S&L Podcast - #370 - Death Is Her Favorite Character

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!

Download directly here!

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 - #369 - Jeffety Jeff Jeffers of Planet Jeff

How we’re feeling about the Snow Queen, and where it’s world-building might have drawn from. Plus two alternative pronunciation guides for the character names. Plus, a treasure trove of awesome articles about SciFi-type things!

Download directly here.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Lemon Water

Veronica: Lagunitas Super Cluster Ale

QUICK BURNS

Tamahome:

Huh. N.K. Jemisin is writing a Green Lantern murder mystery comic book

Mark: The Future Issue of New York Magazine is out.

With articles like:

In 2029, It’ll Be Harder to Write Science Fiction Because We’ll Be Living It and

The Weirdness Is Coming: A glimpse of the near future as seen through the recent past.

Mark: The Disappearance of John M. Ford

My introduction to Ford's work was through his Star Trek novels. I didn't know much about him, but I'd like to read more of his work.

Dara: William Gibson's The Peripheral is getting the small-screen treatment. Amazon has given a series order for the TV adaptation.

Via Variety:

The one-hour drama hails from writer, executive producer, and showrunner Scott B. Smith. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy will also executive produce under their Kilter Films banner, with the pair having signed a massive overall deal at Amazon earlier this year. Vincenzo Natali will direct and executive produce, with Athena Wickham of Kilter Films and Steven Hoban also executive producing. Amazon and Warner Bros. Television will produce.

The series centers on Flynne Fisher, a woman trying to hold together the pieces of her broken family in a forgotten corner of tomorrow’s America. Flynne is smart, ambitious, and doomed. She has no future. Until the future comes calling for her

Dara: The Guardian has a feature on the behind-the-scenes action of recording an audiobook.

Trike: Even though it hasn’t started filming yet, Amazon has already renewed their Lord of the Rings series for a second season.

Mark: It's Worldcon time again.

Supporting memberships are $75 NZD ($48 USD)

Mark: All the freelance writers who worked on Barnes & Noble blogs, including the SF&F blog, have been let go

BARE YOUR SWORD

@swordandlaser I'm going to complete my challenge! I know there is a 52 challenge but for 2020 I think I'm going to double up and go for 24. Do you both set your own reading challenges and do you (you must) factor in S&L picks? #readingcommunity #BelmontandtheMerritt

Always great when the fabulous @swordandlaser folks are heard on other podcasts I like. Great job, @acedtect on the most recent @ReadingGPodcast.

Hey @SamSykesSwears I was listening to your interview on @swordandlaser

You said that you love fight scenes but you're getting bored of explicit violence.

Why not write a sword and sorcery story where all the fight scenes are replaced with non-lethal dance-fights?

Hi guys, you did it...

So. Voices out of my computer made me do it (sounded suspiciously like yours...); I re-read the complete Dresden Files within 2 weeks. 'Twas fun. And necessary. If and when the new volume arrives next year, I'll be able to enjoy it. Otherwise, in all probability, I wouldn't have the foggiest what he's writing about.

Greetings,

Marc Fabian,
Cologne, Germany

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

TSQ: Colonialism

TSQ: Pronunciation guide

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 - #368 - But is it Art?

So many awards! You have no excuse for not finding something awesome and new to read right now. Not that you ever do with us on the job, we hope. Also, our first impressions on reading The Snow Queen.

Download directly here.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Newcastle Brown Ale

Veronica: Old Potrero

QUICK BURNS

Credit to Ruth but written by Tom: HBO Max will feature a series set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, called House of the Dragon, telling the story of the Targaryens from George R. R. Martin's book Fire and Blood. It skips piloting and got a 10 episode order. GoT Battle of the Bastards director Miguel Sapochnik will co-showrun with Ryan Condal.

HBO canceled plans for the Game of Thrones prequel series sometimes referred to as The Long Night, being run by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts"

Dara: The 2019 Nommo Awards were announced in Lagos, Nigeria. "The Nommo Awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as 'science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else.'" Via Tor, the winner is Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. The full list can be viewed on Tor's website. Looks like a good list for future picks.

Dara: Brian McClellan will be writing a new epic fantasy series for Tor Books. In the Shadow of Lightning is set to be released in the spring of 2022.

Mark: World Fantasy Award winners were announced today.

Best Novel awarded to Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Mark: Barnes & Noble will cheerfully sell you ALL THE WINNING BOOKS!

A Roundup of 2019’s Major Science Fiction & Fantasy Award Winners"

Shawn D Whale:

Rebecca Roanhorse, of S&L awesomeness, is a part of the Star Wars universe. Her novel “Resistance Reborn”, is the prequel to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. "

Matt: Entertainment Weekly has a first look at the next Lady Astronaut novel from Mary Robinette Kowal - The Relentless Moon

Mark: I'm sure some S&L folks are familiar with this resource but it's new to me, and perhaps to others here.

SFFaudio has a public domain PDF page. The SFFaudio team has scanned thousands of SF&F short stories, novellas, and novels whose copyright has expired. If you're looking for older stuff to read, check it out."

BARE YOUR SWORD

A sample of a short story I wrote and narrated, WHITE FLAME. Published in the @swordandlaser anthology (2014). It was a great honor to be a part of such a great book. #voiceover #audiobook #narration

The @swordandlaser podcast mentioned Paranoid Android, so I listened to it again for the first time in years. I never realized what a tremendous debt Radiohead owed to David Bowie.

2019 Goodreads awards, who did you vote for?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

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