S&L Podcast - #465 - Skirting on the Edge of Danger

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Some of our favorite authors are giving away free short stories and winning Locus Awards. What the best book club pick we ever made was. Why books that make you uncomfortable are important to read. And our last thoughts on Fourth Wing.

Download directly here!


WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Levains Cookie

Veronica: Bask Rosé

QUICK BURNS

Chris K. 2023 Locus Award Winners were announced

Spells: First teaser for the Netflix version of Three-Body Problem, series starting January 2024.

Elizabeth: Amazon Original Stories is publishing six short stories by some big names including James S.A. Corey, Veronica Roth, Rebecca Roanhorse, Ann Leckie, Nnedi Okorafor, and John Scalzi. They will be available to Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscribers as part of their subscriptions, and available to purchase on Kindle and Audible for everyone else. Available June 27 2023.

Here's Scalzi's announcement for it.

Trike: A book collecting Iain M. Banks’ drawings for The Culture series will be published November 7th. I had no idea this was a thing he did. I love these behind-the-scenes worldbuilding books"

Jan: From LocusMag:

The 2022 Kitschies winners have been announced, the prize for “the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic""

The Red Tentacle for the Best Novel went to "The Last Blade Priest" by W.P. Wiles and The Golden Tentacle for Best Debut Novel went to ""Our Wives Under the Sea"" by Julia Armfield."

terpkristin and Zomino : Felicia Day apparently has a new Audible Original coming out that is apparently like a comedic ode to fantasy. It’ll be narrated by Neil Gaiman. Guess I’ll be checking that out

Mer: The US Library of Congress announced the speakers at this year's National Book Festival in the District of Columbia. This year there's John Scalzi and the Umbrella Academy's Elliot Page with his memoir. All talks will be recorded and posted to the Library's digital collection for on-demand access

Tamahome: An article about Samuel Delaney in the New Yorker let slip this little tidbit " while Neil Gaiman, who is adapting Delany’s classic space adventure “Nova” (1968) as a series for Amazon"

BARE YOUR SWORD

"ohn (Taloni) So much Good News! We need a new name for good-news Tom.

Should it be:

* Gospel Tom (spreader of the Good News)

* Good Omens Tom: The Nice and Accurate Podcasteries of Thomas Merritt, Host.

Or....? Suggest below.

John (Nevets)

It's got Merritt!

And yes Tom would hate saying it, and Veronica would laugh/ groan a lot."

Best and worst club pick

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Planetfall by Emma Newman

Amazon link

FINAL WRAP UP

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Amazon link

Representation & Disability

Fist-icuffs!

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

feedback@swordandlaser.com

swordandlaser.com

We are on Instagram and Twitter! @swordandlaser

goodreads.com

S&L Podcast - #464 - Awesome Bundle

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So much good news! Telltale Games is making a game based on The Expanse! Season 2 trailer for Good Omens!Humble Bundle has Mercedes Lackey books. And we think it should stop being humble and admit it's awesome! Plus we check in on Fourth Wing. Turns out more people like it than you think.

Download directly here.

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Yakisoba

Veronica: Watermelon Cocktail

QUICK BURNS

Jan: Telltale Games is releasing an adventure game based on The Expanse by James SA Corey. The first episode will drop July 27th with further episodes being released every two weeks.

Spells: Good Omens S2 Trailer is out and it's adorable

RobertS: The Olympian Affair, the long-awaited follow-up to Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass, releases November 7, 2023.

Mark: Jim Butcher has partnered with artist Tyler Walpole for limited-edition prints of each Dresden book, starting with Storm Front. Prints will be signed by both Jim and Tyler.

Kristy: This is specific to Australia, Aurealis Awards 2022 winners announced

Gristle McNerd: Humble Book Bundle: Mercedes Lackey: Valdemar and Beyond by DAW

Mark: The first Adrian Tchaikovsky story I read was "Precious Little Things" published at Tor.com. The short story was accompanied by artwork of a puppet commissioned by the publisher. Now the artist is putting the puppet up for sale.

Here's a link to the short story which is a prequel to a novella "Made Things" also published by Tor.com Both are good reads!

BARE YOUR SWORD

TRP:

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels there is a wizard called Ponder Stibbons who designs an Ant computer called Hex.

Hex was shown in the TV adaptation of the Hogfather (2006) and it sported the label ""Anthill Inside

Ruth:

On a non-fisting note, I would like to say that I have met Adrian Tchaikovsky at a few conventions and, while he looks kind of intimidating (especially when he’s wielding a sword) he’s actually a lovely guy. "

This article, by Adrian himself, has a picture of Adrian Tchaikovsky smiling. For Veronica whose observation about him always looking serious, made me laugh :-)

Thanks to Kevin S who bought a t-shirt from the store!

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Amazon link

What are we nomming for Fourth Wing?

FW: New/Young Adult Female-led Fantasy Bingo Card

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #463 - OK Ant Computer

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Are lengthy books inherently inferior? Tom and Veronica ignite a clash of generations! Furthermore, we delve into the captivating world of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and conclude the enthralling journey of Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Tacos

Veronica: This Instagram pasta

QUICK BURNS

Chris K: Andy Serkis is narrating an unabridged edition of The Silmarillion. Due out in June.

RobertS: New Kingkiller novella focusing on Bast coming out in November 2023!

Roberator: Wheel of Time - Season 2 starts 9/1

"Stepehen:

SPFBO 9 update. Submissions have ended, it took all of 40 minutes to reach the 300 books cutoff. 121 books were submitted in the first 3 minutes. You can read about it here with a really cool graph to illustrate the growing popularity of the contest among Self Publishing authors."

Joe Sherry: Finalists for the Ignyte Award were announced today - a bunch of fabulous works on the ballot and congrats to everyone (and Nerds of a Feather is a finalist for the Critics Award, which is super exciting for me!)

Trike: The Ant-Man autobiography (as seen in various Marvel movies and TV series) is now a real book. 😆

Paul Rudd book advert: “How’s that for meta?”

"Mark: Joe Abercrombie says "Now no one get too excited because take it from a man hurt often in the past, there is always plenty of shit that can go wrong..."

Rebecca Ferguson In Talks For Skydance Revenge Pic ‘Best Served Cold’; ‘Deadpool’s Tim Miller Directing"

"Mark: Greg Van Eekhout teased a new story this summer in the California Bones universe, titled "The Wolf & The Manticore.”

This might be a longer version of "The Wolf and the Manticore", a short story by Van Eekhout, which was published in The Book of Magic, edited by Gardner Dozois

"Agnes works at the La Brea Tar Pits helping the Kingdom of Southern California make magical munitions, but she’s secretly spying for the Northern Californians. Unfortunately, someone has figured this out."

ttlinse

Ann Leckie and Adrian Tchaikovsky on how SF writers build alien minds June 21"

BARE YOUR SWORD

"Paul was among many people disappointed with us: "A S&L pick got social-media famous! This is How You Lose the Time War becoming a Best-selling book because some Twitter account that combines a Trigun character with a Monty Python reference told people to. So wild! Eat your heart out, Colleen Hoover 😆.

I checked and there's a big hold list on it at my library now. About time a quality SF book gets a chance to shine!

I read the interview with Amal El-Mohtar linked in the Quick Burns and found it so fascinating!"

The Long & Short Of It (Long books v. Short ones)

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Book Kick Off

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Amazon link

WRAP UP

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky https://bookshop.org/a/56085/9780316452502

Amazon

CoT: References To Other Works

CoT: The Ending (Spoilers!)

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #462 - $5 FOR SCI-ANTS!

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Foundation is coming back to Apple TV, why Silo is great, you should not eat a bear, and what makes a great alien.


WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Pot Stickers and noodles

Veronica: Impossible burger from The Outpost

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Trike: Foundation season 2, July 14, Apple TV.

Jan: The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour has announced its shortlist

Jan: For Asian American and Pacific Islander Month Goodreads is presenting their list of new books by AAPI authors, including a plethora of books of genre interest

Ruth: This year, the Dracula Daily emails are running again, and you can also enjoy the spine-tingling tale in audio form via the podcast Re: Dracula

MelissaMelody — Has anyone else heard about Book Riot's new release tracker?

Silvana - Lockwood and Co is canceled after one season *crying*

BARE YOUR SWORD

Jan: Tom and Veronica are of course right that it's difficult to bring a story where different people continue a story post by post to any kind of ending. It's basically the ultimate form of ""Pantsing" as you really can't plan or plot anything. Therefore I thought a cozy science fiction story could be fun as it's probably more about characters and the world than the plot! And for the people writing the excitement where others take the things you wrote.

And of course, I would love to hear a rendition of the story by Tom and Veronica (although I must admit I cringed a little when hearing my own writing *g*).

So everyone is invited to participate even if it's just a sentence!

—-

terpkristin:

I loved listening to this episode while I was at the gym. I loved the continued spotted dick conversation. When V said she was a pescatarian, I was reminded (mentally) that for purposes of Lent, capybaras (and apparently beaver and muskrat) are considered aquatic and thus ok for Catholics to eat during Lent. (my brain works in weird ways)”

—-

Trike: Just listened to the show, another great one for the books.

If you’re not going to eat calamari due to their intelligence, I have bad (or good) news about spiders:

Do spiders dream? A new study suggests they do

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Amazon Link

Other Minds

What are the best depictions of Alien cultures in SF?

Pulled me out of a reading slump

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #461 - CheckItOut!

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Taika Waititi is adapting a fantasy novel and also looked quite fine at the Met. Plus, self-publishing award winners, Locus nominees, and we have a progressive story in the works!

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Tacos

Veronica: Yummy veggie burger and poutine!

QUICK BURNS

Milgrim: Taika Waititi In Talks To Direct Adaptation Of ‘Klara And The Sun’ For 3000 Pictures;

Tamahome: The SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) awards have announced the seven finalists

Stephen: The winner of SPFBO 8 is Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater. SPFBO

Chris K - The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top ten finalists in each category of the 2023 Locus Awards.

John: The release date for season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix has been announced - Thu 29 June 2023. I am very excited"

Jan: The 43rd annual Los Angeles Time Book Prizes were awarded on April 21st

BARE YOUR SWORD

Tassie Dave: I wouldn't describe "Spotted Dick" as pastry. It's a steamed pudding.

“Pudding” as in the British meaning. Not the gloop called pudding that Americans eat 😉

"Spotted Dick" is more cake-ish than pastry-ish.

I'd back Veronica to crush her 'Hot Ones Challenge' after seeing her do this 11 years ago on Scam School "

Does anyone recommend any SFF parody novels?

Collaborative Storytime: Cozy Science Fictions

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky https://bookshop.org/a/56085/9780316452502

What should the soundtrack be?

What are we nomming?

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #460 - Thimble's Kitchen

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We wrap up Legends and Lattes and have a great idea for a sequel involving Thimble doing a cooking show. Plus, we're getting a Twilight TV series? We’ll make our best guesses about that too. Finally, Veronica's thoughts on spotted dick.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Eggplant Caponata

Veronica: Incredible vegan Thai food


QUICK BURNS

Paul: The Philip K Dick award for distinguished SFF books that were originally published as a paperback awarded to The Extractionist by Kimberly Unger with special distinction given to Tade Thompson for The Legacy of Molly Southbourne

Jan: From LocusMag: The winners for the 2022 British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Awards have been announced. The winner for best novel is City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Mark: Subterranean Press will publish a signed limited edition of recent S&L pick Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

The book will feature a full-color dust jacket and chapter head illustration by John Jude Palencar. Bone-dog is on the cover! No sign of the demon chicken. Perhaps on an interior illustration."

Jan: Amazon Prime Video will premier in May a 6 episodes TV series based on the German Fantasy book series "The Gryphon"

Jan: Lionsgate TV is apparently in early development stages of a series adaptation of ‘Twilight’ by Stephanie Meyer.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Tamahome: I make a green juice based on Rhonda Patrick's super nutrient smoothie, using a nut milk bag. My mom won't drink it because of the green color, even though she likes the taste. It has kale, swiss chard (with stems), spinach, carrots, tomato, apple, and blueberries. Maybe with flax milk and avocado on the side.

—-

Jan: I laughed out loud when Tom and Veronica questioned what made those cookies "orcish" - because I wondered the same thing! ChatGPT's answer was a bit "meh" though:

Q: What makes those cookies orcish?

Ah, good question! The name "Orcish Oatmeal Cookies" is inspired by the cozy fantasy novel "Legends & Lattes" which features an orcish woman* opening a coffee shop. While the recipe itself is not necessarily traditional orcish cuisine, it's given that name to give a nod to the orcish character and to fit the theme of the book. Additionally, the use of oats in the recipe is a nod to the hearty and practical nature often associated with orcish culture in fantasy settings"

But maybe the Shields listening can come up with a way to make them Orcish!

* It knows that because I mentioned it in the prompt

—-

"Hi,

Wrathmark Creative is doing a Kickstarter campaign for Legends & Lattes-themed pins

Have til April 27th. Looks like there's some fun stuff if you're into pins.

In 2020 I discovered Cozie Mysteries, with all the craziness in the world they are nice to balance things out.

I've been enjoying Legends and Lattes but without even a murder tie things together like Veronica said I'm finding it hard to read at night.

I've switched to listing to it on my drive to and from work. I do enjoy all the cafe culture nods, it's nice to visit. I stopped going to the cafe when ice lattes hit close $5.00 USD.

It's nice to have a mellow book every now and then.

Best,

David

P.S. Below is a nacho recipe with hidden veggies

1lbs ground turkey (optional)

1 can of black olives

1 can diced green chiles, drained

1 can Rotel with Lime

Half an Onion chopped

2 cups chopped mushrooms

1 bell pepper chopped

1 bag or a bushel of spinach

1 bag tortilla chips

1 bag shredded colby jack or Mexican Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Brown turkey in the pan, remove the cook onions, mushrooms, bell pepper in the pan til soft then add brown turkey, add a can of green chilies and Rotel.

Let simmer for 5 minutes.

In a 9x13 pan, spray with non-stick spray, put a layer on tortilla chips down, spoon over part of the turkey mixture from the pan, and add some black olives, cheese, and lay of spinach.

Then add another layer of chips and repeat.

Cover with aluminum foil, cook in the oven for 30 minutes, remove foil, and added more cheese on top, put back in the oven uncovered for 5 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes, and serve with sour cream or salsa optional."

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Next book alert (kick off next episode)

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Amazon link

WRAP UP

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Amazon Link

Lots of lattes but a bit light on the legends?

Wishes for a Sequel? (Spoilers, Obviously)

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #459 - Leave the Broadsword, Take the Biscotti

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We hear a better version of the Pokemon cookbook than the real one, Veronica gets the tipoff for hot sauce, and our first cozy feelings about Legends and Lattes.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Broccoli Alfredo Pasta

Veronica: Vegetarian Chinese food!

QUICK BURNS

Roberator: Esquire did a profile on Brandon Sanderson

Jan: The Audio Publishers Association has announced the 2023 Audie Awards winners.

Jan: From Paramount Pictures is adapting ""One Italian Summer"" as a movie.

Jan: According to Variety Warner Bros. is near to closing a deal to adapt the Harry Potter novels as an HBO Max Series

Elizabeth: Book Depository is closing

BARE YOUR SWORD

terpkristin: I haven't seen a thread started yet and I wanted to comment on the Pokemon cookbook, so figured I'd start it.

I haven't seen the actual cookbook, but many of the recent Pokemon games have gotten away from ""just"" having berries for Pokemon. In Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, you go into cafes for malasadas, which I think are kind of like doughnuts. In Sword/Shield, you make curries for your Pokemon. And in Scarlet/Violet, you make sandwiches. All of these things are things that make your Pokemon love you more and such.

So if the cookbook has recipes for things like that, count me in!

I enjoyed the show, as usual. Thanks for keeping it up for so long.

—-

Dear Veronica and Tom,

If you both like hot/spicey things, I found Sting and Linger (https://www.stingnlinger.com) at a local street fair. The ghost pepper is hot but there is still enough flavor that it's not all pain.

Best, David

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Amazon Link

L&L: What are we nomming?

L&L: Glamorizing the service industry

L&L : A time for cosy?

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #458 - Pikastew is Off the Menu

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We talk about the biggest new fantasy and sci-fi books for spring, as well as the finalists for the Annual Lambda Awards and Imadjinn Awards. We also break down the first round of the Internet Archive's fight to scan and lend e-books like a library. Listeners share feedback and learn new words, and we kick off our read of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree as the book of the month. Finally, we wrap up with thoughts on Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings!

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Udon

Veronica: Rainmaker 2018 Malbec Syrah

QUICK BURNS

Jan: Goodreads has posted their Biggest New Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books for Spring

Jan: The Annual Lambda Awards Finalists have been announced:

The Lambda Literary Foundation has announced finalists for the 35th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (the “Lammys”)

Trike: Octavia’s Bookshelf, Pasadena’s first and only Black-owned bookstore

Trike: John Scalzi has revealed the cover art for a new SciFi book called Starter Villain.

Jan: The Pulp Magazine Archive at archive.org Lets You Read Thousands of Digitized Issues of Classic Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Detective Stories

Mark: First round to the Big Four publishers. The Internet Archive has lost its first fight to scan and lend e-books like a library

BARE YOUR SWORD

Learned a new word: Protopia

Noms! - S&L food & drink

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Next month

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Amazon Link

Jan: And if you are interested in more books like March Madness Winner Legends & Lattes, Bookriot has you covered with their article 10 Cozy Fantasy Books like Legends & Lattes

FINAL THOUGHTS

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

Amazon Link

Over, Out and Done

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #457 - Timecozy

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The March Madness semifinals are here! And the race is TIGHT. Our first (non-spoiler) thoughts about Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings. Nomination lists are out for Nebulas and Bradbury's, and nomming has begun for the Hugos (hint hint). Plus why everybody ate lasagna after our last episode!

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: BBQ Bacon and Cheese chicken sandwich

Veronica: Black bean tofu and brassicas

QUICK BURNS

The March tournament has reached the semifinals! In the Sword finale, The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty is facing off against Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. And the Laser final is Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky against The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. The winners of each of these votes will face off in the finale to become the April book pick.

Seth and Kenley: The shortlists for the LA Times book prizes are announced here

In the next few years you may be watching new Lord of the Rings movies from New Line Cinema.

John (Taloni) A newly rediscovered trove of Terry Pratchett stories is on its way to publication. News comes courtesy of Gail Carriger's twitter feed.

Mark: Orbit Books announces more Fonda Lee! Orbit will publish a new science fiction duology from the World Fantasy Award-winning author of Jade City!

Ruth: Season 2 of Shadow and Bone, based on the Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo, will drop on Netflix on March 16th. You can watch the trailer on YouTube

Trike: Gene Wolfe... has two collections coming out this year.

The Wolfe at the Door - Tor

The Dead Man and Other Horror Stories - Subterranean Press

Mark and Trike - from Travis Baldree-- US Book Cover Reveal!

Trike and Scott - Book Invasion: A poster and trailer came out for Silo, based on the Hugh Howey novel: Wool Omnibus. Apple TV, May 5th.

Jan: The shortlist for the 2022 British Science Fiction Association Awards has been announced.

Jan: The 2022 Nebula Awards nominees have been announced!

RobertS: 2023 Hugo Awards nominations are open through April 30. Eligible members of the 2022 (Chicago) and 2023 (Chengdu) Worldcons can make nominations. I added this illustrious podcast to the Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom

BARE YOUR SWORD

Ruth said ""I’m a slush reader for the (BFS-award-winning) Apex Magazine and we have had a lot of conversation in our discord about how to handle AI submissions....A potential flood of submissions would definitely be an issue for us just in terms of dealing with the sheer volume, even if each individual story was obviously bad it takes time to open the file, take a look, and hit the “reject” button. So if that happens we might need to resort to closing for submissions as Clarkesworld has done, and then opening again for more restricted periods rather than staying open nearly all year as we currently do. .... You don’t write short fiction for the money, you write it because you have something important to say and the skill to say it in a way that is beautiful, compelling and memorable to read. These AI programs have nothing to say and no skill to say it, they can only regurgitate words from other sources. Even if they improve to the point of making a passable imitation of a skilled human writer, they’re never going to come up with anything truly original, surprising and unique - which is, after all, the point of science fiction. Yes, the robot genre is also, ultimately, the human genre.

Calvey: I couldn't join you guys on Discord, this week and I listened last night.

I'm making lasagna for dinner today...THANK YOU, because 'what's for dinner' is the hardest thing ever. Yes I have even asked ChatGPT who I call Hux.

AND from TT - I forgot that you both said you were eating lasagna but my subconscious must have been listening because night before last I had the urge to make homemade lasagna and it was vry vry good!!"

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

Amazon Link

UFS: What are we nomming?

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #456 - The Clarkesworld Flood

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Our “March that is Mad” tournament is live! 15 books enter, one gets to be the April pick, and everyone wins! Plus, please stop flooding Clarkesworld with AI-written manuscripts. Use ChatGPT for good! Also, we kick off our March read and wrap up our thoughts on Nettle & Bone.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING? <-- name suggested by Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth

Tom: Eggplant Lasagna

Veronica: Spinach Lasagna

QUICK BURNS

Our March that is mad tournament is live! You can find it at Swordandlaser.com or in Goodreads.com. Huge thanks to everybody who nominated titles and best fo luck to all the books in the tourney. Special thanks to Rob for coralling the nominations process! Let's look over the matchups!

Jan: There is a new trailer for the adaptation of Frank Schätzing's Science Fiction novel "The Swarm". It's the most expensive German TV show ever made (which is why it's shot in English) and premiering in several countries in February/March.

The Swarm is about strange occurrences surrounding the world's oceans and its wildlife that could threaten the survival of humanity.

Jan: My part of the internet has recently been set "ablaze" by the news that Lego is releasing in March a 6,000+ piece Lord of the Rings ""Rivendell"" set.

It looks so good!

It has 15 mini figures!

And it's 500 $....

*sigh*

Ruth added: I was eyeing up this set on the Lego website yesterday evening! Our house is rapidly running out of space for Lego sets already… but it does look awesome."

Brian: Paper "examines Frank Herbert's science fiction classic Dune from the perspectives of economic history and institutional economics".

Veronica: I saw this on either Tiktok or Twitter via Charlie Jane Anders, but it's about how people are apparently "flooding" Clarkesworld with short story submissions written by ChatGPT!

BARE YOUR SWORD

Your favourite literary spaceships

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings

Amazon Link

WRAP UP

Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher

Amazon Link

Ruth: Re what Tom says about how eagerly he was listening to the audiobook of Nettle & Bone, I actually found myself doing the opposite of a binge read/listen: I was enjoying it so much that I wanted to take it slowly and savour the experience, so I restricted myself to listening to one chapter a day

Four Doorways

Spot the fairytale subversion

SeréTW: I have been waiting to hear people's opinions about Marra's mother. I agree that she is playing a high level of chess. I don't think that it is dispassionately. In order for her to be effective, she can't afford to appear to be passionate. There is definitely a deeper story there. She has some terrible options to consider. I'm sure she knows the extent of the princes abuses, but the consequences of her responses would impact her immediate family and the entire kingdom. So she appears to be making some painful sacrifices. It's necessary for her to be strategic. She's definitely playing a much longer game. Perhaps her response is learned, experientially, the way Kania's is. She is passing that shrewdness onto Kania.

I think moving Marra to the convent was intentionally to provide Marra with a a different atmosphere to evolve/mature in, to provide temporary protection from the prince and to provide a potential means of escape; though it possibly played out in a way that she didn't expect. "

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone Dog

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Three Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom).

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE INGESTING?

Tom: Bacon egg and cheddar wrap

Veronica: Toffee almond cookie from Purebread

QUICK BURNS

THANK YOU ROB! Once again we are going to vote in March, tournament style, to narrow down 16 books to the one pick we will crown as our April read. Some say this is madness. We can only say it is in March. But to get those 16 books we need nominations! So head on over to the Sword and Laser Goodreads page (link in the show notes) and make your nominations. Rob has all the details there.

-- March madness nomination thread

Louise and bdub - Boom! Studios just launched (and funded) a kickstarter for a new The Expanse graphic novel. Well technically three graphic novels.

Seth: Today is library award day, and I always check what the American Library Association's RUSA subdivision recommends as their genre books of the last year.

Mark: Also awarded at ALA, the Alex Awards, which recognize the ten best adult books that appeal to teen readers, including a few SF&F titles (linked).

anneschuessler and Chris K.: The Locus Recommended Reading List is out:

We've covered Nettle & Bone and How High We Go in the Dark already.

kenley - Three Body Problem is now out with 30-episodes on Rakuten Viki. Free 7-day trial then $5.99/mo USD if want to continue. Can one watch 30–episodes in 7-days?!?

Then you can compare it to the Netflix version coming later this year. 😎

BARE YOUR SWORD

Drake Tungsten

Good news for fans of the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. Book 4, The Martian Contingency, now has an expected publication date of January 1, 2024.

The date seems to be specific to the Kindle edition.

Nerdy Pet Names

What Choose Your Own Adventure Type Books Can You recommend?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher

Amazon Link

Tom: "This book begins with a person building a dog out of the dead bones of dogs Veronica. Hahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahaha sigh. At least it’s making me laugh now. … "

N&B - GrimCosy?

"That’s the key to GrimCosy: it’s a world where bad stuff happens, but there are good people trying their best." Ruth

N&B : Bonedog is welcome at my dog park

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #454 - Baltimore, City of Baltars

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We may be getting some Zelazny TV, Murderbot is coming back, some ideas of non-fiction book picks we could try, and we kick off our February book pick, Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE EATING?

Tom: Vegetable Tempura

Veronica: Veggie Burger

QUICK BURNS

Jan: The Philip K. Dick Award nominees have been announced: The winner will be announced April 7, 2023 at Norwescon 45

Debra: Daniel O’Malley has just published his third book in the Checquy series, titled “Blitz” (following The Rook and Stiletto).

Jan: Known genre fan Stephen Colbert is joining The Walking Dead author Robert Kirkman in producing an adaptation Of Roger Zelanzny’s ‘The Chronicles Of Amber’ series.

Jan: Bookriot has released their list of top 20 must read cozy fantasy novels

Silvana: Chengdu World Con announced new dates: 18-22 October 2023.

ChrisK: Otherwise winners announced

Mark: It turns out that the forthcoming Murderbot tale is a full-length novel (with cover reveal)!

System Collapse by Martha Wells is coming November 24, 2023 from Tordotcom Publishing

Mark: John Scalzi is the 2023 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Jan: I think S&L is established enough to once a year or so go off the established format and do something aside from science fiction or fantasy novels, be it a biography or a movie or a novelization or whatever.

BTW: Does anyone here have any more suggestions for modern choose your adventure style stories. The last ones I read were the old Lone Wolf books!"

Ruth: A suggestion for a choose your own adventure story that’s a full-length grown-up novel: Life's Lottery by Kim Newman.

Paul:

I think a good option for departing from the standard format could be Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction. It's a nonfiction book that doubles as a history of Science fiction, and mini-bios of its prominent characters.I heard an interview with the author from Our Opinions Are Correct, and it apparently does not hold back on critiquing and highlighting the problematic aspects of these men, so it could be a fun read. I know Tom was favouring the fiction ideas, but he also seems to like the history of the genre and its characters, so maybe this would be a good way to get to know the old authors without having to read old and potentially problematic books."

Tassie Dave: As for going off books for a Sword and Laser pick. We could do it as an ""extra credit"" suggestion on a semi-regular basis. Not an official pick, but more like the alternates as semi-official, but with it's own section on this forum to discuss.Maybe a movie, TV show pilot, Graphic Novel. Video game etc. Not everyone is going to join in, but it could make for fun discussions. "The Last of Us" TV show that started this week could be a worthy suggestion."

Seth: I was really turned off when I first heard of AI audiobook narrators, but this discussion got me thinking a bit more broadly - so thanks for that. Here in Iowa (and probably most states) there's a library for the blind that enlists volunteer readers to record things that would never otherwise be available in audio format - stuff like school texts or academic papers. An AI that could read that sort of thing could be an outstanding breakthrough for access to non-sighted folks.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Kick Off

Nettle & Bone T. Kingfisher

Amazon Link

WRAP UP

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr.

Amazon link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #453 - And That's How the News Goes

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We check in on how everyone is feeling about Brightness Falls From the Air. We also feel mildly optimistic about Apple's digital narrators, and we discuss the best way to introduce someone to a series.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE EATING?

Tom: Thai-inspired shrimp curry

Veronica: Broccoli Rigatoni

QUICK BURNS

John - Apple Books quietly launches AI-narrated audiobooks

Mark: Some guy named Tom is celebrating 10 years podcasting the Daily Tech News Show

BARE YOUR SWORD

Oaken: Tom mentioned that Moorcock may have taken a cue from Tolkien or CS Lewis. From what I've read of him in interviews, it would only be as an anti-cue. Moorcock felt that Tolkien was too influential and that too much of fantasy up until that point was Tolkien-derivative. Elric was a deliberate attempt to subvert the tropes that had, until then, dominated the genre. That included Tolkien as well as Conan, et al. (He was vocal about his feelings about SF&F having become stale to the point that the old-guard felt he was deliberately trying to sideline them and they weren't happy about it.)

Iain: For me the big problem with the book is that it isn’t about Elric. Since it’s an origin story, we are watching Elric turn into will grow into himself. This is the problem with origin stories. You are actually reading about the main character.The earlier short stories and probably the subsequent stories deal with every in his prime. I mean it isn’t an alright story, unless he accidentally kills a friend/lover with Stormbringer and absorbs their soul.

Jan: The talk about the Tiptree bio was so interesting, I would love to read sometimes a bio of an interesting author for Sword & Laser!!!

And I am wondering: What other more "unusual" stuff would you love to have as a monthly read on S&L sometime, fellow Shields (or whatever we have agreed on as a term for us)?

Some ideas I would find really interesting:

- A good tie-in novel to a game, a movie or TV (like Star Trek) - or even a novelization of a science fiction or fantasy movie (like Star Wars)

- a Choose Your Own Adventure Style Book

- The Ilias or something mythology-related or very old

Any ideas?"

Hello!

I was delighted and probably a bit too excited to find that you have had discussions about Novelist over the past couple of weeks! Like Katie (Katy?), I am a librarian and I also use NoveList all the time because it is such a solid way to suggest books without having to have read them. When I can, I turn the my searching into a mini instruction session so that the patron will get an idea of how to use the database on their own.

Which reminds me, yes! NoveList is a database! What makes it special is that it is curated by librarians who are experts in readers advisory and identifying appeal factors and other story elements of books, instead of an algorithm that isn’t able to reason about those more subjective elements. For instance: I mostly read SFF (shocker), but I have found and loved books outside of those genres by searching with appeal terms.

Also, if you want to do a deep dive into NoveList’s story elements, check out this publication

It was written as a tool for librarians, but I’m pretty sure that book nerds like S&L listeners will find it useful and interesting.

Thank you again for talking about an amazing tool that so many people don’t realize is already on their belt.

~Chaos Librarian"

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Check In

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr.

Amazon link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #452 - Having Feelpinions

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A very tense episode as Veronica and Tom violently agree about Elric of Melniboné. Plus, the most anticipated books of 2023, and how to take advantage of Novelist at your local library.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: St. Francis Port (2019)Veronica: Fuggles: Javaverse Vanilla Cream Cold Brew Coffee Stout

QUICK BURNS - add time stamp!

Streamathon

Ruth: Henry Cavill is no longer Superman, but is developing a Warhammer 40k cinematic universe instead.

Jan: Goodreads has released the Goodreads readers' most anticipated books of 2023!

Mark: Michael Moorcock interview on Elric past and present

Pilchie: 2022 State of the Sanderson is out:https://www.brandonsanderson.com/state-of-the-sanderson-2022/

BARE YOUR SWORD Katie: I'm a Librarian and I use Novelist to assist me in my job all the time.

AND: Seth - Here's Novelist's list of appeals that they use to categorize books.

AND: John (Nevets) They actually have a fair amount of documentation about what they are doing. Here is a good example, and the page seems to be completely public.

Kassan Warrad
@KassanWarrad
I just heard the sad news that @AmazonStudios is producing the #GodofWar TV series. I'm left with dread and genuine confusion. Why couldn't Sony just produce it themselves? They are a studio and have the writing team that wove the GoW epic story.

Kassan Warrad
@KassanWarrad
I'm heated about Henry Cavill. The guy is a genuine fan of the IP he involves himself in, yet these writers insist on excising the passion he brings to these IPs. The worst is the #Witcher debacle. The writers are reported to ridicule the source material

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Kick Off

Brightness Falls from the Air by James Tiptree Jr. Amazon link

Final Thoughts

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Joseph: FWIW, one reason Elric might seem pulpy is because it's 50 years old [collapses into pile of dust], so closer in time to the pulp era than to today. And Moorcock spent pretty much all of the 1960s and into the 1970s writing lots of fiction at a very fast rate, which lends itself to that flavor.bleep at 34 min abouts

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks/

S&L Podcast - #451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too Anti

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We properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to feedback@swordandlaser.com. Plus our mid-read takes on Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Also, we break the news about Henry Cavill to Veronica live on the show.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: St. Francis Port (2018)
Veronica: Ardbeg

QUICK BURNS

Jan: ChatGPT, please write a quick burns news post for the Sword & Laser podcast about ChatGPT

"Sword & Laser fans, get ready to chat with ChatGPT! This new AI tool allows users to have natural conversations with a virtual assistant. ChatGPT is trained on a massive amount of text data, making it capable of providing insightful and intelligent responses to a wide range of topics.

Whether you're looking for recommendations on books, TV shows, or just want to have a casual conversation, ChatGPT is the perfect companion for fans of the Sword & Laser podcast. Give it a try and see how it can enhance your discussions about science fiction and fantasy."

Mark: Coming in 2023: System Collapse by Martha Wells

Zomino: I read the first story, will need to dig into the rest: "Here are the first look images at #Wool starring #RebeccaFerguson. The dystopian drama series arrives 2023, on #AppleTV+"

Jan: The winners of the Goodreads Choice awards have been announced.

Tina: Hulu (FX) will stream “Kindred,” based on Octavia E. Butler’s

Book, starting Dec. 13

Tamahome: William Gibson's Neuromancer coming to Apple TV+

bamugo: Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2022

Paul: Book Marks has released its list of Best Reviewed SFFH of the year. Top of the list is Sea of Tranquility.

Tamahome: Rosamund Pike to Narrate 'The Wheel of Time' Audiobooks 'The Great Hunt' will arrive on August 2

Tamahome: An Elric graphic novel boxed set is coming out Dec 6th as well

BARE YOUR SWORD

Chris K - Tom's discussion of why he and Veronica had different reactions to Six Wakes reminded me of a Nancy Pearl lecture I attended years ago.

A quote from a Publishers Weekly article she wrote:

"It seems to me that all works of fiction and narrative nonfiction are broadly made up of four experiential elements: story, character, setting, and language. I call these “doorways,” because when we open a book, read the first few pages, and choose to go on, we enter the world of that book."

Seth: Nancy Pearl is the patron saint of reader's advisory - the practice of matching books and readers. Some of you might have public libraries with access to NoveList which is a really cool database of books cataloged by "appeal." For Six Wakes they list these:

Character: Authentic
Storyline: Nonlinear, World-building
Tone: Suspenseful
Writing Style: Compelling, Descriptive

Then they offer matches based on those criteria (or combinations you choose) - it's pretty neat.

When it comes to Nancy's doorways, I'm definitely a Setting reader - it's nice to have that sort of self-awareness when picking and rating books."

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Book briefing

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #450 - Where the Wild Nerds Are

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We wrap up our thoughts on Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty and Tom tries out his 4-part way of evaluating books to explain why people enjoyed it differently. Plus we kick off our December pick, Elric of Melniboné, encourage you to save Locus Magazine and Veronica is IMPRESSIVE at reading author names now.

Download directly here!

QUICK BURNS

Paul: This Washington Post list is by Charlie Jane Anders, so you know it's worth perusing.

jkb added in BookRiot's 42 OF THE BEST FANTASY NOVELS FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS

Louise: Locus magazine is running an Indiegogo-campaign for funding. Twenty days left.

Mark: Rivers of London: The Roleplaying Game was released this week by Chaosium.

"Some familiar NPC portraits!"

Cham1nade: Robin McKinley has just been announced as 39th SFWA Grand Master:

terpkristin: I don’t remember if I posted this before. BBC is doing a radio play/podcast of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. It will start on 20 December and run for 12 days

CountZeroOr: In translated Japanese Fantasy novels get audiobooks news, the first novel in the "Slayers" series, currently being distributed by J-Novel Club, has received an audiobook release through the usual places (Audible, Kobo, etc.)

Trike: On October 31st, a federal judge ruled against the merging of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, saying that it would “substantially lessen competition” in publishing.

Jan: Amazon has released their list of Best Books of 2022, the 20 best books in the Science Fiction & Fantasy category

BARE YOUR SWORD

Joseph: As far as a source for forthcoming books, may I suggest locusmag.com/forthcomingbooks/

Joanna: This year Locus started doing weekly roundups of new sf/f/h books on Youtube

Also Tor.com does monthly compilations of upcoming books

For long term planning I use www.goodreads.com/new_releases - it gives you a list of books of authors you have on your shelves, so no new discoveries from there, but it definitely helps me to keep up with series. Minor inconvenience is that if you read one book from prolific author he will haunt your list forever, even if you did not like the book very much.

To not get lost with all of this I created an exclusive shelf on Goodreads for all the upcoming books, and when sorted by publication date it gives me a clear view of what to look for in bookstores/libraries/etc. "

My wife Amy Fredericks is the true S&L fan, but I’ve enjoyed listening when she’s behind the wheel, taking us places.

I’ve always had fun coming up with names for things and making logos when I’ve done design. So I wracked my brain thinking of anything that relates to both types of weaponry.

I might think of something better in time, but at the moment I think I have something that at least makes sense.

WIELDERS

Both swords and laser pistols can be wielded, and it’s a concise word. It’s not the sexiest or punchiest sounding word, but maybe it’ll inspire further thought to carry it over the finish line.

And, of course, if you like it, how it stands, I won’t complain!

Thanks guys!

Rob

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

Amazon link

Book briefing

Last Thoughts

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Amazon link

Think I kinda hate the opener

Maria and responsibility

Antagonist's motivation *SPOILERS*

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #449 - Finding a Leggy Blonde

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Veronica forgets what beer she had. Must be a good beer. It was a blonde in a tall can. A leggy blonde perhaps? Also, we have the World Fantasy Award winner AND the SPFBO finalists! Plus our non-spoilery first impressions of Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2019 St. Francis Caro Santo

Veronica: Drank a beer at dinner - sadly it was not a leggy blonde.

QUICK BURNS

Bamugo and Mark: The winner of NOVEL #WorldFantasyAwards2022 is: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Orbit US/Orbit UK)

Mark: Genevieve Cogman, is starting a new series next year, Scarlet, a "thrilling reinvention of The Scarlett Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem"

Jan: This Year's Goodreads Choice Awards have started and you can vote for your best fantasy and science fiction books

Steven: The Finalist for SPFBO 8 or Spiff-Bo 8. The ten books chosen by the ten bloggers are

BARE YOUR SWORD

Ideas for fan name

Ian (RebelGeek) - I'm partial to calling us "Laser Swords"

Ken - what about cadre? It fits both gangs in armies for lasers and swords. Or go is an acronym the SLF's sword and laser fence.

Punkinstew - SHIELD backronym - Second Hand Information Ending with Literary Discourse

"Danny: Longtime listener who's never been able to afford to give back but I may have found a way.

Upon hearing the discussion on the last show about a name for the listeners, I love 'Shields' and was inspired to create a logo. Attached is a logo sheet with different variations.

Feel free to use as you'd like, digital, print and apparel.

P.S. How about a page on the website listing upcoming scifi/fantasy book releases? I never know when stuff is coming out."


BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

- Amazon link

Book briefing

S&L Podcast - #448 - The Reverse Heisenberg

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Veronica is very concerned about the Witcher news. Also on this episode: we have some prize winners to increase your to-read list. We pick a tentative fan name for y'all. We kick off our November read, Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, AND our final thoughts on The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. Also, Veronica might have Crow-vid.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Water
Veronica: Michters

QUICK BURNS

Mal: Liam Hemsworth will take over from Henry Cavill as Geralt in Season 4 of the Witcher on Netflix

Jan: The 2021 Kitschies, the tentacle themed award honoring “the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic,” have been announced

Mark: The 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction was announced yesterday evening.

Stubble: On Nov 8th, TOR Books is releasing "Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan" by Michael Livingston with a foreword by Harriet McDougal (Jordan's widow).

Iain: Ann Leckie has a new book coming next year set in the world of the Imperial Radch. Straight on the must read pile.

Paul: The winner of the Arthur C Clarke award has been announced!

Mark: Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster

BARE YOUR SWORD

Tamahome: I posted these blogger self published fantasy and scifi awards in discord. More acronyms for you.
(SPFBO) (fantasy, run by Mark Lawrence)(started 2015)
(SPSFC) (science fiction, run by Hugh Howey) (it just started last year)

What to call Sword and Laser fans

Kev: "Drones and Familiars"?

Trike: Swazers.

Tassie Dave: Minions

David C: Armorers

Eileen: Shield [[Backronyms: Cham1nade: Shelf Heaps Increasing Every Literal Day -- or Stuffing earHoles wIth Excellent Literary Discursions]] — Tamahome: - Sword Holding Infidels Extra Laser Dudes

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

Amazon link

Book briefing

WRAP UP

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Amazon Link

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #447 - Sword and Lazy

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It's our 15th anniversary! And we celebrated by making puns, discussing our favorite wearable fantasy and sci-fi weapons, and finding rumors about our hometowns. We also check in on our read of The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: San Pellegrino

Veronica: Fernie Brewing Hazy Pale Ale Headwall

QUICK BURNS

Tassie Dave: In happier news, the Sword and Laser book club turns 15 years old this weekend. On the 15th of October 2007, Veronica created the Sword and Laser Ning forum to house the S&L community (before we moved to Goodreads & Discord) and on October 16th, 2007 the first S&L book pick was announced. It was the Golden Compass (AKA Northern Lights) A 15-year anniversary is Crystal. Dilithium Crystal for Tom and Dark Crystal for Veronica 😉

Tamahome: More awards! The finalists are in for Mark Lawrence's 8th SFPBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off).

Gristle McNerd: Zach Weinersmith's newest book is up for preorder. It's a children's retelling of Beowulf, and it looks very cool

Trike: Wool, the adaptation of the Hugh Howey book, is officially listed on the AppleTV app.

Jan: The Folio Society has released a beautiful new folio of The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Ruth: Veronica you’ve become a witch queen with an entire murder of crows (or, it sounds like, a murder of murders) as your familiars. Love that for you.

Veronica,

As a long-time Vancouver resident, after listening to the last couple of episodes of S&L (I was a bit behind...), it sounds like you've moved to our fair city. I thought we should welcome you (I'm sure others have already), and wanted to help clear up a couple of things you mentioned during the last two episodes.

First off, please stop feeding the crows.

"The BC SPCA is opposed to intentional hand-feeding of birds like jays, gulls, pigeons and ducks, geese and other waterfowl, and recommends municipalities and parks strongly discourage feeding through education, bylaws and enforcement.

Approved by the Board of Directors – June 2019

I'm not sure if you've spent any time at Granville Island, but they have these signs out.

The crow migration (6,000+ birds) is a daily occurrence, and one of Vancouver's most interesting phenomena. I'm not sure what part of the city you are in, but I live in the False Creek area and see the fly-by everyday. 150 birds are not unusual, depending on where you live. Here are a couple of links to help better understand what's going on:

If others have sent this to you already, I apologize for the repeat. Welcome to Vancouver and let me know if there's anything you need while you're here.

Warren

Rumors about your hometown

Kelly Sedinger - @Jaquandor

So I was catching up on episodes of @swordandlaser and there was a discussion of the question: "What is the sci-fi equivalent of Harry Potter?" The discussion went in several directions, but at one point Tom Merritt wondered if what was being asked was pretty specific:

"Longer series, doesn't have to be specifically seven books, progressing over the youth of the character...." And, well...may I introduce y'all to THE SONG OF FORGOTTEN STARS!

So if you're looking for "the sci-fi Harry Potter", well...for at least one way of looking at that question, I've got you covered! (Or at least I like to think so because I'm just that presumptuous.)"

Arrika

@arrika

Ready to discover your next favorite book? @swordandlaser fans will be excited to know that The Spare Man by @MaryRobinette Kowal releases from @TorBooks in just a few days. You can purchase your copy.

What are your favorite wearable weapons in SF/F

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

CHECK-IN (NON-SPOILERY)

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Amazon Link

TJT: Influence of South Asian History/Legends

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #446 - Don't Blurb on a Dime

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[Ed. note: We tried to fix V’s audio, sorry for the weirdness!] Veronica may have overdone becoming a friend of crows. she has more than 100 of them in her driveway now. A science fiction museum opening in London sounds amazing. And we kick off our non-spoilery thoughts on The Jasmine Throne.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Veronica: Russel Brewing Company Pumpkin Pie Milkshake IPA

QUICK BURNS

Gristle McNerd: Terry Pratchett's official biography, written by himself and (after his death) his long-time assistant and friend Rob Wilkins, was just released.

Jan: From LocusMag:

Amazon has announced changes to a controversial policy which allowed readers to return ebooks

Mark: All the authors of the stories in the first cyberpunk anthology, Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling, have agreed to make the book available to read for free.

Mark: The Iron Gate by Harry Connolly was just released.

Jan: The three winners of the "Imagine 2200" short story contest have been announced.

Jan: Rachel Brittain over at bookriot.com has curated her list of the 25 best space opera books of all time - from

Jan: The Guardian reports about a new Science Fiction exhibition opening on Thursday, October 6th at the Science Museum in London.

Jan: Buzzfeed has released a list of "19 Cozy Fantasy Books For You To Curl Up With This Fall".

Jan: Bookriot also has a nice Fantasy Sub Genre Primer up mentioning everything from a Fantasy of Manners to Magical Realism.

BARE YOUR SWORD

BethMicham: Two of the three founding members of the Seattle Sword & Laser chapter, Genesee and Brandon, are engaged! Both had been in the club for a while and then met in person at the first Seattle meeting to discuss “Time and Again” by Jack Finney in December, 2015. Reading and Sword & Laser have been huge parts of their lives so they wanted to share this news with y’all and say thank you. Here is a picture of the engagement ring they designed; it’s a sapphire sitting in an open book, the band is made of rose gold. They plan to get married sometime in 2024.

I teased them that I would put this in the “slow burn” channel 😉 The whole Seattle chapter is so happy for them — they are beautiful together."

From John K:

Next time you're looking for a Sci-Fi book for the podcast, i'd like to recommend The Silver Ships by S.H. Jucha. It's book 1 in a series of 20 books. It's totally space Sci-Fi. Written in 2015. It's optimistic and well written. I'm on book 2 and i'm loving the series, but book 1 does have an ending so it's not a cliff hanger kind of thing where you have to go on to book two."

From Mark C:

The Spellmonger by Terry Mancour. It’s arguably one of the best series ever written. Also check out Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. Both are excellent readings."

@KassanWarrad

While you're right to ask fans of a certain IP to switch from anticipatory anger when a book is adapted to the screen, those who want to bring said book to the screen are doing so because of the baked-in popularity and fanbase.

It makes no sense to then gut the book and change it under the guise of ""artistic freedom."" If the finished product only loosely resembles the source material, why do it? Just make an original production. Don't hijack an established IP.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Non-spoilery

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Buy it on Amazon

ADDENDUMS

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