170: Maybe We Should All Have Bells

John, Alison and Liz are live from Octocon!

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: It’s a live recording!

• The Ultimate Gene Wolfe Library on Humble Bundle
• Barry’s Tea and Lyons Tea
• Conventions
  • Octocon: 3–4 October 2026 in Cork, Ireland
  • Shake, Battle and Roll: 10–11 October 2026 in Southampton, UK
  • Tyneside Games Expo: 17–18 October 2026 in Gateshead, UK
  • PictCon 2026: 17 October in Perth, UK
  • Stabcon 2027: 8–10 January in Stockport, UK
  • Airecon 2027: 11–14 March (the last one!) in Harrogate, UK
• Picks
  • John: The Waiter by Kwan Ann Tan
    • The Emma Press
  • Alison: (is a bit short of a pick)
  • Liz: CONTROL Resonant
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Live from Octothorpe” by Liz Batty
    • Alt text: Three crocheted Octos – one purple, one green, and one red – sit against a white background. The words “Octocon 170” appear at the top and “Live from Octothorpe” appear at the bottom. (Octo is the Octocon mascot and is an octopus, so these are made from the official Octo crochet pattern.)
  • Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)