This week we round up a lot of news and discussions ranging from the release of the Kraken book, to what Jane Goodall reads at the beach. Plus we begin the quest to pick our next book.
Book Kickoff soon. Look for the poll on the website. We'll be making the poll soon, so give us your ideas before we make up our minds and get set in our ways! Even if it's just an author or a type of novel.
Emails:
Hey Veronica and Tom,
First, let me say I'm liking the greater frequency of S&L. Hope to see more.
Add me to the tally of people Veronica has introduced to Temeraire. I recently finished Victory of Eagles; it's an amazing series and I look forward to more.
Game of Thrones on HBO. Here's the thing about the Ice and Fire books. They are incredible books, however I had to stop reading after the 3rd one because it literally depressed me. If the HBO series is near as good, I doubt I'll be able to watch it, which is too bad.
Also, I vote for a video version of S&L on TWiT.tv
Anyway, cheers and thanks for the great book-lovers podcast.
Simon
ADDENDUMS
Thanks to our partner Sticker Fu. Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers!
A brief episode this week just to gush about the new Game of Thrones trailer on HBO and get us all squared away on reading World War Z, plus a few alternates if you just don't think you like zombies. But come on, all we are saying is give zombies a chance.
I have just started listening to S&L (had to get a Tom fix after he left BOL). I am a bit late on this discussion but, on the topic of books where Earth is destroyed, in the Death Gate Cycle novels the Earth is ""sundered"" and used to make four new worlds (plus a small gateway world and a living prison world) each based on one of the four elements. That's about as destroyed as you can get.
I was also wondering whether either of you have read Neal Stephenson's first novel ""The Big U"" which has fantastical elements (although it would be more accurately described as satire than fantasy or scifi). This is actually my favorite of his novels because it does not take itself at all seriously. I do love your show.
-Leif from Oakland
Don't forget Sticker Fu. Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers at www.stickerfu.com.
In this episode we learn that some people hate Zombies, some are well prepared for them, and some people get very distrubed if they read zombe stories before bedtime. Of course it's not all zombies. Sometimes it's para-narratives. And occasionally the Roman Empire. But isn't it always?
Emails: You asked about stories where the Earth was destroyed… Beastmaster by Andre Norton Not actually destroyed in the book but dealing with the aftermath. That’s close isn’t it? She was awesome!
Ross
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Somebody has probably mentioned this but in 'When Worlds Collide', by George Pal, the Earth is destroyed due to an impact with another planet. Happily, there is another planet that arrives at the same time, and some people move there. kent
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This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com, the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.
New partner Sticker Fu. Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers at www.stickerfu.com
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.
This week we're very pleased to have a chance to talk to author Laurie R. King. Ms. King is the author of the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes as her partner, and a series featuring police officer Kate Martinelli, as well as several standalone novels. King's first book, A Grave Talent (1993), received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Her latest book is The God of the Hive.
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.
We've finally finished the Windup girl and we'r ready to wrap it up, but we also have news, some sad (RIP Frank Frazetta) and some glad (Game of Thrones!) Plus we have some excellent thought-provoking commentary from the Goodreads group. And best of all, we announce we'll have another episode next week! Find out who our special guest interview is. (raised eyebrow)
Stephen Baxter has a tendency to destroy the Earth in a number of his books. Notably:
Moonseed - Earth wiped out completely starting in the opening scene. Evolution - Human evolution from triumph of mammals to the end of humanity (Earth survives, people don't) Flood - All land gone. Some humans survive.
He's one of my favourite "Laser" authors and well worth reading. Regards,
Simon Williams UK
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This is a little old but in catching up on my rss feed of i09.com I came across this. Ridley Scott!
Thanks for the great group & podcast.
Peter Hansen
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ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.
This week we officially introduce The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi as our latest Sword and Laser book club pick. We also announce the move of our forums, and kick a little love/hate towards George R. R. Martin.
As a wrap-up of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" we finally snag an interview with the author of the Sword and Laser book club selection. Cory Doctorow is always a fun person to chat with, and this episode is no exception. We do query him on some of the thoughts behind Down and Out, but also about writing and the publishing industry in general. We also let him pick our next book!
We had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Daniel Suarez, author of previous Sword and Laser pick Daemon, as well as the new sequel Freedom (TM) that just came out January 7th. Get some insight into how much of the world of the Darknet Daniel really thinks could happen, and why.
Heads up! We know Veronica said it was episode 27 (en español) but that’s because she was working with Tom’s bad episode number intel. We’re really on #26, and we’ve finally made it through Mists of Avalon and have a recap for you. Overall we liked it, and Tom gets into some of the Arthurian Legend underpinnings.
We had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Brandon Sanderson, co-author of the next installment of the Wheel of Time Series; The Gathering Storm. Brandon told us how he got into writing, what books he likes to read and how he ended up with the honor of finishing the work of Robert Jordan.
Quick Burns JC Hutchins’s sf novel 7TH SON serialized here on Boing Boing, Part 1
We had a fantastic time at Dragon*Con! Thanks to everyone who showed up for the recording, and Timothy Zahn for being an outstanding guest. Special thanks to Swoopy and Derek for inviting us in and helping us out tremendously, Jon for running about the room with a mic so we could the excellent audience feedback, and to all the folks in the Dragon*Con podcasting track who helped us sound perfect. Plus a SUPER thanks to Kathryn for designing and obtaining the t-shirts and Kim for helping us drag them around and distribute them.
Mixing Media Alters My Brain – Posted by aldenoneil on September 2, 2009 at 12:22pm A phenomenon occurs occasionally, where I’ll be reading a book concurrently with playing through a videogame, and my reading of the novel is effected. This time around it’s Warcraft III and The Forever War. Reading through a description about a certain base under construction, all I could envision was little soldiers with low polygon counts and blocky grey buildings rising whole from the surface. I don’t believe that was the author’s intention.
Of course it occurs with movies – reading through The Lord of the Rings will never be the same for any of us, for example – but videogames present a more stylized vision, which really f*cks my sh*t up, for lack of a better phrase. It really points to how subjective an experience reading a novel is.
Does this happen to anyone else? Milder forms include casting actors or friends in roles, or envisioning natural settings as versions of places that you’ve actually been to. That’s why descriptions of nature scenes have always been difficult for me; I live in a bubble.
District 9 Posted by Chris M: Okay, maybe I’m jaded but I don’t get it. District 9 was a complete let down to me. I left the theater feeling like I’d seen that theme done a dozen times, usually more successfully . I don’t want to drop any spoilers, so I won’t go into detail, but for someone who is into sci-fi, District 9 presents well trod themes in a typical, unimaginative manner. The CGI was pretty interesting, but that’s about the only notable thing for me. I didn’t dislike the movie, but jeeze I’ve seen people raving about it like it’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I’d rather watch a rerun of Enemy Mine or Alien Nation.
Timothy Zahn – Our guest is SciFi author Timothy Zahn. He won the Hugo award in 1984 for his novella Cascade Point but is best known for the very popular Star Wars sequels known as the Thrawn Trilogy. They were authorised by Lucas and took place after Return of the Jedi. He has also written the Dragonback series and the Conquerors Trilogy, about a war between humans and aliens.
Listener Questions
What would the galaxy be like if Grand Admiral Thrawn had won? Would it be better or worse than how its turned out under the New Republic?
I’d like to know what he’s reading, and what he’s read this year. I know I bought the first Dresden Files book on Michael Stackpole’s recommendation after he read the galley.
ADDENDUMS
T-Shirts: We’re desciding the best way to distribute them on the Internets, but everybody who attened our panel at Dragon*Con got one.
Tagline: Different worlds, different discussion
Designer: Kathryn Parker
Next episode – Forever War recap and kickoff of the next book, which will be Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
We loved A Game of Thrones, but you'll have to listen to find out why. We also get into fantasy metal songs with a metal expert, and report some news on the Game of Thrones on HBO.
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ADDENDUMS
Game of Thrones Wikis
Unnoficial Songs of Ice and Fire A Wiki of Ice and Fire
But Tower of the Hand is much much better! Thanks Padwen!
Game of Thrones being shot for HBO Sean Bean cast as Lord Eddard.
A Game of Thrones card game.
BARE YOUR SWORD - feedback from the audience
What Was Robert's Rebellion Really About (Minor Spoilers, Major Speculation)
Check out these lizards they've discovered that swim through sand in the Sahara. They didn't mention it, but I'm guessing they smell like cinnamon. :)
Love the Show,
Dave in Portland
Abner Senires sings amazing parody songs... this one is about the Kwisatz Haderach.
ENGAGE - Interviews with interesting characters
Talking to Charles Davis, from Metal Gamer and the Chizzle and Dizzle show.
Holy Thunder Force: Charles dares you not to air guitar to this one.
Rain of a Thousand Flames: This the one that has a nude woman in it, but Charles assures us, it is definitely the most ridiculous one they have made.
Unholy WarCry: 10 minutes long and the one that has Christopher Lee dressed in a giant king costume.
Magic of the Wizard's Dream: Charles says it's not that interesting of a music video, but it's the one he mentioned that has Christopher Lee singing on it.
QUICK BURNS - unrelated news of the month
Download DroidMaker for free1969 Hugo Awards. Neil Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin and Michael Collins received a Hugo Award in 1969 for The Best Moon Landing Ever. Also Novella "Dragonrider" by Anne McCaffrey [Analog Dec 1967,Jan 1968]
Tagline Contest
Come up with a tagline for The Sword and Laser! The winner will have their words emblazoned on the back of our new t-shirts, which will be making their debut at Dragon*Con this September!" Email theswordandlaser@gmail.com by Wednesday July 29.
While we're kicking off reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, we're also proud to announce we're going to Dragon*Con in Atlanta to do a live episode of Sword and Laser! We're very excited about that, especially because Veronica has been reading a book about dragons and is hoping to meet one.
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WHY WE PICKED A GAME OF THRONESRick on May 22, 2009 at 9:22pm
I third "Game of Thrones". It is sitting on my shelf waiting for me to finish the China Mieville book I'm in the middle of. Also, for those upset with Mr. Martin's lack of new bookage, you should go read the comments by Niel Gaiman on his blog concerning exactly what George R. R. Martin is and is not to his readers.
C on May 23, 2009 at 9:39pm
Game of Thrones is fantastic, the only problem I can see with it is that anyone who reads it will be completely hooked for the rest of the series. As long as people don't mind that then it's great. I would also be interested in reading something else (as in something outside Song of Ice and Fire) by him though. Armageddon Rag is supposed to be really interesting and Fevre Dream is about vampires which is always fun. Both of those are standalone books (I think) so they might be better than starting a series?
terpkristin on May 26, 2009 at 4:10am
The reader for books 1-3 (Roy Dotrice) is great. I purchased the 4th book but haven't listened to it yet (read that one in hardcover on an import version), though John Lee is the narrarator, and some have said that they don't like him as much as they like Dotrice.
ABOUT A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel was nominated for the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award, and won the 1997 Locus Award. The novella Blood of the Dragon, comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella.
The novel lends its name to several spin-off items based on the novels, including a trading card game, board game and roleplaying game, and HBO has authorized the filming of a pilot episode based on the novels.[1]
WHAT WE'VE BEEN READING
Tom - Heretics of Dune
Veronica - Black Powder War, Book 3 in the Temeraire series (Book 1 is here)
ESSENTIAL NERD VIEWING
John Hodgman administers a nerd test to President Obama. Do you know the answers?
MOVIESMoon - A Film By Duncan Jones; Starring Sam Rockwell.
We're very pleased this week to have Rick Klau, product manager at Blogger, as a guest to talk about the book Daemon. Rick is friends with author Daniel Suarez and gives some insight into the books creation and the long road to publishing.
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We also give our impressions of the book. Which we probably didn't make clear enough, that we absolutely LOVED it. There are some good threads discussing Daemon in our Ning group. If you want to jump in try the "How would you have ended it differently?" thread or the thread discussing the encrypted text at the end of the book.
Congrats to Mark who may have accidentally won our copy of Dune. Although it looks like he actually meant to enter after I'm looking at the thread post-show.
Next book will be by George R. R. martin. But which one? You can weigh in on our pick the Martin book thread.
It was Dune time and we found out how much of nerd I (Tom) am for Frank Herbert's stuff and how hard it is to pronounce pretty much anything he wrote when you try to say it out loud.
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We also found out that there are Dune influences all over popular culture including Films, spinoffs, and metal. In fact there are all kinds of heavy metal scifi influences. Including, apparently this podcast. You must listen to the end to hear the rockingest book club rock anthem ever to rock. And we also form a new band based on Dune.
More info, including club members thoughts on Dune, in the podcast and after the jump.
Dune comments
Hard to get into - Terpkristin
Bizarre early attempt to make a film of Dune - Josh Lawrence
Great lines - Sean o'Hara
One thing I love about Dune is the great quotes it provides.- A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.- Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. (For some reason I imagine Gurney sounding like Groundskeeper Willy when he says this)- I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.What are the ones that stand out to you?
Comment by Sh1mm3r
Does anyone else find the sentence structure a little wacky? I find myself having to re-read some to understand what is being said. I'm in the first few pages though. I might just need to get into the rhythm.
Tom's currently reading the Butlerian Jihad by K. Anderson (one of the extended universe novels - a prequel actually)
Thread of the month
Books with both Sword and Lasers
Next Book: Daemon (buy here)
For some reason the last podcast entry didn't take in the iTunes feed, so I'm adding it again under a different file name:
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Thanks for your patience!
Really, most of the episode is about The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan:
UPDATE: Hopefully the file will work now in iTunes!
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We disucssed the paralells to other fantasy worlds like Lord of the Rings and even World of Warcraft. We also passed along Randy's post from the Ning site about the Robert Jordan convention which you can find out more about by visiting
www.AgeofLegends.net.
But then we got to talking about Watchmen near the end and one thing led to another. It all came back around to Robert Jordan though as we discussed Sean O'Hara's Ning thread called Sexbots and dragons.
Speaking of the Ning group, we called out a couple of user-created groups that aren't related to official book club selections. Take a gander at the Alternate History group if you like to pretend things are different than they way they really are. And a really cool group that crosses TV fandom with literature, The Lost literary references group.
Finally we settled on Frank Herbert's Dune as the next book. We'll kick it off in the April episode, so if you have any questions, or non-spoiler thoughts for newbies to the book, let us know here in the comments
This week we check in on the beginning of the Wheel of Time series. Veronica's ahead of me and says the thing really picks up right after the point I stopped. Which makes me think she's just trying to get me to start reading again. Which is fine. One of the problems is I'm reading Watchmen at the same time in advance of the movie. I'll share a few impressions about that with you as well. We also discuss the book Daemon as reviewed on Slashdot. Should it be our next book choice?
Finally we take some reader comments, including a Wheel of Time Drinking Game and someone calling the last book "pants." We're pretty sure that means he didn't like it. Welcome to the wonderful world of monthly Sword and Laser! Woo-hoo! Pant
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Special thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song, Mr. Fancy Pants! Go buy it here!
