S&L Podcast - #371 - Science Fungus

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Veronica explains the awesome piece in the New York Times about Ken Liu, we're excited for The Witcher, we announce the January book will be In the Company of Others by Julie Czerneda, and we wrap up The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Plus, we put the “fun” in Science Fungus.

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WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Ramen
Veronica: Manhattan

QUICK BURNS

Kenley: Great piece in today's NYT Magazine on Chinese SciFi focusing on an "interview" with translator Ken Liu.

Iain: From Tor: SFWA Names Lois McMaster Bujold Science Fiction Grandmaster

Shad: Volume four of the Stormlight Archive is now available for preorder with a release date of 11/17/2020. I'm not sure how firm that date is. Edit: It has been confirmed that 11/17/2020 is the release date:

Jan: Deadline reports that Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss are set to produce a movie inspired by Hans Rodionoff’s graphic novel Lovecraft at Warner Bros.

Robin: (on New Witcher trailer) I've never posted here before and I hope I'm doing this in the right spot but um, there's this on Tor.Com I watched it and it was amazing. Now I want to watch the show.

Mark: Cover reveal for the followup to Sam Sykes' Seven Blades in Black Ten Arrows of Iron

terpkristin: Jim Butcher’s Peace Talks will be published on July 14, 2020. This will also be the 20th anniversary of The Dresden Files.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Benedict says: My current “to be read” list under my bed :man-shrugging: @swordandlaser #bookworm #swordbeatslaserunfortunately

Steve says: À chacun ses contes de Noël...
#nowreading Père Porcher, Terry Pratchett. Avec @swordandlaser

RobZak a.k.a. Roberator says: Super proud of @swordandlaser members who have joined together to donate just under $5000 on our @worldbuilders team page. It's not too late to join us.

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Next month (year!) - In the Company of Others by Julie E. Czerneda
Book briefing

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

HF: Favourite Quotes

HF: What are your other favorite versions of Death/ Grim Reaper?

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 - #370 - Death Is Her Favorite Character

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Got reader’s block? We've got some tips to get you out of it. Is there too much SFF out there now? And why Death is Veronica's favorite character. We kick off Hogfather and give our final thoughts on Snow Queen!

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WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: San Pellegrino

Veronica: Pinot Grigio

QUICK BURNS

Iain: Rough draft of chapter 1 from book 4 of Brandon Sanderson's Starlight Archive is available, details from Tor

John (Taloni): DC Fontana has died, aged 80, after a short unnamed illness. Some of her vast legion of accomplishments are in the article linked. She wrote my favorite Six Million Dollar Man episode, the alien-rescue story "Straight on 'Til Morning.”

Mark: Michael Moorcock’s Elric Saga Optioned for TV

Alex: New book by Jeff Vandermeer out soon: Dead Astronauts -- Dead Astronauts” is set in a post-climate-change-apocalypse future, though exactly when and where we are remains artfully hazy. The unnamed Company, like a malignant tumor, has spread across and corrupted not only the surrounding City but branching timelines, alternate versions of the world. Chen, Moss and Grayson, the titular dead astronauts, have journeyed across these multiple versions, dying over and over, in order to “destroy the Company and save the future. Some future.

BARE YOUR SWORD

How to Recover From Reader’s Block

We're no longer the audience?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Book for December

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Book briefing

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

TSQ: How are people liking it?

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 - #245 - Terry Pratchett Helps Us Feel Better

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We're very excited about the debut of our first Sword and Laser Inkshares collection book, The Life Engineered by JF Dubeau. We're a little bummed that Tom forgot to bring more than water to drink. We're super-excited about the Nebula Award nominees. And we were a little bummed at some of the reactions to The Sword of Shannara. But Vickie helped us out with an amazing Terry Pratchett quote, and all was well in Swordandlaserville.

Download file here!
    
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom:    Water
Veronica:     Hot Toddy
    
QUICK BURNS
    
The Life Engineered is out today!    
    
Andy (and Tamahome)The Dark Tower movie has a release date! January 13, 2017
    
Rob: Nebula nominees are out    
Nokomis.FL The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced that John Hodgman will be Toastmaster at the 2016 Nebula Awards Weekend, the 50th anniversary of the Awards, to be held May 12-15, 2016.    
    
Sandra: Fans of Leigh Brackett can now own "The Book of Stark", a collection of novels and short stories about space adventure Eric John Stark!     
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
"Hi guys - I'm sure I should be more on top of things and post this on Reddit or something. I love the show and am glad to support it on Patreon. I thought you might be interested in a pretty cool fundraiser with a great SciFi twist that I learned about. Geeky Giving (geekygiving.org) is raising money for the Barrow Neurological Institute by getting SciFi writers and artists to create short stories and artwork inspired by the work done at Barrow. In exchange for a small donation, you receive periodic bundles of stories. They just published their first bundle with stories by Mary Robinette Kowal, Karina Cooper, Edward Ashton, and Sierra Dean. I love it when things I love, SciFi, can support not-for-profit organizations. Thanks!

Mitchell"
    
Recommended Utopian Scifi Novels
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
KICKOFF  

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
All The Birds in the Sky Tumblr
    
WRAP-UP    

Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
    
"I was listening to ep 243 and your discussion about Sword of Shanarra aping LotR. I'm surprised you didn't bring up the following Terry Pratchett quote regarding Tolkien and fantasy:

“J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it’s big and up close. Sometimes it’s a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it’s not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji.”
– Terry Pratchett, A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-Fiction (p. 112)

It has really helped give me perspective when I think a book is too much like LotR. We frequently forget how huge LotR is in shaping all subsequent fantasy.

Vickie"    
    
ADDENDUMS    
Giveaway: Send us ideas for our 5-minute monthly silliness show through Patreon, or if you can't use patreon feedback@swordandlaser.com
    
 Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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 - #214 - Discworld's Inner Rage

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Rucksack Universe Author and Pratchett Enthusiast, Anthony St. Clair joins us to wrap up our reading of Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters. Is Granny Weatherwax a conduit for Pratchett's righteous anger? Does Tom live next to Nanny Ogg? All these mysteries and more revealed.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: The Dalmore 12 year old    
Veronica: Bulleit Bourbon   
Anthony: A delicious coffee stout of some description.
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Joanna:  It looks like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is going to come out soon. 7-part miniseries     

Clyde: A passage which was cut from A Wrinkle in Time has been found by Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter and published by the Wall Street Journal.    
    
Tamahome: Don't know if you covered the Arthur C. Clarke award nominees. It's a juried award, different from the Hugo's, and different from Arthur C. Clarke novels as well.    
    
Dara: Gollancz acquires sequel to Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s A Meeting with Medusa, written by Alastair Reynolds and Stephen Baxter
    
Dara: Cover reveal for Charlie Jane Anders's debut novel All the Birds in the Sky was posted on Tor. Coming Feb. 2, 2016
    
Sky: Mark Lawrence (Empire of Thorns, Red Queen's War) has a new 3 book deal from Harper Collins for "Red Sister", this one featuring a female protagonist.
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Hi Tom and Veronica,    
    
Just wanted to drop a note quick and say that Tom I immediately thought oh man this is like Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy for fantasy too as I got into this book. It really has that same vibe and I also had no idea Pratchett's work was like that. Fun stuff.    
    
Also I am listening to the audio version and it appears to be an older recording so I could see why that has put some off but I am kind of enjoying the old school vibe.    
    
Thanks,    
Drew R. 
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett   
Study guide
io9 Guide to Discworld    
      
Next month: Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett - discussion on how to obtain it in Goodreads.   
Audiobook
Used copies    
EBook (Under the name Sea-Kings of Mars)    
Wikipedia article    

ADDENDUMS    
    
 Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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 - #213 - Our Thoughts on the Hugos

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We're excited and fearful about a new chapter from George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, we're hopeful about new books from John Scalzi and Ann Leckie and we're just a little wistful and/or angry about the Hugos.  

Download direct!
    
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Newcastle Brown Ale    
Veronica: Viognier White Wine    
    
QUICK BURNS 
    
Sword & Laser Collection Contest    
    
Sandra: Behold!  A new chapter from Winds of Winter    
    
Eleanor (via Steven): BBC Radio 4 have three sets of programs celebrating the work of Ursula Le Guin. 

Dara: Ann Leckie sold another Ancillary story to Orbit, to be published in 2017.     
    
Sandra: Cover Art and Release Schedule for John Scalzi’s The End of All Things Novellas

Paul: The Tiptree awards and for 2014 have been announced. 

People are dropping out of the Hugos    

Aidan -  Two Hugo nominees have been disqualified due to ineligibility  

Pssst: Aidan's also got a short story collection coming out    

Ewan: The whole Hugos Thing   
    
BARE YOUR SWORD

Just a quick heads up that the Discworld Reading Order Guide now has an official Facebook page!
We are gearing up toward releasing the final (sad, I know) 3.0 version of the Guide soon and will be taking suggestions for the draft on the /r/Discworld subreddit and on Facebook once the draft is published. Looking forward to hearing from S&L Pratchett fans.

- Krzysztof Kietzman 

What COMICS Are You Reading    
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett    
    
Brendan: Discworld graffiti showing up in London    
    
Neil Gaiman on Terry Pratchett's inspiration
    
Question about selecting out of print books as our book pick    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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