Two Chairs Talking

Episode 72: A dangerous kind of vision

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)
Photo by Omar Houchaimi on Pexels

Episode 71: With all this crimes broad blown

David 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 Pexels
He took my father grossly, full of bread;With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;And how his audit stands who knows save heaven?
Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 3

Episode 70: Up in the clouds

Perry 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 Could Not Silence by Kate Moore (04:29)
I Hear the Mermaids Singing by Charmian Clift (03:01)
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge (02:22)
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (02:12)
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge (00:52)
A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam (05:23)
Defiant Voices by Yvette Smith (01:34)
Vandemonians by Janet McCalman (02:41)
Enigma of China by Qiu Xiaolong (01:36)
Windup (00:39)
Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels

Episode 69: A dream we dreamt with our eyes open

David 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)
Bodyguard (01:04)
David's Best TV 2021 (08:39)
The Expanse (00:42)
The Umbrella Academy (00:51)
The Wrong Mans (02:09)
Get Back (Beatles) (03:00)
Hanna (01:43)
David's Honourable Mentions in TV (01:19)
Broadchurch (00:14)
Maigret (01:01)
Discussion with W. H. Chong on Dune (41:24)
Windup (01:04)
Illustration: generated by wombo.art.
Episode title: from a quote by Federico Fellini.

Episode 68: The Endless Bookshop

Perry 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 Wombo.art

Episode 67: The clues in the labyrinth

David 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

Episode 66: Where great whales go sailing by

Perry 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 eye,Round the world for ever and eye.
-- Matthew Arnold, The Forsaken Merman
Illustration: Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Episode 65: Awesome Awards

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)
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Episode 64: And gentlemen in England now-a-bed

Perry 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.

Episode 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