S&L Podcast - #179 - Flintpunk and Geekomancy

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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. 

Direct download!

S&L Podcast - #176 - Martians and Panda Pants

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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. 

Direct download here!

Watch the hangout here on YouTube.

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 Video: Author Spotlight - Jim C. Hines

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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!

Download video here
Download audio here

S&L Podcast - #173 - JJ, Destroyer of Canons

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S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Elizabeth Bear

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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!

Download video here. 
Download audio here.

S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Kevin Hearne

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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

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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. 

Download direct link here!

 

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!

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW
Andy Weir
Daniel Suarez

Learn more about SF in SF.

S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Chuck Wendig

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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.

Download audio here.
Download video here. 

S&L Podcast - #169 - Sneaking Peeks and Swapping Sleeves

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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

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

X-Men - Days of Future Past

BOOK CHECK-IN

WRAP-UP Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan.

Finished - overall impressions?

When are you a new person?

APRIL PICKS

A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish

Brand by Bryan Benson

BARE YOUR SWORD

Which real-world companions would accompany you on a fantasy world quest?

SF and Fantasy Anthologies

EMAIL

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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!

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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

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S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Alastair Reynolds

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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. 

S&L Podcast - #167 - Spitcoin

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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

First impressions

Payment Methods

Punishment

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

What good would come aliens arriving from another planet?

Recommend a book you think most people haven't heard of