Octothorpe

154: At Least I’m Not Just Internet Shopping

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John is nominating board games, Alison should read more, and Liz bought two memberships.

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

Content warnings this episode: None

  • Letters of comment
    • Andrew Hogg (Discord)
    • Chris Garcia (email)
    • Ivan Sinha (Facebook)
    • Kev McVeigh (Facebook)
    • Phil Dyson (Facebook)
    • Esther MacCallum-Stewart (Facebook)
    • Jonny Harden (Mastodon)
    • Paul Weimer (email)
    • We also heard from Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, Els, Farah Mendlesohn, Kin-Ming Looi
    • Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA
      • Staff memberships are $100
      • Hugo nominations are open
        • Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom
        • We’re not recusing this year!
        • Best Novel:
          • On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J Haveland
          • A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
          • Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
          • Every Version of You by Grace Chan
          • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
          • The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
          • The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
          • Slow Gods by Claire North
          • Luminous by Silvia Park
          • There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
            • We believe this is eligible because (a) the version published in 2025 is different to the previously self-published version and (b) there is precedent through Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
            • When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift
            • The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
            • The Singing Hill Cycle by Nghi Vo
            • The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson
            • Best Game/Interactive Work:
              • Newfangled electric games:
                • Blue Prince
                • Hades II
                • Good old-fashioned games:
                  • The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
                  • Galactic Cruise
                  • The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
                  • The Old King’s Crown
                  • Star Trek: Captain’s Chair
                  • Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
                  • Take Time
                  • Vantage
                  • Niall Harrison’s list of Best Translated Novels
                  • Fan funds
                    • Eurocon 2026: Metropol Con Berlin
                    • Natcon/Swancon 2026: Swancon 50 in Perth, Australia
                    • The TAFF candidates are Lisa Hertel and Kat Templeton, to Metropol Con
                    • The GUFF candidates are Farah Mendlesohn and Misha Sumra, to Swancon 50
                    • EFF nominations close on 15 March, to Metropol Con
                    • Picks
                      • John: Murderbot
                      • Alison: The UFO 50 soundtrack
                        • VVVVVV
                        • Liz: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
                        • Credits
                          • Cover art: “Alison forgot she had to do the cover” by Alison Scott
                            • Alt text: Text reading “OCTOTHORPE 154* *See, it’s like this. This is the first day of 2026 that hasn’t been cold, or wet, or both, so instead of doing the Octothorpe cover I went for a nice walk. And bought no board games, but a jigsaw. And did the jigsaw. Sorry.” The text is on top of a photograph of a bridge and some trees underneath a blue sky.
                            • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
                              • ...more
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                              OctothorpeBy John Coxon, Alison Scott, Liz Batty
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