Delayed Omens - The S&L Podcast #52

Well it looks like our book wrapup may be delayed a tad, but it's OK.  We have it under control.  And we even have an idea for the next bok already.  So just give Veronica a break will you?  Oh.  You were.  Thanks for that.

QUICK BURNS

Science fiction writers, editors, critics and publishers talk the future of publishing

Book releases:

1/31/2011 The Alchemist by P. Bacigalupi

2/1/2011 License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr

2/1/2011 Son of Heaven by David Wingrove

1 February (special edition), 3 March (standard) - A former city broker ekes out a rural existence in a post-economic collapse Devon before encountering an expanding Chinese techno-empire. The first in the twenty-volume re-release of Wingrove’s Chung Kuo serie

2/4/2011 The Sea Watch by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Tor UK: 4 February- The sixth volume of Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series once again sees Collegium under threat from outside forces, but this time the Wasps are not the enemy. Major betrayals and shocks are promised as the series moves into its second half

2/7/2011 Deep State by Walter Jon Williams

2/21 UK (3/1 US) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson

Bantam Books (UK): 21 February

Tor US: 1 March

The Malazan Book of the Fallen reaches its conclusion (more or less – six more books in two trilogies are on their way) in its tenth volume. The Bonehunters confront the Forkrul Assail in distant Kolanse with the fate of the Crippled God and the world itself at stake. Expect a divisive ending of Lost proportions.

3/1/2011 The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Gollancz (UK): 1 March

DAW (USA): 1 March

The first the ‘Big Missing Three’ SFF books of the last few years to make it to print, the bookshelf-destroying sequel to the giga-selling Name of the Wind is picking up some mixed advanced reviews (great writing, glacial pace, pretty much the same as the first one) but will no doubt be a great success.

BARE YOUR SWORD - feedback from the audience

How much was Pratchett and how much was Gaiman

2010 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced

BOOK CHECK-IN

Good Omens - Why Veronica hasn't finished.

Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (Book of the Long Sun)

Dragon*Con

Who should we get at Dragon*Con? Guest list is here.

EMAILS:

Hi Tom And Veronica

Love the show. Especially for introducing me to Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. I think if C.S. Lewis & Douglas Adams wrote a book together, It would be similar to this book.

That's about as high a praise as I can give it. I've gotten another Pratchett (Unseen Academicals) to immediately plow through. I only hope Pratchett & Gaiman individually are half as good as Gaichett(?) or Pratman(?). My vote is for Pratman.

Thanks again,

Ken

***

Hey guys, I love your show and listen to it in massive chunks when I need to get through a long design project. I just listened to the podcasts where Veronica says, several times it seems, that Anne Rice is no longer “born again” and has renounced “that whole lifestyle”. I wanted to comment (“well actually”) that she is still a believer in the divinity of the man known as Jesus, she simply made a statement divorcing herself from American right-wing politics. Outside of the political arena, she remains the same lady with the same beliefs.

I only write because it could be interpreted from the comments on the show that she changed her beliefs and that this could influence the book. While that is still possible, it’s less likely when her comments are taken in context.

Thanks for doing the show. You guys not only fill a need but do it with top quality.

-Brandon

***

Every time I listen to your podcast I think to myself "I wonder why

they chose 'barrier sword' as the title of the feedback section?"" It

wasn't until I read the show notes for the latest podcast this morning

(and about 3 seconds of dissonance) that I realized my mistake. Oops.

Good choice on the real title, much better than the one I made up in

my head =).

Thanks for the book club.

--John

ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature, including fiction, non-fiction and periodicals.   For a free audiobook of your choice, go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

Visit our partner Sticker Fu.  Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers!

Delayed Omens - The S&L Podcast #52

Almost the end of the world (as we know it) - The S&L Podcast #51

We're almost to the end of the world in Gaiman and Pratchett's Good Omens, but Veronica's not quite done yet so we just give some less spoilery evaluations of the book so far and we'll wrap it up next week. We also are trying to make room in our wallets and on our bookshelves for some excellent new SciFi and Fantasy hitting store shelves in the next couple weeks. Joe Abercrombie! Yay!

QUICK BURNS
Gene Wolfe talks dystopian futures, and the chances of star-drive in our lifetime
Among Others: extraordinary, magic story of science fiction as a toolkit for taking apart the world

BOOK RELEASES: 

1/25/2011 While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished short fiction of Kurt Vonnegut - The 16 previously unpublished short stories of this collection, taken from the beginning of Vonnegut's career, show a young author already grappling with themes and ideas that would define his work for decades to come. (Kindle)

1/27/2011 The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (in the UK - US doesn't get it until 2/7) Union commander Lord Marshal Kroy coordinates the fight with the aid of a motley group of incompetent, self-important officers. The strangely sympathetic Col. Bremer dan Gorst is officially a royal observer who nurses a burning desire to kill or be killed. Leading a much smaller army against the Union is Black Dow, whose grip on the throne of the Northmen is tenuous and based on fear and brutality. (Kindle) 

1/31/2011 The Alchemist by P. Bacigalupi - The first foray into fantasy from Hugo winner Bacigalupi (The Windup Girl) is one of two novellas (the other by Tobias S. Buckell) set in a world where using magic has terrible consequences. Jeoz is a destitute alchemist living in Khaim, a city literally being strangled to death by bramble, a "wormy malevolence" that expands its thorny vines every time someone uses magic. 

2/3/2011 License to Ensorcell by Katherine Kerr - a psychic agent and her Israeli sidekick tracking down a werewolf-murdering serial killer in San Francisco. (Kindle) 

2/7/2011 Deep State by Walter Jon Williams (Kindle) - The sequel to This is Not a Game, about where alternate reality games and real life cross and meet.

Joe Abercrombie appearing in England 1/27 at Forbidden Planet in London from 6 PM, and January 29 at Forbidden PLanet in Bristol from 1 PM AD 

BARE YOUR SWORD

4004 BC (possible minor spoilers) 

Too many characters? 

What horseman would you be? 

Library Closures 

BOOK CHECK-IN

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature, including fiction, non-fiction and periodicals.   For a free audiobook of your choice, go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

The Alchemist and the Executioness  from Audible.

Almost the end of the world (as we know it) - The S&L Podcast #51

Good Omens for 2011 - The S&L Podcast #50

It's our 50th episode!  We celebrate with a high-energy episode, looking at all the best books of the past decade and kicking off our new pick for January.

QUICK BURNS   
   
January 15 - Modern Times 2.0 by Michael Moorcock comes out   
January 18 - Home Fires by Gene Wolfe,    
A few cons coming up Mid-January   
   
BARE YOUR SWORD - feedback from the audience   
   
Tor's poll - best sff books of the decade   
   
Reading Goals for 2011   
   
BOOK KICK-OFF / WRAP-UP

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett   

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett   from Audible

It won the poll!

You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...    
More on Wikipedia   

What else we're reading   

Veronica - Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson from the Baroque Cycle   
Tom - Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three  by Stephen King
   
Emails:   

On your latest podcast Veronica mentioned that she enjoyed the Millennium series a lot.

Today the New Yorker had a nice article on the appeal of the series:

Also the website from the publisher for the series in well designed and quite informative (currently >45 mil. sold). It contains pictures of all the locations used in the books.

Great podcast !

Best,
Paul

***

This was definitely a good podcast-- even with the sound issues (It happens to the best of us.).

Tom Merritt made a number of good points about the trappings of copyright law. However, I think that it is important to note that even famous authors found it hard to make a living because so many people were ""stealing"" his work. This is why he made so many personal appearances, which may have acerbated his untimely death.

Derivative works can be fine, but as a writer I would like to have control of what people do to my works and characters.

Thanks again for a well done episode.

JB

***

  
ADDENDUMS   

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 75,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.
   
Partner Sticker Fu.  Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers at stickerfu.com.   
 

Good Omens for 2011 - The S&L Podcast #50