Sword & Laser

Congrats to the Nebula Award winners!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:05:55 +0000

This past weekend, Josh Lawrence and I went down to San Jose for the Nebula Awards. While there, we interviewed several attendees, including Kim Stanley Robinson, Gene Wolfe, and Joe Haldeman. Those interviews will be coming up as podcasts soon, so stay tuned!

Best Novel winner Kim Stanley Robinson with Joe Haldeman.

In the meantime, let's congratulate the winners of the 2012 Nebula Awards!, as posted on Tor.com! Winners in bold.

Novel:

2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
Ironskin, Tina Connolly (Tor)
The Killing Moon, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc)
Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

Novella:

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon)
On a Red Station, Drifting, Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)
“The Stars Do Not Lie,” Jay Lake (Asimov’s 10-11/12)
“All the Flavors,” Ken Liu (GigaNotoSaurus 2/1/12)
“Katabasis,” Robert Reed (F&SF 11-12/12)
“Barry’s Tale,” Lawrence M. Schoen (Buffalito Buffet)

Novelette:

“Close Encounters,” Andy Duncan (The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories)
“The Pyre of New Day,” Catherine Asaro (The Mammoth Books of SF Wars)
“The Waves,” Ken Liu (Asimov’s 12/12)
“The Finite Canvas,” Brit Mandelo (Tor.com 12/5/12)
“Swift, Brutal Retaliation,” Meghan McCarron (Tor.com 1/4/12)
“Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia,” Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com 8/22/12)
“Fade to White,” Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld 8/12)

Short Story:

“Immersion,” Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 6/12)
“Robot,” Helena Bell (Clarkesworld 9/12)
“Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes,” Tom Crosshill (Clarkesworld 4/12)
“Nanny’s Day,” Leah Cypess (Asimov’s 3/12)
“Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream,” Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed 7/12)
“The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species,” Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/12)
“Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” Cat Rambo (Near + Far)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin (director), Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Abilar (writers), (Journeyman/Cinereach/Court 13/Fox Searchlight)
The Avengers, Joss Whedon (director) and Joss Whedon and Zak Penn (writers), (Marvel/Disney)
The Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard (director), Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (writers) (Mutant Enemy/Lionsgate)
The Hunger Games, Gary Ross (director), Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray (writers), (Lionsgate)
John Carter, Andrew Stanton (director), Michael Chabon, Mark Andrews, and Andrew Stanton (writers), (Disney)
Looper, Rian Johnson (director), Rian Johnson (writer), (FilmDistrict/TriStar)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book

Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (Pyr)
Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill (Little, Brown)
Black Heart, Holly Black (McElderry; Gollancz)
Above, Leah Bobet (Levine)
The Diviners, Libba Bray (Little, Brown; Atom)
Vessel, Sarah Beth Durst (S&S/McElderry)
Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Random House; Doubleday UK)
Enchanted, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
Every Day, David Levithan (Knopf)
Summer of the Mariposas, Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Tu Books)
Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
Above World, Jenn Reese (Candlewick)

Solstice Awards were awarded to editor Ginjer Buchanan and astronomer and entertainer Carl Sagan, the latter of which was accepted by his son Nick Sagan.

The Kevin O'Donnell Jr. Service Award was awarded to Michael Payne.

The winners are announced at SFWA’s 48th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, held Thursday through Sunday, May 16 to May 19, 2013 at the San Jose Hilton in San Jose, California. Borderland Books hosted the mass autograph session from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17th at the San Jose Hilton.

As announced earlier this year, Gene Wolfe was the recipient of the 2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for his lifetime contributions to, and achievements in, the field. Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.

S&L Video REWIND - #03 - Interview with Lev Grossman & our Hyperion kick-off!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:48:00 +0000

Celebrated author and book critic Lev Grossman answered your questions about The Magicians, and we kicked off our "laser" pick, Hyperion by Dan Simmons!

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

S&L Podcast - #128 - Awards season!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:11:11 +0000

It's awards season! We have nominees for the Campbell, Sturgeon, and Locus awards and Veronica's heading over to the Nebula Awards. Who is she wearing? Probably whoever got in her way. She's a Demon Hunter, after all.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Fat Weasel Ale
Veronica: Cathedral Ridge Syrah

QUICK BURNS
Neil Gaiman to publish a new NEVERWHERE story (with some help from George R.R. Martin)
R. Scott Bakker update
WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE delayed by a year
FINALISTS: 2013 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards (with Free Fiction Links)
FINALISTS: 2013 Locus Awards (+ Free Fiction Links!)
Watch the intense first trailer for Ender's Game right now!
Tor Books says cutting DRM out of its e-books hasn’t hurt business
The Real Reason Readers Might Love a Book that You Find Fatally Flawed

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Starz moving forwards with adaptation of OUTLANDER

BOOK CHECK-IN
Wool by Hugh Howey
Casting
June Pick: Among Others by Jo Walton

BARE YOUR SWORD
May I Ask a Favor From Those Posting Book Links in Threads?
Renegade read section

ADDENDUMS

Veronica will be at the Nebula Awards this weekend with Josh to interview Kim Stanley Robinson, Gene Wolfe and Joe Haldeman. Got questions? Post them in the Goodreads forum!

Tomorrow ends submissions for the Anthology. NO submissions received after midnight Pacific tomorrow will be considered. We need time to read through everything, so please be patient. We expect to make our final selections by August 15, 2013. And HUGE thanks to everybody who submitted.

Congratulations to PanamaJack and Misti, winners of our Adam Christopher limited edition books!

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

Download the MP3 of today's show here!

S&L Video REWIND - Saladin Ahmed - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:15:41 +0000

We asked author Saladin Ahmed more viewer questions. Plus he described his new book and how he became a DM for Joe Abercrombie! There was some pretty bad audio interference on this one, so when you complain, know that we already know.

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course, here'st the original post from last year.

S&L Podcast - #127 - Hangout with Adam Christopher

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:28:21 +0000

We hop on the old Google Hangout to chat with Adam Christopher about alternate universes, superheroes, and atomic robot armies. His new book The Age Atomic is out right now! Listen to this then go read that!

You can also watch the hangout on video like you were right there with us!

Direct download link for today's podcast

S&L Video REWIND - #02 - The Magicians Wrap-Up and Interview with Saladin Ahmed!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:07:06 +0000

The video rewind continues! One year ago, we were wrapping up "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman and we also spoke with author Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell awards and author of "Throne fo the Crescent Moon."

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

S&L Video Rewind - Scott Sigler - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:32:49 +0000

We asked author Scott Sigler more questions than could fit in the main episode! Plus he tries to guess the name of the dragon (no spoilers, you guys).

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course watch the video at the original post from last year.

S&L Podcast - #126 - More like Dragon-FIGHT!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Controversy swirls around the Sword and Laser book picks both old and new. It makes being George R. R. Martin look downright easy. And then he goes and buys a movie theater. For real. You must listen.

QUICK BURNS
George R.R. Martin buys a movie theatre
China Mieville's turn-it-to-11 high weirdness reboot of "Dial H"
Petition to get Isaac Asimov a commemorative plaque
Too much violence in fantasy?
In a future with one last bookstore, a boy falls in love with reading

CALENDAR

BOOK WRAP-UP
Wrap-up Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
Female characters in Pern
On the use of Dragons
A Whiteboard Reflection on Pern

EMAIL
If you remember the main trip to get back 400 years to bring the other weyr's forward, show used the tapestry from Ruatha Hold.

The dragons of Pern need an image in the riders mind to travel between to that place. They also use an image to travel between times.

This is why the riders don't go back in time to battle thread when necessary, they need that image to get there. It also drain's both dragon and rider.

I don't know how far you are into all the other books, but Lessa wasn't the first to time travel (chronologically speaking), In ""Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern"", Moreta did some if my memory serves me.

If you haven't read the series before, you must read Dragonsdawn! It's the ""laser"" Dragonriders book. Basically, the first book (chronologically) of the series. I really love that book. If I had to rank the books, I would go Harper Hall trilogy, Dragonsdawn, Dragonflight, Dragonquest then The White Dragon. The others are really good, but those 7 are my absolute favorite books.

Looking forward to Sword & Laser having video shows again (really missing them!),

Dave

BOOK KICK-OFF
Wool by Hugh Howey
Controversy around Howey statements
Wikipedia entry about Wool

ADDENDUMS

Giveaway!

Limited edition Empire State and Limited Edition Age Atomic Hardcover, signed, numbered only 100 copies each. Empire State has a variant cover. Enter at this Goodreads thread.

Writer's With Drinks

Direct link to podcast download!

Near-future divergence?

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:29:43 +0000

Someone on Twitter recently asked me an interesting question:

@veronica - Rewatching #VaginalFantasy Ep. 14 ("Naked in Death"), re: you comments on 1995's disc-ridden version of 2058, and had a ?. [+]
— Joia Jones (@JJJJJby5) April 21, 2013

@veronica - Have you seen a term for that? The point when reality catches up to near-future fiction enough to see the two diverge? [-]
— Joia Jones (@JJJJJby5) April 21, 2013

After thinking it over, I decided that this was something we could explore a bit. The case that Joia is referencing deals with a story that takes place in the year 2058. Clearly, the technology in the tale should be far advanced beyond our own, current technologies.

And while that is true for the most part, there are some interesting differences: for one, most data is contained on a disc, like a DVD. It wasn't enough to take me out of the story, but funny enough that I remembered it long after reading. It's kind of like when you see a movie at the AMC IMAX, and they show you that intro sequence bragging about resolution equivalent to 15,000 CD-ROMS!!

It doesn't really matter that it's an amazing resolution; what matters to most viewers (enough to regularly elicit giggles from the audience) is that they use a CD-ROM for this analogy.

I use the IMAX example because it has the problem of dating itself. Likewise, a near-future science fiction book has the problem of dating itself very badly by using existing technologies as an integral part of the story. In 1995, when Naked in Death was written, CD-ROMs were kind of a big deal. In that scenario, should an author like J.D. Robb have the foresight to try and protect their story against outdating? Is that even possible for a near-future or hard sci-fi tale?

Back to the original question, what do we call the phenomena when "reality catches up to near-future fiction enough to see the two diverge?" Does it even need a name? I kind of like the idea of "near-future divergence," because that can cover a lot of things beyond just technology. What would you call it?

S&L Video REWIND - #01 – We Kick-off The Magicians!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:32:20 +0000

It’s here, it’s really here! One year later, the DOWNLOADABLE version of Sword and Laser video . Huge thanks to Scott Sigler for being on that first episode. We also were reading The Magicians at this time last year.

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course watch the video at the original post from last year.

S&L Podcast - #125 - On the wagon

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:15:46 +0000

It's a show chock full of awards and TV shows based on books. Plus we have great news for fans of Joe Abercrombie and John Scalzi, and Veronica recommends a sexy book! Find out what happens when neither one of us have a drink.

QUICK BURNS
Joe Abercrombie's The First Law (The Graphic Novel) - Interview
FINALISTS: 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award
FINALISTS: 2013 Prometheus Award
The real (?) "One Ring" Of The Hobbit
The Human Division has been renewed for a second season.
Something Electronic This Way Comes: Ray Bradbury eBooks Announced!
Haruki Murakami fans queue overnight for latest novel
Iain Banks, has terminal cancer and likely has less than a year to live.

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Game of Thrones' sets record, gets fourth season
Syfy announces Childhood's End and Ringworld miniseries
BBC America To Co-produce Small Screen Adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL
C.J. Cherryh’s MORGAINE Books Optioned for Film

BOOK CHECK-IN
Dragonriders of Pern: (just Dragonflight if you don't have time for all three)
Next month: Wool by Hugh Howey
Veronica also recommends: Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher

BARE YOUR SWORD
Book Chain

ADDENDUMS

For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

Download episode here!

Interview with R. A. Salvatore at Dragon*Con 2012

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:54:10 +0000

So we miss Friday videos as much as you. Starting tomorrow, the one year exclusivity lifts on our first show. But tomorrow isn't Friday now is it? So NEXT Friday we'll post our EP. 1 for Download. But TODAY you get a never-before seen episode of Sword and Laser that is all yours.

The amazing Brit Weisman of Geek & Sundry shot the video for us last August and we never got a chance to use it. This was especially sad because we transfered the video from Brit's camera to my laptop as we walked through the streets of Atlanta trying to get me to the Parsec Awards on time.

So this afternoon I whipped together the clips and we present them here to you. Hope you enjoy it!

Note: If you would like to download this episode, you can! Click over to the archive.org page to download.

Joe Abercrombie's The First Law (The Graphic Novel) - Interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:14:53 +0000

As listeners of the podcast know, both Tom and I are big fans of Joe Abercrombie, and especially of The First Law trilogy. So when I found out that Joe was working on a new graphic novel based on Logen Ninefingers and his (mis)adventures (from the man himself, no less) I immediately wanted to learn more.

Joe was kind enough to answer a few questions about the series, which you can learn more about at First Law Comic.

First off, congrats on the graphic novel! That's very exciting!

It's been a long time in the pipeline - maybe 18 months since the deal was first signed - so it's great to see it go out into the world.

Who first approached you to make The First Law into a graphic novel?

Rich Young from Blind Ferret, who also edited, put the artistic team together and brought in Chuck Dixon to adapt. What interested me in particular about Rich's pitch, quite apart from his creative vision and his love for the books, was Blind Ferret's track record with webcomics and digital distribution.

Had anyone else come to you wanting to do that before, or was that something you had considered on your own?

I'd had a couple of much more traditional approaches, but the traditional comics market is pretty small and steadily dwindling, and obviously crowded with a lot of very powerful and long-established brands, I just didn't see a traditional approach getting enough momentum to make the work worthwhile.

Will this be a print edition, or digitally distributed? Both? And what will the release schedule be like?

It was the method of distribution that really sold this idea to me. In essence there's a triple approach. Firstly we're going to be serialising the adaptation, free to all comers, at www.firstlawcomic.com. The first twelve pages have gone up already, and there'll be new pages posted every monday, wednesday and friday, hopefully for several years to come, given that this is a pretty detailed and comprehensive adaptation. I just right away felt that, with free distribution, there was the potential to create a lot of goodwill and get a lot of people through the door and involved with it, and that it was potentially a good thing for the books as a whole.

But for those who aren't satisfied with a page at a time and want to get a little ahead of the game, we're also going to be distributing whole issues, for between 99 cents and $2.99, via ComiXology, which will come with guided view and a package of inks, pencils and designs as a bonus with each issue.

Finally, we'll be collecting every four issues into hard-copy collections, with further bonus material. Exact details of those to be confirmed...

One of the great things about reading is the ability to visualize your favorite characters. How do you feel about nailing down the descriptions of the characters on the comic page? Have they ended up the way you pictured them in your head, and did you have input on that for the graphic novel?

Someone was foolish enough to offer me total editorial control, but I've tried to take a reassuringly firm yet lovingly gentle touch with it. I think when you work with an artist you need to give them the freedom to draw it the way they see it, to let them interpret the work the way they want to. And as a writer you don't always have entirely vivid pictures of every character and location. So some designs were perfect right off. Others were surprising, but fitted. Others needed some tinkering with. But generally, Andie Tong, the artist, has an amazing eye for costume and location design, and I've really been able to say yes, yes, yes to a lot of things and let him produce his vision of the books, given extra verve and variety by Pete Pantazis' colours. So there'll certainly be some things that keen readers of the trilogy will see differently, but as a whole it's an adaptation that I'm very pleased with and hugely proud of.

Obviously the story needs to be trimmed down for this manner of storytelling. What was that process like? How do you pick what makes the cut?

Rich brought in Chuck Dixon, who's a hugely experienced comics writer, to do the adaptation. He's obviously got a great sense for what to pick out from a scene, what to show and how, what angles to use to get the action across. But obviously I know the books and the characters better than anyone, so I'd go over each script in some detail trying to keep as much sense of the books and the voices of the characters as possible, and maybe changing something here or there that would be important long term. It's going to be a detailed adaptation, 16 issues for the Blade Itself alone, so it hasn't been necessary to really lose that much in terms of whole scenes. it's amazing how much prose you can boil down into one carefully designed panel. In general the whole process has been quite an education for me. One that will continue for some time to come.

Do you have any plans to make any of your other books into comics?

At the current rate we probably won't be finished with The First Law for several years to come, so I'm keeping my energy for that, for the time being. I've got a fair few irons in the fire with book projects as well, of course. But I certainly wouldn't rule out adaptations of the other books. We'll see how this one goes...

S&L Podcast - #124 - Whur my dragons at?

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:25:29 +0000

Tom's in a singing mood and Veronica's on the bandwagon and Tom has to pronounce all the German. We also kick off the April book pick, Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Bulleit Bourbon
Veronica: Water

QUICK BURNS
FINALISTS: 2013 Hugo Awards
Nominated for the Kurd Laßwitz Preis
RIP: James Herbert, OBE: 1943-2013
New George R.R. Martin website
You Got Grit in my Fantasy Story
Cover & Synopsis: “Self-Reference ENGINE” by Toh EnJoe - The description on this is hilarious.

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Doctor Who: Summer Falls – New Ebook With Link To “The Bells Of Saint John”
Harry Potter actor Richard Griffiths dies
How Fans Recreated Game of Thrones in a Minecraft Map the Size of LA
Game of Thrones T-shirt on Etsy from Listener Derek
GoT producers will not wait for GRRM to finish the books
GRRM on pitching new projects to HBO
Robert J. Sawyer to Adapt His Novel Triggers for the Big Screen

BOOK CHECK-IN
Dragonriders of Pern: (just Dragonflight if you don't have time for all three)
Wikipedia article

BARE YOUR SWORD
Books for people who miss Firefly

Chris wanted to give his book as a gift to the Sword and Laser audience so all day tomorrow, April 3, Death of Dreams will be free! Thanks Chris.

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

And also check out http://www.audible.com/sweeps to enter the sweepstake! Quick to enter, simply put in your email address!

Direct link to download the show!

Thanks For All The Fish! Downbelow Station Wrap-Up & Your Feedback

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:09:31 +0000

We've reached the end of our run here on Geek & Sundry, but before we go, its time to wrap up our March pick, C.J.Cherryh's Downbelow Station, see what everyone is talking about over on GoodReads, and venture into Whiteboard Land one last time.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

More on this month's pick, Downbelow Station:
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57...
C.J. Cherryh's Webpage: http://www.cherryh.com/

Discussion Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

"So Much More to Say" by Aaron:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUUWE...

Anthology Submission Guidelines:http://swordandlaser.com/anthology/

Book Release Calendar: http://swordandlaser.com/calendar/

WHUR MUH BOATS AT

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:19:09 +0000

Posted without comment. ;)

via Onion AV Club

Author Guide: Peter F. Hamilton!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:59:26 +0000

More on our guest, Peter F. Hamilton!

Website:
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PeterFHamilton1
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:39:06 +0000

Hey ladies! If you've been looking for more geeky-inclined female friends, check out the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club. Here's how it works:

This is a new project for us and we are figuring it out as we go along. We are just two nerdy dames reaching out into the vast, tangled web to see if we can find some new friends and help others find new friends too. The basic idea is you fill the form in, then we will collate everyone's info and we then we'll match you up with someone in the same age range with similar interests to you. Then you can swap addresses and get putting pens to paper!

Sounds like fun! Sign-up is open through April 1st, so get to it!

S&L Podcast - #123 - Power couples!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:24:21 +0000

If you're not too offended but the first few minutes you're going to love this episode. It's not as bad as that sounds, but we both need help choosing words right there at the top. But THEN we get excited about new Scott Lynch, Westeros History, and Benedict Cumberbatch reading Neil Gaiman out loud.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Fat Tire Amber Ale
Veronica: Pinot Noir of some sort. From her big sack of wine.

QUICK BURNS
Coming Soon: “The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF” Edited by Mike Ashley
Gene Wolfe’s New Novel “The Land Across” Sounds Like It Might Be Politically Charged
Publication date confirmed for THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES
More details on THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE
J. K. Rowling’s Pottermore to launch on PlayStation Home

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere
Veronica Mars movie!

BOOK CHECK-IN
Power Couples

NEXT BOOK
Dragonriders of Pern: (just Dragonflight if you don't have time for all three)

BARE YOUR SWORD
BSFA Awards answer
200 Significant Science Fiction Books by Women, 1984–2001
Veronica's panel at Engadget Expand

EMAIL
I was wondering if Sword and Laser was ever going to cover Military Science Fiction, like the epic Honor Harrington series by David Weber or The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. David Weber has another wonderful series, Safehold. I've read all of the books in the series and would love to see your take on them. Thanks for the wonderful show, Mark

ADDENDUMS

For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

Download direct file

Self-Publishing, Synergy, and R.A. Salvatore!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:54:24 +0000

The author of 22 NYT Best Sellers, creator of Drizzt Do'Urden, and all around fantasy genre luminary R.A. Salvatore joins us to talk what's next for the Drow Ranger, John Fogerty, and why you should quit writing (if you can). Enjoy!

More on our guest, R.A. Salvatore:
Website: http://www.rasalvatore.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_A_Salvatore
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Season One of S&L Video coming to an end!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:20:24 +0000

The S&L studio team does jazz hands.

As many of you may know from the most recent audio podcast, the video edition of S&L is coming to an end (for now). Huge thanks to Geek & Sundry for making the whole thing possible, for our friends at Pixel Corps for the production and post-production services (and for being awesome in general), and to Fonco Creative for bringing our set (and Lem) to life!

Tom and I are looking into new ways to keep the show alive going forward, so don't fret! We have our hands full right now will getting the anthology off the ground, but we promise you we're working on it.

Episodes of the video show will continue through the end of March, and you can always keep up with the book club on Goodreads and the audio podcast!

Thanks for watching!

The BIBLIO-MAT is not people!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:14:13 +0000

Podcast listener Jacob wanted to let us know that there aren't actually people passing out the books from within the Biblio-Mat in Toronto. It's actually... automated! With mechanisms! And such!

Kushiel's Legacy, Jacqueline Carey, and More!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:19:05 +0000

Author of the Kushiel's Legacy series, Jacqueline Carey, joins us to talk the inspirations behind her immensely popular series, the power of writing in the first person, and Veronica tries not to butcher anyone's name. Enjoy!

S&L Podcast - #122 - Interview with Michael J. Sullivan

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:51:02 +0000

We have a lovely chat with author Michael J. Sullivan, get down and dirty about Downbelow Station and celebrate the coming end of our YouTube video season!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Boont Amber Ale
Veronica: Rioja Conde de Valdemar Crianza

QUICK BURNS
Hooray for an amazing season of YouTube videos. Thanks for all the fish!
Your 2013 SF/F Award Nomination Awareness Post: Readers and Fans
Adam Whitehead's Hugo Nominations 2013 THANKS ADAM!!
VIDEO: Watch SF Legend Brian Aldiss Talk About Writing & The Passage of Time
Scott Lynch update on THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW
Michael J. Sullivan

BOOK CHECK-IN
Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh

ADDENDUMS

Subscribe to our podcast!
Direct episode download link

"Downbelow Station" - March Book Club Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:53:45 +0000

We dive into CJ Cherryh's classic Downbelow Station, try to settle the age old question of "which was better: the book or the movie?" and give you the inside scoop on how to become a part of the first ever Sword & Laser anthology! Enjoy!

Discussion Links:
Book vs. Movie: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
A Night in Lonesome October review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzN4XJ...

Anthology Submission Guidelines: http://swordandlaser.com/anthology/

Book Release Calendar: http://swordandlaser.com/calendar/

Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: http://goo.gl/B62jl

Now accepting anthology submissions!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:53:56 +0000

We are now officially accepting story submissions for the S&L Anthology! All of the guidelines are detailed here. PLEASE READ THEM.

SERIOUSLY. READ THEM!

OK, now that's out of the way, have fun and good luck! We can't wait to read your stories!

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:27:40 +0000

It's time to find out what everyone thought of Number Ten Ox, and check in on Goodreads for suggestions on good old-fashioned popcorn sci-fi and amateur cartography for our favorite fantasy realms. Enjoy!

More on our February pick, Bridge of Birds:
On GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...
Hughart Fan Site: http://www.barryhughart.org/books.htm

Discussion Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://afantasyreader.blogspot.com/20...

"Magical Realism in BoB" by Timm:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVIjM...

S&L Podcast - #121 - A bird too far

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:42:18 +0000

It's time for a substantive down-to-Earth deep discussion of Bridge of Birds. And Veronica now feels better about pronouncing things.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Jameson's
Veronica: Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon

QUICK BURNS
Stephen Donaldson delivers last-ever THOMAS COVENANT novel
An incredibly thorough analysis of how frequently words and characters appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books
Make your own pulp magazine covers
Love Of Classics Inspires Raygun Chronicles Kickstarter Anthology Project
THE CITY AND THE CITY on stage in Chicago

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Does science fiction lack good criticism?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
George R.R. Martin expands on HBO deal
Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle is coming to Syfy

BOOK CHECK-IN
Pretty Ping Rape? (Spoilers)
A Slight Flaw in His Character...

EMAIL

Gaiman narrates the audio book Odd and the Frost Giants. Its a great audiobook. Andrew R.

FYI. Not sure if this will be "fresh" enough to cover on the S&L audio show next week... Eric W (Goodreads follow-up)

ADDENDUMS

T-shirts, get your t-shirts heeeere!

Subscribe to our podcast!
Direct episode download link

Treacherous Spies, Trilogies, and Trudi Canavan!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:23:49 +0000

Author of "The Black Magician" trilogy, Trudi Canavan, joins us to talk her Millennium's Rule trilogy, upcoming stand alone works, and her appreciation of fan works. Cheers!

More on our guest, Trudi Canavan:
Website: http://www.trudicanavan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrudiCanavan
Pintrest: http://pinterest.com/trudicanavan/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

More on Trudi's works:
The Black Magician trilogy:http://www.goodreads.com/series/44134...
The Traitor Spy trilogy: http://www.goodreads.com/series/52664...
The Age of Five : http://www.goodreads.com/series/40418...

"Sucker Punching the Audience" by Aaron: http://youtu.be/GO__-fXUhRg

S&L t-shirts now available!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:02:56 +0000

I don't know who this woman is, but she's wearing one of our new t-shirts! You can buy them here over on /loot, and thanks to the wonderful Scott Johnson for hosting them!

Stormlight, Steelheart, Sanderson, and more!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:58:19 +0000

Brandon Sanderson joins us to talk his upcoming Rithmatist, the Legion film adaptation, and why he was the right guy for the job when it came to finishing Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series. Cheers!

More about our guest, Brandon Sanderson:

On the Web: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrandSanderson
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandSanderson
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
His Blog: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog

S&L Podcast - #120 - Book Blind Dates

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:59:49 +0000

We get the message and beef up the book discusiion. But the news is full of trailers and the feedback is full of awesome. But will Veronica Hughart the book? And if she did, what would that mean?

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: 2009 Toscana IGT "1967"
Veronica: Glenmorangie

QUICK BURNS
Book Trailer: “Etiquette & Espionage” by Gail Carriger
TOC: ‘Dangerous Women’ Edited by Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin
Amazing Stories returns, as a social network for fandom (with stories)
Animated Fiction: Neil Gaiman Reads His Zombie Story “Down Among the Dead Men”
Locus 2012 Recommended Reading List
Book Trailer: “The Daylight War” by Peter V. Brett

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Welcome new forum mod, Josh!
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub $1.99 today
Violent character names
Book Blind Date

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Behind-the-Scenes Game of Thrones Video Explores Iceland as Setting for ‘Beyond the Wall’

BOOK CHECK-IN
The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

EMAIL
Hi Tom & Veronica.
I love your show(s) and the GoodReads group. On the podcast I listened to today, Tom said that he would like to pick a science fiction novel by a female author. Ursula K. LeGuin was mentioned, but I'd like to see something more contemporary. May I suggest God's War by Kameron Hurley? I've started reading it and it's something really different. It's kind of like Joe Abercrombie writing SF taking place on a planet with a female dominated society. The primary SF elements are genetic engineering and colonization of other planets. It's not an easy read and it's very dark, but it seems pretty good. I've paused it because it's so intense, so I need an incentive to finish.
Keep up the great work!
Sandi

***

I saw this and immediately thought it would make a great news piece for your show!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/354009039/beyond-words-a-year-of-daydreams-fantasy-author-ca
I am behind on my youtube episodes so if you have already covered this, please FORGIVE ME! I just saw it (I think Brandon Sanderson linked to it on his twitter) and thought it was AWESOME! Anyway, love your show and the podcast,
Sincerely
Jeane Ess

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

Download the MP3 below!

S&L Podcast - #120 - Book Blind Dates

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:19:34 +0000

Thanks to an overwhelming response to one of Aaron's recent Whiteboard Review, we're kicking off our February pick, Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart! Plus, we check in over on GoodReads to talk Gaiman, refreshing Science Fiction, and libraries that don't have any books.

More on our February pick, Bridge of Birds:

On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15177.Bridge_of_Birds

Hughart Fan Site: http://www.barryhughart.org/books.htm

Discussion Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1167500-digital-libraries

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1067161-neil-gaiman-starter-book

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1167079-need-to-expand-my-horizons

"Reconsidering Goblins" by Aaron:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-dJ-BKgTgA

S&L January Book Club: Old Man's War Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:32:43 +0000

It's time to wrap up our January pick, John Scalzi's Old Man's War, check in with everyone over on GoodReads, and get momentarily excited for a new excerpt from GRRM...before remembering that its still going to be a long wait for Winds of Winter. Enjoy!

More on our January pick, Old Man's War:

On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51964.Old_Man_s_War

From John Scalzi's Blog: http://whatever.scalzi.com/about/books-by-john-scalzi/

Discussion Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1163392-bored-woodless

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1163460-grrm-new-extract-of-the-winds-of-...

http://georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1160339-what-do-you-guys-think-about-brea...

"A Once Crowded Sky" Review by Aaron:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSKLG61lbk

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this...

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:51:12 +0000

We have a whole lot of award finalists to tell you about and Veronica bravely tries to pronounce their names. We also wonder how much said is too much said.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Car Men Air Camenere, Chile
Veronica: Something red

QUICK BURNS
TOC: ‘The Fearsome Journeys: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy’ Edited by Jonathan Strahan
Harper/Voyager UK to Release SF/F Classics with Beautiful Minimalist Covers
Tad Williams completes latest novel
Great science fiction authors tell us which novels they wish they’d written themselves
FINALISTS: 2012 BSFA Award
FINALISTS: The 2012 Kitschies

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Veronica's Reddit AMA
The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers
Jim Hines Group Cover Pose
Living in a Fantasy world

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
New GAME OF THRONES video

BOOK CHECK-IN
Use of "said"

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this

Books, Brooks...And More Books: Our Interview with Terry Brooks!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:26:25 +0000

Terry Brooks, the mastermind behind the world of Shannara, joins us to discuss what's coming up in the Dark Legacy of Shannara, his ventures into standalone e-books, and the advice he'd give to new fantasy authors.

More about our guest, Terry Brooks:

On the Web: http://www.terrybrooks.net/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialbrooks

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialterrybrooks

On G+:https://plus.google.com/u/0/106756046894387044266/posts

On Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9629.Terry_Brooks

S&L Podcast - #118 - Scientific seal of approval

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:59:10 +0000

We're running a little late, but we're here! We have lots of awards to discuss and one to even beg for a little. Plus we chat about what makes a sellout and what makes an addictive series!

QUICK BURNS
FINALISTS: 2012 Philip K. Dick Award
Yep, there's now a 'seal of approval' for the scientific accuracy of novels
Christopher Tolkien speaks out for the first time, says Peter Jackson 'eviscerated' his father's work
Gollancz to publish three ELITE novels
A brave new world: science fiction predictions for 2013
WINNER: A.E. Van Vogt Award
Hugo Award Nomination Period Is Now Open
The Offer on Old Man’s War: A Ten-Year Retrospective
Great Quotes about Writing from Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
10 Book series so addictive you won't want to stop
Space Ships and Nekkid Ladies

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Clever Film Trailer for “John Dies At The End” Aimed at Pirates
77 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies to Watch Out For in 2013

BOOK CHECK-IN
Old Man's War by John Scalzi

MAIL

Thought I'd check in and tell you guys that you are AWESOME. I dearly love the podcast and Youtube show at Geek and Sundry. I listen to the podcasts on the way to/from work when I'm not listening to my audiobooks and I always have a lot of fun with the books! Really enjoyed Nocturnal by Scott Sigler recently (which freaked me out on a level I'm not entirely comfortable discussing), and am currently having a blast with Old Man's War. Keep up the great job and I can't wait to see what's next!
-AJ

---

Hey Tom and Veronica,
I know this is a little late but I did want to thank you for all your amazing work on the Sword & Laser podcasts in 2012 & with the introduction of the video show as well :D Thank you for continuing to inspire me to get back to reading & making sure I always have a long list of books to read. Hope that 2013 is going to be a wonderful year for you both as well as for Sword & Laser itself :D
Steven Cain
P.S. Tom I know you mentioned you wouldn't mind suggestions for things to do in LA yourself so I figured I'd include the suggestions I received for my trip to LA just in case they might be helpful for you.

---
ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

S&L Podcast - #118 - Scientific seal of approval

Trash Talking Angels and Tad Williams

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 03:33:09 +0000

Author of our November pick, The Dirty Streets of Heaven, Tad Williams, joins us in the space castle to give us a little insight on the future of Bobby Dollar, why cats haunt his dreams, and what advice Present Tad would give to Young Adult Tad.

More about our guest, Tad Williams:

On the Web: http://www.tadwilliams.com/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/tadwilliams

On Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6587.Tad_Williams

"Old Man's War" Kick-Off: Sword & Laser January Book Club

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:33:59 +0000

We're making good on one of our S&L New Year Resolutions by kicking off the oft-requested ld Man's War by John Scalzi! Enjoy, Nick (and everyone else)!

More about our January pick, Old Man's War:

On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51964.Old_Man_s_War

E-Mails, Discussions & Video Questions:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1106226-there-s-no-e-in-reading

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1107850-the-long-con

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1112807-new-to-scifi-fantasy-needing-sugg...

"Kraken" Review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8jDDpNQ8mI

S&L Podcast - #117 - Is Gandalf a jerk?

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:21:28 +0000

We welcome our new Grand Master, who has always been a grand master really. We give you some insight on the best Science Fiction and Fantasy this year and next, and we explain why Gandalf is not a nice man. But he's a great wizard. WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: 2009 Château de Gueyze Buzet Veronica: Boekenhoutskloof Franschook The Wolftrap QUICK BURNS
Gene Wolfe Chosen as SFWA Grand Master TOC: “The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2013 Edition” edited by Rich Horton The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2012 CALENDAR TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES A LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA TV series? BARE YOUR SWORD
The Hobbit: an Anti-fantasy Novel (SPOILERS) Gandalf Is A Jerk! BOOK CHECK-IN
The Hobbit - Wrap-up this Friday Old man's War after that

ADDENDUMS

S&L Podcast - #117 - Is Gandalf a jerk?

S&L Video - #19 - Red Country, Revenge, & Joe Abercrombie

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:38:06 +0000

Joe Abercrombie, author of The First Law trilogy, joins us to talk his fantasy western Red Country, letting go of fan favorite characters, and Logen Ninefinger's favorite whiskey.

More about our guest, Joe Abercrombie:

On the Web: http://www.joeabercrombie.com/

On Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/276660.Joe_Abercrombie

S&L Video - #18 - Doctor Who, Dragon Kisses, and Paul Cornell

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:52:40 +0000

S&L Podcast - #116 - Secret of success

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 04:09:56 +0000

Friends of Sword and Laser are doing VERY well. We're not saying that being a guest on Sword and Laser will guarantee you riches... but it seems like it might. Just saying. Also we have verification on the humanity of the Bibliomat. Also WARNING: there's cursing. But it's worth it. All that and Moria, on this episode. WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: Fire Rock Pale Ale Veronica: Two Angels Petit Syrah QUICK BURNS
The Human Division Episode Release Dates + Cover Art Reveals + More! Ernie Cline Signs a New Book Deal The Lord of the Rings saga lies hidden deep in your Mac Steven Erikson: I’m Not Competing With George R. R. Martin Behold! The New Website for Michael Moorcock’s New “New Worlds” is Live! Google Play store now accepting pre-orders for books, bibliophiles rejoice Schooling a reader who doesn't like female, middle-aged, black pirate captains CALENDAR BARE YOUR SWORD
S&L Anthology The 12 Days Of Awesome TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL TV series on the way Hobbit Week on the Colbert Report BOOK CHECK-IN The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien EMAIL I went to the Monkey's Paw this weekend when I was in Toronto. I took a video (albeit crappy) of it. I was thinking I could send you guys the book for your set, as the random book I received ended up being...."The Dictionary of Mysticism". What do you think? Thanks, Caitlin from Canada
Tom Merritt Awesome! So..... person inside??
Caitlin O'Brien to Tom, Veronica ....sort of. I put my money in, and it made some noises, but nothing came out. A guy at the front of the store yelled ""just a minute!"" and came back to load it for me. Once he was done, he gave me back my toonie and told me keeping it stocked is a full time second job. So, there was human involvment - just no human inside. Plus, when I was googling the address, I came across this video: http://jezebel.com/5965769/magical-used-book-store-dispenses-random-literary-treasures and it shows how it works. I was pretty excited that something so relevant to the Sword and Laser came out. --- Hey Tom & Veronica, just wanted to leave some feedback on the audio podcasts. I really like the new overall show balance you guys have got going these days with the news in the audio podcast, and also the more relaxed feel that you seem to have. The audio show is the perfect thing to listen to late at night with a glass of wine when you need to unwind. (I'm drinking a nice locally-made Ontario riesling, for the record.) I love the idea of the audience being on the audio show, the ""plead your case"" scenario, especially in cases like Nick's. Have you heard back from him yet? Is he going to be on the show? As always, I love all the show formats, audio and video. Have a great day! Gordon S. McLeod --- "Tom and Veronica, I just wanted to say that I think you do a wonderful job with The Sword and Laser podcast and YouTube show. I started listening to the podcast in 2009. Since then, you have introduced me to so many great books. I don't often read along with your picks, but I usually add them to my ""to-read"" list and have read many of them later on. I've also really enjoyed the author interviews over the years. The author spotlights on the YouTube show are especially nice. Oh, and I have to send a big thanks for convincing me to sign up for Audible. My commutes to work are sooooo much better now. Thanks for everything and keep up the great work! Happy holidays, Mike" --- ADDENDUMS This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #116 - Secret of success

S&L December Book Club: 'The Hobbit' Kick-Off

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:13:26 +0000

We kick-off a Classic Sword pick, J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit, find out what THE Cloud Atlas is all about, and reassure Lem that he's still our favorite dragon.

More about our December pick, The Hobbit:
On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5907.The_Hobbit
The Hobbit movie: http://www.thehobbit.com/

E-Mails & GoodReads Discussions:
http://www.theawl.com/2012/11/ways-in-which-the-movie-cloud-atlas-has-changed...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeEdIBuanmU
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1090560-who-s-your-favorite-dragon

Bridge of Birds Review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5x2xmrE0-c

The Sword & Laser Anthology

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:41:27 +0000

We've been talking about it for years, but now it's actually going to be a real thing! That's right, we're officially announcing the Sword & Laser Anthology!

We'll be starting open submissions in March, but here's what you need to know:

1. We're looking for unpublished, new material.

2. Genres: science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between.

3. Word count preferably between 1500-7500 (though more or less will not disqualify you).

DON'T SEND US ANYTHING YET! We won't even LOOK at it until we announce the open call. Just start thinking about what you'd like to submit. We wanted to give you some warning, but you'll have time, we promise!

GOOD LUCK and GOOD WRITING!

S&L Video - "The Dirty Streets of Heaven" Wrap-Up

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:03:13 +0000

Turkey has been gobbled, NaNoWriMo is drawing to a close, and that means its time to wrap-up Tad Williams' The Dirty Streets of Heaven and check in with the discussions happening over on GoodReads.

More about our November pick, The Dirty Streets of Heaven:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542846-the-dirty-streets-of-heaven

Discussion Threads:

Gift Giving in the Digital Age: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1079513-gifting-in-the-digital-age
DRM Free E-Books: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1087195-copyright-free-published-books and https://www.smashwords.com

S&L Podcast - #115 - Ghallu everyone!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:22:00 +0000

On this episode we breakdown the Tolkien estate case against Warner Brothers, debate the origins of the Ghallu, and even figure out the January book pick! Also Tom has a Snow Day. But it's not what you think. It's BETTER!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale Veronica: 2008 Eagle Vale Margaret River Shiraz QUICK BURNS Happy Birthday to Michael Stackpole! The Tolkien Estate Sues to Protect Their Precious J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore adds ebook gifting and new book Terry Pratchett to pass DISCWORLD onto his daughter Goodreads Reader's Choice awards Penguin expands library ebook lending with Baker & Taylor Meet the Bibliomat: a homemade vending machine for old books CALENDAR BARE YOUR SWORD Ghallu..have I seen this moster before? NaNoWriMo 2012 TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES The Man in the High Castle' and other Philip K. Dick works slated for film and TV adaptations Season 3 of 'Game of Thrones' set to begin March 31st BOOK CHECK-IN Dirty Streets wrap-up this Friday - The Hobbit Kick-Off Dec. 7 Shall we settle the January Pick? ADDENDUMS This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #115 - Ghallu everyone!

S&L Video - #17 - Author Guide to Patrick Rothfuss

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:11:32 +0000

Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Kingkiller Chronicles, joins us in the space castle to talk world building, beard growing, and how he ripped off Sir Issac Newton.

S&L Video - #16 - Author Guide to Jim Butcher!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:36:56 +0000

Jim Butcher joins us to talk about Harry Dresden's latest adventure, his upcoming steampunk series, and how LARP helps shape his world building.

Join our Goodreads forum!
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4170.The_Sword_and_Laser

Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: http://full.sc/GTVYfM

More about our guest, Jim Butcher:
On the Web: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10746.Jim_Butcher
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/longshotauthor

More on The Dresden Files:
Main Series: http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden
Side Jobs: http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/side-jobs
Comics: http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/comics
Television Series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files_(TV_series)
RPG: http://www.evilhat.com/home/category/dresden-files-rpg-game-news/
On GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/series/40346-the-dresden-files

More on The Codex Alera:
Series: http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/alera
Wiki: http://codexalera.wikia.com/wiki/Codex_Alera_Wiki
On GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/series/45545-codex-alera

LARP with Jim!
http://www.jim-butcher.com/jim/game-with-jim
http://www.heroicit.net/
http://www.heroicit.net/Central

"Butcher, Wordsworth, and Pop-Tarts" by Aaron: http://youtu.be/z1_Pu4ixJhY

S&L Podcast - #114 - World-builder porn

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 04:08:04 +0000

It's a fun show this time. No, seriously, you should try to listen. We talk with Dave Gross, Lead Writer at Overhaul Games, and James L. Sutter a co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Fiction Editor for Paizo Publishing. They share some great insights on the relationship of role-playing games to fantasy novels as well as just about the craft of writing itself. Also Veronica peer pressures Tom into drinking.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Racer 5 IPA
Veronica: 2009 Pirie South Tasmania Pinot Noir

QUICK BURNS
How to Get Signed and Personalized Scalzi Books for the Holidays, 2012

Who would win in a fight between Tolkien characters and Game of Thrones characters? George R.R. Martin weighs in

Fake William Gibson novels, tweeted

Philip Pullman's Grimm's Fairytales

BARE YOUR SWORD
Is this indicative of Tad Williams' work?

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW
Dave Gross, Lead Writer at Overhaul Games, developers of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition. and James L. Sutter a co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Fiction Editor for Paizo Publishing.

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

ADDENDUMS

S&L Podcast - #114 - World-builder porn

S&L November Book Club: 'The Dirty Streets of Heaven' Kick-Off

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:52:51 +0000

It's November, and while its not quite time for turkey, it is time for us to kick-off our book for the month, Tad Williams' The Dirty Streets of Heaven! Enjoy!

More about our November pick, The Dirty Streets of Heaven:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13542846-the-dirty-streets-of-heaven

Discussion Threads:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1061532-nanowrimo-2012
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1058463-cover-art-is-it-just-me

3D S&L Pub by Roel: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yzpUYg23bao/UH86Oifb0MI/AAAAAAAABSA/j-wE6G...

S&L Video - #14B - Cloud Atlas Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:34:38 +0000

Before you head to the theatres to see the film adaptation of Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, join us in the space pub as we wrap-up our October pick and check in with everyone on GoodReads!

More about our October pick, Cloud Atlas:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49628.Cloud_Atlas

More on the Cloud Atlas film adaptation:
http://www.cloudatlasmovie.com
http://www.facebook.com/cloudatlas
Trailer: http://youtu.be/ByehYal_cCs

Discussion Threads:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/4170-the-sword-and-laser
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1036631-neurotagging
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/983371-ai-taking-over-the-world

Orbital Resonance review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rl3-u4VXSo

S&L Podcast - #113 - Almost amazing

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:12:21 +0000

This week we get a review of the Cloud Atlas movie, a sneak peek at the Dirty Streets of Heaven and a debate about Denny's.

WHAT WE'RE DRINKING
Tom: 2010 Peachy Canyon Zinfandel Incredible Red
Veronica: Unicorn tears

QUICK BURNS
JRR Tolkien letter reveals poor sales of The Hobbit

The Hobbit’s Second Breakfast being served at Denny’s is something that is happening

Neal Stephenson talks REAMDE with lawyers, security experts

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Cloud Atlas movie

BOOK CHECK-IN
Tom also finishing Isles of the Forsaken by Carolyn Ives Gilman
Veronica finished Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1) by Jim Butcher.

EMAIL

Hey guys,
I love your show. Can't wait for the Robin Hobb interview. Will that be on the youtube webcast and the audio podcast? I read Liveship, Tawny Man, Farseer, and the new Rain Wilds series. I had to Lem the Soldier Son....it was way too slow and a little boring....I didn't like the protagonist at all.

Anyway, I am really writing today about the email below. You guys are going to be in the money for all of the books you have bought from Amazon. I have had a Kindle for around 3 years and I am always disappointed about the pricing. The electronic version of a book should ALWAYS be less then the hardback/paperback but that is not always so.

It looks like some publishers are finally trying to put an end of the extreme pricing.
What do you think?

Is the Youtube podcast ever going to go to Itunes as a videocast? I am not always in front of my computer / smart TV so it would be great if my IPod could play the video cast. You guys look great on a 55"" HD TV by the way.

My author interview wishlist: Scott Lynch, Gentlemen Bastards...Brent Weeks, Lightbringer.....Peter V. Brett, Demon War....
Thanks,
Craig from PA

Dear Kindle Customer,
We have good news. You are entitled to a credit for some of your past e-book purchases as a result of legal settlements between several major e-book publishers and the Attorneys General of most U.S. states and territories, including yours. You do not need to do anything to receive this credit. We will contact you when the credit is applied to your Amazon.com account if the Court approves the settlements in February 2013.
Hachette, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster have settled an antitrust lawsuit about e-book prices. Under the proposed settlements, the publishers will provide funds for a credit that will be applied directly to your Amazon.com account. If the Court approves the settlements, the account credit will appear automatically and can be used to purchase Kindle books or print books. While we will not know the amount of your credit until the Court approves the settlements, the Attorneys General estimate that it will range from $0.30 to $1.32 for every eligible Kindle book that you purchased between April 2010 and May 2012. Alternatively, you may request a check in the amount of your credit by following the instructions included in the formal notice of the settlements, set forth below. You can learn more about the settlements here:
www.amazon.com/help/agencyebooksettlements
In addition to the account credit, the settlements impose limitations on the publishers’ ability to set e-book prices. We think these settlements are a big win for customers and look forward to lowering prices on more Kindle books in the future.
Thank you for being a Kindle customer.
The Amazon Kindle Team

ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #113 - Almost amazing

S&L Podcast - #112 - Interview with G. Willow Wilson!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:21:39 +0000

Today we show you just why the audio podcast is different and more REAL than anything else you listen to. Then we calm down, sober up, time travel, and have a fascinating interview with G. Willow Wilson. Turns out, she is awesome. Find out why! WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: 2011 Black Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir Haro Hills Veronica: 2009 Sassotondo Ciliegiolo Toscana QUICK BURNS
2 New “Star Wars” Books on the Horizon by John Jackson Miller and James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)
Neil Gaiman announces new novel
Amazon Studios Options Its First Novel, Seed, For A Crowdsourced, Big-Screen Adaptation The Humble Ebook Bundle Is Back With Works By Doctorow, Gaiman, and Scalzi Student Publishes Extensive Statistics On the Population of Middle-Earth CALENDAR INTERVIEW
G. Willow Wilson Wikipedia entry G. Willow Wilson's Website ADDENDUMS This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #112 - Interview with G. Willow Wilson!

S&L Video - #14 - Author Guide for Gail Carriger!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:12:12 +0000

Gail Carriger joins us in the space castle for tea time, a lesson in Victorian vampire name pronunciation, and what's forthcoming from the 'Parasol Protectorate' universe!

Find Gail Carriger online!
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2891665.Gail_Carriger
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gailcarrigerr
Website: http://gailcarriger.com/
Retro Fashion Blog: http://retrorack.blogspot.com/

Our Author Guide to Gail Carriger links:

Background on the Author:
http://www.steampunktribune.com/2010/10/oi9-interview-with-ms-gail-carriger.html
http://gailcarriger.com/images/home/gail.png
http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles32879.jpg
http://new.oberlin.edu/
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/index.aspx
http://anthro.ucsc.edu/graduate/anthropological-archaeology.html

'The Parasol Protectorate' series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulless_(novel)
http://www.orbitbooks.net/soulless/
http://www.nelsonagency.com/sales_bestsellers.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeless_(novel)
http://www.orbitbooks.net/2010/04/07/changeless-becomes-a-new-york-times-best...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blameless_(novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartless_(Carriger_novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeless_(novel)

S&L Video - #13B - 'Cloud Atlas' Kick-off

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:33:55 +0000

With a movie adaptation coming to theatres on October 26th, we kick-off David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, check in with the folks over on Goodreads, and giggle like schoolboys at the titles of a few of Tom's favorite pieces of pulp fiction!

More about our October Pick, David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49628.Cloud_Atlas

Discussion Threads:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/972592-renegade-read-for-august-september...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/999082-post-your-pulp-gems
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/993638-serialised-novels-what-do-you-think

Railsea review by David: http://youtu.be/fV17ak0C0_8

Check out the Calendar for upcoming interviews and book picks:http://swordandlaser.com/calendar

S&L Video - #12B - 'Foundation' Wrap-Up

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:23:07 +0000

September is drawing to a close, and that means its time to wrap up this month's Laser pick, Foundation by Issac Asimov! We wonder if Hari Seldon could have predicted it was this month's pick...

Learn more about our September pick!
Foundation: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29579.Foundation

Discussion Threads:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/972592-renegade-read-for-august-september...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/999082-post-your-pulp-gems
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/993638-serialised-novels-what-do-you-think

Railsea review by David: http://youtu.be/fV17ak0C0_8

S&L Podcast - #111 - Shhh! Science fiction is tired

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 02:56:58 +0000

Is science fiction exhauasted? It has a had a hard century's work. We'll examine that, invite you to read some banned books, and smell Veronica's feet. Don't let that last one put you off. We also kick off Cloud Atlas.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Racer 5 Veronica: Fridge was empty QUICK BURNS Joe Haldeman lecture on SF writing Rudy Rucker has launched a new novel, Turing & Burroughs Silvia Hartmann is writing a novel and is welcoming you to watch her progress. Live and in real-time. Demystifying Science Fictional Terms (+ Reading Recommendations to Help You Understand), Part 4 Cover & Synopsis: “Etiquette & Espionage” by Gail Carriger CALENDAR BARE YOUR SWORD
Banned Books Week Is SF&F exhausted? BOOK CHECK-IN
Cloud Atlas Kick-off video coming at the end of this week Great resource for Cloud Atlas
EMAIL
I have always been an avid reader but not a fantasy/sci-fi reader until I started to listen to your audio podcast, I came by the way of Buzz Out Loud. Listening to ya'll talk about the Game of Thrones so much made me decide I had to give a shot, well I started reading them in July and am over half way through the 5th book now we are also watching the HBO series. I wanted to thank you for introducing me to such a great series that I otherwise would have missed and to send you some pictures that I think of every time the talk about the old gods in the weirwood trees. http://www.flickr.com/photos/82006512@N00/8037943720/in/photostream/ These pictures are from Orr Park in Montevallo, Alabama were a local artist by the name of Tingle has been carving in the deadwood trees since at least 1993. Just had to share these pics with ya'll. Love the show, Laura Boggs Montevallo, Alabama

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #111 - Shhh! Science fiction is tired

S&L Video - #13 - Author Guide to Cherie Priest!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 23:44:27 +0000

We sit down with Cherie Priest, the author of 'Boneshaker' and all around steampunk extraordinaire, to talk the new direction her writing is taking, why she loves steampunk, and learn a little about a family legend passed down from her "feuding hillbilly" ancestors.

More about our guest, Cherie Priest!

Webpage: http://www.cheriepriest.com/
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmpriest
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/221253.Cherie_Priest

S&L Podcast - #110 - Interview with Anton Strout!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:56:53 +0000

It's a virtual bachelorette party of SciFi and Fantasy discussion today, with a chat about how SciFi can be interesting if it follows the laws of physics, and an interview with author Anton Strout.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Kona Big Wave Golden Ale
Veronica: Fruity vodka drink with Passion Fruit and stuff

QUICK BURNS
The full story of the Targaryen Conquest in A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
Sneak peek at graphic novel of Wrinkle in Time
William Gibson on Twitter, Antique Watches and Internet Obsessions
William Gibson on Why Sci-Fi Writers Are (Thankfully) Almost Always Wrong
William Gibson on Punk Rock, Internet Memes, and ‘Gangnam Style’
William Gibson on the io9 show
Neal Stephenson on the Hieroglyph Project
Neal Stephenson on Predictions and Surprises
How to Write a Killer Space Adventure Without Breaking the Speed of Light

CALENDAR

Interview with Anton Strout

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

S&L Podcast - #110 - Interview with Anton Strout

S&L Video - #12 - Interview with LeVar Burton!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 00:48:51 +0000

Take a look, he's not in a book, he's on Sword & Laser! LeVar Burton joins us to discuss his favorite novels, the future of Reading Rainbow, and what one line he'd strike from our memory of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

More about our guest, LeVar Burton!

Webpage: http://levarburton.com/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/levarburton
Reading Rainbow App: http://www.rrkidz.com/

Show Notes:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/09/03/the-hugo-winners-2012/
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/09/patrick-rothfuss-will-write-more-fantasy-aft...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/third-hobbit-film-sets-release-367258
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-3126_7-57507546/amazons-new-kindles-everything-y...
http://scifisongs.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-album-due-september-18th.html

"Kitty Norville" Whiteboard Review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjk9ecE5sv0

S&L Video - #11B - Foundation Kick-Off

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:30:42 +0000

We kick off Foundation, and answer your viewer feedback!

S&L Podcast - #109 - Live at DragonCon with R.A. Salvatore!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:34:46 +0000

It's that time of year again... DragonCon! If you weren't able to join us for our live show, never fear! We recorded it for you. Joining us on this episode is the wonderful R.A. Salvatore, who answered your questions and gave us some great advice for new writers.

Also, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter! We'll keep you up-to-date on all the upcoming live shows and appearances, and make sure you don't miss a video show or audio podcast!

S&L Podcast - #109 - Live at DragonCon with R.A. Salvatore!

S&L Video - #10B and #11 - Gary Whitta and Assassin's Apprentice Wrap-up

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:08:02 +0000

We sit down with writer and all around great geek Gary Whitta to discuss his upcoming projects, The Book of Eli, and how The Walking Dead video game nearly made his head explode.

We wrap-up our August pick, Assassin's Apprentice, and Veronica uses the Skill* to check in with everyone over on GoodReads.

*Tom's pretty sure she just used the internet.

Also, make sure you sign up for our new monthly newsletter to make sure you never miss an episode of the video show OR the audio podcast!

S&L Podcast - #108 - Ye olde dragon phylogeny

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 03:15:49 +0000

We have essential info for Wheel of Time fans, dragon fans, and we debate the best SciFi weapons. Also, Veronica claims to be able to hear Tom's face.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Boont Amber Ale
Veronica: Carolans Irish Liqueur

QUICK BURNS
Forbes reveals list of 2011's top-earning authors
Adam Whitehead gets back to his summary of the Wheel of Time series
The evolutionary history of dragons, illustrated by a scientist
All 29 editions of Year’s Best Science Fiction anthologies coming as e-books
Great writing advice from this year's Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy writing workshop
Digital Book World aims for a more accurate ebook bestseller list

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Coolest Sci-Fi Weapons
We're Number 2!

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Ciarán Hinds is Mance Rayder in GAME OF THRONES

BOOK CHECK-IN
A Question About Shrewd's command -spoilers!
Ending Questions (Very Spoilery)
What else are we reading?

VOICEMAIL

We're going to DragonCon!
Sword and Laser Podcast – LIVE
We’ll do a live version of our audio podcast with a special guest author and take your questions. So get to reading!
Time: Sat 02:30 pm Location: Crystal Ballroom – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
Parsec Awards
The Parsec Awards are the yearly awards for speculative fiction podcasts. I’ll be presenting, and Veronica Belmont will be hosting!
Time: Sun 04:30 pm Location: International North Room – Hyatt

S&L Podcast - #108 - Ye olde dragon phylogeny

S&L Video - #10 - Interview with Adam Christopher

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 23:01:28 +0000

We talk with 'Empire State' author Adam Christopher about his upcoming book 'Seven Wonders,' alternate New Yorks, and what kind of superhero he'd like to be.

Learn more about our guest!
Adam Christopher: http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghostfinder
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/adamchristopher

Show Notes:
http://www.gfmfilms.co.uk/films/pre-production/neuromancer/
http://savethescifi.com/
http://storybundle.com/
http://www.galacticfootballleague.com
http://www.theawl.com/2012/08/a-timeline-of-future-events

'Damiano' Whiteboard Review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smc8PBVDkfY

S&L Podcast - #107 - Victory bringer!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:06:24 +0000

In this episode, we learn how to control Veronica using the power of her "true name": Nathan! Like the hot dogs! We also talk about the fine art of seducing writers.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: Bear Republic: Racer 5 India Pale Ale Veronica: Red Wine
QUICK BURNS GAME OF THRONES & WINDS OF WINTER news The Most Brilliant Fairy Tale Novel We’ve Read in Years Scott Lynch sets up a new blog Sci-Fi writers of the past predict life in 2012 Classic SF of the 1950s: beautiful books introduced by Gibson, Gaiman, Reed, Willis, Straub and others
CALENDAR
BARE YOUR SWORD Neil Gaiman's advice on how to seduce a writer. MOAR!! More kids What Else Are You Reading? > Renegade Read for August/September 2012: Cloud Atlas
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES Lorenzo Di Bonaventura wants Mark Wahlberg to play the Neuromancer Science Fiction Authors Who Could be Hollywood’s Next Philip K. Dick
BOOK CHECK-IN Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb The meaning of your name
EMAIL
Dear Tom and Veronica, First of all, I love the show and I'm excited to be a part of your book club. I'd just like to thank you for this month's pick. I must admit I had my reservations about the novel (I'm not a huge fan of first person narration.) But I was quite surprised by how quickly the pages were turning. I was at the Half-Price bookstore and on page 13 when my brother showed me what he'd intended to buy. The Playstation version of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Then it occurred to me I should try to read the book using Simon Templeman's voice as an older Fitz relating his childhood. The book went from pretty interesting to nothing short of awesome. The voice of Kain going through your head and narrating a tale of a boy's travails as he learns the trade of killing people? What's not to love? Anyway, I thought you'd get a kick out of that. Once again, thank you so much for the pick. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Take care guys. Yours truly, Dwayne.
ADDENDUMS This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #107 - Victory bringer!

S&L Video - #09 - Interview with John Scalzi and Assassin's Apprentice Kick-off!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:05:08 +0000

Here for your viewing pleasure are the two videos that, combined, compromise Episode 9 of the Sword and Laser! We interview the fantastic Mr. John Scalzi, and in our August book kick-off discuss one of Veronica's favorite picks, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb!

S&L Video - #8B - 'Leviathan Wakes' Wrap-up

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:17:37 +0000

It's our end of month book club wrap-up. We tell you our thoughts on Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, look at what you were saying about it on Goodreads and announce our book pick for August!

S&L Podcast - #106 - Interview with Michael A. Stackpole

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:00:02 +0000

Veronica's on a beach in Hawaii but found a TARDIS or something, so we have an incredibly confusing discussion about ethics, and then an incredibly awesome discussion with author Michael Stackpole. Join us, won't you?

QUICK BURNS Big GAME OF THRONES Season 3 news CALENDAR BOOK CHECK-IN Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey EMAIL
You are Spot On - It's impossible to carry enough fuel (in the fusion reactor, this fuel is in the form of fuseable pellets) to power a generation ship for hundreds of years at full thrust. The Nauvoo's mid section is actually an enormous drum that creates spin gravity after the initial acceleration. This becomes an important plot point in book 3. - Ty Franck INTERVIEW Michael A. Stackpole Best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books.

ADDENDUMS

S&L Podcast - #106 - Interview with Michael A. Stackpole

S&L Video - #08 - Interview with Daniel Suarez

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:20:47 +0000

Author Daniel Suarez joins us to discuss Kill Decision, daemons, and whether he's sent unmanned drones to annihilate us or not!

S&L Podcast - #105 - To Lem or not to Lem?

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 03:02:27 +0000

We kick off Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, debate Terry Goodkind's response to book pirates, and discuss what makes for good and kind book discussion. See what I did there? Goodkind. Good... Kind... just listen.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: Water Veronica: Absinthe
QUICK BURNS We're coming to Comic-Con Terry Goodkind publicly names and shames ebook pirate Release a deadly monster: a DRM-free ebook crowdfunding startup Summer School for Geeks: 11 New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books 10 Great Science Fiction Novels with Go-Back-To-Bed Depressing Endings
CALENDAR
BARE YOUR SWORD Tor will serialize John Scalzi’s next Old Man’s War novel online Ben Bova defends science fiction; asteroid mining
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES Lack of Star Trek GAME OF THRONES Season 3 news round-up
BOOK CHECK-IN Does co-writing cause storytelling interruption? That Zany Belter Patois! Why is the Nauvoo a generation ship?

WHAT ARE WE READING Veronica: Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James Tom: Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons and The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham

ADDENDUMS This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #105 - To Lem or not to Lem?

Come meet Tom and Veronica at Comic-Con!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 19:00:33 +0000

Hey all, we're a comin' to San Diego for Comic-Con, and we know a few of you are too, so why not come out and say hey. We might give you a t-shirt, and we're certain to give you a bookmark, a smile and a hearty hello! Here's where we'll be in San Diego and when:
THURSDAY July 12 (all times Pacific) 3 PM Sword and Laser meet and greet at Belo, 919 4th Avenue, San Diego. 9 PM Geek and Sundry Disco Dance Party, also at Belo. (More details on all Geek and Sundry events!)
FRIDAY July 13 (all Times, spooooky , also, still Pacific) 1 PM Sword and Laser Q&A at the YouTube stage. 325 7th Avenue, San Diego. Come ask us things!

S&L Video - #07 - Interview with Rob Reid & our Leviathan Wakes kick-off!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:09:15 +0000

As you can see, we have a fancy new format for the video show! This way, we can devote more time to the book club portion, and those who can't (or don't want to) follow along with the book pick can get right to the meat of our interviews and quick burns! We hope you enjoy it!

S&L Video - George R.R. Martin - Bonus interview!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:16:30 +0000

We felt a little bad keeping him from writing the final books, but we had more questions! Check out the full interviews here. Video link: http://youtu.be/VEegFASVTLs

S&L Podcast - #104 - Live at Nerdtacular 2012

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 22:46:17 +0000

We do the show in front of a live audience at Nerdtacular 2012 in Salt Lake City! Live singing of the Reading Rainbow theme, a house motto contest and questions from the audience ensue.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Wasatch 1st Ammendment Lager QUICK BURNS Rothfuss, Martin, Valente and Mieville win awards BEYOND THE WALL now on sale If politics in Game of Thrones featured attack ads Awesome Books to Replace Your Favorite Cancelled TV Shows LeVar Burton talks Reading Rainbow: from TV to e-books and beyond

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
To Unlem
Regarding Book Discussion

BOOK STUFF
July book poll is done! Leviathan Wakes is our July pick.

EMAIL
Hey Veronica and Tom! I just posted this in the ""What Else Are You Reading?"" forum and wanted to make sure you saw it since I know you like supporting cool Kickstarter projects. This one is a ""techno epic/spiritual fiction"" graphic novel created by Wired magazine co-founder Kevin Kelly with several talented writers and artists and they've already completed the free-to-read book one and are looking for funding for book two. Here's the post in GoodReads: The Silver Cord - free graphic novel Here's the Kickstarter page: The Silver Cord -- A Techno-Epic Graphic Novel I love the show and would love hearing about this in a future episode! Thanks, Dan

ADDENDUMS

S&L Podcast - #104 - Live at Nerdtacular 2012

S&L Video - #06 - George R. R. Martin Game of Thrones Special!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:05:30 +0000

Our Game of Thrones spectaular is here! We interview author George R.R. Martin and ask many of your questions, and we also talk philosophy with Henry Jacoby (Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords). We drink blue wine while wrapping up Tigana, and much more!

Show Notes:

Three Hidden Keys Open Three Secret Gates

Audiobooks Times Three

THE OFFICIAL YEAR ZERO TRAILER

S&L Podcast - #103 - Interview with Seanan McGuire

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:58:16 +0000

Ha! Didn't think you were getting an audio podcast this week did you? Well, we had a chance to interview Seanan McGuire, who also writes as Mira Grant, and we jumped at the opportunity to talk about zombies, SFSqueecast and Low Men in Yellow Coats. We think you'll like hearing about it too. Interview! Thanks everyone for your questions! Seanan Maguire, AKA Mira Grant Addendums

S&L Podcast - #103 - Interview with Seanan McGuire

S&L Video - James S.A. Corey - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:10:18 +0000

Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham (a.k.a. James S.A. Corey) chat with us about Leviathan Wakes!

S&L Podcast - #102 - I, Dictator

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:00:20 +0000

It's a roller-coaster ride of emotions this week, as we say goodbye to one of science fiction's greatest writers, revel in swordfighting, and declare Veronica all-powerful. But there's also voting for the July book pick. Don't let all that democracy go to your head though. WHAT ARE WE DRINKING? Tom: 2008 Red Diamond Winery Shiraz Veronica: Charles Shaw Shiraz
QUICK BURNS Ray Bradbury, 1921-2012 Name your favorite Ray Bradbury book Neal Stephenson's 'Clang:' changing the sword fighting game Nebula Award winners announced Here Are the 1960s Science Fiction Novels Everyone Should Read CALENDAR 9/22 - 23 2012 Philip K. Dick Festival
BARE YOUR SWORD Tigana > Brandin vs Alberico First impression Tigana > A Word of Encouragement To Early Would-be Lemmers Thanks to Sean for setting up Listopias! Vote for your favorite books. SciFi Listopia Fantasy Listopia TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES Prometheus
BOOK CHECK-IN Tigana by Guy Gavriel-Kay July Book Poll
EMAIL Hello Tom and Veronica, In your last episode you mentioned that you noticed that fantasy seems to be more popular in later years than scifi, after which veronica immediately dissmissed the notion and attributed it to the popularity of game of thrones. It is not true, although game of thrones is extremely popular it's popularity is a simptom and not a cause. It is a well known fact that scifi had been slowing down as a ganre for 30 years, and in the same time the fantasy ganre had been on the rise, and it seems that during the last decade these trends had became more prominent. Love your show, Shaul from Israel. Keeping a candle in the window for scifi. --- ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #102 - I, Dictator

S&L Video - #05 - Interview with James S.A. Corey & our Tigana kick-off!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 23:27:43 +0000

The duo behind Leviathan Wakes, Ty Franck and Danial Abraham (as James S.A. Corey) chat with us, and we kick off our June pick! Plus, you finally guess the name of the dragon!

Learn more about our guest and book pick!
James SA Corey
Daniel Abraham on Twitter
Leviathan Wakes
Tigana

Show Notes:
https://twitter.com/#%21/NYerFiction
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/05/jennifer-egan-black-box.html
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120522-barcode-everyone-at-birth
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/05/journey-to-planet-joco-qredshirtq
http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2012/06/size-of-westeros-compared-to-usa.html
http://www.richardkmorgan.com/news/842/quest-fellow-blues/

Video Review by Dr. P: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivfZf2GeKWA

Link to full episode on YouTube: http://youtu.be/RTaPWYuuZlM?hd=1

S&L Video - Ernest Cline - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:21:16 +0000

Author and screenwriter Ernie Cline (Ready Player One) sticks around for a few more questions from the audience in our bonus video!

S&L Podcast - #101 - Interview with Todd McCaffrey at BayCon 2012

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:59:05 +0000

We set out to interview author Todd McCaffrey at BayCon 2012, but it ended up turning into a wonderful conversation about dragons, bacteria, space travel, and big ideas. Veronica also gets very flustered when asked to describe an "Anne McCaffrey dragon."

S&L Podcast - #101 - Interview with Todd McCaffrey at BayCon 2012

S&L Video - #04 - Interview with Ernest Cline & our Hyperion wrap-up!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:52:19 +0000

Author and screenwriter Ernest Cline joins us today to talk about Ready Player One, and we wrap up our May pick, Hyperion!

Learn more about our guest and book pick!

Ernest Cline: http://www.ernestcline.com/

Ernie on Twitter: twitter.com/erniecline

Ready Player One: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one

Hyperion: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77566.Hyperion

Show Notes:

SCOTT LYNCH - THE BASTARDS AND THE KNIVES TO BE PUBLISHED, SUMMARY AND COVER ART REVEALED

StarShipSofa Online Narrators Workshop KICKSTARTER: “The Lathe of Heaven” Theater Project

Nominate a Podcast

John W. Campbell Memorial Award Finalists

Video Review by Dr. P:

YouTube Direct Link: http://youtu.be/7FkioqeLtyg

S&L Video - Neal Stephenson & The Mongoliad authors

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:50:30 +0000

Tom and Veronica sat down with 6 of the 7 authors of the Mongoliad, including Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey, E.D deBirmingham, Cooper Moo, Neal Stephenson, and Mark Teppo.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_pkRAEPGOs

S&L Video - Lev Grossman - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:47:58 +0000

We've used our remedial magic to convince The Magicians author to stick around for a few more questions! Link: http://youtu.be/ACZrPD8KII0

S&L Podcast - #100 - We're Old!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:30:03 +0000

It's our 100th episode and we're having a party. But some of you are not having a party with our book pick. Well, you can just Farcast out of here! Kidding! It's OK if you Lem it. Borges tells you why.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Maker's Mark

Veronica: Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet

100 Episodes! Here's what we used to sound like.

QUICK BURNS

Finally, Harry Potter Is Touching Down on Amazon’s Kindle

Brush up on your Game of Thrones history with these animated shorts

Fantasy Novels That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity

Jack Williamson on what the future meant in the era of scientifiction

A New Translation of The One Russian Science Fiction Novel You Absolutely Must Read

Parsec Awards

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

Penny Arcade on China Mieville

How do you take your audiobooks?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Fox, Ridley Scott nab film rights to self-published sci-fi series

BOOK CHECK-IN

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Where do we stand on the June book?

Hyperion... LEMMED!

Other Dan Simmons work

2013 Hyperion Movie

EMAIL

Hey Tom & Veronica!

I just found out about you guys, and Geek & Sundry, in general. I'm super stoked: to hear Gaimen and Dick being thrown out there brings warm fuzzies to my book-lovin' heart. I enjoy what (be it your personality and literary smarts) and who (the authors!) your bring to the table. Can't wait for the next installment.

As for a dragon name, how about "Gelf"?

A gelf can be a elven creature (sword); a genetically enhanced life form (laser); or can be anything you want it to be (in our line of business, imagination is everything). See Urban Dictionary for more details. A-a-a-nd, for bonus points, it was a Gelfling that merged the Skexis and urRu into one awesome whole- just like you guys have have brought the sword and laser communities together and the yet-to-be-named dragon seems to be half traditional dragon and half... MechaGodzilla. =)

Anyway, you rock.

Sincerely,

Aaron

ADDENDUMS

NAME! THAT! DRAGON!

Secret Identity

S&L Podcast - #100 - We're Old!

Guess the dragon's name!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:53:17 +0000

S&L Video - #03 - Interview with Lev Grossman & our Hyperion kick-off!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:21:12 +0000

Celebrated author and book critic Lev Grossman answers your questions about The Magicians, and we kick off our brand new "laser" pick, Hyperion by Dan Simmons!

Learn more about our guest and book pick!

Lev Grossman: http://levgrossman.com/blog/
Lev on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leverus
The Magicians: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101718-the-magicians
Hyperion: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77566.Hyperion

Show Notes:
Best Served Cold Limited
5 Scientific Explanations for Game of Thrones‘ Messed-Up Seasons
Tor unveil the final cover art for A MEMORY OF LIGHT
The Most Messed Up Book About Robot Consciousness Ever
"The Testament of Jessie Lamb" by Jane Rogers

Video Review by Matt!

S&L Video - Saladin Ahmed - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:28:22 +0000

We ask author Saladin Ahmed more viewer questions. Plus he describes his new book and how he became a DM for Joe Abercrombie!

The S&L Wiki is now live!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:41:09 +0000

Good news, everyone! The Sword and Laser Wiki is live!

As with most wikis, this is open for anyone to edit, and a lot of work has already been done on the book list and glossary page, but chime in if there's anything else you'd like to add!

Also, did you see the amazing art Scott Johnson made for us for Nerdtacular '12? He's the best, as we'll be there recording a live audio show!

S&L Podcast - #99 - The Game of Sword Picks

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:06:01 +0000

It's an epic struggle... With The Magicians finally given our last words, and Hyperion by Dan Simmons kicked off, attention turns to the June "sword" pick. But while Veronica struggles with her penchant for democracy and her desire for supreme power, she comes up against one sobering fact: In the game of sword picks, you win or you read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2009 Château Haut-Sorillon

Veronica: St. george Absinthe Verte

QUICK BURNS

Neal Stephenson on Science Fiction, Building Towers 20 Kilometers High ... and Insurance

Sci-fi author sues Ubisoft over Assassin's Creed copyright infringement

Macmillan’s Tor/Forge goes DRM-free

IO9 listing the top 100 albums sff fans should listen to

10 Untranslatable Words (And When You’ll Want to Use Them)

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

Other Polarizing Books

Author Promo (Share Your Stuff!) > Help, please, oh gods of science

What Else Are You Reading? > Any fans of tie-in fiction?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Warner Bros. releases 'Casablanca,' 'Ben-Hur,' and other scripts as enhanced ebooks

BOOK WRAP-UP

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Last thoughts! We will have Mr. Grossman on the next video episode of Sword and Laser so submit your questions on GoodReads.

Next book will be Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Won the Hugo in 1989 - First book of the Hyperion Cantos (which some people may get bugged by because it definitely leads into a series)

From Wikipedia:

It's what is called a Frame Story - A frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc.) is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories. The frame story leads readers from a first story into another, smaller one (or several ones) within it. Mimics the canterbury Tales in many ways. Stories are told on a pilgrimage.

Hyperion is in development for a 2013 release (definitely subject to change since it hasn't started production yet). According to a 2008 io9 report the writer Trevor Sands will simplify Hyperion and mash it up with the sequel Fall of Hyperion http://io9.com/375998/dan-simmons-hyperion-books-will-be-smooshed-together-into-one-movie

And we're working on the June Pick.

EMAIL / VOICEMAILS

---

First, I love the show. I'm a fellow podcaster over at Guys Can Read. We do book reviews and interviews with authors like R. A. Salvatore and Daniel H. Wilson.

Also, I thought your listeners would be interested in my book launch into space! Here is the video. If you need any other media information just let me know.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Kevin

---

ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #99 - The Game of Sword Picks

S&L Video - #02 - The Magicians Wrap-Up and Interview with Saladin Ahmed!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:07:28 +0000

This week, we're wrapping up "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman (but don't despair if you haven't finished yet!) and we also speak with author Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell awards and author of "Throne fo the Crescent Moon."

Learn more about our guest and book pick! Saladin Ahmed: http://www.saladinahmed.com Saladin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/saladinahmed The Magicians: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101718-the-magicians

Show Notes: Neal Stephenson has a hard time talking about swordplay, in the Mongoliad trailer Which fictional character shares your birthday? What is "used book smell?" Aurora Nominations Novellas, Unbound!

Video Review from Charles!

Solve this puzzle for a secret look at Mira Grant’s BLACKOUT

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:01:49 +0000

Yesterday, io9 published an excerpt of Mira Grant's Blackout, the final book in her Newsflesh trilogy. Today, an intrepid Newsie hacked into the CDC computer system and liberated another file. For this one, though, you'll have to do a little digging...

Below is a puzzle whose answer reveals one of the five codes you'll need to access the second, top-secret document.

Rumor has it that you should be hanging around these other blogs to gather the other four:

Rose-Owls and Pumpkin Girls (The Journal of Seanan McGuire)

The Mary Sue

SF Signal

Fantasy Café

Once you've gathered all five codes, you can access the encrypted document at the Orbit Books site. WARNING: Massive spoilers for Feed and Deadline ahead!

Blackout will be available May 22nd.

Let us know where you would hole up during a zombie apocalypse in the comments below, and you will be entered to win the Newsflesh triology (Feed, Deadline, Blackout)! Open to participants in the US, Canada, and the UK. Winner will be randomly selected on May 2nd!

S&L Video - Scott Sigler - Bonus interview

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:36:45 +0000

We ask author Scott Sigler more questions than could fit in the main episode. Plus he tries to guess the name of the dragon.

Subscribe to Geek and Sundry.

S&L Podcast - #98 - Stop Saying Lady Cave!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:51:51 +0000

If you thought the audio podcast would get shorter because of our video show, you were not right. We have almost a full hour of discussion about why we like dark fantasy, what makes C.S. Lewis so cool, and the ups, downs, ins, and outs of Quentin Coldwater and The Magicians. Also Veronica keeps saying "lady cave" because she thinks it's funny. It's funny.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

What We're Drinking" segment needs an S&L name

Tom: Racer 5 IPA

Veronica: 2009 Mandolin Cabernet Sauvignon

QUICK BURNS

New cover art: Abercrombie, Sanderson, Banks, Sapkowski

Publisher hails CS Lewis 'space trilogy' e-book debut

Writing advice from C.S. Lewis was both adorable and concise

The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Libertarians

Over 2/3 of U.S. libraries offer e-books; 28% lend e-readers

Cover art and blurb for Peter F. Hamilton's GREAT NORTH ROAD

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

FAQ - A Sword and Laser Primer for New Members

Lev Grossman says what fantasy is about

Send us videos!

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Full episode list for Season 2 of GAME OF THRONES

GAME OF THRONES renewed for a third season

BOOK CHECK-IN

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Meta-mockery of the fantasy genre?

Courage of your convictions when referencing other books?

A Case of Loose Ends?

EMAIL

Hello Tom & Veronica,

i've just watched the first video version of Sword & Laser on Youtube, and i totally loved it!

I have a small question you guys can hopefully help me out with.

I've recently sold my tablet (the poor thing was collection dust on the shelf), but now i'm finding myself getting back into e-books.

I could read them on my smartphone, but the small screen makes me want to turn it off after a few minutes.

Reading them on the computer works sometimes, but my concentration levels aren't as high as i hoped, i usually find myself surfing the web withint 10-15 minutes.

Audiobooks may be a solution, and i am currently listening to one, narrated by your first guest Scott Sigler. However, i was hoping to somehow combine this with reading e-books.

Any tips on how to make it easier to read e)books for an hour at a time without reinvesting in a tablet or any other devices would be appreciated!

Love the show, your dragon definitely needs some patting :)

Sincerely,

ADDENDUMS

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.

S&L Podcast - #98 - Stop Saying Lady Cave!

S&L Video - #01 - We Kick-off The Magicians!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:46:09 +0000

It's here, it's really here! After months of hard work (and dealing with dragon negotiations) we've finally launched the video show! Check it out below:

Huge thanks to Scott Sigler for being on the first episode, and hopefully many of you have already started reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

Show Notes: Game of Thrones companion book - The Wertzone The Hugo Award Nominees Harry Potter e-books! - CNET Pheonix Pick giving away 10 free e-books - SFSignal The Kindle is opening up the world to new SFF authors - io9.com

S&L Podcast - #97 - Oh Man, We're Near 100!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:54:06 +0000

We realise right off the top of the show that we need to start planning for our 100th episode. Soon! We also figure out why SciFi is sometimes better than reality and dish what we thought of The Hunger Games movie. Also: GAME OF THRONES!!!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2011 Viñedos Errázuriz Ovalle Merlot/Malbec Panilonco Reserve Viñedos Marchigüe

Veronica: 2006 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco

QUICK BURNS

Expecto Patronum! Harry Potter is now an e-book

On sci-fi and technology

Could the Amazon Kindle Revitalize Science Fiction?

John Hodgman and Rob Reid talk Year Zero, Aliens, and the RIAA

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

What books would you recommend to someone scared of the Genre?

What do you do when reading?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

HBO releases extended GoT world map

Here there be White Walkers in stylized Game of Thrones maps

GAME OF THRONES companion book announced

BOOK CHECK-IN

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

S&L Podcast - #97 - Oh Man, We're Near 100!

The Sword and Laser Show - Preview Trailer!

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:39:16 +0000

There is a dragon. And a spaceship castle.

S&L Podcast - #96 - Interview with Scott Lynch

feedback@swordandlaser.com (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:32:16 +0000

We're psyched to interview Scott Lynch, who, spoiler alert, is the Scott who gets welcomed in the new member hellos too! Plus we delve into the Ender's Game controversy and pick good audio books for road trips.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Water
Veronica: 2006 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco

QUICK BURNS
Teacher Suspended For Reading Ender's Game To Students
How does 1Q84 stack up to Haruki Murakami’s classic novels?
Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Series That Started Out as Trilogies
EXPANSE Book III given a title

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

The Lies of Locke Lamora > Boing Boing's List of Vagabonds
Time for a road trip! (No, we don't mean we're going on tour)

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Twilight slashfic takes Hollywood

INTERVIEW
Scott Lynch
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch

BOOK PICK
Help pick our May book (It's a laser)

EMAIL
Hey there! I am an assistant librarian at Parman Library here in San Antonio, TX. I was wondering, since you guys have quite the following, if you could have an option on your site or goodreads site where people can submit their book groups/social clubs for others to search for. For instance, I have a science fiction book group at our library called Escape the Earth! and if it were listed on your site, which gets a lot of traffic from SF fans, it would bring my community closer together in our nerdom. Just a thought… Been enjoying the podcast!

Tyler D. Lutz
---

Hey Tom and Veronica.
Congrats on the video show, I'd actually always hoped we'd see a video show (though I always imagined it would have been a TWiT.TV show).
Anyway I have a couple of thoughts.
1. You mentioned the video show needing to be pretty strictly PG. Do you feel this is going to have a real impact on the book choices?
2. What's going to happen with Game of Thrones TV discussion? I'd really like you to think about doing a separate small 10-15 minute audioshow after each episode and drop them in the podcast feed.
Anyway really looking forward to the video show.
Jason (Australia).
---

I know you cant talk about it on sword and laser because of your sponsor but I think people should know about
http://librivox.org/
It is a website that is trying to record all public domain books into audio books and then publish them on the web under creative commons. People can volunteer to read books or chapters and upload them back to the site. They are all surprising well done and although not on the same level as paid versions. They are very easy to listen to, unlike computer synthesized voices.
I first heard about from the roku channel on the nowhere man's privet channel page
http://thenowhereman.com/roku/
I would love to know what you think about it
Thanks
-Andrew

NEW MEMBER HELLOS
Jonathan, Paul, Courtney, Mike, Josh, Scott, Micha, Tyler, Brooke, Yento, G Willow Wilson, Brandon, Carleen, Leslie, Amber, Travis, Kelly, Hagar, Vicki,Terry, Quinton, Dan, Josh, Gally, Mike, Rachel, Phil, Cameron, Ryan, Chase, JC, Frank, Mike, Louie, Cy, Nick, Jon, Trevor, Sean, Damian, Hunter, Gary, Sam, Jacob, Hai, Tony, Phillip, Eric, TK, Will, CF, Jason, ob1spyker, Semora (see-more-ah), Luis, Tracey, Mimsey, Sara, Paul, John

S&L Podcast - #96 - Interview with Scott Lynch