S&L Podcast - #500 - 500 Gargle Blasters!
/We celebrate our 500th episode in the best way we know how—by asking ChatGPT to get our stats wrong. PLUS, announcing the book pick for December and sharing our final thoughts on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?
Tom: 19 Crimes Wine
Veronica: Prophecy Pinot Noir
EPISODE 500!
Total Listed Picks: 186
Alternate Picks (denoted by "a"): 11
Miscellaneous Picks (denoted by "m"): 1
Congratulations on reaching the 500th episode of Sword and Laser! To celebrate this milestone, here are some intriguing statistics and highlights from the podcast's history:
General Overview
Launch Date: Sword and Laser debuted in October 2007, founded by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont.
Total Episodes: As of November 27, 2024, the podcast has released 500 episodes.
Book Selections
Total Books Discussed: The podcast has featured 186 official book picks.
Gender of Authors:
102 books by male authors.
81 books by female authors.
2 books by nonbinary authors.
2 books by male collaborations.
1 book by a male and female collaboration.
Authors of Color: 31 books were authored by persons of color.
Transgender Authors: 6 books were authored by transgender individuals.
Series vs. Stand-Alone:
114 books are part of a series.
70 books are stand-alone novels.
Publication Dates
Oldest Book Discussed: Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, published in 1818.
Newest Book Discussed: Anathem by Neal Stephenson, with the reading period starting on its release day.
Decade Distribution:
1810s: 1 book.
1930s: 1 book.
1940s: 2 books.
1950s: 7 books.
1960s: 10 books.
1970s: 9 books.
1980s: 17 books.
1990s: 17 books.
2000s: 26 books.
2010s: 71 books.
2020s: 23 books.
Selection Process
Combined Host Choice: 21 books.
Veronica's Picks: 57 books.
Tom's Picks: 57 books.
Community Polls: 42 books.
Guest Selections: 5 books.
Kickstarter Contributor: 1 book.
Goodreads Member: 1 book.
Author Nationalities
Top Countries:
USA: 127 authors.
UK: 31 authors.
Canada: 18 authors.
Poland: 2 authors.
Australia: 2 authors.
By Continent:
North America: 146 authors.
Europe: 33 authors.
Asia: 2 authors.
Oceania: 3 authors.
Africa: 1 author.
Notable Authors with Multiple Features
Terry Pratchett: 3 books (including co-authoring Good Omens).
Neil Gaiman: 2 books (including co-authoring Good Omens).
George R.R. Martin: 2 books.
Ursula K. Le Guin: 2 books.
Octavia E. Butler: 2 books.
Lois McMaster Bujold: 2 books.
Awards and Recognitions
Award Winners and Nominees:
Hugo Awards: 35 winners, 27 nominees.
Nebula Awards: 22 winners, 35 nominees.
Locus Awards: 36 winners, 67 nominees.
World Fantasy Awards: 5 winners, 27 nominees.
QUICK BURNS
Add time stamp!
Chris K: The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced the addition of Poetry and Comics categories to the Nebula Awards.
Seth: Charlie Jane Anders picks her favorites from the year for The Washington Post.
Mark: More SF TV from James S.A. Corey and Amazon.
Spriggana: A new Witcher book has been announced: Rozdroże Kruków (Crossroads of Ravens), releasing November 29th.
Tamahome: See the Goodreads nominees for F&SF and Romantasy!
Roberator: The spacey book won the Booker!
Mark: 356 issues of Galaxy Science Fiction are online at Archive.org.
BARE YOUR SWORD
Add time stamp!
Ryan:
Loved this!
Hi, Tom, you know me from other places.
I would like to point out that HHGTTG (the 2005 movie) was written by Adams before he died in 1999. All the changes and adjustments were supposedly his, and while I did not like the opening scene from Restaurant being near the beginning of the movie, it was his choice.
And I had a hardcover copy (green woven cover) as a high schooler and read it through at least five times.
Unfortunately, it was lost in the copious moves in the early 2000s. :-\
I've got my towel (nearly always) within reach.
The hoopiest of froods,
Ryan in Minneapolis.
Seth:
Took me a while to get to this episode, but I wanted to say I appreciated the format change. I've been trying to find a balance between finding some escapism with staying engaged. I think you struck the balance pretty well with this episode.
My sense, or at least my fear, is that reading freely is going to be an activity that will be under increased scrutiny and pressure here in the US in the next few years. It's nice to be part of a group that strives to read diversely.
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
December Pick Announcement:
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Book Briefing:
WRAP-UP
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Humor of Douglas Adams vs. Terry Pratchett:
Zeerusty?
Calvey 🦃:
Started the book and found it oddly comforting and oddly sad with this early quote referencing Reader's Digest. Arthur suggests Ford submit his comment to the magazine, that they have a page for people like you. It sent me down a rabbit hole of magazines lost to time. Do kids even know what RD is today and what that quote meant?
ADDENDUMS
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show!
You can also support the show by buying books through our links!
