Shows
Two Chairs TalkingThe Books! The Books!Season 2, Episode 1: David and Perry discuss the books they read during 2024 and give lists of their best five in each category. Plus their most disappointing read of the year.
2025-01-232h 28
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 102: Fanzines, the State of the ArtIn this special episode, Perry hosts a discussion panel at Conflux, a science fiction convention held in Canberra in October 2023. The topic was "Fanzines: the State of the Art".
Introduction (01:10)
Panel discussion (59:21)
Windup (00:20)
2024-07-221h 01
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 101: The best SF novels of the 1960sIn this special episode, David and Perry give a talk at the Nova Mob about the SF novels of the 1960s. To decide on the best, we treat the exercise as a draft, each of us picking a title in turn in order to try to get the best "team". Who will win?
Meeting starts (00:45)
Introduction to the draft (01:53)
Why the 1960s? (02:02)
Perry's first pick (02:45)
David's first pick (02:24)
Perry's second pick (02:24)
David's second pick (03:04)
Perry's third pick (02:40)
David's third pick (03:41)
Perry's fourth pick (02:00)
David's fourth pick (02:47)
Perry's fifth pick (03:38)
David's fifth pick (03:24)
Perry's sixth pick (04:37)
David's sixth pick (03:34)
Possibles and...
2024-06-221h 06
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 100: We score a century!Perry and David celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast by discussing the best books they read during 2023. And bid you all a fond farewell.
Introduction (00:12)
Our 100th Episode! (04:14)
Let's talk about Books (02:10)
2023: Highlights of our reading (01:11:53)
Best Science Fiction read in 2023 (David) (04:24)
Best Science Fiction read in 2023 (Perry) (03:41)
Best Fantasy read in 2023 (David) (03:40)
Best Fantasy read in 2023 (Perry) (03:34)
Best Crime read in 2023 (David) (05:28)
Best Crime read in 2023 (Perry) (05:59)
Best Spy/Thriller read in 2023 (David) (02:01)
Best Spy/Thriller read in 2023 (Perry) (02:57)
Best Historical Fiction read in 2023 (David) (05:50)
Best Novellas read in 2023 (Perry) (05:26)
Best Literary read in 2023 (David) (02:13)
Best Literary read...
2024-01-161h 25
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 99: Good thinking, Ninety-Nine!Perry and David discuss their recent reading, including several crime or crime-adjacent books, a middle-school fantasy, and an excellent piece of historical fiction.
Intro (03:20)
General News (03:33)
Goodreads Readers Choice Awards (03:32)
What we've been reading (58:11)
Winds of Evil by Arthur Upfield (10:43)
Dorothy L. Sayers Novels (07:00)
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (09:31)
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann (06:24)
Black Sheep by Susan Hill (06:56)
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (04:25)
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (06:51)
Loot by Tania James (06:14)
Windup (03:33)
END (00:10)
Title and image from TV Show Get Smart.
2023-12-121h 09
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 98: Sorrow and silence are strongPerry and David discuss recent book awards and go on to discuss their recent reading, some of which evoke strong emotions and others which have kept us on the edge of our seats.
Intro (04:07)
General News (14:02)
Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2023 (03:21)
The Hugo Awards 2023 (03:41)
World Fantasy Awards 2023 (00:35)
Le Guin Prize for Imaginative Fiction 2023 (01:17)
Death of Michael Bishop (01:36)
Death of A. S. Byatt (03:22)
What we've been reading lately (45:49)
All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien (04:49)
Beast in View by Margaret Millar (03:04)
Blindness by José Saramago (07:11)
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (05:32)
The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey (04:16)
The Day of the Jackal by...
2023-11-211h 04
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 97: Murder, magic and mutinyDavid and Perry talk about their recent reading, ranging from a confronting story of racism and murder in America, through a pleasant coming-of-age novel, a comedy TV series and an engaging piece of historical non-fiction.
Introduction (02:35)
Conflux: National Science Fiction Convention (05:40)
General News (16:13)
U.S. National Book Awards (03:05)
Ditmar Awards (02:15)
Nobel Prize for Literature 2023 (01:58)
A.I. Translation of books (08:42)
What we've been reading and watching (55:01)
All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby (07:42)
The Will of the Many by James Islington (08:51)
The Odd Angry Shot by William Nagle (09:36)
Among Others by Jo Walton (10:50)
Only Murders in the Building Season 3 (08:26)
The...
2023-10-101h 21
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 96: The manner of your vile outrageous crimesPerry and David talk about their latest reading, listening and watching in the crime genre, from a classic PI novel to the latest best-seller.
Introduction (05:56)
General News (11:06)
Ned Kelly Awards 2023 (02:13)
Dragon Awards 2023 (07:00)
Queensland Literary Awards 2023 (01:43)
What we've been reading and watching (55:24)
In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty (11:43)
No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child (11:46)
The Sisters by Dervla McTiernan (05:01)
D Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton (08:54)
Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron (07:58)
The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 2) (06:01)
Deadloch (03:54)
Windup (01:10)
Image generated by Ideogram.ai
"Arrogant priest, this place demands I keep calm,Or thou shouldst find t...
2023-09-191h 14
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 95: A mixed bag of goodiesDavid and Perry discuss a wide range of reading and movie watching, ranging from Restoration period historical fiction through a contemporary true story to the fantastic and not-so-fantastic futures of science fiction.
Introduction (04:40)
General News (08:31)
Hugo Voting Package 2023 (02:59)
Worldcon Site Selection 2023 (01:36)
Ditmar Awards Ballot 2023 (02:29)
Other Awards (01:22)
What we've been reading and watching (01:16:30)
Red Notice by Bill Browder (07:15)
Every Version of You by Grace Chan (13:18)
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (08:52)
The Migration by Helen Marshall (09:31)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (10:00)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 (07:32)
The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs (06:30)
Oppenheimer (13:10)
Windup (00:36)
Illustration generated by Wombo Art.
2023-08-291h 30
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 94: Just a feeling in my waterPerry and David discuss audiobooks, cover a swag of awards and recent news, and then go on to talk about what they've read (or listened to) recently. And Perry talks about a great TV series he recommends.
Introduction (01:40)
Listening to audiobooks (11:57)
General News (13:42)
Hugo Ballot 2023 (06:20)
World Fantasy Awards 2023 (01:32)
Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award 2023 (00:37)
Miles Franklin Award Winner 2023 (00:58)
The Booker Prize long list 2023 (02:46)
Death of Milan Kundera (01:20)
What we've been reading (55:00)
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney (07:18)
Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild by Philip Reeve (07:33)
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (07:04)
Conjure Wife by...
2023-08-031h 24
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 93: Yesterday's TomorrowsDavid and Perry take the Hugo Time Machine back to 1970, the year that The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin won the Best Novel Hugo. David has a bone to pick, and Perry discusses the latest Indiana Jones movie.
Introduction (03:46)
General News (10:01)
Hugo Voting ballot (04:53)
Locus Awards 2023 (03:49)
Death of Cormac McCarthy (01:13)
Hugo Time Machine 1970 (01:13:46)
Heicon '70 Convention (04:11)
Short Stories (12:28)
Deeper Than the Darkness by Gregory Benford (00:46)
Winter’s King by Ursula K. Le Guin (00:40)
Not Long Before the End by Larry Niven (01:46)
Passengers by Robert Silverberg (01:17)
Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones by Samuel R. De...
2023-07-041h 34
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 92: A goldfinch in a graveyardPerry and David discuss the volunteer work they've been doing recently, then go on to talk about their recent reading and watching.
Intro (02:13)
What we've been doing recently (08:05)
Standard Ebooks productions (02:05)
Wikipedia editing (05:54)
General News (08:45)
Australian Book Design Awards (02:25)
Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist (01:39)
Aurealis Awards 2023 (00:51)
Hugo Ballot 2023 still coming (03:45)
What we've been reading (43:33)
Real Tigers by Mick Herron (11:52)
David's Reading (00:45)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (05:29)
Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (05:30)
All's Well by Mona Awad (04:23)
Death in Brunswick by Boyd Oxlade (06:20)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (09:05)
What we've been watching (12:05)
The Batman (2022) (04:41)
Drive My Car (2021) (07:16)
Windup (00:15)
...
2023-06-131h 16
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 91: Looking at things from a different angleDavid and Perry discuss Perry's recent overseas trip, and then talk about their recent reading, including several books which take existing stories and look at them from a different viewpoint.
Introduction (06:51)
Perry's trip to Morrocco (04:06)
David's news (02:28)
General News (16:29)
Death of Martin Amis (06:08)
Nebula Award Winners (04:12)
Miles Franklin Award Longlist. (03:06)
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (03:00)
What we've been reading lately. (50:13)
David's reading slow-down (01:27)
Five Decembers by James Kestrel (08:59)
Unknown Shore by Robert Ruby (05:02)
A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (04:38)
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. (04:28)
Spear by Nicola Griffith (06:43)
Fire With Fire by Candice Fox (04:15)
Even...
2023-05-231h 15
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 90: De profundis clamaviPerry and David talk about their recent reading and watching, in particular discussing a novel they have both nominated for this year's Hugo Awards, The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler.
Introduction (01:04)
General News (12:44)
Crime Writers Association Dagger Awards (02:13)
Australian Book Industry Awards (02:07)
Australian Book Design Awards (00:58)
Death of Lee Harding (00:45)
Other News? (06:24)
What we've been reading and watching (01:01:09)
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (14:46)
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (05:06)
Ebooks vs physical books (02:00)
Cold Water by Dave Hutchinson (06:16)
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (05:15)
Dead Lions by Mick Herron (07:04)
Double Indemnity by James M...
2023-04-301h 16
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 89: Again and again and againDavid and Perry discuss a number of books dealing with alternate or parallel streams of time, and analyse in depth the novel Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, and the BBC television series based on it.
Introduction (01:50)
General News (06:03)
Phillip K. Dick Award Winner 2023 (01:18)-- City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
BSFA Awards 2023 (03:13)-- The Extractionist by Kimberly Unger
Chengdou Worldcon (01:21)
What we've been reading lately (12:36)
Pavane by Keith Roberts (06:38)
Civilisations by Laurent Binet (05:55)
Discussion of Life After Life, TV series and novel (39:16)
Windup (00:39)
Illustration generated by Wombo.ai
2023-04-121h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 88: But was it a crime?Perry and David discuss their recent reading of crime novels, or were they merely crime-adjacent novels? You can choose!
Introduction (02:09)
Loss of three good friends (01:49)
Charles Taylor
Valma Brown
Eve Harvey
ChatGPT - new developments (07:10)
General News (08:37)
Nebula Awards (02:18)
Hugo Awards (01:00)
BSFA Awards (01:06)
Aurealis Awards (01:56)
Nominating for the Hugo Awards (01:44)
Crime Fiction (53:49)
Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie (04:22)
Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas (09:10)
In Her Blood by Nicky Crutchley (04:20)
The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout (07:21)
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (04:43)
In the Woods by Tana French (08:26)
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down (08:09)
Exiles by Jane Harper (06:42)
...
2023-03-201h 15
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 87: Automated mansplainingDavid and Perry spend a while discussing the problems with "generative A.I." and then go on to talk about their recent reading. Perry interviews W.H.Chong about his best reading and watching of 2022.
Introduction (03:50)
General News (02:23)
Chengdu World SF Convention (02:19)
Discussion on Generative AI (21:32)
Ezra Klein podcast on AI
What we've been reading lately (54:38)
Monash's Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons (11:35)
Joan by Katherine J. Chen (08:15)
Hex by Jenni Fagan (03:21)
Rizzio by Denise Mina (02:38)
Her by Garry Disher (04:20)
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (05:29)
Embassytown by China Miéville (05:57)
The Employees by Olga Ravn (04:22)
Babel by R. F. Kuang (08:21)
Discussion w...
2023-03-021h 53
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 86: Your own private screening theatrePerry talks about the best movies and television he watched during 2022. David discusses his work for Standard Ebooks. Perry interviews Lucy Sussex about the best books she read last year.
Introduction (03:40)
General News (13:50)
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards (03:45)
Locus Recommended Reading List (06:19)
Worldcon 2023 (03:37)
Perry's Best Movies and TV of 2023 (32:09)
Subtitles (01:33)
Overview (01:42)
Movies (14:14)
Honourable Mentions (03:36)
Television (14:13)
Documentaries (01:24)
Comedies (02:41)
Drama (08:05)
Best overall (01:49)
Standard Ebooks and Copyright (09:50)
Interview with Lucy Sussex (32:11)
Skimming Stones by Maria Papas (01:58)
The Islands by Emily Brugman (02:02)
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au (00:53)
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (01:24)
An Uncommon Hangman by Rachel Franks (01:35)
Nabbing Ned Kelly by David...
2023-02-071h 33
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 85: The Books! The Books!David and Perry discuss their reading during 2022 and list their selections of the best books in a range of categories, and end up agreeing on the best book of the year.
Introduction (03:03)
General News (05:52)
2022 Prime Minister's Literary Awards (01:49)
2022 Phillip K. Dick Award (01:23)
Susie McKee Charnas (02:32)
Best Books of 2022 (58:36)
Science Fiction (06:14)
Perry (03:00)
David (03:10)
Fantasy (03:53)
Perry (00:44)
David (03:07)
Crime (08:16)
Perry (05:58)
David (02:17)
Spy/Thriller (04:45)
Perry (02:07)
David (02:28)
Literary/Non Genre (07:03)
Perry (04:45)
David (02:02)
Novellas (06:08)
Perry (06:05)
Children's Literature (01:23)
David (01:12)
Collections and Anthologies (04:32)
Perry (04:07)
David (00:16)
Historical Fiction (00:50)
David (00:44)
Nonfiction (06:39)
Perry (03:16)
David (03:18)
Overall Best for 2022 (03:34)
Perry (01:25)
David (01:57)
Windup (01:14)
Next episode (01:39)
Illustration by Wombo Art.
2023-01-171h 10
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 84: Heading towards the end of yearPerry and David wind up the year by talking about the books they've read recently, including some neglected works and one being celebrated thirty years after it was first published.
Introduction (02:36)
General News (09:44)
2022 Best of the Year articles (04:59)
2022 Patrick White Award (01:20)
Prime Minister's Literary Award (03:12)
What we've been reading (53:17)
How do you choose what to read next? (05:32)
Ithaca by Claire North (07:56)
The Visitor by Maeve Brennan (08:25)
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (07:49)
Night Blue by Angela O'Keeffe (09:13)
The High House by Jessie Greengrass (07:17)
A Bookshop in Algiers by Kaouther Adimi (06:50)
Brief mentions (04:01)
Psalms for the End of the World by...
2022-12-131h 11
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 83: And what does this one look like?David and Perry discuss Day's End and Limberlost, two new titles from Text Publishing, and then go on to talk with W. H. Chong, who designed the covers of both books. (Apologies for the occasional poor audio quality in this episode).
Introduction (00:42)
General News (03:06)
Death of Greg Bear (02:08)
What we've been reading (22:50)
Day's End by Garry Disher (09:17)
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott (13:12)
Discussion with W. H. Chong about cover design (20:24)
Windup (01:05)
End (00:12)
Many thanks to Text Publishing for review copies of the books discussed today, and to W. H. Chong for joining us to discuss cover design.
Illustration: covers designed by...
2022-11-2248 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 82: A new wave comes flooding inPerry and David discuss some recent awards and general news and then take off in the Hugo Time Machine to visit the year 1969, when Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner won the Best Novel award.
Introduction (02:34)
General News (08:39)
2022 Ursula K. Le Guin prize (01:13)
2022 Booker Prize winner (01:15)
2022 Shirley Jackson awards (01:10)
2022 Arthur C Clarke Award (00:44)
Death of Frank Drake (04:07)
Hugo Time Machine 1969 (01:03:04)
Short Stories (05:39)
The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World by Harlan Ellison (01:37)
Other eligible works (03:36)
Masks by Damon Knight (01:22)
All the Myriad Ways by Larry Niven (00:28)
Novelettes (08:03)
The Sharing of Flesh by Poul Anderson (03:56)
Other nominees (01:52)
...
2022-11-031h 16
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 81: Truth will come to lightDavid and Perry talk about Perry's recent overseas trip and attendance at the World SF Convention in Chicago, and then go on to talk about their recent reading, which was almost all in the crime genre.
Introduction (01:48)
Perry's experience of Chicon (13:38)
2022 Hugo Awards (06:00)
General News (05:22)
Hilary Mantel (01:17)
Peter Straub (02:22)
Maureen Kincaid Speller (01:37)
What We've Been Reading (56:37)
Dead Lions by Mick Herron (07:46)
The Maid by Nita Prose (03:29)
C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton (05:58)
Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham (05:06)
Backlash by Brad Thor (08:34)
Banjawarn by Josh Kemp (05:23)
Mr Jelly's Business by Arthur Upfield (11:50)
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma (07:52)
Windup (01:24)
Many...
2022-10-181h 19
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 80: Finding a place in the worldWith co-host Perry still overseas, David discusses some recent awards and goes on to interview Rob Gerrand about writing and publishing in Australia, and then Murray MacLachlan about growing up in New Zealand and discovering science fiction and fantasy.
Introduction (00:21)
General News (03:31)
2022 Hugo Award Winners (01:05)
David's Thoughts on the 2022 Hugos (00:44)
2022 Astounding Award (00:31)
2022 British Fantasy Awards (00:21)
2022 Davitt Awards (00:44)
Interview with Rob Gerrand (30:02)
The Millennium Job by Rob Gerrand (09:34)
How to publish a novel (02:00)
The Diplomat of Florence by Anthony Wildman (02:56)
Charm, Strangeness, Mass and Spin by Stephen Dedman (05:18)
The Future of Norstrilia Press (08:48)
Publishing through Substack (00:39)
Interview with Murray MacLachlan (43:28)
Growing...
2022-09-201h 18
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 79: The evil that men do lives after themDavid and Perry discuss crime fiction, both in books and on television, ranging from a fascinating non-fiction book about the making of 'The Godfather' to some TV shows which combine comedy and crime.
Introduction (00:21)
General News (00:33)
Alexei Panshin dies at age 82 (00:31)
Awards in the Crime Genre (02:47)
Ned Kelly Awards winners (01:03)
Davitt Awards Shortlist (01:40)
Perry's Overseas Trip (02:13)
Crime Fiction Novels (54:30)
Leave The Gun Take The Cannoli by Mark Seal (14:58)
The Island by Adrian McKinty (09:20)
Wild Place by Christian White (10:05)
Daughters Of Eve by Nina D. Campbell (06:24)
The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo (08:56)
Wake by Shelley Burr (04:30)
Crime fiction on TV (25:36)
Ozark (00:50)
...
2022-08-301h 26
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 78: Into many a green valley drifts the appalling snowPerry and David talk about a bunch of recent literary awards and then go on to discuss the books they've read recently, which cover the range from an entertaining children's book to a confronting Booker Prize winner. And in the middle, a lot of snow.
Introduction (02:04)
General News (13:49)
Miles Franklin Award Winner 2022 (00:43)
Booker Prize long list 2022 (01:54)
British Fantasy Awards 2022 (03:39)
Le Guin Prize for Fiction 2022 (01:59)
Age Book of the Year Shortlist 2022 (01:58)
Vale David Ireland (01:34)
Other Awards (00:46)
Barack Obama's Summer Reading List 2022 (01:05)
What we've been reading (57:01)
The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell (04:37)
Lisey's Story by Stephen King (06:43)
Sea of Tranquility by Emily S...
2022-08-091h 18
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 77: A forest of Hugo awardsDavid and Perry complete their review of all of the fiction nominated for this year's Hugo Awards by discussing the Best Novel category. Then Perry and Lucy Sussex investigate the controversy around the novel which was withdrawn from this year's Miles Franklin Award.
Introduction (03:03)
General News (04:07)
Arthur C. Clarke Award Short List (01:11)
2022 Women's Prize Winner: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (00:47)
Publication date for Robbie Arnott's next novel (01:19)
Miles Franklin Award (00:39)
Best Novel Nominees for 2022 Hugos (01:09:21)
The Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (10:53)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (13:07)
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by...
2022-07-191h 53
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 76: Psalms, splinters and burning tigersPerry and David discuss in detail the novellas nominated for this year's Hugo Awards, and Perry talks to Rose Mitchell about the latest season of Star Trek: Picard.
Introduction (02:52)
General News (09:49)
2022 Locus Awards Winners (05:39)
Miles Franklin Award Shortlist (01:47)
Frank Moorhouse (02:10)
Hugo Nominated Novellas 2022 (43:56)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (06:27)
Across The Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire (09:03)
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard (06:22)
Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky (05:21)
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (05:14)
The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente (08:22)
Assessment of Novellas (01:32)
Introduction to Interview (01:38)
Star Trek Picard - discussion with Rose Mitchell (26:07)
Windup (02:25)
...
2022-06-281h 27
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 75: A Bug in the ProgramDavid and Perry discuss this year's nominees for the Short Story and Novelette categories of the Hugo Award, and Perry discusses the movie "Everthing Everywhere All at Once" with W. H. Chong.
Introduction (02:42)
General News (04:59)
Nebula Awards (01:46)
International Thriller Awards (01:37)
Australian Book Design Awards (01:23)
Hugo Nominees 2022 (53:57)
Hugo Voting Packet (03:47)
Short Stories (19:42)
Unknown Number by Blue Neustifter (03:00)
Proof by Induction by José Pablo Iriarte (02:51)
The Sin of America by Catherynne M. Valente (03:35)
Mr. Death by Alix E. Harrow (02:29)
Tangles by Seanan McGuire (02:47)
Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker (04:40)
Novelettes (26:53)
Bots of the Lost Ark by Suzanne Palmer (04:24)
That Story I...
2022-06-101h 36
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 74: Murder, though it have no tongue, will speakPerry and David talk about their recent reading in the crime field, and spend some time on one particularly interesting crossover of the crime and SF genres.
General News (07:21)
Locus Awards (03:06)
CWA Daggers Awards (02:10)
Patricia McKillop (01:46)
Crime Fiction (57:32)
Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic (05:14)
Better Off Dead by Lee and Andrew Child (14:39)
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan (09:25)
Duck Deason Death by June Wright (05:43)
The City and the City by China Miéville (13:37)
B Is for Burglar by Sue Grafton (08:14)
Windup (01:52)
Illustration: painting by Pieter Claesz (1597-1660)
...I have heardThat guilty creatures sitting at a playHave by the very cunning o...
2022-05-171h 10
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 73: If I could only remember my nameDavid and Perry discuss recent awards and nominations, say a sad farewell to a friend, and talk about their recent reading, several items of which seem to deal with the loss of memory.
General News (07:25)
Hugo Nominees (03:57)
Philip K. Dick Award (00:26)
Compton Crook Award (00:28)
2022 Shadows Awards (00:58)
BSFWA Awards (01:03)
RIP Christine Ashby (02:30)
What have we been reading? (01:13:48)
The Last Woman in the World by Inga Simpson (06:07)
The Spare Room by Helen Garner (10:37)
Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore (04:53)
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (08:22)
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (07:50)
SFF Novellas from 2021 (Pt. 1) (14:12)
Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton...
2022-04-201h 26
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 72: A dangerous kind of visionPerry and David take the Hugo Time Machine back to the year 1968, when the shorter fiction was dominated by the Dangerous Visions anthology edited by Harlan Ellison and Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny won the Best Novel award.
General News (10:07)
Nebula Award Short List (03:14)
Forthcoming Releases (02:29)
Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter project (04:15)
Hugo Time Machine 1968 (01:12:20)
Best Short Story (12:30)
The Dangerous Visions anthology (00:50)
The Jigsaw Man by Larry Niven (03:18)
Aye And Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delany (03:17)
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (02:17)
Other possible nominees (02:44)
Best Novelette (14:26)
Faith of Our Fathers by Philip K. Dick (03:46)
Wizard's World...
2022-03-291h 26
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 71: With all this crimes broad blownDavid and Perry plunge again into the murky depths of crime fiction, both in print and on television.
General News (05:04)
2022 International Thriller Writers Awards (01:45)
The Stella Prize 2022 longlist (01:22)
BSFA Awards (01:44)
Crime Fiction we've been reading (52:18)
The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin (09:44)
The Housemate by Sarah Bailey (05:35)
Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby (07:48)
The Torrent by Dinuka McKenzie (05:14)
The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith (06:00)
The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield (06:21)
The Way It Is Now by Garry Disher (08:29)
David responds on The Way It Is Now (02:44)
Troppo TV Series (07:21)
Windup (01:47)
Photo by Jimmy Chan from...
2022-03-081h 08
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 70: Up in the cloudsPerry and David discuss their recent reading, in particular Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr and The Lost Daughter book and film.
News (07:19)
Locus Magazine recommended reading list (02:26)
Dublin Literary Award longlist (01:30)
Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Winners (03:13)
What we've been reading (49:40)
David on Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (03:46)
Perry's take on Cloud Cuckoo Land (08:23)
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (04:05)
Last Stand in Lychford by Paul Cornell (03:19)
All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton (03:21)
Flames by Robbie Arnott (07:49)
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante (book) (04:02)
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante (movie) (14:25)
Discussion with Lucy Sussex (27:05)
The Woman They Co...
2022-02-151h 27
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 69: A dream we dreamt with our eyes openDavid and Perry talk about their favourite TV and movies they saw in 2021; and Perry talks at length with W. H. Chong about the new Dune movie.
News (04:19)
Philip K. Dick Award (01:34)
2022 Hugo Nominations open (01:20)
Vale Bill Wright (01:21)
Perry's Overview of TV and Movies 2021 (04:29)
Perry's Best Movies 2021 (24:24)
The Dig (05:04)
Emma (03:52)
Green Book (04:54)
The Father (05:16)
Dune Part 1 (01:48)
Nomadland (02:28)
Perry's Honourable Mentions in movies (05:52)
Echo in the Canyon (01:08)
Trial of the Chicago Seven (01:11)
The Power of the Dog (03:24)
David's movies 2021 (00:36)
Perry's Best TV 2021 (14:50)
Hemmingway (02:26)
Midnight Diner (03:31)
Succession (03:21)
Anthony Bourdain : Parts Unknown (01:52)
Upright (03:26)
Perry's Honourable Mentions in TV(03:49)
Mare of Easttown (01:26)
The Chair (01:17)
...
2022-01-251h 53
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 68: The Endless BookshopPerry and David talk about the best books they read during 2021 in a number of different categories.
Hugo Winners (03:33)
Site for Worldcon in 2023 (01:22)
Our best books of 2021 (01:17:48)
David's top SF of 2021 (02:54)
Perry's top SF of 2021 (05:35)
David's top fantasy of 2021 (04:35)
Perry's top fantasy of 2021 (05:10)
David's top crime of 2021 (02:19)
Perry's top crime of 2021 (09:56)
David's top literary of 2021 (03:26)
Perry's top literary of 2021 (06:47)
David's top novellas of 2021 (02:35)
Perry's top novellas of 2021 (04:16)
David's top children's lit of 2021 (04:32)
Perry's top collections of 2021 (06:55)
David's top non-fiction of 2021 (02:51)
Perry's top non-fiction of 2021 (07:04)
David's best overall of 2021 (01:41)
Perry's best overall of 2021 (03:33)
Windup (00:45)
Change to our schedule (00:42)
Illustration: generated by...
2022-01-041h 27
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 67: The clues in the labyrinthDavid and Perry discuss who invented science fiction and go on to talk about their recent reading, including intriguing crime novels and literary award winners.
News (00:59)
Taking a break (02:54)
Who Invented Science Fiction? (05:34)
What we've been reading (53:02)
Laidlaw by William McIlvanney (13:04)
Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep by Philip Reeve (06:05)
A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (07:18)
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lowrey (05:46)
Crossing the Lines by Sulari Gentill (07:37)
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott [warning: spoilers!](13:00)
Windup (02:23)
Photo by Altaf Shah from Pexels
2021-12-071h 07
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 66: Where great whales go sailing byPerry and David discuss recent news; David talks about the best book he's read all year; Perry reviews a magnificent book about whales; and interviews prominent fan Justin Ackroyd.
News (08:49)
Ditmar Awards (02:43)
Amazon Best Books of 2021 (02:01)
Announcement of interview on Fannish History (03:20)
Presentation on Standard Ebooks (00:38)
Letters of Comment (05:40)
From Ben Sims (00:32)
Audiobooks (04:24)
From Don Ashby (00:36)
What we've been reading (28:47)
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (04:59)
May Week Was in June by Clive James (07:06)
Bewilderment by Richard Powers (05:38)
Fathoms: the World in the Whale by Rebecca Giggs (10:46)
Where great whales come sailing by,Sail and sail, with unshut...
2021-11-231h 22
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 65: Awesome AwardsDavid and Perry discuss a number of recent award winners and take the Hugo Time Machine zooming back to the year of 1967
A. Bertram Chandler Award (01:48)
Booker Prize Winner (00:37)
Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award (00:58)
World Fantasy Awards (02:02)
Readings Prize (00:38)
Hugo Voting closes (00:25)
Hugo Time Machine~1967 (01:00:58)
Short Stories (17:09)
“Mr. Jester” by Fred Saberhagen
“Delusion for a Dragon Slayer” by Harlan Ellison
“Rat Race” by Raymond F. Jones
“The Secret Place” by Richard McKenna (Won Nebula)
“Man in His Time” by Brian W. Aldiss
“Comes Now the Power” by Roger Zelazny
“Light of Other Days” by Bob Shaw
WINNER “Neutron Star” by Larry Niven
Novelettes (13:30)
“The Al...
2021-11-091h 08
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 64: And gentlemen in England now-a-bedPerry and David celebrate St. Crispin's Day by discussing recent awards, what they've been reading, both non-fiction and fiction, and summarising their thoughts about this year's Hugo Award nominees.
News (04:36)
Ursula K. Le Guin prize (01:08)
Ditmar Awards (01:14)
Prime Minister's Literary Awards (02:03)
Critic vs Reviewer (02:46)
What we've been reading (41:05)
The Library by Stuart Kells (04:22)
Beeswing by Richard Thompson (07:28)
Dead Wake by Erik Larson (08:02)
A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain (06:35)
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (07:03)
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (07:10)
Summary of our 2021 Hugo reading (04:23)
Windup (01:33)
Illustration: production still from Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh.
2021-10-2659 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 63: And after the fire…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)
Photo by Stephen Cavenagh, ABC News
2021-10-121h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 62: Lord of the UnderworldPerry 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)
Photo by Jeremy Bishop from Pexels
Note: some links above are to Amazon.com. We receive a...
2021-09-281h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 61: The joining of three tidesDavid 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)
Illustration: painting by Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (1807-1863)
Note: some links above a...
2021-09-141h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 60: Tales Twice ToldPerry 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)
...
2021-08-311h 08
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 59: Throughly informedDavid 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...
2021-08-171h 17
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 58: An eye on the boxPerry 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)
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.
2021-08-031h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 57: From a skewed perspectiveDavid 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...
2021-07-211h 05
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 56: Labyrinths and rooftopsPerry 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)
...
2021-07-061h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 55: Make me know the nature of their crimesDavid 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)
Image from pxhere.com
2021-06-2254 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 54: Fandom is a way of lifePerry 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...
2021-06-081h 36
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 53: Fact and fantasyDavid 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...
2021-05-251h 11
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 52: Nothing is so perfect...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...
2021-05-121h 28
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 51: My Uncle Oscar had a sudden flashDavid 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)
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 he...
2021-04-271h 15
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 50: The bones of the deadPerry 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)
Illustration: "Still Life with a Skull...
2021-04-131h 09
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 49: Delving Down UnderDavid 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 Ka...
2021-03-301h 19
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 48: We're not the judgesPerry and David talk about a diverse selection of books they've been reading lately, and Perry talks to Dr. Lucy Sussex about the best books she read last year.
NASA naming of Perseverance landing spot (02:00)
Nebula Awards (06:25)
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (04:53)
Cross-cultural influence of The Beatles (01:41)
Website Galactic Journey - http://galacticjourney.org/ (08:48)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (05:54)
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie (09:36)
Daria's Daughter by Linda Huber (06:28)
Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender (09:48)
Interview with Lucy Sussex (19:03)
Square Haunting by Francesca Wade (01:29)
Truganini by Cassandra Pybus (04:03)
Friends and Rivals by Brenda Niall (01:05)
The Haunting of Al...
2021-03-161h 17
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 47: Just a couple of volunteersDavid and Perry discuss a recent book and television series they have both enjoyed and then move on to talk about some of their volunteer activities outside podcasting. David interviews Alex Cabal, the Editor in Chief of Standard Ebooks.
Hugo Nominations deadline (05:27)
The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John (07:40)
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) (08:12)
Volunteering (01:28)
Perry's Work for AusLit (17:47)
David's Work for Standard Ebooks (10:07)
Perry's experience with Wikipedia (05:26)
Interview with Alex Cabal of Standard Ebooks (22:46)
Personal background, education (01:33)
What gave you the idea of starting SE? (04:06)
How did you choose which books to begin with? (02:42)
Who selects which books to...
2021-03-021h 22
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 46: These accusations, and these grievous crimesPerry and David revisit the scene(s) of the crime, discussing books in a variety of sub-genres within the crime/thriller category.
Vale Yvonne Rousseau (02:21)
Locus Recommended Reading List 2020 (05:31)
Doing Crime (01:58)
Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Crosby (04:40)
The Spy Of Venice by Benet Brandreth (05:44)
The Survivors by Jane Harper (06:13)
Waiting For Elijah by Kate Wild (06:37)
The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace (05:08)
Good Girl/Bad Girl and When She Was Good by Michael Robotham (08:50)
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (08:18)
Too Many Magicians by Randall Garrett (01:39)
Windup (01:16)
Photo by Brandon Anderson on Flickr.
2021-02-161h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 45: Not Waving but DrowningDavid and Perry talk about the books they've been reading lately, ranging in length from novellas to a nine-volume, almost million-word opus written entirely in the form of letters. And a rather damp theme emerges...
World SF Convention and Hugos (04:24)
Clarissa Harlowe by Samuel Richardson (05:35)
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (10:48)
The Glass Hotel by Emily St.John Mandel (07:17)
Shadow in the Empire of Light by Jane Routley (05:54)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (00:01)
The Greenwood Duology by Emily Tesh (07:35)
Silver in the Wood (01:31)
Drowned Country (04:15)
The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again by M...
2021-02-021h 17
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 44: And I watched some stuff, tooPerry and David wind up their discussion of the best books they read in 2020 and roll on to talking about their best movies and television seen during the year.
David's Top 10 books of 2020 (04:51)
Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman
Normal People by Sally Rooney
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Truth by Peter Temple
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
Solaris by Stanisław Lem
The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again by M. John Harrison
A Canticle For Leibowitz b...
2021-01-191h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 43: Yeah, I read a few books last yearDavid and Perry look back at the books they read during 2020 and pick their favourites in a variety of categories.
David's reading during 2020 (03:59)
Perry's reading during 2020 (08:58)
David's Best SF read for the first time (04:19)
Perry's Best SF read for the first time (06:31)
David's Best SF read again (02:15)
Perry's Best SF read again (03:25)
David's Best Fantasy (03:04)
Perry's Best Fantasy (04:09)
David's Best Alternate History (02:27)
Perry's Best Crime (05:46)
David's Best Crime (04:39)
Perry's Best Literary (06:25)
David's Best Literary (09:08)
Perry's Best Single Author Collections (05:20)
David's Best Historical Fiction (02:26)
Perry's Best Novellas (08:10)
David's Best Children's Literature (02:57)
Perry's Best Nonfiction (04:05)
David's Best Nonfiction (02:55)
Windup (01:34)
Photo by Ricardo...
2021-01-121h 35
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 42: Life, the Universe and EverythingPerry and David discuss the fine art of tsundoku and then fire up the Hugo Time Machine yet again to return to the year of 1965, when Fritz Leiber's "The Wanderer" won Best Novel Hugo.
Tsundoku (01:42)
Hugo Time Machine~1965 (01:01:38)
The Whole Man by John Brunner (07:26)
Davy by Edgar Pangborn (08:47)
The Planet Buyer by Cordwainer Smith (11:57)
The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber (07:40)
Other possible nominees (02:52)
Short Fiction (00:58)
Little Dog Gone by Robert F. Young (05:04)
Always a Cop by Rick Raphael (04:59)
Soldier, Ask Not by Gordon R. Dickson (05:47)
Other possible nominees (03:54)
Taking a break (02:09)
Wind-up (01:04)
Photo from Pxhere.com.
2020-12-081h 08
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 41: A series of perfect murdersDavid and Perry return to their love of crime, and discuss both newly released titles in the genre and some old classics.
The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (10:08)
The Survivors by Jane Harper (08:40)
A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carre (08:28)
The Searcher by Tana French (15:05)
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (04:39)
Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (05:38)
Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic (01:55)
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (02:16)
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (07:23)
Windup (02:57)
Image from PXhere.com
2020-11-241h 09
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 40: Lost in the labyrinth of wordsPerry and David discuss their recent reading, ranging over a wide range of genres.
Coronavirus state of play (02:53)
Internet Archive looking for donations (01:43)
World Fantasy Awards (02:04)
Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender (00:57)
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (00:23)
Read After Burning by Maria Dahvana Headley (00:33)
Crime Writers Association Awards (03:02)
Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham (02:38)
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (18:00)
Interview with Susanna Clarke in The Guardian (00:13)
Interview with Susanna Clarke in the Hindustani Times (02:24)
Heatwave in Berlin by Dymphna Cusack (06:38)
The Silence by Susan Allott (08:36)
A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinkster (07:36)
The Mother Fault...
2020-11-101h 11
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 39: Completely zoned outDavid and Perry visit the Eastern Block and discuss novels by Stanisław Lem and the Strugatsky brothers, and the films based on two of their books.
Ebooks or paper books? (05:02)
Going East (00:30)
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (20:00)
Solaris (movie) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (12:20)
Solaris (movie) directed by Steven Soderberg (14:15)
Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (11:48)
Stalker (movie) directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (26:11)
Windup (00:43)
Image: still from Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker. Used here for purposes of review, fair use copyright exemption.
2020-10-271h 31
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 38: Big, bigger, biggest, bigly!Perry and David have fun talking about BIG objects in science fiction, from flying cities to spheres totally enclosing stars.
Megastructures (06:36)
Cities in Flight by James Blish (06:05)
Feersum Endjinn by Ian M. Banks (04:32)
Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke (00:39)
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (00:23)
The Web Between the Worlds by Charles Sheffield (03:28)
Eon by Greg Bear (06:14)
Marrow by Robert Reed (09:17)
Pellucidar Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs (07:10)
Dyson Spheres (01:50)
Tabby Boyajian's Star (01:14)
Star Classifications (01:36)
Orbitsville by Bob Shaw (05:47)
Other big objects in SF (10:19)
Riverworld Series by Phillip Jose Farmer (02:15)
Bowl of Heaven by Larry Niven and Greg Benford (01:32)
Fleet...
2020-10-141h 10
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 37: One Hundred Years of CyberitudeDavid and Perry discuss the centenary of the coining of the word ‘robot’, the winner of the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and take the Hugo Time Machine whizzing back to the year 1964.
R. U. R. by Karel Čapek (03:44)
Arthur C. Clarke Award (03:09)
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (02:28)
Hugo Time Machine~1964 (01:17:03)
Glory Road by Robert Heinlein (02:59)
Witch World by Andre Norton (06:35)
Dune World by Frank Herbert (11:25)
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (08:09)
Way Station by Clifford Simak (12:11)
Voting results - Novels 1964 (02:06)
Other possible novel nominees for 1964 (01:17)
1964 Short Fiction (00:24)
Code Three by Rick Raphael (03:43)
Savage Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (04:40)
A Rose for E...
2020-09-291h 26
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 36: Marrying the genre next doorPerry and David talk about novels which blur the boundaries between genres: literary novels with strong elements of fantasy or science fiction. We can call them "genre adjacent" fiction.
Children of Men by P. D. James (00:23)
Never Let Me Go and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (00:52)
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan (04:34)
A Superior Spectre by Angela Meyer (08:28)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (07:36)
The Animals in that Country by Laura Jean McKay (08:27)
The Second Cure by Margaret Morgan (00:57)
Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson (10:19)
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott (08:43)
What the Wind Brings by Matthew Hughes (12:43)
Interview with Matthew Hughes (21:09)
...
2020-09-151h 28
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 35: The gifted grotesqueries of Terry GilliamDavid and Perry farewell John Bangsund, a stalwart of the Australian science fiction community; and look at three movies directed by Terry Gilliam: Time Bandits, Brazil and 12 Monkeys.
Vale John Bangsund (09:12)
Terry Gilliam (41:07)
Time Bandits (11:26)
Brazil (14:36)
12 Monkeys (09:26)
La Jetée (04:24)
Windup/Next Episode (02:00)
Image: Jonathan Pryce in the movie Brazil. Photo reproduced here for purposes of review (fair use copyright exemption).
2020-09-0155 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 34: Location, location, locationPerry and David return to a life of crime! Well, reading about crime, anyway. They discuss:
Under the lockdown (01:41)
Corrections (06:10)
Kim Huett's articles on the history of the Hugo Awards.
What we've been reading (01:14)
The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey (06:48)
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (00:25)
The View from Chickweed's Window by Jack Vance (06:05)
Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay (08:14)
An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire (05:52)
The Ruin and The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan (13:29)
Where the Dead Go by Sarah Bailey (06:54)
Raven Black by Anne Cleeves (07:15)
Truth by Peter Temple (08:35)
Wind-up (00:16)
Plans for next episodes (00:55)
Photo of...
2020-08-181h 14
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 33: Translations, transforms and traumasDavid and Perry discuss the ConNZealand convention and the 2020 Hugo Awards and then take the Hugo Time Machine back to the interesting year of 1963.
A state of disaster (01:42)
ConNZealand 2020 (12:55)
2020 Hugo Awards (10:20)
Hugo Time Machine~1963 (01:15)
Novels Hugos 1963 (36:27)
Sword of Aldones by Marion Zimmer Bradley (07:39)
Sylva by Vercours (07:54)
Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper (06:28)
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (01:59)
A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke (07:57)
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (02:42)
Other possible novel nominees Hugos 1963 (01:42)
Short Fiction Hugos 1963 (29:40)
Myrrha by Gary Jenkins (04:42)
Where is the Bird of Fire by Thomas Burnett Swann (03:32)
When You Care...
2020-08-041h 23
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 32: The Masks We WearPerry and David talk about what they've been watching lately and discuss:
Coronavirus news (01:32)
Ad Astra (09:33)
Yesterday (09:13)
The Mandalorian - Disney Plus (07:58)
Tales from the Loop - Amazon (15:21)
The Old Guard - Netflix (14:08)
Graphic novels as source for movies (01:35)
War of the Worlds - SBS/Canal Plus (01:37)
Illustration from The Mandalorian is copyright Disney Corporation, used here for review purposes (fair use).
2020-07-211h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 31: Through a dark glassDavid and Perry talk about their recent reading, both good and bad; and special guest W. H. Chong talks about Ghost Species by James Bradley.
Coping with the pandemic (01:20)
Locus Awards (04:38)
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (07:55)
Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee (04:49)
Bare-Faced Messiah by Russell Miller (00:43)
The Second Sleep by Robert Harris (03:30)
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jnr (01:15)
The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts (05:11)
Wings Above the Diamantina by Arthur Upfield (05:43)
Silver by Chris Hammer (11:53)
Ghost Species by James Bradley (36:24)
Discussion with W. H. Chong (33:09)
Literature or SF? (02:05)
Wind-up (01:27)
Photo by Akshar Dave from Pexels
2020-07-071h 25
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 30: The many trouser-legs of timePerry and David are joined by Dr. Lucy Sussex to talk about alternate history novels. In particular, they discuss those alternate timelines in which the Axis powers won the Second World War.
COVID-19 Restrictions (00:26)
How libraries are dealing with the pandemic (03:08)
Restrictions at aged care facilities (00:52)
Great time to catch up on books and TV (00:21)
Alternate History fiction (02:33)
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (00:07)
Lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett (00:28)
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon (00:11)
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinson Kowal (00:20)
What if Hitler had won? (01:02:35)
Swastika Night by Katharine Burdekin (06:43)
Small Change trilogy by Jo Walton (06:39)
...
2020-06-231h 11
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 29: Omphalistic HugosityThis episode is dedicated to the memory of Brian Robert Middlemiss (20 July 1930 - 5 June 2020).
David and Perry talk about the shorter fiction nominees for the 2020 Hugo Awards, and then take the Hugo Time Machine back to 1962, when Stranger in a Strange Land won Best Novel.
Dedication to Brian Middlemiss (03:26)
Awards season (00:46)
Nebula Awards (01:40)
Locus Awards (02:10)
Hugos 2020 Short Fiction (00:41)
Hugo Voting Package (01:16)
Novelettes (14:56)
Away With the Wolves by Sarah Gailey (01:23)
For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll (01:35)
Emergency Skin, by N.K. Jemisin (02:09)
The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye by Sarah Pinsker (01:58)
The Archronology of Love by Caroline M...
2020-06-091h 25
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 28: Mastering the DragonsPerry 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 (03:43)
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (00:45)
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (00:48)
Hugo Voting Package (00:31)
The Deep by Rivers Solomon (01:01)
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (01:23)
Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom by Ted Chiang (01:23)
...
2020-05-261h 22
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 27: TV or Not TV?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-up (00:29)
Photo by Burak K from Pexels
2020-05-121h 12
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 26: Now We Are OnePerry 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 (02:00)
The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (07:22)
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (08:19)
The Tango Briefing by Adam Hall (09:20)
The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett (09:06)
Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond(07:13)
The Path Between the Seas by...
2020-04-281h 40
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 25: Kings of Infinite SpaceDavid 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 Seven and Famous Five by Enid Blyton (00:35)
Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (00:24)
Astounding/Analog magazine (03:44)
David's introduction to the field (08:06)
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (01:04)
The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit (02:18)
Cities in Flight...
2020-04-141h 41
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 24: Noir is the New BlackIn 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 and novels
A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
Our plans)
2020-03-3155 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 23: Stocking up for the ApocalypseDavid 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 with Lucy Sussex
The Arsonist~Cloe Hooper
Kinglake-350~Adrian Hyland
The Wasp and the Orchid~Danielle Clode
Viv Albertine
Patrick Parker's Progress~Mavis Cheek
Farthing, Ha'Penny, Half a Crown~Jo Walton
Swastika Night~Katharine Burdekin
Generation...
2020-03-171h 07
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 22: The best publishing house in Old North AustraliaIn 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
Typesetting
Sales and Distribution
Roles of Carey, Bruce and Rob
Dancing Dragons by Damien Broderick
Transmutations
Stellar Gauge - Dreaming Dragons - Roger Zelazny poems
Academic studies of SF in the U.S.
Dreaming Dragons
...
2020-03-021h 04
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 21: A beautifully illuminated blueprintDavid 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 by Pauline Ashwell
Open to Me, My Sister by Phillip Jose Farmer
The Longest Voyage by Poul Anderson
Other possible nominees
Windup
2020-02-181h 07
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 20: Don't need no Saturn V rocketsPerry 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
What we have planned
Image from Interstellar movie poster. Copyright Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros Pictures. Used here for review purposes only (fair use).
2020-02-041h 10
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 19: Perplexed by hailstonesDavid 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 Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine
Short Fiction nominees
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Twilight Zone
The Outsider by Stephen King
Wind-up
Photo of hailstones by Hornbeam...
2020-01-211h 02
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 18: Food for the soulOur 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 Appearance of Hope by Claire North
SF -- Perry
Blackfish City
Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Embers of War by Gareth Powell
...
2020-01-071h 42
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 17: Fiery the angels fellDavid 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 Murdered Mohammed by Alfred Bester
Blade Runners
Blade Runner - Original
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Tears in the Rain
Fiery the angels fell
Versions of the film
Blade...
2019-12-131h 04
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 16: Falling through doorwaysPerry 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/Foxtel)
His Dark Materials (BBC/HBO)
For All Mankind (Apple TV+)
Hugo Time Machine 1958
The Big Time by Fritz Leiber
Other books in the genre in 1958
Big Planet by Jack Vance
Cosmic...
2019-11-271h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 15: A great big countdown timerDavid 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 by Meg Howrey
Station Eleven by Evelyn St.John Mandel
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Self-Published works
Interview with...
2019-11-121h 12
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 14: The Misfortunes of MelbournePerry 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
French writer Émile Gaboriau
Australian interest in true crime
Wilkie Collins and 'The Moonstone'
Fascination with Australian settings
Mary Braddon
Ellen Wood
Marcus Clarke and 'His Natural Life'
'The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'
'Blockbuster'
Fergus Hume
Melbourne t...
2019-10-2855 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 13: Blasts to the PastDavid 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 Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett
First woman to be nominated
Exploration Team by Murray Leinster
The Star by Arthur C. Clarke
End As A World by F.L. Wallace
Game of Rat and Dragon by...
2019-10-141h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 12: Don't drop your phone on the glacierPerry 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 Willis
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis
Passage by Connie Willis
The Choke by Sophie Laguna
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Chain...
2019-09-281h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 11: The role of sheep in science fictionA 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 Middlemiss
Hearing about the convention
Travelling from Adelaide
Experience of the convention
Life-changing event
Legacy of Aussiecon
Subsequent Australian Worldcons
Interview with Leigh Edmonds
First DUFF winner
DUFF as promotion for '75
What actually happened at Aussiecon?
The notorious Wang Girls
Before and after...
2019-09-091h 03
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 10: Meet Ursula Le GrongDavid 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 Melbourne SF Association
1975 Writer's Workshop
Choice of Ursula Le Guin as GoH
Idea of a Writer's Workshop
Choosing the venue
Getting the photocopier
Publishing the Altered I
'Stabbed Alive' by Randall Flynn
Ursula's challenges
Two-word challenge
Love Story challenge
...
2019-08-261h 15
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 9: Voyage to the inverted worldDavid 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
Promotional matchboxes
Moving through '72
Winning the bid in '73
A problem with Ursula
Jerry Pournelle's demand
Charter of Americans arrives
Art Show crisis
Slide Presentation panic
Convention starts
Don Tuck MIA
Continuous state of panic
Movie Program
Amount of programming
...
2019-08-121h 01
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 8: Encountering irony in the wombPerry 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 Kate Atkinson
John Le Carre's Karla trilogy
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre
An Honourable Schoolboy by John Le...
2019-07-3040 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 7: All this I speak in print, for in print I found itDavid 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 SFC
Response from o/seas
Critical reviews of SF outside academia
John Foyster
Resigning from teaching in Ararat
Meets Gerald Murnane
Acquires own duplicator
Aussiecon
1977 extraordinary year
How have things changed?
Nostrilia Press
IBM Composer
Typesetting for Highland House and...
2019-07-1551 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 6: Moth, rust, and men with matchesPerry 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
2019-07-0147 min
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 2: Generation after generationWelcome to our second episode! In this episode Perry Middlemiss and David Grigg talk about:
Introduction
Fixup
David's introduction to reading
SF Novellas
Murderbot Series
Binti Series
Wayward Children Series
The Power
Generation Starships
Passengers
Aurora by KSR
Book of the New Sun
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Mortal Engines
Doing Justice
Peak Geekdom
Dark is Rising Series
50 years of SF Commentary
2019-05-061h 00
Two Chairs TalkingEpisode 1: Star-cold and the dread of spaceThis is the very first episode of Two Chairs Talking, in which David Grigg and Perry Middlemiss, both ex-chairmen of World Science Fiction Conventions talk about:
Introduction
Genres
Australian Poetry
How Do You Read So Many Books?
Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
Setting Quotas
Records of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Nominations
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Possession by A. S. Byatt
2019-04-2233 min