John picks too soon, Alison is fully paid-up, and Liz found the comment.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, 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: COVID (chapter 7)

• Letters of comment
  • Andreas Davour (toot)
  • Bridget Bradshaw (skeet)
  • Chris Garcia
  • David Bamford (skeet)
  • DC (skeet, requires sign-in)
    • Przypadek/Blind Chance
  • Farah Mendlesohn (Facebook)
  • Karen Schaffer
  • Meg MacDonald (Facebook)
  • Raj (toot)
    • Short story: “Bond, Bond, and James Bond” by Eric Molinsky
    • Novelette: “Lake of Souls” by Ann Leckie (from her new collection, Lake of Souls)
    • Novella: Last Stop by Django Wexler
  • Tammy Coxen (skeet)
• Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast
  • John has been asked to head up the Discord
  • Bursaries
    • Deadline is noon on 16 February
    • Email finance@easterconbelfast.org with as much or as little detail as you like
• Eastercon 2026: Iridescence, a bid for Birmingham
• BSFA
  • BSFA Award Longlist
    • Octothorpe 122 has been nominated, thank you very much!
  • Review policy rumours
    • Steven French’s comment on Camestros Felapton’s blog
  • New chair: Stewart Hotson
• Picks
  • John: Severance S2
  • Alison: The Brutalist
  • Liz: Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Live From Minidisc” by Alison Scott
    • Alt text: A blue Sony MiniDisc Walkman shows, on its LCD screen, “Now playing: Octothorpe_128”.
  • Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)