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.
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!
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
From a debate on whether we should read early chapters from George R.R. Martin's "Winds of Winter" to the usefulness of Asimov's three laws, to our wrap-up of Altered Carbon, this is an episode that should contain a lot of wisdom. Who knows? It might!
Download audio here!
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom and Veronica: Bulleit Bourbon
QUICK BURNS
Amazing Stories relaunches on April 1
Pre-order William Gibson's new far-future novel The Peripheral
A New Novella from Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles Series Arrives November 2014!
Excerpt from the Winds of Winter | George R.R. Martin
All Hell Breaks Loose In That New Winds of Winter Chapter
Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
BOOK CHECK-IN
WRAP-UP Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan.
Finished - overall impressions?
APRIL PICKS
A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish
BARE YOUR SWORD
Which real-world companions would accompany you on a fantasy world quest?
***
Hey Tom and Veronica!
Listener from Bosnia here. Since you're reading Altered Carbon I'd like to weigh in.
Kovacz which is a transliteration of Kovač. The last letter is read like a "ch" sound like in cheap, chore or champion.
The "a" is more like an "ah" sound rather than "ay". Like the second "a" in "large". And Kovač means "smith". So there you go! Takeshi Kovacz - Warrior Smith!
Not chiding you for the pronunciation btw; I just found that this was an appropriate excuse to contact you!
Love the show and I hope it keeps going strong for years to come.
All the best,
Stefan
P.S.:
I hope (rather arrogantly) that this email gets picked up for the podcast because I would absolutely love hear Veronica mispronounce my name, because I'd find it quite charming!
***
Hey sword and laser!
I need some help. I'm trying to find a book I read once upon a time. It has to do with the the earths rotation stopping, I think because of an asteroid strike, and is an adventure set in what remains of civilization. I want to say it's by Navarro... But can't find any hints of it anywhere. Does this ring a bell?
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Ryan
***
This week you’ll learn how Alastair Reynolds went from Cornwall to a doctorate in astronomy, to pushing ice across the vastness of space. How much do current scientific advances influence him? Does he feel a kinship with Mass Effect? What order should you read his darn books in? All these questions and more will be answered.
Download audio here.
Download video here.
We had a lovely time chatting with Brian McClellan, author of the Powder Mage trilogy. He answers a lot of questions about including history in novels, snorting gunpowder, smoking old-timey pipes while listening to flute music, and making cakes for Sam Sykes.
Have you been ignoring short stories? You’re missing out! And Rachel Swirsky is one of the best authors to prove it. Find out how this award-winning author and podcaster got into writing and poetry too!
Download video here.
We evaluate George R. R. Martin's plans to stay ahead of the HBO show, look forward to spaceships returning to SyFy, congratulate Arthur C. Clarke Award finalists and ponder the disgusting need for spit as a payment method in Richard K. Morgan's "Altered Carbon."
Direct download link here!
QUICK BURNS
FINALISTS: 2014 Arthur C. Clarke Award
People Who Use E-Readers Dive Far Deeper Into Books
Incredible Game of Thrones pop-up book folds out to 3D Westeros map
J.K. Rowling has released History of the Quidditch World Cup online
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
George R.R. Martin knows how to stop 'Game of Thrones' from catching up to his books
Frederik Pohl's dread-coated ateway to get a TV series adaptation
Syfy promises a return to space opera at last, with Ascension
Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson - who watched it?
BOOK CHECK-IN
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Our April book pick will be selected by Bryan Benson who backed our Kickstarter. Thanks Bryan. The book is "A Dance of Cloaks" by David Dalglish. -- Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. Aaron Felhorn has been groomed since birth to be Thren’s heir. Sent to kill the daughter of a priest, Aaron instead risks his own life to protect her from the wrath of his guild. Assassin or protector; every choice has its consequences.
Bryan also is an author so we're going to make HIS book our official alternate pick. So check out Brand by Bryan Alexander Benson as well! It's a fast-paced, Fantasy action novel with steam-punk tendencies. It is the first book in the Order of Luminan series. We'll have Bryan on for our wrap-up episode at the end of April.
BARE YOUR SWORD
Sorry for the late podcast, everyone! I took a nasty tumble this week and broke my foot and wrist, so everything kind of shut down for a bit! But we're back, and so is Adam Christopher! We talk about the recently released Hang Wire, and upcoming The Burning Dark!
Anne Leonard's first book JUST came out. Congrats Anne! Moth and Spark is about a Prince who has been chosen to free dragons from bondage to the Empire, but nobody’s exactly sure how he should do it, not even their riders. He meets a doctor’s daughter who discovers she’s a seer. She’s also a commoner, so he really shouldn’t fall for her How do you shine a spotlight on such a young career? It's all in the backstory! Just watch.
We kick off our March book pick, Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, ponder the brief career of Jonathan Ross as LonCon MC, and discover that at least Houghton Mifflin thinks SciFi is lit.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Yorkshire Gold Tea
Veronica: Napa Smith Brewery Wheat Beer
QUICK BURNS
Another Layer of J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst's Book Onion
Science fiction and fantasy are now officially part of American Literature
FINALISTS: 2013 Nebula Awards (With Free Fiction Links!) - SF Signal
FINALISTS: 2013 Aurealis Awards - SF Signal
CALENDAR
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Lara Takes On HBO and Game of Thrones in an Open Letter | Saurian Saint
The Wertzone: GAME OF THRONES Season 4 fan trailer
NBC's 'Heroes' is coming back | Inside TV | EW.com
BOOK KICK-OFF
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Altered Carbon Wikipedia article
Richard K. Morgan Wikipedia article
BARE YOUR SWORD
Did you get to read fantasy in school?
Written accents annoying or what?
Anthology cover reveal.
It's our author guide to Max Gladstone! If you want an author who knows how to work the financial crisis into epic fantasy and is handy with a sword, Max is your man. We also get the final word on a showdown between him and Scott Lynch. You won't believe who really runs the economy.
We chat with Bill Gourgey, who's Glide Trilogy does not settle for a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic world. What happens AFTER the post-apocalyptic dust settles!? We also find out how a tech analyst ends up writing genre novels and poetry. You won't believe his answer! Or maybe you will. You probably will. But you won't know what it is, unless you watch/listen to the show!
Get video versions here.
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