks John: How to Find Zodiac by Jarett Kobek (Amazon) Los Angeles Magazine article Alison: Fantasy Map Maker Alison’s map Liz: North Woods by Daniel Mason (hardback, ebook, audiobook, Amazon) Credits Cover art: “Hugo Regalia Shop” by Alison Scott Alt text: The words “Octothorpe 103 Hugo Regalia Shop” appear above a selection of costumes. There are small depictions of a clown, a pirate, a panda and a banana above full-length depictions of a member of the Catholic church (with Hugos on their mitre and crosier), a gangster (labelled “boss”, holding a Hugo), Zaphod Beeblebrox (holding three Hugos) and Jesus (with a crown of thorns but made with Hugos). Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison and Liz respond to a letter of comment from Tobes. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X, Mastodon or Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Chinese censorship (discussion of the Hugo Awards), Jim Crow Florida (Liz’s pick), general socioeconomic inequality (John’s pick) Glasgow 2024’s hotel bookings are open Letters of comment Alex Ingram Bill Higgins Chris Garcia Colin Murtagh Jersey Gryphon Karen Schaffer Raj Tobes Valois Hugo Awards controversy File 770’s roundup Some recent writing on these topics: Abigail Nussbaum Cora Buhlert Genre Grapevine Ada Palmer on censorship Reaction from Chinese fans A reaction from Zimozi Natsuco Check out Ersatz Culture’s feeds for more information on Chinese reactions (Bluesky, Mastodon) Dave McCarty His apology A link to his Facebook The Useful Idiot It’s not Lenin, it’s a Western term originating in the 1940s and 1950s Worldcon Intellectual Property statement about resignations, censures, and reprimands Glasgow 2024’s Hugo nominations post Picks John: The Kitchen, dir. Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares Alison: Dangerous Space, designed by Jason Greeno and Jason Tagmire Liz: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (paperback, ebook, Amazon) Credits Cover art: “Scooby Gang” by Alison Scott Alt text: Scooby, Velma and Daphne unmask the panda from last week’s cover art, and the person wearing the panda suit looks a lot like Dave McCarty. They say “It was old Mister McCarty all along!” and he says “And I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for you meddling Hugo finalists!” He is tied up with rope. The words “Octothorpe! 102” appear at the top of the image. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is self-promoting, Alison ”doesn’t have COVID”, and Liz is distracting. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: large power and age differentials in sexual relationships (John’s pick) Letters of comment Chris Garcia Niall Harrison Adam Roberts on romantasy A website called “pudding.cool” Geri Sullivan Bridget Bradshaw TrishEM says congratulations Dave Mansfield Upcoming conventions which aren’t Worldcon Triple Time!, the 34th filk convention (2–4 February 2024, Buxton) Picocon 41 (23 March, London) Gallifrey One (16–18 February 2024, Los Angeles, USA) Levitation 2024, the Eastercon (29 March 2024–1 April 2024, Telford) FunCon (31 May–2 June 2024, Buxton) Glasgow 2024, the Worldcon (8–12 August 2024, Glasgow) Three Black Halflings Hotel bookings open on 22 January 2024 Novacon (8–10 November 2024, Buxton) Send us your Hugo recs while there is a chance we might read/watch them and mention them China Miéville and Keanu Reeves are collaborating Picks John: Poor Things Exhibition of costumes at the Barbican Alison: Why Don’t You Love Me? by Paul B. Rainey (hardback, ebook, Amazon) Liz: Chants of Sennaar (PS4, Steam, Switch, Xbox) Relevant Penny Arcade Cracking the Cryptic play Chants of Sennaar Credits Cover art: “Glasgow Hotel Board Game” by Alison Scott Alt text: A board reminiscent of a well-known board game about property trading. There are three purple properties (Campanile, Village, Moxy), each of which has one hotel. There are two teal properties (Crowne Plaza, Marriott), a replacement for “In Jail” called “In WSFS”, a Statue square featuring a man on horseback with a traffic cone on his head, and a square called Telephone Kiosk with a depiction of a police box. In the middle of the board, the words “Octothorpe Episode 101”. Each property has asterisks for the rent and the words “Rates coming very soon but not quite soon enough for this cover” appear at the bottom. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison and Liz receive a telegram. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: None Letters of comment Chris Garcia Irwin Hirsh Raj on Mastodon (1, 2) Hugo voting stats Moon Knight Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey’s run Warren Ellis’ predatory behaviour Article at the time of the original story SoManyOfUs Article from the year after Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio’s run Moon Knight: Age of Anubis: A Marvel: Multiverse Missions Adventure Gamebook Want an invite to the Discord? Hit John up! - Glasgow 2024 announces Tanya DePass as special guest Picks John: The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jiminez [paperback, Amazon] Alison: The Coral Bones by EJ Swift [paperback, ebook, Amazon] Late-breaking news of a new paperback from Jo Fletcher Books Liz: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh [paperback, ebook, audiobook, Amazon] Festive gaming corner John: EXIT: The Game: Advent Calendar: The Silent Storm Final Girl: North Pole Nightmare Herd Mentality Legendary: Marvel Monikers Paleo SCOUT Alison: Schotten Totten Zuuli Pandemic: Iberia The Mind Bohnanza Terraforming Mars FryxGames’ CEO posted transphobia and racism Liz: Hated by Emily and Andrew Credits Cover art: “Telegram from the Queen” by Alison Scott with telegram by Claire Brialey Alt text: A telegram lies with a golden thread bookmark on a plush purple surface. It has two pieces of Weetabix above text which reads “I am so pleased to know that you are celebrating your one hundredth episode in January 2024. I send my congratulations and best wishes to you on such a special occasion. Claire R (of Croydon).” The words “Octothorpe 100” are at the top in golden lettering. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)