We (Gary and Jonathan) went to WorldCon 76 in San Jose a week or so ago, or at least we were around while the convention was on and engaged in activities that overlapped with the convention. It seemed like a great convention. We had a great time. All the people we know who were there had a great time.

We’d like to thank all of the organisers, the programmers, and the people who ran a great Hugo Awards.  Our congratulations to all of the winners and especially to the team at Ditch Diggers who picked up the Best Fancast award. A shout out too to the people who came to our Kaffee Klatch, which went surprisingly well.

This week a quick-ish episode, our first back together in a month or two. We talk Hugo winners, cannon, and other stuff. If you love a ramble, this ones for you. And we will work on that list for you. Promise!

We’ve been away for a long time. A very long time. We’re sorry and we’ll try not to do that again. While we were away, we went to San Jose, California for the 76th World Science Fiction Convention. During the convention, we recorded four new episodes that we will be sending out over the coming weeks.

The first is a discussion with Hugo Award winner and friend of the podcast, Jo Walton. Jo has a new book out, An Informal History of the Hugo Awards, which expands on a series of posts on Tor.com looking at the Hugos from 1953-2000. The book is wonderful and the conversation is interesting. As always, our thanks to Jo and we hope you enjoy the episode.

Oh, we recorded this in Jonathan’s hotel room in San Jose. Every effort has been made to filter out the damned airconditioning unit that was rumbling away outside.

With our customary meticulous planning, we manage this week to veer from the topic of what causes you to bounce off a particular book—or to keep reading—to the Clarke Awards, which will be announced in a few weeks (Gary volunteered to be on the Shadow Jury this year), to the question of how mainstream writers handle science fiction or fantasy elements in their fiction, and then to the issue of why many excellent British or Australian writers have either failed to gain much traction in the U.S., or in some cases seem to have lost the traction they once enjoyed.  In other words, we had no idea where we were going until we got there. 

This week Gary and Jonathan spend some time discussing the work and legacy of Gardner Dozois (1947-2018), who died recently. A friend and colleague, Gardner was also a brilliant writer, a perceptive critic, a skilled story doctor and possibly the most influential editor in the history of science fiction. His three novels, several short story collections, and well over a hundred anthologies will stand the test of time, with the 35 volume The Year’s Best Science Fiction and his nearly 20 years as editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction standing at the heart of his legacy. He was also kind, supportive, and enormously good fun. He’ll be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.

This week’s episode ranges from a discussion about the growing importance of novellas and their advantages both for readers and writers, the difficult question of which story you might pick to introduce a new reader to a favourite author, the importance of distinctive voices in both short fictions and novels, the upcoming 87th birthday of the great Gene Wolfe, and James Cameron’s new TV documentary on SF, which features appearance from several SF writers and critics, including Gary.

Then Jonathan springs on Gary the question of what his favourite book is, so Gary tossed it right back to Jonathan. We both came up with answers that date back to our respective childhoods. In addition to Gene Wolfe, some of the authors mentioned include R.A. Lafferty, Ted Chiang, Margo Lanagan, Kelly Link, Robert A. Heinlein, T.H. White, Sam J. Miller, Kate Wilhelm, Ursula Le Guin, Andy Duncan, Howard Waldrop, Catherynne Valente, Jeffrey Ford, Lavie Tidhar, John Varley, James Patrick Kelly, Alec Nevala-Lee, and Joseph Heller. In other words, another ramble.