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.
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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
