Two Chairs Talking

Perry and David discuss the upcoming Hugo Awards, and David discusses with Rob Gerrand their mutual love of the work of Jack Vance. Hugo Award nominees 2020 (34:18) Fiction categories (01:24) Novel category (00:28) The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley (03:33) The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders (04:26) Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (03:11) Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (03:4...

David and Perry talk about science fiction on television, picking out a few favourites among a vast array of available material: The Expanse (Amazon Prime) (16:33) The Outsider (HBO/Foxtel) (07:40) For All Mankind (Apple TV+) (12:01) Star Trek: Picard (Amazon Prime) (30:55) Interview with Rose Mitchell and Andrew O'Rorke (26:37) Tales from the Loop (Amazon Prime) (02:12) Next episode (00:34) Wind-...

Perry and David celebrate the first anniversary of this podcast by each talking about the best five books they've ever read. Our podcast anniversary (01:18) Tribute to Mervyn Binns (02:51) Choosing our five favourite books (00:33) Visited by the Suck Fairy (01:18) The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (12:47) The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (08:27) How we chose these books (02:0...

David and Perry, together with special guests W. H. Chong and Paul Carr, talk about how they first started to become SF/Fantasy readers, and in Paul's case, how he got into the space industry. Coping with social distancing (01:38) New Zealand World SF Con goes virtual (02:25) Hugo Awards short list (02:07) How we became SF/Fantasy readers (00:40) Perry's introduction to the field (05:27) Secret Se...

In a special Crime episode Perry and David, with special guest Dr. Lucy Sussex, discuss: Social distancing Clarification Follow-up - Nebula Awards Voting Gone By Midnight by Candice Fox Hades, Eden, Fall by Candice Fox The Broken Shore by Peter Temple November Road by Lou Berney Peace by Garry Disher Books we're looking forward to The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel Hugo nominated novellas a...

David and Perry discuss: The Coronavirus Epidemic How we rate books Touch~Claire North Hugo Awards for 2020 A Memory Called Empire~Arkady Martine Infinite Detail~Tim Maughan The Wicked Girls~Alex Marwood The Mermaids Singing~Val McDermid The Ten Thousand Doors of January~Alix E. Harrow Daemon Voices~Philip Pullman Clockwork~Philip Pullman I Was a Rat~Philip Pullman Blue Moon~Lee Child Interview wi...

In this special episode, Perry and David speak to Rob Gerrand, Bruce Gillespie and Carey Norstrilia Press Interview How Norstrilia Press got started Coming up with the name Philip K. Dick - Electric Shepherd Stanislaw Lem article sets off controversy The Altered I (workshop book) Rob Gerrand's involvement The View From the Edge Moon in the Ground by Keith Antill Other SF publishers in Australia Ty...

David and Perry discuss 1961, an amazingly good year for science fiction: Hugo Time Machine (1961) Novel nominees Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys The High Crusade by Poul Anderson Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Deathworld by Harry Harrison A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jnr Other books which might have been nominated Short Fiction nominees Need by Theodore Sturgeon The Lost Kafoozalum...

Perry and David discuss: Follow-ups What we've been reading Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe The Lost City of Z by David Grand Nova Mob - Ian Mond's recommendations Infinite Detail by Tim Maughan Ordinary People by Sally Rooney Voices by Ursula Le Guin The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace Amsterdam by Ian McEwan The Shelflife of Zora Cross - Interview with Lucy Sussex Interstellar - the movie...

David and Perry discuss: Best movies 2019 -- Perry Avengers - Infinity War Captain Marvel All Is True Knives Out John Wick Chapter 3 Best Movies 2019 -- David Mortal Engines First Man Re-watched movies Best TV 2019 --Perry Game of Thrones For All Mankind Mr Mercedes Best TV -- David For All Mankind Morning Wars Good Omens The Boys Goliath Trying to keep up The Hugo Time Machine -- 1960 Starship Tr...

Our longest episode yet! Perry and David discuss the Australian bushfire crisis and look back at the best books they read in 2019: Australian bushfire crisis Overview of 2019 reading -- David Overview of 2020 reading -- Perry SF and Fantasy -- David Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman The Power by Naomi Alderman The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North The Sudden...

David and Perry discuss: Taking a break/Next Year The perils of Alternate History Alternate histories in general The Plot Against America Lord Darcy Books by Randall Garrett Recent Reading Witchmark The Sudden Appearance of Hope Hugo Time Machine 1959 A Case of Conscience by James Blish Who? by Algis Budrys The Big Front Yard by Clifford Simak That Hell-Bound Train by Robert Bloch The Man Who Murd...

Perry and David discuss: Intro The NBN Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Borderline by Mishell Baker Experimental Film by Gemma Files The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine Possession by A. S. Byatt The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North The Boys (Amazon Prime) Watchmen (HBO...

David and Perry discuss: Intro Follow-up Making of the Hugo rocketships Naming of the Hugos Don't use us as a reference! Hugo Time Machine 1957 Best Fan Magazine Why no fiction awards? What were the magazines publishing? Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) The Ridley Scott Alien Trilogy Blade Runner The Duelists Fire and Blood Are the Hugos a good guide to best SF? The Power by Naomi Alderman The Wanderers...

Perry and David talk about: Follow-up Listening to our own episodes Getting our facts wrong Perry's views on diversity in the SF field Do the awards truly indicate quality? Other awards in the field Interview with Lucy Sussex Discovering Mary Fortune Ellen Davitt 'Force and Fraud' - Australia's first murder mystery Mary Fortune's reputation Anticipates the police procedural Police looked down on F...

David and Perry discuss: Recent reading Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin Ian Tregillis The Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis The Alchemy Wars by Ian Tregillis Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis Binge reading The Hugo Time Machine 1956 Double Star by Robert Heinlein Heinlein's sexual attitudes Other nominees Three to Conquer by Eric Frank Russell End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov The Lo...

Perry and David talk about: Perry's Return Hiking in Iceland Thanks to David and Carey Dublin Worldcon Worldcon Business Meeting Choice of next Worldcon site New Zealand Worldcon 2020 Future Worldcon sites Convention experience Membership numbers Becoming a convention member Too many members Summing up the convention Connie Willis Oxford Time Travel Novels by Connie Willis Doomsday Book by Connie...

A retrospective of Aussiecon in 1975 David and Carey remember Aussiecon Organising the Hugos The Entire Awards Committee Who created the rocketships? Getting the bases made Paranoid about security Panel with Ursula Le Guin Videotaping the convention Australian Science Fiction Foundation Interview with Carey Handfield Role of Sheep in Science Fiction Ursula's GoH speech Interview with Perry Middlem...

David Grigg and stand-in host Carey Handfield discuss: Carey and David's long association Getting into SF fandom David's fiction writing ASFR and John Bangsund Discovering a new world 1970 Australian National SF Convention Launch of the Australia in '75 bid Victoria Hotel venue The Nova Mob Carey as an organiser Monash University SF Association David as fanzine editor John Bangsund University of M...

David and Perry talk to Robin Johnson about Aussiecon 1975, and discuss: Attending Conventions Career of going to SF cons Aussiecon How did Robin get involved? Coming to Australia Meeting Merv Binns Sydney Fandom Murumbeena convention 1969 Syncon '70 Starting the muttering about '75 Attending Worldcon 1970 in Germany Garry Hoff Heidelberg Big push Help from the UK Becoming chairman Anti-fan movie...

Perry and David discuss: Introduction Perry's overseas trip Hugo Time Machine 1955 They'd Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley The Darfsteller by Walter M. Miller, Jr. Allamagoosa by Eric Frank Russell Kate Atkinson Case Histories by Kate Atkinson One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson Life After Life by...

David and Perry discuss: What are fanzines? Amateur Press Associations John Bangsund and ANZAPA They also interview Bruce Gillespie, who talks about: Melton Bacchus Marsh Hears about fandom ASFR Invited to stay with Bangsund Meeting Harding, Turner, et al First convention, MSFC First 'fanzine' produced as schoolboy Duplicators Starting to produce fanzines ANZAPA Sent to Ararat First two issues of...

Perry and David discuss: Are you a serial or parallel reader? Hugo Time Machine 1954 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Telling by Ursula Le Guin A Case of Conscience by James Blish The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Chesley Bonestell Ex Machina

Perry and David, and their guest Leigh Edmonds talk about: Perihelion Summer by Greg Egan Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket Problem of walled gardens of content Geographical restrictions on content Interview with Leigh Edmonds Both past and future are unknowable England in the 17th Century Both SF and history writ...

Perry and David talk about: Hugo Short Fiction Hugo Time Machine 1953 The Demolished Man Galaxy Magazine Hugo Novels Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse Revanant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee The Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey Standard Ebooks Copyright Such is Life by Joseph Furphy An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse All is True movie Wind-up Spider-Man: Into...