John has superpowers, Alison is an alien in a human suit, and Liz likes cats.

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Content warnings this episode: being stranded in space (chapter 1); sexism (chapter 2); Hell and murder (chapter 5).

• No letters of comment this week, normal service resumes next week!
• Books in the order they were discussed
  • Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
  • A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark
  • The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, by Becky Chambers
  • She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
  • Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki
  • A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine
• What book would we have put on the list instead?
  • John: The Psychopath Club by Sandra Bond
  • Alison: The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
  • Liz: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• John’s ranking:
  1. A Desolation Called Peace
  2. Light From Uncommon Stars
  3. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
  4. A Master of Djinn
  5. She Who Became the Sun
  6. Project Hail Mary
• Alison’s ranking:
  1. A Desolation Called Peace
  2. Light From Uncommon Stars
  3. She Who Became the Sun
  4. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
  5. A Master of Djinn
  6. Project Hail Mary
• Liz’s ranking:
  1. A Desolation Called Peace
  2. She Who Became the Sun
  3. A Master of Djinn
  4. Light From Uncommon Stars
  5. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
  6. Project Hail Mary
• Consensus ranking:
  1. A Desolation Called Peace
  2. Light From Uncommon Stars
  3. She Who Became the Sun
  4. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
  5. A Master of Djinn
  6. Project Hail Mary
• Credits
  • Cover art: “Favourite Reading Positions” by Sue Mason
    • Alt text: John is in the bottom-left, sitting in a chair, wearing a blue shirt and purple trousers, holding a can, and reading an ebook. Alison is in the upper-middle, lying down upside down, wearing a purple shirt and stripy trousers, and reading an ebook. Liz is in the bottom-right, wearing a pink shirt with green trousers, holding a mug of a hot beverage, and reading a physical book. They are surrounded by floating beer bottles, books, the Moon, a mug with a moose on it, and two cats. The words “Octothorpe 62” appear in scattered letters around the artwork, against a pinky-purple background.
  • Theme music: ‘Fanfare for Space’ by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)