S&L Podcast - #185 - Traveling by Bubble!
/We chat with Steven Paul Leiva, author of Traveling in Space and his audiobook narrator Jeff Cannata, about aliens, the beauty of language and avoiding death.
S&L Podcast - #184 - Threeways to Save Humanity
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There’s so much you can do with us this week, including bringing Neil Gaiman to the stage, discovering 20th century high fantasy, and saving humanity. And how we can save humanity makes Tom blush. Plus, we wrap up this month's pick, Dawn by Octavia Butler!
Download direct link here!
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Original Sorghum Malt Beer - Bard's Tale Beer Company, LLC
Veronica: Racer5
A TV series based on The Elfstones Of Shannara has been greenlit.
Daniel Abraham has an update on The Expanse TV show, including first casting news and the creative team behind the television adaptation.
There is currently a kickstarter campaign for a theatrical adaptation of 5 of Neil Gaiman's short stories, a bunch of the backer rewards are various books and things signed by Neil Gaiman and he's in the video so check it out if you're a fan.
World Fantasy Award nominees were announced, as were two Lifetime Achievement Award winners.
PICKS
Killian: Finished The City and the City by China Miéville earlier today and was absolutely blown away by it. Here's my review: I think I'll read a Feist book next for some light, mindless fun.
Rabindranauth - Finished Royal Assassin earlier, dived headlong into Assassin's Quest immediately. I will forever kick myself for not reading these incredibly brutal books before now.
Here's my review.
COMING SOON
July 29
Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch is out in paperback
July 31
Equoid: A laundry Novella by Charles Stross
August 6
The Widow’s House (The Dagger and the Coin) by Daniel Abraham
Rise of the King: Companion Codex, II (Companions Codex) by R. A. Salvatore
The Magician's Land: A Novel by Lev Grossman"
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BARE YOUR SWORD
A Suggestion for New Topics on Club Picks
Are there any "high fantasy" books that take place in the 20th century?
Local Group Meetups
Amazon Unlimited
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
Wrap-up Dawn by Octavia Butler
What did you think? (full spoilers)
What Makes Us Human?
Ending issues (here be spoilers)
Next Month's Book: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is our August book
S&L Podcast - #183 - The Damon Inside Me
/We ponder on Matt Damon's role in The Martian, why we love to hate villains, and the role of philosophy and ideology in Octavia Butler's Dawn. Join us, before Veronica falls into the hellmouth.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Red Stripe
Veronica: 2011 Canoe Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon The Expedition
QUICK BURNS
And the Martian is...
The Wertzone: Update on Scott Lynch's THE THORN OF EMBERLAIN
WINNERS: 2014 Locus Awards - SF Signal
J.K. Rowling has released a new 'Harry Potter' story online
S&L and Open Road heading to Loncon 3!
PICKS
FEATURED REVIEW: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BARE YOUR SWORD
Tor founder Tom Doherty on publishing without DRM
Do we love to hate villains?
Duty to self-publishing authors?
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
S&L Podcast - #182 - Ken Liu Translates Success
/Ken Liu's short story "The Paper Menagerie" swept the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards. His short story, "Mono no aware" won the 2013 Hugo, and his novella "The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary" was also nominated for a Hugo. We caught up with him at this year's Nebula awards and asked him if he takes writing-enhancement supplements.
Download direct here!
S&L Podcast - #181 - The Promise of More Blood
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We break down our June book pick, Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, and find out why its actually four or five books and its gods are not what they seem. Also we set up our July pick from Octavia Butler and decide whether warp speed is actually coming or not.
Download direct here!
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Boddington's Pub Ale
Veronica: Earl Grey Tea
QUICK BURNS
3 more Expanse novels announced - Ben
IXS Enterprise (IXS-110) - Bookshelf
Every Game Of Thrones Scene Broken Down By Book, Chapter And Episode
WINNERS: 2014 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards
PICKS
Tom: Cibola Burn by James S A Corey, Traveling in Space by Steven Paul Leiva
Veronica: Shattered by Kevin Hearne, though I'm still a book behind!
Sandi - I finished listening Hollow World this morning. I really liked it. Kind of a modern H.G. Wells/Jonathan Swift vibe. I'm now starting On the Steel Breeze. I love the narrator, Adjoa Andoh. She played Martha's mother on Doctor Who and was one of the narrators of Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor.
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BARE YOUR SWORD
Monthly meetups!
Uncharted-esk Books by Josh
How do you find new books to read? by Alexander
Should We Read Comics/Graphic Novels As Group Reads by Killian
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
July Book is Dawn by Octavia Butler
Wrap up Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
"The revolution will not be...?" by Sean
Let's talk about the ending by Joanna
ADDENDUMS
Looking for something ELSE to read? Wish you could read 20 books in the space you usually read one? Can't decide between scifi and fantasy? WE HAVE SOLVED ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. The Sword and Laser Anthology combines 10 great scifi and 10 great fantasy stories from new authors found RIGHT HERE in our audience. And the stories are fantastic. Even Patrick Rothfuss thinks so. Head on down to your favorite online bookseller and search Sword and Laser Anthology or point your favorite Web browser to swordandlaser.com/store.
Listeners who complete the survey will be entered in an ongoing
monthly raffle to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card.
Survey!
Take the listeners survey at podsurvey.com/laser.
S&L Podcast - #180 - Emily Jiang: Cinderella, Secret Agent
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We talk to Emily Jiang at the Nebula Awards about her book Summoning the Phoenix, her foray into children's books and what she has planned for a full novel. Hint, it involves magic and spies.
Download direct here!
S&L Podcast - #179 - Flintpunk and Geekomancy
/Would you like to be in a George R. R. Martin Book? Got $20K? Don't mind being killed? Good. You can help wolves. Also we give our first impressions of Brian McClellan's The Promise of Blood and talk Geekomancy with Michael Underwood.
QUICK BURNS
Maddadam TV Series - Chris
2014 Audie Winners (Audible) - Daniel
WINNERS: 2014 Ditmar Awards
Author Jay Lake has passed away - Joe Informatico
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN WILL KILL YOU GAME OF THRONES-STYLE FOR $20,000
PICKS
Tom's Reading On The Steel Breeze by Alistair Reynolds
Veronica is reading Marie Brennan's The Tropic of Serpents (a Memoir by Lady Trent) and just finished Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig, and Lions of Al-Rassan by GGK.
What Else Are you Reading June
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BARE YOUR SWORD
Anyone else find reading about sex (in fiction) and/or reading profanity to be awkward? - Eric
Summer climate fiction – "cli fi" for short – genre reading list - Nokomis.FL
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
July book pick is up for a vote. We're reading Octavia E. Butler. Voting ends June 22.
The Promise of Blood
WARNING: Hachette and Amazon are having a fight which may affect shipping times for print copies. Might want to buy print copies elsewhere for the time being.
Everyone's favorite hobby: casting - John
People and Places for $200, Alex - Daniel (rhymes with Taniel)
First Impressions - Rabindranauth
ADDENDUMS
Buy the Sword and Laser Anthology!
Cross-promo Boing Boing podcast
S&L Podcast - #178 - David Weber Talks Honor at BayCon 2014
/David Weber joins Tom Merritt at BayCon to talk about the origins of his writing, the journey of Honor Harrington and how he relies on his fans.
S&L Podcast - #177 - A Chat with Grand Master Delany
/We intersect with Mr. Samuel R. Delany at the Nebula Awards to talk about his writings, old and new, and the role of science fiction, plus more stimulating conversation.
Download the podcast here!
Samuel R. Delany's Facebook page.
S&L Podcast - #176 - Martians and Panda Pants
/Veronica is back from China to regale us tales of motorboating pandas, but first we announce our June book pick and wrap-up The Martian by Andy Weir. Is it as scientifically accurate as so many say? We get an aerospace engineer's perspective.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Smithwick's
Veronica: Anchor California Lager
QUICK BURNS
So what do you think of this year's winners?
Nebula Winners
Former PC Gamer editor Gary Whitta is writing a Star Wars film
LOCKE LAMORA TV series in the works: update
FINALISTS: 2014 John W. Campbell Memorial Award
H.R. Giger passes away
PICKS
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
Dreams of Gods & Monsters
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BARE YOUR SWORD
Godzilla (2014)
Fan-Made Trailer For Jim Butcher's Next Dresden Files Book
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
June book: Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
WARNING: Hachette and Amazon are having a fight which may affect shipping times for print copies. Might want to buy print copies elsewhere for the time being.
Order Promise of Blood from Powell's
Order Promise of Blood from Amazon
Brian McClellan interview on Sword and Laser
Wrap-up the Martian
Peril overload.
think a movie adaption is possible?
-- Ridley Scott in talks to direct Matt Damon in The Martian
What does NASA think about The Martian?
S&L Podcast - #175 - Ann Leckie Wins it All
/We chat with Ann Leckie mere hours before she wins a Nebula award, about what it's like to get so many awards, and what's coming next for fans of her award-winning novel, Ancillary Justice.
Ancillary Sword arrives October 7.
S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Jim C. Hines
/Haven’t you wondered how orcs and goblins and other monsters see the world? Do they feel unfairly vilified? Jim C. Hines can help you walk a mile in their— scaly misshapen feet. Find out why the author of the Goblin Series finds book-cover poses personally painful and whether he’ll give you a fire spider!
S&L Podcast - #173 - JJ, Destroyer of Canons
/We're very excited to have Bryan Benson on the show today, who backed our Kickstarter for season 2 of video, and got to pick this month's book. He's a game designer, author and all around great guy. Plus, he helped us to realize that JJ Abrams has become the destroyer of canonicity in SciFi.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Water
Veronica: Bulleit Rye
QUICK BURNS
All existing EU novels will be rebranded as "Star Wars Legends" and considered non-canon.
Ernie Cline helping search for lost ET cartridges
Bookshelf posted A large collection of Spaceship concept art
WINNER: 2014 Philip K. Dick Award - SF Signal
PICKS
David writes: about Farina by George Meredith.
Veronica: Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3)
Tom: Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
May 20 : My Real Children by Jo Walton
Find more upcoming releases at swordandlaser.com/calendar
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish
BARE YOUR SWORD
How about a S&L award at the end of the year?
The Martian has been Sword and Lasered?
ADDENDUMS
The Sword and Laser Antholgy: You. Can. Buy it NOW!
THANKS BRYAN BENSON at twitter.com/asherrainguart
S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Elizabeth Bear
/What kind of mind can write about a faerie war in Shakespearian England and Lovecraftian Nightmares in depression-era Maine? The kind of mind that can also win a Campbell award for best new writer and then go on to notch a couple Hugos. That's the kind of mind that sits inside the cranium of Elizabeth Bear. We got a chance to talk to Ms. Bear and find out her mind on a few issues and ask her some of your questions too!
S&L Podcast - #172 - The Invention of BeerPunk
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Travel fantasy writer Anthony St. Clair (Home Sweet Road, Martini Destiny) is on the forefront of a new genre involving beer and travel, plus he reveals the secret for planning a book with one word.
S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Kevin Hearne
/Kevin Hearne was an English teacher who put up with rejection from twenty three agents and five publishers before he finally prevailed. Thank goodness he did! We would have never been able to meet Oberon! Oh, and Atticus too, of course. We ask Kevin many many things including if we can expect a TV or graphic novel adaptation, and why chicken apple sausages?
Download audio here.
Download video here.
S&L Podcast - #171 - The Martian Influx
/We're very excited that James S. A. Corey's 'The Expanse' is being made into a TV series! PLUS we sat down to chat with Andy Weir and Daniel Suarez. We learn you shouldn't go for a publisher, but go for an audience, and why you should NOT tell your friends your stories but make them read what you write instead.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING
Tom: Smithwick's
Veronica: Red wine. Possibly a Pinot Noir.
QUICK BURNS
Syfy Turns James S.A. Corey's Expanse Into "Game Of Thrones In Space"
Locus awards ballot is up
Anthology will launch to public May 1!
INTERVIEW
Andy Weir
Daniel Suarez
Learn more about SF in SF.
S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Brent Weeks
/How did Brent Weeks get from Montana to writing novels on napkins to becoming the bestselling author of the Lightbringer Series? We'll ask him about that, find out his favorite word and whether he still has those napkins.
S&L Podcast - #170 - The Lives of Wesley Chu
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Wes Chu has had many interesting (and varied) careers, but we're happy that he's focused on the fascinating tales of Tao. In this Google hangout, we talk about the upcoming finale to the series, where he's taking the story next, and answer your questions!
S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Chuck Wendig
/Chuck Wendig has a reputation for cursing. He also has a reputation for being a badass writer of amazing characters in inventive situations, across novels, comics and movies. He also invented cornpunk. Oh wait, he ALSO writes one of the best guides for writers ever made. But what is his favorite word? Well, now you'll just have to watch for that, and to see how many times our editor has to use the bleep button. Spoiler: he uses it more on the hosts than the guest.
