Two Chairs Talking

Hugos

Episodes

Thursday Aug 03, 2023

Perry 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 Fritz Leiber (07:28)
Here’s Luck by Lennie Lower (04:24)
The Russia House by John Le Carre (11:05)
The Bear (08:33)
Windup (01:34)
Click here for more info and indexes
Illustration generated by Wombo Art.

Tuesday Jul 04, 2023

David 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. Delany (05:19)
Other possible nominees (02:12)
Novellas (10:18)
We All Die Naked by James Blish (00:10)
A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison (01:26)
Dramatic Mission by Anne McCaffrey (01:01)
To Jorslem by Robert Silverberg (01:22)
Ship of Shadows by Fritz Leiber (03:41)
Other possible nominees (02:11)
Novels (46:38)
Macroscope by Piers Anthony (05:07)
Up the Line by Robert Silverberg (03:23)
Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad (06:11)
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (10:44)
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (18:30)
Other possible nominees (02:34)
What we've been watching (06:15)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (06:09)
Windup (00:21)
Click here for more info and indexes.
Image generated by Wombo Art.

Tuesday Jul 19, 2022

David 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 Becky Chambers (09:07)
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (10:17)
Light of Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (06:39)
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (15:15)
Summary of the Hugo novels (01:05)
Introduction to discussion (01:22)
Discussion with Lucy Sussex about The Dogs by John Hughes (33:54)
Windup (00:48)
Click here for more info and indexes
Illustration generated by MidJourney AI.

Tuesday Jun 28, 2022

Perry 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)
Click here for more info and indexes.
Illustration generated by Wombo Art.

Tuesday Mar 29, 2022

Perry 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 by Andre Norton (02:45)
Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes by Harlan Ellison (03:04)
Gonna Roll the Bones by Fritz Leiber (02:32)
Other possible nominees (02:06)
Best Novella (19:46)
The Star-Pit by Samuel R. Delany (03:07)
Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny (03:56)
Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverberg (03:05)
Weyr Search by Anne McCaffrey (02:48)
Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip José Farmer (04:20)
Other possible nominees (01:42)
Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock (00:30)
Best Novel (23:52)
Thorns by Robert Silverberg (03:09)
The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany (05:39)
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (09:34)
Other possible nominees (04:36)
Windup (01:25)
Click here for more info and indexes
Photo by Omar Houchaimi on Pexels

Episode 65: Awesome Awards

Tuesday Nov 09, 2021

Tuesday Nov 09, 2021

David 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 Alchemist” by Charles L. Harness
“An Ornament to His Profession” by Charles L. Harness
“The Manor of Roses” by Thomas Burnett Swann
“Call Him Lord” by Gordon R. Dickson
“For a Breath I Tarry” by Roger Zelazny
“This Moment of the Storm” by Roger Zelazny
“Apology to Inky” by Robert M. Green, Jr.
“The Eskimo Invasion” by Hayden Howard
WINNER “The Last Castle” by Jack Vance
Other possible nominees (06:27)
Novels (16:47)
Day of the Minotaur by Thomas Burnett Swann
The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz
Too Many Magicians by Randall Garrett
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany
WINNER: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Other possible nominees (01:26)
Other 1967 Hugo awards (01:23)
Windup (00:39)
Click here for more info and indexes
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021

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

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

Tuesday Apr 13, 2021

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

Episode 49: Delving Down Under

Tuesday Mar 30, 2021

Tuesday Mar 30, 2021

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

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