Octothorpe

John is incoherent, Alison is excited, and Liz is romantic.

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 X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

• Letters of comment
  
  
  
  • Abigail Nussbaum
  
  
  • Ali Baker Brooks
  
  
  • Andy Openshaw
  
  
  • Chris Garcia
  
  
  • Claire Brialey
  
  
  • David Salter
  
  
  • Ed Morland
  
  
  • Farah Mendlesohn
  
  
  • Irwin Hirsh
  
  
  • Jonny Baddeley
  
  
  • Neil Ottenstein
  
  
  • Roseanna Pendlebury
  
  
  • We also heard from:
    
    
    
    • Fiona Moore, Ivan Sinha
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Readers’ recommendations
  
  
  
  • Best Novel
    
    
    
    • Private Rites by Julia Armfield
    
    
    • I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle
    
    
    • Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
    
    
    • In Universes by Emet North
    
    
    • The West Passage by Jared Pechaček
    
    
    • Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley
    
    
    • Someone You Can Build a Nest in By John Wiswell
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
    
    
    
    • Deadpool and Wolverine
    
    
    • Tim Travers & the Time Travelers Paradox
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Best Game or Interactive Work:
    
    
    
    • Tactical Breach Wizards
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Best Fancast
    
    
    
    • Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones by Emily Tesh and Rebecca Fraimow
      
      
      
      • Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Astounding Award
    
    
    
    • The End of Nobility by Michael Green
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Briardene Books
  
  
  
  • Preorders for Colourfields by Paul Kincaid are now open!
  
  
  
  


• Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast


• Picks
  
  
  
  • John: Sliding Doors
  
  
  • Alison: Three Men in Orbit by Sandra Bond
  
  
  • Liz: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
  
  
  
  


• Credits
  
  
  
  • Cover art: “Availability Flowchart” by Alison Scott
    
    
    
    • Alt text: A flowchart entitled “How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon”. The boxes culminate in “console yourself with Octothorpe 127”, and the various options are listed below, but the original file is here in case that’s more helpful to the partially sighted.
    
    
    • How to meet John, Alison and/or Liz at Eastercon
    
    
    • Are you going to Reconnect?
    
    
    • Of course!/Not sure
    
    
    • Oh go on it will be a laugh
    
    
    • Oh all right then/No…
    
    
    • Are they in the bar?
    
    
    • Yes!
    
    
    • I can’t see them
    
    
    • Are you quite sure? Check again
    
    
    • Oh wait… there they are
    
    
    • No sign
    
    
    • Is there another bar?
    
    
    • Yes!
    
    
    • Nope
    
    
    • Are they on programme?
    
    
    • Yes!
    
    
    • No
    
    
    • Wait till the moderator asks for questions
    
    
    • But it’s Octothorpe Live!
    
    
    • Is your joke very funny?
    
    
    • Obviously!
    
    
    • Excellent! Good to know.
    
    
    • COME AND SAY HELLO
    
    
    • until then…
    
    
    • Are they asleep or on the loo?
    
    
    • No, they look chill
    
    
    • Er, yes?
    
    
    • Oh, that’s a shame
    
    
    • Console yourself with Octothorpe 127
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)