Two Chairs Talking

Episode 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)
Windup & Next Episode (01:45)
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Illustration by Wombo.art
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Episode 87: Automated Mansplaining

David 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 with W. H. Chong about his 2022 reading and watching (29:13)
The Mountain Under the Sea by Ray Naylor (04:01)
Babel by R. F. Kuang (01:37)
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (01:33)
The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox (01:15)
Everything Everywhere All at Once (01:46)
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (02:42)
Drive My Car (00:43)
Pinnoccio (03:17)
Three Plus One (02:57)
Ted Lasso (01:12)
My Brilliant Friend & The Lying Life of Adults (00:50)
Prey (03:09)
The Last of Us (03:30)
Windup (01:41)
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Episode 86: Your own private screening theatre

Perry 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 F Dufty (04:48)
Polly Plum by Jenny Coleman (02:11)
The Baby on the Fire Escape by Julie Phillips (01:59)
Laidlaw by William McIlvanney (04:49)
Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette (02:20)
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz (04:36)
Windup (01:01)
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Episode 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 & 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)
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Illustration by Wombo Art.

Episode 84: Heading towards the end of the year

Perry 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 Cole Haddon (00:28)
The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner by Grace Tame(00:34)
The Unbelieved by Vicki Petraitis (00:28)
Mountains of the Mind by Robert McFarlane (01:15)
Hull Three Zero by Greg Bear (00:59)
Windup
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Image created by Wombo.art.

Episode 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)
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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 W. H. Chong for Text Publishing

Episode 82: A new wave comes flooding in

Perry 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)
Mother to the World by Richard Wilson (01:12)
Other eligible works (01:43)
Novellas (06:48)
Nightwings by Robert Silverberg (04:03)
Other nominees (01:26)
Hawk Among the Sparrows by Dean McLaughlin (01:00)
Other eligible works (00:44)
Novels (39:50)
Nova by Samuel R. Delany (04:56)
Past Master by R. A. Lafferty (04:16)
Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin (08:23)
The Goblin Reservation by Clifford D. Simak (05:15)
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (10:02)
Other eligible works (02:21)
New Wave beginning to surge (03:26)
Other Awards (01:00)
Wind-up (01:51)
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Illustration generated by Stable Diffusion

Episode 81: Truth will come to light

David 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)
Click here for more info and indexes.
Many thanks to Text Publishing for the review copy of Bliss Montage.
Illustration generated by Dawn AI
"Well, old man, I will tell you news of your son. Give me your blessing; truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man’s son may, but in the end truth will out." —Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene 2

Episode 80: Finding a place in the world

With 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 & 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 up in Dunedin, New Zealand (01:39)
The ages of reading (01:46)
Dangerous Visions and New Worlds by Andrew Nette et al. (01:28)
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (01:39)
Anderson's Bay (01:40)
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne (00:51)
Tales from the Galaxies by Amabel Williams-Ellis (00:54)
Children's library in Dunedin (01:19)
Star Rangers by Andre Norton (00:12)
Wumpworld by Bill Peet (00:50)
Tintin by Hergé (00:06)
Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (00:37)
Non-fiction (00:30)
Chariots of the Gods by Eric Von Daniken (01:05)
Librarians (00:17)
The Ruins of Earth by Thomas Disch (01:41)
Bullying (01:57)
Comet in Moominland by Tove Janssen (00:34)
The library (00:41)
Noumenon (fanzine) (00:25)
Discovering fannish community in NZ (00:17)
National Association of Science Fiction (00:51)
Aotereapa (03:01)
Phillip Mann (02:08)
Early New Zealand SF writing (01:03)
Leaving Dunedin (00:56)
Space Time Bucaneers (fanzine) by Ian Gunn (00:29)
Attending conventions (01:22)
Coming to Australia (00:53)
Nova Mob (03:57)
Galaxy Books and Bernard Brosnan (01:15)
The Square Root of Man by William Tenn (00:14)
Nine Hundred Grandmothers by R. A. Lafferty (00:21)
The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance (00:26)
The Futurological Congress by Stanisław Lem (00:14)
The Ballad of Beta Two & Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany (00:09)
The Unlimited Dream Company by J. G. Ballard (00:32)
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges (00:40)
Tales of the Arabian Nights by Richard Francis Burton (00:26)
Underground comics (00:57)
Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (00:44)
Conclusion (01:01)
Link to unabridged version of this interview on SoundCloud
Windup (00:20)
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Illustration generated by Wombo.art

Episode 79: The evil that men do lives after them

David 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)
Line of Duty (00:38)
Slow Horses (05:58)
The Outlaws (04:09)
Only Murders in the Building (02:18)
The Staircase (07:03)
'Capitol Crimes' (04:08)
Windup (00:41)
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Photo by Julia Volk
The evil that men do lives after them,While the good is oft interred with their bones
Julius Caesar (Act 3, Scene 2): William Shakespeare