109: But Also a Worrying One

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 [email protected], 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)