David and Perry discuss -- and disagree about -- "The Bass Rock" and "Notes from the Burning Age" as well as two of the novels nominated for this year's Hugo Award. Saint Wiborada (01:21) Nobel Prize for Literature (07:32) The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (14:13) Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North (11:18) Hugo Nominated Novels (26:14) Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (13:00) The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (12:27) Windup (01:30) Click here for more info and indexes. Photo by Stephen Cavenagh, ABC News

Two Chairs Talking

Episode 63: And after the fire...

Perry and David talk about crime novels again, discussing books by Australian writers Garry Disher and Candice Fox, a classic by Dorothy L. Sayers, and others. Booker Prize Shortlist (02:15) US National Book Award (01:48) Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (08:04) Hirchausen Series by Garry Disher (09:20) The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers (10:47) Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (Free Standard Ebooks Edition) Hades Trilogy by Candice Fox (09:14) We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker (12:11) Nominative Determinism (01:47) Science fictional crime (02:58) Windup (01:55) Click here for more details and indexes Photo by Jeremy Bishop from Pexels Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a small affiliate commission for any purchases you make on Amazon via such links.

Episode 62: Lord of the Underworld

David and Perry discuss recent news and go on to discuss their projects outside the podcast. They also talk about some nominees for this year's Hugo Best Novel award. Reading in bed (02:46) Recent news (06:09) Farewell Judith Hanna (02:45) Piranesi wins The Women's Prize (01:17) [Interview with Neil Gaiman] Centenary of the birth of Stanisław Lem (01:09) Seven hundred years since the death of Dante (00:56) Our other interests (20:22) The Alien Review (14:22) Through the Biblioscope (05:32) Best Novel nominees for Hugos 2021 (30:36) Network Effect by Martha Wells (15:39) The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal (12:22) Wind-up (00:34) Click here for more details and indexes Illustration: painting by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (1807-1863) Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a small affiliate commission for any purchases you make on Amazon via such links.

Episode 61: The joining of three tides

Perry and David discuss recent award winners, the nominees for the Short Story category of this year's Hugos, and the books they've been reading. Letters of Comment (04:06) Awards (07:38) Ned Kelly Award winners (03:38) Davitt Awards (01:04) Children's Book Council of Australia Awards (02:55) Hugo Awards - Short Story Nominees (26:32) A Guide for Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (02:41) The Mermaid Astronaut by Yoon Ha Lee (03:09) Badass Moms of the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson (02:31) Little Free Library by Naomi Kritzer (03:11) Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher (04:47) Open House on Haunted Hill by John Wiswell (02:30) Our Rankings (05:56) What we've been reading (24:52) Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford (04:20) A Stairway to Paradise by Madeleine St. John (04:48) The End of the World is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell (04:22) Say No to Death by Dymphna Cusack (11:15) New website (01:06) Windup (01:31) Click here for more info and indexes. Illustration by Arthur Rackham, courtesy of Old Book Illustrations. Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a small affiliate commission for any purchases you make on Amazon via such links.

Episode 60: Tales Twice Told

David and Perry discuss the nominees in the Novelette category for this year's Hugo Awards, and go on to talk about their other recent reading. Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award (03:15) Davitt Award shortlist (02:58) Hugo Award Novelette Nominees (36:18) The Pill by Meg Elison (05:03) Helicopter Story by Isabell Fall (06:43) Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super by A. T. Greenblatt (03:10) The Inaccessibility of Heaven by Aliette de Bodard (05:56) Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker (08:29) Monster by Naomi Kritzer (06:03) What we've been reading (30:33) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (07:23) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (07:48) Foundation by Isaac Asimov (07:20) The End of the Day by Claire North (07:16) Windup (01:00) Click here for more info and indexes. Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels.

Episode 59: Thoroughly informed

Perry and David discuss recent award shortlists and then go on to talk about television shows they have recently watched. Awards Season (14:14) Ned Kelly Awards (03:52) World Fantasy Awards (03:58) The Age Book of the Year Award (03:00) Booker Prize (02:52) What we've been watching on television (43:41) Absentia (05:59) Mare of Easttown (08:17) Broadchurch (06:35) Loki (06:52) Hanna (08:46) The Falcoln and the Winter Soldier (06:50) Windup (02:14) Click here for more information and indexes. Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a small affiliate commission for any purchases you make on Amazon via such links.

Episode 58: An eye on the box

David and Perry discuss the nominees for Best Novella at this year's Hugo Awards, then talk about some more recent reading. Miles Franklin Award Winner: The Labyrinth (02:22) International Thriller Award: Blacktop Wasteland (00:27) Steel Dagger Award: When She Was Good (01:02) Hugo Award Novella nominees (33:08) Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (03:47) Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (06:33) Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (03:43) Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (07:28) Finna by Nina Cipri (04:30) The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (07:28) What else we've been reading (24:20) Slough House by Mick Herron (06:06) Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli (05:58) The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva (06:24) Say You're Sorry by Michael Robotham (05:47) Windup (00:40) Click here for more information and links Photo by Scott Webb from Pexels Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a small affiliate commission for any purchases you make on Amazon via such links.

Episode 57: From a skewed perspective

Perry and David nominate their best reads in the year so far and then go on to discuss their recent reading, ranging from children's books to a strange novel by a Japanese author Locus Awards (03:25) Arthur C. Clarke Award (01:37) Other Awards (01:03) David's top 5 books of the year so far (02:51) Clarissa Harlowe by Samuel Richardson (00:56) The Women in Black by Madeleine St John (00:10) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (00:13) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (00:08) Lavengro / Romany Rye by George Borrow (00:25) Perry's top 5 books of the year so far (04:11) Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin (01:24) Dune by Frank Herbert (00:54) The Yield by Tara Jane Winch (00:11) First Love by Ivan Turgenev (00:51) The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (00:17) Emails and Tweets of Comment (01:57) Why You Should Read Children's Books by Katherine Rundell (04:32) The Scarecrow and His Servant by Philip Pullman (06:08) The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (07:15) Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (07:08) The Labyrinth by Amanda Lowrey (06:26) Lavengro, Romany Rye by George Borrow (06:08) Interlibrary Loan by Gene Wolfe (05:46) Windup (01:11) Click here for more info and links. Illustration: rooftops of Paris.

Episode 56: Labyrinths and rooftops

David and Perry return to their life of crime and discuss several excellent crime novels by Australian authors and others. They jointly discuss "The Chase", the latest novel by Candice Fox. Hugo Voting Packet (02:42) Miles Franklin Award shortlist (03:00) ALS Gold Medal (02:36) The Dragon Man by Garry Disher (07:51) The Wife and the Widow by Christian White (08:32) Bitter Wash Road by Garry Disher (09:02) Later by Stephen King (06:56) The Chase by Candice Fox (10:18) Windup (01:26) Click here for more info and links. Image from pxhere.com

Episode 55: Make me know the nature of their crimes

Perry and David discuss science fiction fandom and their introduction to it via amateur magazine publishing. Perry interviews Rose Mitchell, the Fan Guest of Honour at CoNZealand, the 2020 Worldcon. Nebula Awards 2021 (07:01) Best Novel: Network Effect by Martha Wells (00:46) Best Novella: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (00:59) Best Novelette: “Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (00:19) Best Short Story: “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (01:19) Best Game Writing: Hades by Greg Kasavin (00:12) Ray Bradbury Award: The Good Place (00:25) Andre Norton Award: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (00:58) Fanzines and Fandom (00:29) What is a fanzine? (03:02) Changes in terminology and technology (00:57) Amateur Press Associations (00:19) ANZAPA (01:26) Wanting to be a writer (00:38) How apas work (03:43) General distribution fanzines (01:53) Why publish a genzine? (01:07) Visual design of fanzines (01:10) Including illustrations (03:07) Email and the Internet (04:02) Changed the dynamic (03:04) Ego scanning (01:56) Access to old material (02:51) Running conventions (01:49) Younger people and fanzines (03:24) Using up our creative energy (04:13) Interview with Rose Mitchell (44:58) Getting in to SF (04:53) Becoming involved with organising (02:09) Attending conventions (04:41) Things started to change (00:22) Melbourne SF Club (00:39) Getting involved with Worldcon 1999 (01:16) Appointed as Treasurer of convention (02:46) Did the 1999 Worldcon change your ideas of fandom? (01:46) After 1999 (01:31) Running national and smaller conventions (01:44) Chairing national conventions (00:29) Attending overseas conventions (01:24) Chair of the 2010 Worldcon (02:38) After 2010 (03:15) New Zealand Worldcon bid (02:44) Fan Guest of Honour (07:22) What does the future hold? (00:12) Australian Science Fiction Foundation (00:14) Fully retired (03:51) Windup (01:29) Click here for more info and links Illustration: a selection of Australian fanzines.

Episode 54: Fandom is a way of life

David and Perry discuss recent awards in the Horror genre; Perry talks about a recent Australian novel, a podcast, and some fantasy novellas; and David talks about fascinating non-fiction books he's recently enjoyed. The horror, the horror... (05:53) The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (00:37) Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (00:33) The Invisible Man (screenplay) (00:40) Werewolf novel by John Steinbeck (03:12) Non-fiction (01:17) Deep Sea and Foreign Going by Rose George (07:11) The Yield by Tara June Winch (08:02) The Shape of Sound by Fiona Murphy (09:37) Seeing Voices by Oliver Sacks (00:24) Sideways podcast by Matthew Syed (10:55) Extraterrestial by Avi Loeb (08:51) Nghi Vo novellas (06:46) The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (03:00) When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (02:56) Liftoff by Eric Berger (09:13) Windup (01:22) Click here for more info and links. Photo of dragon by Eva Elijas from Pexels. Rocket launch courtesy of SpaceX.

Episode 53: Fact and fantasy

Perry and David take the Hugo Time Machine on an expedition to the year 1966, the year when Dune won the Best Novel award The Big Jab (01:48) 2021 Locus Awards shortlists (04:11) Hugo Time Machine 1966 (01:20:06) Worldcon in 1966 (01:08) First Nebula Awards (02:50) Marque and Reprisal by Poul Anderson (08:36) Stardock by Fritz Leiber (04:59) The Day of the Great Shout by Phillip Jose Farmer (07:55) The Doors of his Face by Roger Zelazny (05:56) “Repent Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellision (06:21) Comparison with Nebulas (05:05) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (04:15) The Squares of the City by John Brunner (06:05) Skylark DuQuesne by E. E. Smith (03:59) Dune by Frank Herbert (09:58) And Call Me Conrad by Roger Zelazny (08:01) Other possible nominees (04:37) Windup (01:01) Click here for more info and links Image created by smithytomy - www.freepik.com

Episode 52: Nothing is so perfect...

David and Perry talk about television and movies. Perry discusses several films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards, and David talks about The Flash television series and a short film based on the work of Terry Pratchett. Letters of Comment (05:25) From Szymon Szott (02:08) From Candice Fox (01:27) Meeting Garry Disher (01:26) Hugo ballot (10:51) The Flash Season 5 (07:35) Zack Snyder's Justice League (01:52) Nomadland (07:37) The Flash Season 6 (05:10) The Father (07:58) Troll Bridge (06:38) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (08:27) The Current War (06:21) Mank (04:59) Windup (01:07) Click here for more information and links. Illustration: combines photo of an Academy Award by Davidlohr Bueso (CC BY 2.0) with a poster for The Flash series, copyright Warner Brothers (used here for purposes of review: fair use).

Episode 51: My Uncle Oscar had a sudden flash

Perry and David celebrate their 50th episode of the podcast, and talk about the books they have read recently in the crime and thriller genre. Game of Thrones anniversary (01:14) Hugo Ballots coming (00:50) Worldcon date change (03:19) Game of Thrones book publication date (00:20) Letter of Comment - comfort reading (03:04) Crime Fiction (00:17) Gathering Dark by Candice Fox (10:18) Consolation by Garry Disher (06:34) Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (07:57) The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (12:45) Darkness for Light by Emma Viskic (09:28) A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (08:09) Windup (01:22) Click here for more info and links Illustration: "Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill" by Pieter Claesz. Thanks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Episode 50: The bones of the dead

David and Perry look at Australian literature, ranging from a book about bushrangers written in serial form in 1882 to modern science fiction. Reading overload (00:30) Comfort reads (01:50) Hugo Award nominations (02:47) Nebula Awards short list (07:58) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (00:05) The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (00:17) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (00:22) The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk (00:42) Black Sun by Rebecca Rowanhorse (00:22) Network Effect by Martha Wells (01:22) Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (03:35) Such is Life by Joseph Furphy (04:42) The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower (08:12) Robbery Under Arms by Rolf Boldrewood (08:47) Dispersion by Greg Egan (05:59) The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard (07:52) Falling Towards England by Clive James (04:42) The Ministry For The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (01:36) Discussion with W. H. Chong (21:14) The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (04:03) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (02:04) The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott (03:53) Underland by Robert McFarlane (03:24) Reading multiple genres (02:41) Poetry (00:29) New translation of Beowulf (01:43) Wind-up (02:15) Click here for more info and links Illustration: "Fire's On!" by Arthur Streeton.

Episode 49: Delving Down Under

Two ex-chairmen of the World SF Convention talk about books, movies, science fiction fandom, and much else.

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Two Chairs Talking

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