John, Alison, and Liz discuss what they’re voting for in the Hugo Awards.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

• Letters of comment
  • Ali Baker Brooks
  • Bridget Bradshaw
  • Chris Garcia
  • Colette Reap
  • Duncan MacGregor
  • Edward Morlund
  • Farah Mendlesohn
  • Mike Scott
  • Raj
    • Fantasy Book Swap
      • Alison Scott, Marianne Dreams and Tamarind and the Star of Ishta
      • ”More funny than Thomas Hardy”: John Coxon, Rebecca‘s World and Flora & Ulysses
• Hugo Awards:
  • Novella
  • Novelette
  • Short story
    • ”Gathered in Translation” by Ken Liu
    • “Disconnected Tales: Contrasting Ken Liu’s Original and Translated Works” by Stephanie Gao
  • Series
  • Graphic Story or Comic
  • Best Related Work
  • Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
  • Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
  • Fan Categories
    • The Midnight Pals that made Liz laugh
• Picks
  • John: Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor
  • Alison: Cinco Paus by Michael Brough
  • Liz: No pick
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Worldcon Community Group Bingo Card” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: ”Octothorpe 114” is at the top, and the word ”Octothorpe” is written on a series of lottery balls. Below that, a bingo card, and below that, the words ”Worldcon Community Group Bingo Card". The items on the card are as follows:
      • Can I convert pounds to Scottish money?
      • Does anyone have any opinions on…?
      • Do you know my Scottish cousin?
      • This list is too long to read so can someone…
      • Is the programme out yet?
      • Can I swim in the Clyde?
      • Can I visit Stonehenge for the day?
      • Asks question answered in PR5
      • Does Glasgow Zoo have live haggis?
      • Volunteering is the best way to have fun
      • What’s with all the armadillos?
      • Shouldn’t the subway be a Digital Orange now?
      • Free!
      • Is the con organising an aurora viewing?
      • Is it too late to get on the programme?
      • Will Nessie be doing a signing?
      • Mention of Glasgow, England
      • Can anyone go to the Hugo Awards?
      • Why don’t we do this the way we did in 1956?
      • Can I fly from Glasgow to Edinburgh?
      • Will there be any authors there?
      • Can I bring my Emotional Support Moose?
      • Are tartan and/or kilts compulsory?
      • What I reckon…
      • Mention of deep-fried Mars Bar
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is doing Discord, Liz is doing programme, and Alison isn’t working on the Worldcon.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  • Karen Schaffer
    • Peach and bourbon pie
  • Chris Garcia
  • Peter Sullivan
  • Kat Kourbeti
  • Facebook
    • Farah Mendlesohn
    • Mike Scott
      • The Great Paladin Hunt by Mike Brunton
    • Malcolm Hutchison
    • Jonny Baddeley
• Glasgow 2024
  • Glasgow 2024 Worldcon Community Group on Facebook
  • Cerebus
    • Humble Bundle
    • Reviews by Tom Ewing
  • Why is Alison collecting a big pile of con badges?
    • The Streisand Effect
      • (I know I got it slightly wrong in the episode!)
• Awards
  • 2024 Locus Award winners
  • 2024 Nebula Award winners
• Antipodes
  • Brisbane in 2028
    • File 770 report (with details of their socials/mailing list)
    • Worldcon 1939
    • Minneapolis in 2073: Progress Report 11
    • Torched by Alissa Walker
  • Continuity 2024
    • The 2024 New Zealand NatCon
    • John spent ages assuming that the above was just the online portal, but it is in fact the convention website
    • There is some backstory on this at SFFANZ
• Picks
  • John: Alan Wake 2
    • Saga Anderson’s sweater
    • I didn’t mention it on the podcast at all and it’s just for you, the show note reader, but I was watching this sketch when I was waiting for Alison and Liz this morning: ”Beavis and Butt-Head” from SNL
  • Alison: Animal Well
  • Liz: Will Anderson’s YouTube channel about Scrabble
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Massive Lizard” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Three stick figures run from Godzilla, who is depicted in the style of Godzilla Minus One. The words “Octothorpe 113” used to be at the top of the art, but Godzilla has knocked off the letters “O C T O”, is holding “H”, and is trying to eat “T”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John was gaming, Alison was dancing, and Liz was batty.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, or tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Wealth privilege (chapter 3)

• Letters of comment
  • Chris Garcia
  • Curt Phillips
    • Starter Villain review
  • David Ian Salter
  • Ersatz Culture
  • Peter Sullivan
  • Sandra Bond
• Levitation (Eastercon 2024)
  • Post-convention report
• FunCon
  • Alan Fleming’s report
• UK Games Expo
• Glasgow 2024 (Worldcon 2024)
  • Site selection is open for Worldcon 2026
  • Brisbane has (re-)announced their bid for Worldcon 2028
• Picks
  • John: The Beast
    • Spoilery interview with George MacKay
  • Alison: Baldur’s Gate 3
  • Liz: Godzilla Minus One (Netflix)
• Credits
  • Cover art: “That Octothorpe Series” by España Sheriff
    • Alt text: John, Alison and Liz stand in the transporter on a Constitution-class Federation starship. They are mid-transportation, made of sparkles instead of fully fleshed out. The words “Octothorpe 112” appear beneath them.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison, and Liz read the 2024 Hugo Award finalists for Best Novel.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Rape and murder during a brief discussion of historically accurate piracy in Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, discussion of billionaires during Starter Villain

• John’s rankings:
  1. Some Desperate Glory
  2. Translation State
  3. Saint of Bright Doors
  4. Witch King
  5. Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
  6. Starter Villain
• Alison’s rankings:
  1. Saint of Bright Doors
  2. Some Desperate Glory
  3. Translation State
  4. Witch King
  5. Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
  6. Starter Villain
• Liz’s rankings:
  1. Some Desperate Glory
  2. Saint of Bright Doors
  3. Translation State
  4. Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
  5. Witch King
  6. Starter Villain
• Consensus:
  1. Some Desperate Glory
  2. Saint of Bright Doors
  3. Translation State
  4. Witch King
  5. Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
  6. Starter Villain
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Favourite Reading Positions” by Sue Mason
    • Alt text: John is in the bottom-left, sitting in a chair, wearing a blue shirt and purple trousers, holding a can, and reading an ebook. Alison is in the upper-middle, lying down upside down, wearing a purple shirt and stripy trousers, and reading an ebook. Liz is in the bottom-right, wearing a pink shirt with green trousers, holding a mug of a hot beverage, and reading a physical book. They are surrounded by floating beer bottles, books, the Moon, a mug with a moose on it, and two cats. The text “Octothorpe 111” and “Hugo Novels 2024” appears to the top and the bottom of the image.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is a professor, Alison doesn’t have a bucket list, and Liz is the country’s foremost fan historian.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: More wealth privilege (chapter 2)

• Letters of comment
  • Bridget Bradshaw
  • Christopher J Garcia
  • Farah Mendlesohn
  • Jonathan Cowie
  • Jonny Baddeley
  • Kin-Ming Looi
  • Sandra Bond
  • Tammy Coxen
• Awards
  • Babel wins “Best Translated Work” at the 2024 Xingyun Awards
  • Clarke Award finalists
    • John: 0, Alison: 1, Liz: 3
    • The winner will be announced on 24 July
  • 2024 Nebula Awards
  • 2023 Nebula Awards
  • Locus Awards
• Glasgow 2024
  • The Hugo Packet is now available
  • Joel’s Whisky Zoom is hosting a tour of the Clydeside Distillery on 9 August at 7pm
• Picks
  • John: Sunderland Shorts Film Festival
    • Soulmate, Beautiful Things, Ensouled, Finger Food, Bisected, Own Home?, R1CO, The First Time I Never Met You
    • Wes Anderson’s short adaptations of Roald Dahl
  • Alison: Aurora
    • Liz’s view on auroras
  • Liz: A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin [paper, ebook, audiobook, Amazon]
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Explain 2233” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: Three photographs of the night sky, labelled Newcastle, Bangkok, and “Quite near London” (the labels were written by a Londoner, which is why it doesn’t just say “London”). Text above reads “Octothorpe 110” and below reads “Local Aurora Snapshots”. The Newcastle and London images show photographs of aurora with some minor bits of vegetation intruding; the Bangkok picture shows a skyline of buildings underneath a thunderstorm.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is middle, Alison is even sadder, and Liz is sorry.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Discussion of access issues (chapter 2), wealth privilege (chapter 6)

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

John is ignorant, Alison is first, and Liz is a trendsetter.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: COVID (chapter 8).

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

John, Alison, and Nicholas are live from Levitation!

A transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Thank you very much to our stunt Liz, Nicholas Whyte!
  • Nicholas’ blog, From the Heart of Europe
• April Fool’s Day
  • The rocket in all its glory!
• The Hugo Awards
  • Hugo Award finalists
  • The announcement video
  • Thank you to everyone who nominated us!
  • Congratulations to the other Fancast finalists:
    • The Coode Street Podcast
    • Hugos There
    • Publishing Rodeo
    • 科幻Fans布玛 (Science Fiction Fans Buma)
    • Worldbuilding for Masochists
  • The first Town Hall will be on 20 April 2024
    • Tickets available on Eventbrite
    • The stream will be available on YouTube
  • Three Black Halflings
  • Tammy Coxen
    • The Glasgow Gimlet
    • Tammy’s Tastings
    • Tammy’s podcast, My Tiny Bottles
  • Bigolas Dickolas
• Gallifrey One
• BSFA
  • Join their Discord!
• Picks
  • John: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (Channel 4)
    • Our cosplay
  • Alison: Eastercon catch-up
  • Nicholas:
    • The Black Archive
    • David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television by Simon Guerrier
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Octothorpe at Levitation” by Sue Dawson
    • Alt text: John, Alison, and Nicholas Whyte stand in front of a projection of the Octothorpe podcast and behind a panel table. Each of them wears a convention badge, and Nicholas holds the Glasgow Landing Zone Rocket. Nicholas is looking at the camera, while John and Alison are not quite as good at this. The table they stand behind holds beers, coffees, convention newsletters, phone batteries, microphones, and table tents.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)