Podcasts by The Sword and Laser
Read along with the Sword and Laser book club! From classic science fiction to the latest gritty fantasy, we cover it. Subscribe for book discussions, author interviews, hot releases, and news from the genre fiction world!
Further podcasts by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
Podcast on the topic Bücher
All episodes
#477 - I Said What I Said, She Said from 2023-11-30T21:15:45
Veronica now knows how to catch up on Old Man's War. Should good books not be SciFi? Is "they said" saying too much? He “sucked his teeth” is not enough! We kick off Kings of the Wyld and wrap up M...
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#476 - Don't Get Your Atmoscarf In A Bunch from 2023-11-16T17:48:41
We're huge fans of mushrooms! Fourth Wing is EVERYWHERE. And remember, the very aspects of a novel you might not fancy could be the same ones that captivate someone else.
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#475 - Father Knows Best from 2023-11-02T16:33:24
Awards season is here! We're celebrating deserving winners and discussing potential TV and movie adaptations of our favorite books. This November, we're diving into a novel about trains on Jupiter ...
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#474 - The Vibe-rary at Mt. Char from 2023-10-19T16:04:55
Best books of the year? Already? How Veronica got her k-wires out. And our non-spoilery thoughts on Library at Mount Char.
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#473 - Dewey Decimated from 2023-10-10T16:13:29
Veronica's state of K-wires, the most highly-rated books in the world, we kick off our read of The Library of Mount Char, and wrap up China Mountain Zhang.
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#472 - Felicia Day Opens Her Third Eye from 2023-09-28T15:57:18
We talk to Felicia Day about her new Audible Original Third Eye, and how her own struggles led to her story about a chosen one who fails. Plus, we talk about the importance of doing what you love a...
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#471 - PSL: Pumpkin Sword and Laser from 2023-09-21T17:21:53
Guess what? The new Bobiverse is coming, and we would love to have your emails! Plus, we've got some super cool thoughts (no spoilers, promise) on China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh. But you...
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#470 - Hammfisted from 2023-08-31T16:08:59
The last new Terry Pratchett stories, the rise of nonsense literature, a brief intro to our September pick China Mountain Zhang, and final thoughts on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
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#469 - Venomous Breaded Hairtail Sucker from 2023-08-24T16:25:36
Veronica has been in Canada for a year, and the best book in Canada is about Marie Antoinette. Tom ate some breaded hairtail and is excited about Gail Carriger's K-pop post. Plus, we announce the S...
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#468 - Go Tweed Lions! from 2023-08-10T21:56:20
Veronica curses the Lions and eats SO many blackberries. Also, our non-spoilery thoughts on Ninth House and Ivy League schools.
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#467 - It Was Good Filk from 2023-08-03T16:06:14
We get to the bottom of why it's called Fahrenheit 4-5-1 and which songs get stuck in our heads when we hear “Aes Sedai.” We finish up our thoughts on Planetfall by Emma Newman and kick off Ninth H...
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#446 - Spoon&Ladle from 2023-07-20T17:34:24
The Hugos are out! The Hugos are out! Huge cookies are out! TRIKE READS READER'S DIGEST? Plus, the varied emotions caused by Planetfall.
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#465 - Skirting on the Edge of Danger from 2023-07-07T18:30:27
Some of our favorite authors are giving away free short stories and winning Locus Awards. What the best book club pick we ever made was. Why books that make you uncomfortable are important to read....
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#464 - Awesome Bundle from 2023-06-17T17:46:25
So much good news! Telltale Games is making a game based on The Expanse! Season 2 trailer for Good Omens!Humble Bundle has Mercedes Lackey books. And we think it should stop being humble and admit ...
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#463 - OK Ant Computer from 2023-06-01T23:23:16
Are lengthy books inherently inferior? Tom and Veronica ignite a clash of generations! Furthermore, we delve into the captivating world of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and conclude the enthralling...
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#462 - $5 FOR SCI-ANTS! from 2023-05-18T18:14:47
Foundation is coming back to Apple TV, why Silo is great, you should not eat a bear, and what makes a great alien.
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#461 - CheckItOut! from 2023-05-04T16:27:18
Taika Waititi is adapting a fantasy novel and also looked quite fine at the Met. Plus, self-publishing award winners, Locus nominees, and we have a progressive story in the works!
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#460 - Thimble's Kitchen from 2023-04-22T02:09:53
We wrap up Legends and Lattes and have a great idea for a sequel involving Thimble doing a cooking show. Plus, we're getting a Twilight TV series? We’ll make our best guesses about that too. Finall...
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#459 - Leave the Broadsword, Take the Biscotti from 2023-04-08T14:56:12
We hear a better version of the Pokemon cookbook than the real one, Veronica gets the tipoff for hot sauce, and our first cozy feelings about Legends and Lattes.
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#458 - Pikastew is Off the Menu from 2023-03-31T03:08:05
New books for spring, finalists for the Annual Lambda and Imadjinn Awards, and the Internet Archive's e-book lending lawsuit. Plus, we kick off the March Madness winner!
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#457 - Timecozy from 2023-03-09T17:35:44
The March Madness semifinals are here! And the race is TIGHT. Our first (non-spoiler) thoughts about Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings. Nomination lists are out for Nebulas and Bradbury's, and...
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#456 - The Clarkesworld Flood from 2023-02-24T03:02:40
Our “March that is Mad” tournament is live! 15 books enter, one gets to be the April pick, and everyone wins! Plus, please stop flooding Clarkesworld with AI-written manuscripts. Use ChatGPT for go...
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#455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone Dog from 2023-02-09T21:31:40
Three Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom).
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#454 - Baltimore, City of Baltars from 2023-01-26T21:51:17
We may be getting some Zelazny TV, Murderbot is coming back, some ideas of non-fiction book picks we could try, and we kick off our February book pick, Nettle&Bone by T. Kingfisher.
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#453 - And That's How the News Goes from 2023-01-12T20:17:13
We check in on how everyone is feeling about Brightness Falls From the Air. We also feel mildly optimistic about Apple's digital narrators, and we discuss the best way to introduce someone to a ser...
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#452 - Having Feelpinions from 2022-12-29T20:36:31
A very tense episode as Veronica and Tom violently agree about Elric of Melniboné. Plus, the most anticipated books of 2023, and how to take advantage of Novelist at your local library.
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#451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too Anti from 2022-12-15T18:00:34
We properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to feedback@swordandlaser.com. Plus our mid-read takes on Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. ...
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#450 - Where the Wild Nerds Are from 2022-12-02T17:04:38
We wrap up our thoughts on Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty and Tom tries out his 4-part way of evaluating books to explain why people enjoyed it differently. Plus we kick off our December pick, Elric of...
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#449 - Finding a Leggy Blonde from 2022-11-17T19:33:30
Veronica forgets what beer she had. Must be a good beer. It was a blonde in a tall can. A leggy blonde perhaps? Also, we have the World Fantasy Award winner AND the SPFBO finalists! Plus our non-sp...
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#448 - The Reverse Heisenberg from 2022-11-04T18:58:14
Veronica is very concerned about the Witcher news. Also on this episode: we have some prize winners to increase your to-read list. We pick a tentative fan name for y'all. We kick off our November r...
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#447 - Sword and Lazy from 2022-10-20T17:46:20
It's our 15th anniversary! And we celebrated by making puns, discussing our favorite wearable fantasy and sci-fi weapons, and finding rumors about our hometowns. We also check in on our read of The...
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#446 - Don't Blurb on a Dime from 2022-10-06T16:17:38
[Ed. note: We tried to fix V’s audio, sorry for the weirdness!] Veronica may have overdone becoming a friend of crows. She has more than 100 of them in her driveway now. Plus, we kick off our non-s...
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#445 - Release the S&L Cut! from 2022-09-23T18:04:25
We love the Wellsian Touch, be it murderbots or fantasy. Is there a Harry Potter of SciFi? And we wrap up How High we Go in the Dark… and suggest the S&L edit.
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#444 - Cut Thieves and Purses from 2022-09-08T20:58:43
The Hugos are here and lots of very deserving winners. A roguish story bundle. Are TV shows worse than an ending? Our first thoughts on How High We Go in the Dark, and our last thoughts on Rivers o...
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#443 - The Land of MoarTor from 2022-08-19T19:50:37
We get more Tor now and possibly more Lord of the Rings movies. Plus a nuanced discussion of representation in a book when the author is white.
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442 - Multiverse Penguin from 2022-07-28T20:15:04
Is Hunt the Stars a summer fling? We wrap up our thoughts on the SFR hit. Plus, the lowdown on the RandomPenguin antitrust lawsuit as they try to buy Simon and Schuster.
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#441 - Multiverse Tom Read It from 2022-07-15T00:54:19
Has a book ever changed your mind? Do authors write differently for audio? Pack that reading list with Clarke award nominees, it’s a new Sword and Laser!
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#440 - Mr. Darcy in Space from 2022-07-01T18:47:17
We have Locus winners and Veronica read so many of them! Plus, what makes some books seem like a retread while others more of a remix? And our first thoughts on Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik.
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#439 - And the Rest is History from 2022-06-23T16:27
So many awards! We learn about a novelization of an unpublished Alien 3 script by William Gibson. We take a brief trip back to episode 1. And we share the books we picked to read this month in hono...
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#438 - New Ruth Rising from 2022-06-02T18:48:27
It's award season! We have Nebulas, we have Mythopoeics, we have Nommos. We also have some nice reviews of the show, and we wrap up our thoughts on Machinehood by S.B. Divya. It made us think!
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#437 - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine from 2022-05-21T01:03:40
The hope of science fiction spurred by a science museum, Dracula by email, why it's called a tetralogy and our non-spoilery thoughts on Machinehood, and our goodbyes to friend of the show, Jenny Co...
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#436 - It's About the Howdunnit from 2022-05-06T18:03:11
Is a mystery ruined if you guess the perpetrator too early? We say maybe not! Plus good news from Peter V. Brett and more radical transparency from Veronica.
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#435 - Cultural Appreciation from 2022-04-21T17:29:12
The Hugo finalists are out? Already? Already! A banned beer. And our initial non-spoiler impressions of Master of Djinn.
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#434 - Are Sequel Prequels Equal? from 2022-04-07T20:20:01
A whole bundle of good stories, telling tales from the point of view of villains, and we kick off our reading of A Master of Djinn by P. Djèli Clark.
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#433 - Slow Burns from 2022-03-24T18:18:10
We discuss our March Madness winner, salute Martha Wells, and wrap up our copious thoughts about Pandora's Star. Are you in with the motiles?
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#432 - Does the Crow Rooster? from 2022-03-10T18:43:22
We have thoughts about why a rooster crows. Plus all the Nebula news and more awards. And we dig into our non-spoilery thoughts on Pandora’s Star.
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#431 - A Peach Blossom of a Novella from 2022-02-24T17:19:17
A mad, mad March has arrived! Every year in March we run a tournament to determine the April book pick. And like some actual sporting tournaments, we often have to begin that March tournament in Fe...
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#430 - What's Your Fantasy Flavor Profile from 2022-02-10T21:21:11
What flavor of fantasy do you like? We discuss that and more in kicking off Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. Also, nominations are open for our March tournament!
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#429 - Pivot to Therapy from 2022-01-28T22:41:49
We have a rousing discussion of redemption in Light from Uncommon Stars, get way too many awesome items for our to be read lists from the ALA, and discuss pivoting the show to include TV shows (and...
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#428 - Ein kleiner Nachtmarkt from 2022-01-13T21:04:06
We are excited about a possible new Scalzi TV show, Twitter summaries of great books, and our first non-spoilery thoughts on Light from Uncommon Stars.
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#427 - Dead Family Trees from 2022-01-06T19:38:30
Congrats Murderbot! In congratulations, we will let you watch your dramas unbothered by human emotions. We wonder some about Chengdu. And we not only kick off our January pick, but wrap up our Dece...
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#426 - Pillow Friends from 2021-12-16T22:20:22
End of year book lists for days! Who can take on Arthur C. Clarke and pillow friends?
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#425 - Literary Mosaic from 2021-12-03T19:35:42
We wrap up our last thoughts on Aurora Rising by Alistair Reynolds and kick off the new read, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova.
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#424 - Prefect's Progress from 2021-11-19T18:45:24
We have pumpkin spiked lattes and cheese. In fact one cheesy book literally molds. Plus we check in with a non-spoilery discussion of Aurora Rising/The Prefect by Alistair Reynolds.
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#423 - Shrike Stans from 2021-11-04T17:47:41
We talk a little about cheese, a lot about wine, and too much about the Shrike. Plus lots of good Dune news, and we kick off our read of an Alastair Reynolds novel that may be called The Prefect or...
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#422 - Horror is Like Cheese from 2021-10-21T18:59:58
Veronica and Tom discover why horror is like cheese. Plus the reason a German book is being made into an English TV show by Germans. And our spoilery final thoughts on NOS4A2 by Joe Hill!
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#421 - N0T4U2? from 2021-10-08T19:05:53
Some things aren't for everybody, like our current read NOS4A2, or the new Game of Thrones trailer. But don't worry, there are plenty of other great things to read like the British Fantasy Award wi...
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#420 - Spoopy Spoilers from 2021-09-24T16:25:37
Lots of award winners to beef up your To Be Read lists, plus our assumptions about Murderbot, what makes a spoiler a spoiler, and we wrap up our final thoughts on Terra Nullius.
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#419 - Trust me, It's SciFi from 2021-09-09T21:22:31
Tom and Veronica are jealous of those with Leviathan Falls ARCs, and wonder if a phobia ever affected your book enjoyment! Plus we kick-off Terra Nullius, and Tom reassures us that it IS SciFi.
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#418 - Don't Fart on My Art from 2021-09-03T16:55:06
Alastair Reynolds has a book, Tom needs a bookcrate sub stat, and our wrap-up of The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry.
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#417 - Bong! from 2021-08-14T03:04:31
We've got Dragon Award finalists, a Kickstarter roundup for small publishers, and Tom buys new bookends. Plus, our non-spoiler thoughts on The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry.
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#416 - Does The Droid Die Dot Com from 2021-07-29T20:22:26
Poet Andrew Heaton joins us to wrap up our thoughts on Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Plus, the greatest zombie film in the world and totally metal T-shirts to show your support of Octavia Butl...
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#415 - DisCon is not for Disco from 2021-07-16T19:25:14
DisCon is not for Disco but it could be? Why Veronica and Tom aren't idiots. All the summer reading list fodder your list can take. Who was your first binge? And is hard Sci-Fi cold by nature?
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#414 - The Age of Aquarium Shoes from 2021-07-01T21:38:34
Should Tom enter a book contest? Good Omens season 2 is a good idea. And our final thoughts on Piranesi, problematic and otherwise.
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#413 - Herlock Shlomes and the Loss of Innocence from 2021-06-17T19:55:09
Congrats to the Nebula Award winners! Plus, a nine-year-old forum conversation on cover art continues, and our further thoughts on Piranesi (and how learning things can be a bummer sometimes).
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#412 - The Year Veronica Returned to Sword and Laser from 2021-06-03T16:43:08
Veronica is back! And we have good news about TorCon, lots of new book recommendations from iO9, thoughts on the phrase "Asian Fantasy" and our kick-off of the June book pick, Piranesi by Susannah ...
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#411 - Is Murderbot Art's Murderboo? from 2021-05-20T18:17:15
The final book of the Expanse has been handed in for publication. Feelings of joy and sadness hit Tom. Plus, did Murderbot convert Robb Dunewood into a SciFi fan. Find out!
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#410 - My Kind of Murderbot from 2021-05-06T18:48:23
We have finalists in the Ignyte awards, Locus awards, some upcoming release dates for new Green Bone Saga stories and why Robb Dunewood has stopped worrying and learned to love the Murderbot.
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#409 - Home is the People We Choose from 2021-04-22T18:53:55
Hugo awards are out and we’ve almost read all the authors! Jenny Colvin from Reading Envy is back but we also have hints of a new forthcoming host of Sword and Laser. Plus our last delightful thoug...
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#408 - You Can't Spell Young Adult without Adult from 2021-04-08T17:49:42
#408 - You Can't Spell Young Adult without Adult by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
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#407 - The Strength of Family and Ghosts from 2021-03-25T17:37:57
Alex Brown is back, the Nebula nominess are out and they are great! We also discover new teas, the real flavor of crab chips, and talk about our thoughts on Elatsoe by Darci Little Badger.
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#406 - The Joy of Rat Skeletons from 2021-03-11T16:48:22
Alex Brown is here and we talk about all the excellent books getting nominated for and winning awards. Plus why Amazon won't sell ebooks to libraries, how animated rat skeltons are pretty awesome a...
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405: Above the Fold from 2021-02-25T20:43:17
The hosts of the SMR Podcast join Tom to discuss The Fold by Peter Clines. Is the main character overpowered? Can they convince Christ to read the book? Plus why kids these days get to tour potato ...
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#404 - A Page Turner in the Best Sense from 2021-02-11T19:33:27
So many new reading list suggestions from Locus to the ALA to TheMarySue. Plus George RR Martin updates on his progress. And Rod Simmons from SMR Podcast is here to disucss this month's pick The Fo...
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#403 - Like a Santa Hat on Ursula K. Leguin from 2021-01-28T21:21:03
Mallory O'Meara from Reading Glasses is back and she's very skeptical about adapting the Sparrow for television. The hands alone! Also new Game of Thrones universe TV options and our final thoughts...
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#402 - A tripod has three legs.... from 2021-01-14T19:26:22
#402 - A tripod has three legs.... by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
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401 - More Like Dys-HOPE-ia, right? from 2020-12-24T18:06
We learn the mysteries of the fig newton and Fangtasia. PLUS we kickoff our January book with a SUPRISE GUEST and how Parable of the Sower ended making Brea and Tom more hopeful.
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#400 - Boxing Day Experts from 2020-12-17T19:40:24
Lots of great books are turning into TV shows and movies and lots of great book recommendation lists are coming out! We also become experts on Boxing Day and are BLOWN AWAY by Trike's Sword and las...
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#399 - Sneaky Alternate Pick? from 2020-12-03T20:46:48
Veronica is off on maternity leave but Brea Grant from the Reading Glasses podcast is here. yay! Brea gets to know pigeons, our legion of Richards and kicks off her pick for December, Parable of th...
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#398 - Stand for the Strain at the Strand from 2020-11-19T19:55:20
It's Veronica's last episode before her maternity leave! OH MY. And we have some fun, including wrapping up our thoughts on Howl's Moving Castle.
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#397 - Squeeherent from 2020-11-06T16:56:47
Tom and Veronica draw the lines on whether they favor Alix E. Harrow or Tamsyn Muir (because they are both awesome). Tom has some new new writing coming out, and we have our first impressions of Ho...
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#396 - Antsy with Mars from 2020-10-22T16:54:25
How to make The Watch series not feel so bad maybe? Also, some great lists of top fantasy and sci-fi and a few more award winners. Plus, we kick off the November pick and wrap up Finder By Suzanne ...
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#395 - Spider Belmont from 2020-10-09T01:08:50
Sandman and Lord of the Rings go back intro production, why publishers shouldn't fear library eBooks, and a call for Sword and Laser book remembering help!
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#394 - Speaking of Books from 2020-09-26T00:36:32
A couple of great series becoming books and video games. A couple of great folks sadly passed away. And our final thoughts on Ten Thousand Doors of January, and our FIRST thoughts on the October Pi...
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#393 - Three-Body No Problem from 2020-09-10T18:51:04
Dune! Dune looks so good! Yay Dune! Save us! Help us escape! Actually, we’re pretty good on that front as Ten Thousand Doors of January is helping us all escape. And we’re also pretty bulllish on t...
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#392 - Audible Minus? from 2020-08-28T15:38:06
We try to explain Audible's new plans, decide if Pinocchio is fantasy (especially if Mussolini is involved), and wrap-up our thoughts on Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett.
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#391 - Audiobook Drama from 2020-08-15T18:40:09
The Hugos are here! And we’ve read a bunch of them. Also, some thoughts on what should or should not be in the genre canon. Should there even be a canon? Or should we shoot it out of a cannon? Also...
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#390 - Interview with Dennis E. Taylor from 2020-08-06T19:43:25
We chat with Dennis E. Taylor about the Bobiverse, and what we can expect when we return to it in the new book Heaven's River.
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#389 - Embracing the Challenge from 2020-07-30T16:35:10
In this episode, it's tricky to put the World in WorldCon, alternate history first contact, and Tom is really excited about next month's pick. Plus, we wrap up our ultimately satisfying read of Bla...
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#388 - Interview with Sam Maggs from 2020-07-23T17:46:12
We talk with Sam Maggs about her new novel Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope, and about writing different stories in different platforms, from video games to comics to novels.
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#387 - The Nanobots Are Coming? from 2020-07-16T18:06:28
The first rule of Short Story Club, SFF with a smile, and how to get the most out of Black Leopard, Red Wolf.
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#386 - Interview with L.E. Modesitt Jr from 2020-07-09T17:16:06
We talk with L. E. Modesitt Jr, the bestselling author of two science fiction series and four fantasy series, who has published more than seventy novels. His latest book, Quantum Shadows is describ...
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#385 - What do you mean HORROR? from 2020-07-02T23:21:35
We address the harassment accusations against authors, discover that the July pick could be classified as horror (to Veronica's horror), and have a whole lot of good TV coming based on a whole lot ...
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#384 - Teenaged Wiccan from 2020-06-18T18:34:33
Tom starts throwing money at Becky Chambers and Veronica defends her rose quartz. Plus, new Star Wars short stories coming and lots of great tie-in novels up for Scribe awards! Also our first impre...
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#383 - TerpTalk from 2020-06-04T17:37:02
Congrats to the Locus Nominees and Nebula winners! We’ve read a bunch of those but there are some great new picks to be discovered too. Everybody wins! Plus long-time Sword and Laser listener TerpK...
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#382 - Great Movie, I Hate It from 2020-05-28T17:51:45
We're beefing up our reading lists with Japanese and British award lists. Also it's fun to see what critically-acclaimed movies are hated by the authors whose books they are based on. Plus, we prev...
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#381 - Happ-E-Anding? from 2020-05-07T17:41:14
We're going to get some good Discworld TV! We talk about why sometimes you don't want to read old stuff, and whether you're someone who likes depressing consequences or happily ever after stories. ...
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#380 - The One Where Veronica Forgets from 2020-04-23T17:18:36
We invited Andrew Heaton, Host of Alienating the Audience, to join us! Oh Dune… is there any wrong way to enjoy you? Possibly yes. We also wrap up How to Lose the Time War.
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#379 - Interview with Veronica Roth from 2020-04-16T20:51:39
Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Divergent series, the Carve the Mark duology, The End and Other Beginnings collection of short fiction, and most recently her newes...
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#378 - Ointment for Your Brain from 2020-04-09T21:05:28
The Hugo Nominees are in! And we've read some fo them! Also the Nebula Nominees are in and we've read some of them too! And we have thoughts on the beauty of this month's pick, This is How You Lose...
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#377 - How to Hopefully WIN the Time War from 2020-03-26T20:16:50
Worldcon goes virtual and we totally get it, Tom has a new book out, ways to support your independent bookstore, we kick off our April pick, and FINALLY give our last thoughts on The Light Brigade ...
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#376 - The Corona Light Brigade from 2020-03-13T04:38:25
We’ve got our first impressions of the new Star Wars: High Republic books, some great new award-winning picks, and our first impressions of The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.
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#375 - 16 Books Enter, One Becomes Pick from 2020-02-27T19:16:18
We unveil the 16 books we'll be pitting against each other in our quite Mad March tournament of polls. We also chat about the Nebula nominees, introduce our March pick, and give our final thoughts ...
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#374 - Chaotic Neutral from 2020-02-14T01:03:51
We need your book nominations for our totally “mad” March tournament. Of books! Also we’re psyched Locke and Key is on Netflix, the new Naomi Novik series, and our first non-spoilery thoughts on Gi...
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#373 - Generation Sword&Laser from 2020-01-30T17:05:11
We’ve got picks from librarians and the public domain! Plus we’re excited for Gideon the Ninth and we have our final thoughts on the January pick, In the Company of Others.
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#372 - Hmmm... hmmm. from 2020-01-16T16:52:01
We’ve got Hugo nominations open! And a new Heinlein novel. I mean “new” to everybody but him, we guess. Plus, we kick off In the Company fo Others by Julie E. Czerneda.
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#371 - Science Fungus from 2019-12-20T18:20:29
Veronica explains the awesome piece in the New York Times about Ken Liu, we're excited for The Witcher, we announce the January book will be In the Company of Others by Julie Czerneda, and we wrap ...
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#370 - Death is Her Favorite Character from 2019-12-05T17:22:41
Got reader’s block? We've got some tips to get you out of it. Is there too much SFF out there now? And why Death is Veronica's favorite character. We kick off Hogfather and give our final thoughts ...
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#369 - Jeffety Jeff Jeffers of Planet Jeff from 2019-11-21T00:00
How we’re feeling about the Snow Queen, and where it’s world-building might have drawn from. Plus two alternative pronunciation guides for the character names. Plus, a treasure trove of awesome art...
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#368 - But is it Art? from 2019-11-11T17:09:45
So many awards! You have no excuse for not finding something awesome and new to read right now. Not that you ever do with us on the job, we hope. Also, our first impressions on reading The Snow Queen.
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#367 - Shitposting Stephen King with Sam Sykes from 2019-10-24T17:49:19
We explain why the Tiptree Award is now the Otherwise award, welcome the casting of Apple's Foundation TV show, and Sam Sykes has a message for Stephen King (and Myke Cole).
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#366 - Just Crack Me Open and Take a Look from 2019-10-11T19:33:32
Should you feel guilty for re-reading? The answer is no. But you shouldn't feel guilty for not re-reading too. Plus our fantasy casting of A Darker Shade of Magic is pretty much all Keanu.
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#365 - But Lin-Manuel Miranda! from 2019-09-26T23:29:03
Targaryen TV show possible? Check. Clifford Simak movie on Netflix? Check. Far Side back? Check. Showtime turns down The Kingkiller Chronicle TV show? WHAT?! BUT LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA!
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#364 - Kick Your Problems in the Face from 2019-09-12T21:14:52
Fran Wilde's op-ed from the future sounds hilarious. N. K. Jemisin's new novel sounds awesome. And Andy Weir's short story has been adapted into a cool short film. So much good reading out there! P...
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#363 - Extremely Unbalanced from 2019-08-29T16:08:43
The Hugos have come and gone, and they were awesome. Audible's in trouble for speech-to-text. But they're right, it's an accessibility issue. Also, the publishers are right, it's a copyright issue!...
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#362 - Live from Dublin WorldCon 2019! from 2019-08-19T18:04:07
We had SO much fun at WorldCon in Dublin. We were blown away with how many people came out to see us!! We were literally prepared with plans for if the room was empty, but no, Ireland filled our ro...
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#361 - My Little Space Brain Friends from 2019-08-01T20:35:59
Are we excited for The Witcher? Probably? Are we excited for the Hitchhiker's Guide Hulu TV series? Maybe? Are we excited for Vessel? In some ways? Is Tom excited for The Poppy War? YES!
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#360 - Cuddling with Direwolves from 2019-07-18T16:50:05
Veronica is definitely not meeting direwolves in Ireland and stealing them and smuggling them back into the United States. Definitely not. Plus, our thoughts so far on Vessel by Lisa Nichols.
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#359 - We Have Literary Opinions from 2019-06-27T13:50:04
We’re so excited about our guest pick! It’s the kickoff for our July book, and the first ever-not-in-any-way chosen by Tom or Veronica. Also we love XKCD and we love Station 11. Also Dara and Terpk...
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#358 - Nebula Interview with Greg van Eekhout from 2019-06-20T18:25:31
Tom talks with Greg van Eekhout, author of Voyage of the Dogs and California Bones about dogs, writing from local influences, and what the Nebulas mean to him. Also Tom embarrasses himself at least...
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#357 - The Last Beagle from 2019-06-20T17:48:26
We're excited for a trip to the Hunger Games' past and to hear Tatiana Maslany show us her Orphan Black chops again. Plus, Veronica takes on a Jim Butcher challenge and our final thoughts on The La...
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#356 - Greetings from Tom Merritt, Illinois from 2019-06-09T23:08:07
We’re cautiously pessimistic about Winds of Winter, but hey wouldn’t that be cool? Also we discover what famous authors we live in (yes, you read that right, live in) and our initial thoughts on Th...
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#355 - Rebecca Roanhorse at the Nebulas! from 2019-05-30T23:28:33
Tom catches up with Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning, to talk about writing native cultures in genre fiction and what she gets out of the Nebula conference.
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#354 - More Than a Bookstore to Me from 2019-05-23T19:07:43
Tom had fun at the Nebulas, and we’re excited about the winners. We also kick off a new book, wrap up the last one and give our thoughts about the Game of Thrones finale.
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#353 - Whiskey by Bob from 2019-05-16T17:17:20
Locus Award finalists! Great supplementary material for the Martian Chronicles! Why we need utopias! AI Whisky! ALL THAT AND MORE! Sorry. We're really excited about this episode. We hope you will b...
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#352 - The Sword Conspiracy from 2019-05-02T22:56:05
To Gene Wolfe! Thank you for Shadow and Claw and Pringles. Plus, William Gibson’s Alien 3, what you need to know before reading The Martian Chronicles, and our final thoughts on the vast conspiraci...
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#351 - Uncanny Collateral with Brian McClellan from 2019-04-18T21:23:59
Brian's most recent book, Uncanny Collateral, is described (on Brian's Twitter) as "Harry Dresden meets Dog the Bounty Hunter in a fast-paced urban fantasy about a collection agent who works for th...
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#350 - Rye-ear-ah from 2019-04-11T17:07:03
So many great books are nominated for Hugos. Independent Bookstore Day is coming up and the proper pronunciation of Riyria! and we kick off our impressions of the refreshing and comfy feelings we’r...
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#349 - Sit Down Kid, I Got This from 2019-03-29T16:11:22
So many books became options! We’re hopeful. Also we’re excited to read our March Madness winner, Theft of Swords. And why Dumbledore may or may not be an irresponsible headmaster.
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#348 - Book Battle Royale from 2019-03-14T18:15:08
We review the final four books in our Mad March Tournament. Plus lots of great new award-winners and nominees to fill your to-read list and our continuing thoughts on our re-read of Harry Potter.
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#347 - Interview with S.A. Chakraborty from 2019-03-06T18:20:53
Author S.A. Chakraborty joins us on the show to talk about the inspiration for her two recent books: The City of Brass and The Kingdom of Copper.
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#346 - Accio Book Pick! from 2019-03-04T02:47:50
So many good TV shows based on books that we love are coming, and we even got a movie with a casting announcement that made Tom very excited! Plus, our final thoughts on The Calculating Stars by Ma...
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#345 - Math as a Magic System w/ Mary Robinette Kowal from 2019-02-15T16:39:07
We chat with Mary Robinette Kowal, the author of this month’s pick, The Calculating Stars. From acknowledging and learning from your biases, to de-stigmatizing mental illness, to using math as a ma...
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#344 - Steamy from 2019-02-08T20:46:27
So many news stories! We have to speed through them but there’s some good picks from lots of award winners in there. Plus, the best pajamas ever and whether Calculating Stars is steamy!
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#343 - Math Is Hard from 2019-01-17T20:13:03
We’re very pleased that the Hugo Nominations are open and we’ll keep reminding you. Also we’re pleased to discuss pairing beer with novels and pleased to look over the new Philip K. Dick award nomi...
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#342 - So, You're a Crow Nut? from 2019-01-03T21:50:26
We’re SO excited for books coming out this year, AND we award our favorite Sword and Laser reads for 2018! We finish with our final thoughts on Crows.
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#341 - All You Need is Brain from 2018-12-20T21:30:24
The Sword and Laser bump returns! Also, Veronica wants to start reading comics. And we realize we need brain, but that’s all we need. Isn’t that festive!
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#340 - No Birdy Poos from 2018-12-06T21:15:21
The Verge is writing SciFi for a better tomorrow, plus is Roald Dahl Fantasy? Is It's a Wonderful Life SciFi?
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#339 - Nope Ropes on a Tren from 2018-11-29T17:51:50
We’ve got options! For TV shows! Well we don’t but Annalee Newitz, Mira Grant and Kristine Kathryn Rusch do! Plus our feelings on Zeroes.
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#338 - Hygge Punk from 2018-11-15T21:28:06
Tom inadvertently affects a listener feud, the truth about George R. R. Martin and why we think Zeroes is number 1.
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#337 - Hackers, but Bears from 2018-10-26T18:07:05
Well we are certainly interested in Molly Gloss after that Ursula K. Leguin blurb, we’re mad on behalf of Chuck Wendig, each for different reasons, and coincidentally Zeroes by Chuck Wendig is our ...
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#336 - Optional Excitement from 2018-10-11T19:40:43
We're excited for optioned TV series for Circe and Dresden Files even if they are just options. Also we brainstorm Type 3 civilizations and female gearheads.
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#335 - Do You Know the Way to Slan Jose? from 2018-09-27T19:09:17
Gorgeous LeGuin books, more Bobiverse! and our final take on Slan.
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#334 - Is it a Slan Dunk? from 2018-09-13T18:09:24
We’re excited for TV with Henry Cavill as Geralt, and maybe even some Witchlands! Plus our initial non-spoilery impressions of this month’s book, Slan.
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#333 - Getting Timeless with R. A. Salvatore from 2018-09-04T03:46:37
We talk to author R. A. Salvatore about his new book Timeless, and also how he feels these days about Chewbacca, Dungeons and Dragons and more. Timeless is out September 4. Pick it up in the Salvas...
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#332 - Losers and Lovin' It from 2018-08-30T18:35
We lost the Hugos and it was AWESOME! Plus we have great news about a new novel coming from Rivers Solomon, and a new ebookstore from Wal-Mart. Plus we kick off Slan by A. E. van Vogt and our fina...
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#331 - Where Have All the Good Guys Gone? from 2018-08-17T02:41:48
SFF readers have more mature relationship views. It's science. And hey! We're still Hugo-nominated! Will we stay that way or become winners? Who can say? But we have other things to say, like what ...
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#330 - Best Jade Plans from 2018-08-03T02:49:21
The Tor vs. Library saga continues, we're pumped for the World Fantasy Award nominees, and the serendipity of reading a book about the place you are at while you're reading it. Trust us. It will ma...
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#329 - Mad Love for Dog from 2018-07-20T03:18:37
We're excited about new monsters and solarpunk but mostly we're excited about Mortal Engines! Except for all the murder.
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#328 - SUPERCOMBO TEAMUP! from 2018-07-05T20:50:28
We team up with Mallory and Brea from Reading Glasses for a supercollaboration with reading advice, emails, and discussion of Mortal Engines.
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#327 - Real Housewives of the Aegean from 2018-06-21T21:42:19
Why we think Amazon may have been cribbing off us, the reality TV connection to ancient Greece, and the raging 2X audiobook debate speeds along.
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#326 - Slow Down, Readers! from 2018-06-14T18:15:17
A database of all the stories, Stranger Things enters the tie-in book world, a debate about speed-listening, and what Veronica REALLY thinks about Zeus.
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#325 - Mythology Ideology from 2018-05-31T23:39:19
We're very excited about the Expanse coming back and Gail Carriger's plans and that the "What are we drinking" segment got a good review! Plus the different takes on mythology from our two latest b...
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#324 - Brian McClellan Knows When to Deus that Ex Machina from 2018-05-17T17:32:38
Brian McClellan joins us to talk about his latest book, Wrath of Empire (second book in the Gods of Blood and Powder series). Plus we find out why he may not want to time travel, and what his writi...
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#323 - Demon Mythology from 2018-05-10T18:20:38
So many awards! Locus, Scribe, Parsec, oh my! Plus why we think maybe it's OK to read the 21 books you shouldn't read, and we kick off Tanith Lee's amazing Night's Master.
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#322 - Analysis Paralysis from 2018-04-26T01:48:53
Have you ever walked into a book store and just froze? Us too. We'll talk you through it. Plus we announced the May book pick and Tanith Lee fans will be happy! Because it's by Tanith Lee! Also the...
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#321 - What is Camp? Baby Don't Yurt Me from 2018-04-13T20:19:24
We are SO excited to be nominated for the Hugos! Thank you! Also the return of the Expanse and why Amazon will spend $1 billion on a Middle Earth show.
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#320 - We are Sword (We are Laser) from 2018-03-30T01:01:53
The March tournament was so much fun, and in the end we'll read We Are Legion (We Are Bob) which is an appropriately fun book. We also talk about other podcasts that are cool to listen to, plus our...
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#319 - An Unkindness of Blurbs from 2018-03-15T18:32
More Pratchett TV coming, and more Rothfuss books? Plus more deep discussion about an Unkindness of Ghosts, including why blurbs may lead you astray.
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#318 - I Wanna Know What Love Is from 2018-03-02T00:28:45
Tom tries to convince Veronica to fight hate, but A Wrinkle In Time has her questioning love's power.
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#317 - Crew Goals from 2018-02-16T19:54:43
Hey the Hugo nominations are open and you can vote for us! Also Firefly is coming back as books. And the Hugo nominations are open and you can vote for us. Plus StoryBundle has an awesome set of bo...
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#316 - Why'd Ya Do It, Ernie? from 2018-02-01T18:32:15
We share our memories and thoughts on the passing of Ursula K. Leguin. We also talk about how silly it is to think anybody but George R. R. Martin truly knows the release date for Winds of Winter, ...
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#315 - Philip K Dick Move from 2018-01-19T17:48:34
Goodbye Shannara, hello The Blade Itself TV show? Also Moby Dick and Philip K Dick have different problems, and what the monster in Frankenstein might truly represent.
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#314 - Not-So-Young Frankenstein from 2018-01-04T19:11:09
It's a whole new year of books, and we have some suggestions! Plus the science behind Westeros and the amazing 200-year-old Mary Shelley.
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#313 - No Bones to Pick from 2017-12-21T17:09:55
Ready Player One may have a sequel, The Witcher TV show has a show runner, and we have no bones to pick with California Bones.
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#312 - Eating Bones for Fun and Magic from 2017-12-08T21:19:13
#312 - Eating Bones for Fun and Magic by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
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#311 - Science Fiction Triggers Clickbait Headline from 2017-11-30T22:31:47
This week we have a lot to say about wine, some to say about Amazon's Lord of the Rings series and loads to say as we wrap up Connie Willis' Doomsday Book. Plus we kind of sort of kick off December...
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#310 - Apocalypse 1870 from 2017-11-10T02:18:59
OMG. Patrick Rothfuss is best buds with Lin-Manuel Miranda and they're doing a TV prequel to Kingkiller Chronicles, while Felicia Day plays Poppy the Dragonologist AND Amazon wants to do a Tolkien ...
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#309 - League of Extraordinary Ladies from 2017-10-26T21:47:37
We’re happy for Chuck Wendig and sad for the passing of Roy Dotrice and Julian May. And we’re also debating whether side conversations are a good literary device.
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#308 - A Decade of Us from 2017-10-12T21:42:38
That’s right, Sword and Laser has been picking and reading books for 10 years and we’re not even close to stopping. This week we discuss why you don’t need to travel to London to read Theodora Goss...
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#307 - Annihilation is the new Arrival from 2017-09-28T17:50:05
Good Omens looks good, Annihilation looks great, our last thoughts on Helliconia Spring, and why we’re reading about monsters in October.
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#306 - Indentured Robotude w/ Annalee Newitz from 2017-09-19T17:51:32
Annalee Newitz joins us on the show to talk about her new novel Autonomous. We discuss indentured robot servitude, the archaeological digs she's digging right now, and what the future of our econom...
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#305 - Major in Martin Studies! from 2017-09-14T16:44:40
The Martin Studies International Network will help you study Westeros better, Scott Lynch gives hope for the next Locke Lamora book and sadly, we lose a great one in Jerry Pournelle,
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#304 - Westeros for SciFi Fans from 2017-08-31T17:10:08
We say goodbye to Brian W. Aldiss by reading one of his books. We respect Terry Pratchett's Steamroller wishes. And why Hey Jude is not an anachronism.
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#303 - Smooth Roberator from 2017-08-17T17:50:37
All the best books are being adapted into TV shows and movies including Good Omens, The City and the City, Dawn, and The Fifth Season! Plus we dive into the Gunslinger and talk mostly spoiler-free ...
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#302 - Why the Robots Need Us from 2017-08-10T18:43:16
We talk with author Daniel H. Wilson about his book, Clockwork Dynasty and why we might not need to fear the robots.
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#301 - Long Days and Pleasant Nights from 2017-08-03T18:16
Hot Pie has a bakery! Ready Player One has a trailer! The Rook has a TV show! This episode has a final word on butterscotch! And the man in black has a gunslinger following him!
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#300 - Don't Pee in the Gene Pool from 2017-07-20T19:09:32
Hey kids, Nnedi Okorafor has an HBO show coming, EW and Tor have LOADS of book recommendations and we love the world created by Ursula K. Le Guin.
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#299 - NK Jemisin Says FanFic Makes Good Practice from 2017-07-13T16:56:38
It's windy but in among the breeze, N.K. Jemisin shares wisdom about writing, characters and wrapping up the Broken Earth Trilogy. Plus she accidentally brings up FanFic and talks about why, even t...
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#298 - Don't Get Eaten By a Bear from 2017-07-06T19:43:59
George R. R. Martin has even more money coming his way, public domain books clean up nice, we love the Locus Award winners, and why Veronica is not allowed to let a bear eat her.
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#297 - Haint a Plot Hole if You Ask Me from 2017-06-22T17:44:44
New Game of Thrones Trailer! AHHHHH! Levar Burton reading stories on a new podcast! AHHHH! Haint plot hole in the Hum and the Shiver-- ahhhhh— maybe not that big a deal?
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#296 - A Talk with James S. A. Corey from 2017-06-15T20:48:56
We talk to Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, the authors that make up James S. A. Corey, about coffee, distilled and fermented beverages and making The Expanse a TV show at BayCon 2017.
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#295 - Don't Put Spiders on Your Head from 2017-06-08T18:52:24
The Hugo nominees are out and we love them all, we kick off the Hum and the Shiver with music, and a spider that looks like a sorting hat.
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#294 - Live at BayCon with Whiskey! from 2017-05-31T17:07:44
We are excited about the winner of this year's Nebula, the finalists in the Locus awards, and so many TV shows coming from our favorite books. Plus, why Neil Gaiman will read a Cheesecake Factory M...
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#293 - Post-apocalyptic Protopia (w/ Cory Doctorow) from 2017-05-17T23:35:54
We chat with author Cory Doctorow about his new novel Walkaway, which is post-apocalyptic, but not dystopian. It's also DRM-free!
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#292 - Cozy Space Opera from 2017-05-11T04:58:56
We've got more of Game of Thrones TV coming, the Arthur C. Clarke Award nominees, and our thoughts on why The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is the opposite of epic in the best way possible.
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#291 - Falling Backwards into Screenwriting Success from 2017-05-04T02:20:30
We talk with M. R. Carey about his new book The Boy on the Bridge, and how The Girl with All the Gifts became a movie!
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#290 - Let’s Get Stuck in Fantasyland! from 2017-04-27T05:09:19
Neil Gaiman makes sure the American Gods TV show is prepared for the sequel he hasn’t even written yet, why the Invisible Library doesn’t need to change the world to be awesome, and a plea for regu...
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#289 - Love Letter to the Solar System from 2017-04-21T02:30:41
Matthew Isaac Sobin tells how his desire to write a beautiful story about the solar system, and how the aggressive encouragement of a friend led to the story of Jonathan, the Last Machine in the So...
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#288 - Slow Readers Unite! from 2017-04-13T04:48:44
Hugo Nominees are in! The African Speculative Fiction Society nominees are in! People pressuring you to read 200 books a year are in. But us slow readers draw the line.
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#287 - You Do Like Your Alternate Londons from 2017-03-30T17:25:09
A SciFi book is mysteriously returned after 35 years, at the same time a billionaire suddenly invests in brain implants and a skull begins to talk. Are these events connected somehow? Yes. They're...
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#286 - Secrets of a Powder Mage from 2017-03-23T03:55:18
Author Brian McClellan talks with us about his new entry point into the Powder Mage universe, Sins of Empire, why there's no wrong order to reading his books, and his attitude toward research.
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#285 - Why You Should Like Bad Characters from 2017-03-15T04:00:48
Sometimes a character does stuff you hate. And that’s OK! We explain why. Plus: great space opera, women writer picks, and some guy named Tom wrote a book too.
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#284 - Living Fen’s Dream from 2017-03-09T18:33:49
Brittany Curran, who plays Fen on The Magicians, talks about how her childhood love of C.S. Lewis has turned into a modern-day trip to Fillory. Plus, the best way to enjoy Walt Whitman!
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#283 - The Madness Begins from 2017-03-02T05:02:22
The Nebula Award Nominees are out, the Gateway is in and we’re glad we traveled The Salt Roads. But most of all we’re geared up for the March Madness tournament of fantasy. Get your voting fingers ...
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#282 - Where The Salt Roads Lead from 2017-02-16T05:32:01
We check in on our reading of The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson, get some hints on the progress of the next Kingkiller Chronicle, and find another way to track author releases.
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#281 - Worldbuilding Through Pinterest from 2017-02-07T05:17:49
Bradley Beaulieu is on the show to talk about the second book in “The Song of the Shattered Sands” series called “With Blood Upon the Sand” coming February 7th. We also find out what a Pinterest bo...
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#280 - Good Omens for 2018 from 2017-02-02T05:57:24
Neil Gaiman is running a new TV show and we're excited! Plus the Arrival folks are making a Larry Niven short story into a show, and indie bookstores are booming! We also kick-off Nalo Hopkinson's ...
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#279 - Myke Cole, Man Hunter from 2017-01-23T22:34:30
Person hunter, really! He's an equal-opportunity ass-kicker. Author and fighter of crimes, Myke Cole, tells us how he got involved in the new CBS show Hunted! And, what Sam Sykes has to do with any...
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#278 - Don’t Trust Turkey Data from 2017-01-19T05:06:38
A hot new approach to a fantasy trilogy, the real drama of rocket scientists involves cake, and why you can’t trust turkeys to rigorously use data to predict future results.
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#277 - January No-Beer Problem from 2017-01-06T05:29:12
We commend Terry Brooks' foresight, possibly convince Veronica to watch the Man in the High Castle some more, and give you important information to get the most of The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.
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#276 - By Hook or by Rook from 2016-12-22T19:42:53
We discuss whether the central plot device (the hook!) of the Rook is a cliche or clever. Plus, how to find the best stories in SciFi and Fantasy and help authors get exposure at the same time.
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#275 - Get Hip With the Rook from 2016-12-08T04:49:14
We kick off our December book, the Rook by Daniel O’Malley and we are so excited for Lin-Manuel Miranda to team up with Patrick Rothfuss. http://swordandlaser.com/home/2016/12/7/sl-podcast-275-get...
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#274 - Wrap Up of Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong from 2016-12-01T05:19:44
We wrap up our thoughts on the cartoon violence and snappy dialog of David Wong's dissertation on lawlessness in Tabula Rasa. We think we know what it could be a metaphor for. Whether it is or not ...
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#273 - Han Solo’s Big Sister from 2016-11-23T05:19:47
We are optimistic for Dune, excited for The Expanse, and hopeful for Stranger in a Strange Land. But we’re certain of what we want Emilia Clarke to be in the Han Solo movie.
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#272 - Best Cats and Dogs of SciFi from 2016-11-10T06:43:22
We congratulate Brandon Sanderson and the World Fantasy Award winners and try to calibrate the futuristic violence for you. The fancy suits calibrate themselves.
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#271 - Awkward Jinni Conversations from 2016-10-27T04:51:40
We discover that some people's names just don't work as awards. We're excited about a site full of fictional timelines. And we ponder troubling jinni paternity questions.
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#270 - Be a Cat Burglar for Good! from 2016-10-13T04:45:39
We don't want you to steal cats (not even books, really), just to take home the exhibit from the Museum of Science Fiction. We'll explain! Plus, you must cast your vote for the classic or the new! ...
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#269 - Artisanal Analog Tree-Sourced Reading Material from 2016-09-29T04:51:03
We look for authors who satisfy like Scalzi, find out how dirty the new dirty editions of The Magicians are and discuss an ethical question regarding library books.
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#268 - "Underrated" is Not a Dirty Word from 2016-09-15T03:05:54
We praise the underrated and print books, and we get into the dog-eat-dog world of Fire Upon the Deep!
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#267 - We Pick the Best Wizard School from 2016-08-31T03:58:44
The Hugos are in, for 2016 and 1941! And although the Thorn of Emberlain is delayed, we understand. We also pick our favorite wizard school and wrap up The Last Wish.
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#266 - Are You Reading Too Much? from 2016-08-17T04:27:27
This week we dive into our (non-spoilery) thoughts on the Witcher and get excited about a movie based on Ted Chiang's story and a TV series based on George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards. But Brad poses...
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#265 - Zombies and LARPers: The Nerdist Inkshares Winners! from 2016-08-11T02:51
We talk with Dave Barrett, author of Inkshares book It's All Fun and Games and Zac Linville author of Inkshares book Welcome to Deadland. One has zombie-like inhabitants based on theme park patrons...
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#264 - Will the Real Witcher Please Stand Up from 2016-08-04T05:01:16
We have an excellent conversation about great character names and revel in the news of rising print book sales. But the big question is, which Witcher is canon?
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#263 - When to Judge a Book by its Cover from 2016-07-27T01:22:34
We're excited about American Gods. We have mixed feelings about Time Traders. And we definitely understand why you might have to judge a book by its cover, but there's a good reason to try not to. ...
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#262 - G. Derek Adams Breaks The Rules, And You Win! from 2016-07-12T22:10:46
G. Derek Adams, author of Asteroid Made of Dragons, knows his title is over the top. He meant it that way, and it's part of the genius of his stories. Find out which rules he breaks, why, and how i...
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261 #261 - The Restaurant At The End Of The Barnes&Noble from 2016-07-06T03:21:55
Looks like your old bookstore is getting into fancy dinners, plus the rise of book-based card games and how Time Traders proves you live in the wrong time.
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#260 - Why Young Adult Is For Everyone W Fran Wilde from 2016-06-29T01:05:04
Fran Wilde talks to us about Updraft, how she was inspired to create the bone city, and why she doesn't mind the young adult label but it doesn't always mean what people say it means.
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#259 - The Adventures Of The Giant Space Hedgehog from 2016-06-22T04:57:16
American Gods nails the casting, John W. Campbell Award nails the nominees, and we nail the true origin of the world of Updraft as we wrap up this month's book pick. OK, we're probably wrong about ...
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#258 - When To Worry About The Singularity W Ramez Naam! from 2016-06-15T01:34:42
Ramez Naam talks about his Nexus trilogy, nanotechnology, and when to worry about AI getting too smart!
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#257 - Shakespeare Was A Genre Writer from 2016-06-07T23:30:11
You may be surprised to learn Gillian Anderson's role in American Gods. You may be surprised that China did not previously have official SciFi awards. But you should not be surprised at all to thin...
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#256 - Interview With Hardcore Game Of Thrones from 2016-06-02T19:17:31
We talk with Jason Greene and Alex Berg from Hardcore Game of Thrones, a show that tells the history of Westeros in the style of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.
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#255 - Just The One Planet from 2016-05-25T01:24:54
We are excited for a new space opera from John Scalzi, not new but awesome Nebula Award winners, and we get teary-eyed over an A.I. as we wrap up Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora.
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#254 - Wheel Of Boobies from 2016-05-11T04:45:10
Wheel of Time is getting a TV series and Veronica has one thing (well, more than one thing) that she expects to see. Would that make it the "boob tube?" (Ed. note -- Jesus, Tom... c'mon) Meanwhile ...
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#253 - A Tale Of Two Styles from 2016-04-27T01:28:49
The Hugos are out! We leave the drama to the side for this one and celebrate the novel nominees. But we didn't waste the drama... we just saved it for our evaluations of TV show and movie-based SFF...
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#252 - Andrew Mayne's Magical Writing Secrets from 2016-04-19T22:58:54
Magician and TV star Andrew Mayne has managed to become a successful published author. How? Not magic. Well some magic. But magic isn’t required. Plus Tom loves his latest novel Station Breaker.
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#251 - How Veronica Tamed Tyrion from 2016-04-13T01:30:59
Statistics dub Tyrion the main character of George R. R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords and Veronica got to talk to him! Well, she talked to Peter Dinklage anyway, who plays him on the TV show. She rep...
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#250 - Ken Liu Explains Why Silkpunk Is Not What You Think from 2016-04-05T23:29:03
Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings tells us about the inspiration for his worlds, his domain name, how translation has helped him as a writer, and why silkpunk is a thing (but probably not the t...
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#249 - Secrets Of All The Birds In The Sky W Charlie Jane Anders from 2016-03-30T03:47:46
We’re joined by Charlie Jane Anders to wrap up her book, All the Birds in the Sky. Did you know Kevin has a secret history? What anime inspired Ernesto? These things, as well as all the winners of ...
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#248 - The Truth About Vampires w/ Jim McDoniel from 2016-03-22T22:05
Jim McDoniel, author of An Unattractive Vampire, is not only the second author to get published in the Sword and Laser collection, he’s also a truth-sayer. About vampires. Like how they aren’t spar...
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#247 - Parents Just Weren't Understood from 2016-03-16T01:22:28
We're checking in on All The Birds in The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders and why some people were put off by Patrica and Laurence's parents. Trust us, so were Patricia and Laurence. Also it's March Mad...
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#246 - The 34 Rules Of Robotics With J - F Dubeau from 2016-03-09T00:54:51
We chat with J-F Dubeau, author of The Life Engineered, first book in the Sword and Laser Inkshares collection. Find out whether the thousand year old robots in the book had any real life inspirati...
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#245 - Terry Pratchett Helps Us Feel Better from 2016-03-02T03:57:35
We're very excited about the debut of our first Sword and Laser Inkshares collection book, The Life Engineered by JF Dubeau. We're a little bummed that Tom forgot to bring more than water to drink....
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#244 - It's OK To Like Junk Fiction Sometimes from 2016-02-16T23:52:52
Sometimes some people just want a story you can take your brain off and enjoy. If that's not you, keep your rain off my cotton candy. Also an awesome new effort to Kickstart an Ursula K. Leguin doc...
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#243 - Hugo Nominations Are Open! from 2016-02-03T02:06:54
Yes you can nominate your favorite novels, short stories, TV scripts and— oh look, fancasts! We also discuss the line between inspiration and appropriation regarding Sword of Shannara.
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#242 - The Animal In Our Collection from 2016-01-20T05:22:56
We congratulate the winners of our Inkshares contest and name the book that will be joining our Sword and Laser collection. Plus, why you shouldn’t be angry at George R. R. Martin and how Catherynn...
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#241 - A.I. Animal Flesh Carvers from 2016-01-13T15:57:55
We talk to three of the leaders in the Inkshares Sword and Laser collection contest. From animal people to lonely AI to epic flesh carvers have they got some stories for you!
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#240 - Wish We Were There from 2016-01-06T01:36:21
Over the break, we took a little time out of vacation to talk about our holiday reads, from ancient history to Chewbacca. Sigh. No Star Wars spoilers we promise. We’re not there anymore. But we ca...
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#239 - King Arthur Is A Mary Sue from 2015-12-23T01:51:02
We wrap up our thoughts about Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey. And we discuss why calling a character a “Mary Sue” has become meaningless and impedes constructive conversation.
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#238 - W.E.B. Dubois' 1908 GoT Reference from 2015-12-09T01:19:33
A newly-discovered short story from W.E.B. Dubois called “The Princess Steel” seems to anticipate elements of Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. Plus, we kick off the book with the talking horses!
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#237 - Charles E. Gannon And Big Idea Books from 2015-12-01T21:36:51
Author Chuck Gannon joins us on the show this week to talk about his most recent work in the Caine Riordan series (Raising Caine), as well as helping the government figure out the future as part of...
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#236 - Time Travel Is Frustrating from 2015-11-25T04:34:48
We wrap up what people thought about Time and Again by Jack Finney. Some loved the imagery, some got bored, and some thought he was just too hard on New York City.
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#235 - The Practical Effects Of Mallory O'Meara from 2015-11-19T03:37:50
We interview Mallory O'Meara, producer and screenwriter for Dark Dunes Productions, about Yamasong: March of the Hallows, a movie about an automated girl and tortoise warrior, with puppets, Nathon ...
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#234 - We Think We Know How Game Of Thrones Ends from 2015-11-11T04:03:06
George R R Martin will only say that Game of Thrones will end in a bittersweet way. We’re pretty sure we know what that means. Also Chinese Nebula Award winners and our first impressions of Time an...
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233: Publishing Inside And Out, With Jaym Gates (Con-Volution 2015) from 2015-11-04T04:53:01
At Con-Volution 2015 we sat down with author/podcaster/publicist Jaym Gates and talked about her unique perspective on publishing from within and without.
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S&L Podcast - #232 - Is This Book A Traitor To Its Genre? from 2015-10-28T03:34:19
We wrap up our October book pick, The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Some people find the hero less than heroic. Some people find the genre less than fantasy. So why did Tom like it so much? Is HE a trait...
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S&L Podcast - #231 - Can An Author Spoil Herself from 2015-10-21T02:41:25
We have a delightful conversation with Catherynne M. Valente about decopunk, book awards, and why she fears spoiling herself about her own stories while she’s writing them. Her decopunk book Radia...
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S&L Podcast - #230 - Reading Makes You A Better Person, Says Science from 2015-10-14T06:44:48
We cheer for Patrick Rothfuss winning the Hollywood game, jeer a little at Spielberg refusing to put a Delorean in the Ready Player One movie and peruse with careful academic curiosity a study show...
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S&L Podcast Rewind: 'The Martian Influx' Redux from 2015-10-07T03:51:02
With the huge success of the film adaptation this month, we thought it would be fun to travel back in time to our interview with The Martian author Andy Weir and Influx author Daniel Suarez.
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S&L Podcast - #229 - Taylor Swift Is A Fremen from 2015-10-01T03:24:36
We wrap up A Canticle for Leibowitz and explore all its science and religion feels. Also we welcome a new Expanse series cover, a new Gaiman baby and we discover why Taylor Swift IS the Kwisatz Had...
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S&L Podcast - #228 - Is Present Tense For Baby Brains? from 2015-09-16T21:42:09
This week, things really go nuts when Veronica realizes that she likes Tom's book pick more than Tom does, which causes Tom to question everything he has ever known. Meanwhile, over on Goodreads, T...
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S&L Podcast - #227 - Cherie Priest And The Caverns Of Inspiration from 2015-09-10T05:56:43
This weekend at DragonCon 2015 in Atlanta, we had the great fortune of chatting with Cherie Priest for an hour in front a live audience of Sword&Laser enthusiasts! Listen in to hear Cherie's rise f...
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S&L Podcast - #226 - Embrace The Manic Pixie Dream Witch from 2015-08-27T04:52:56
We’re happy for the Hugos, sad for the last Terry Pratchett novel, and J.R.R. Tolkien has a new book. Plus, we wrap up Uprooted by Naomi Novik and make our peace with a trope. Full show notes: htt...
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S&L Podcast - #225 - Why You Should Welcome The Robots from 2015-08-06T04:40:06
We chat with J-F Dubeau, author of The Life Engineered about why we should keep calm and build more robots. Also the good news of more Game of Thrones coming to TV thrilled the live audience at Ner...
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S&L Podcast - #224 - Scott Sigler Keeps Us Alive! from 2015-07-31T20:16:26
Scott Sigler’s Alive is out, and even though he didn’t mean it as Young Adult fiction it’s turned out that way. And even though he didn’t mean it to be Science Fiction, it’s turned out that way too...
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S&L Podcast - #223 - Why Station Eleven Is Horror AND Science Fiction from 2015-07-24T05:22:20
This week we congratulate several more authors on TV deals, one author on getting to write more movie books, and another author on having too many potential movie deals. We also come to the conclus...
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S&L Podcast - #222 - Neil Gaiman Writes All The Things from 2015-07-09T12:39:31
We have an eyewitness report from the ALA conference in San Francisco, our initial thoughts on Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Neil Gaiman will write some episodes for the American God...
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S&L Podcast - #221 - From Authors To Hollywood Moguls! from 2015-06-25T05:09:27
Ellen DeGeneres is apparently interested in adapting Naomi Novik's Uprooted as a film. But, we all know there's a long road from "interest" to "released." Just ask Neil Gaiman. The good news is Ga...
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S&L Podcast - #220 - Why The Healer Deserves To Be A Hero from 2015-06-18T04:27:27
We talk with author Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger, about why healers are never the hero in genre fiction and how she decided to change that. We also press her for baked brie recipes and...
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S&L Podcast - #219 - We Make People Win Nebula Awards. Maybe. from 2015-06-11T07:14:05
First off we now have a 100% record picking Nebula-award winning books for the club. That’s 100% of the last two years. So take note Nebula-wanters! Also we’re very excited about a new series from ...
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S&L Podcast - #218 - Why There's No Such Thing As Writer's Block from 2015-06-04T04:30:37
Peter Orullian wears many hats. He is an author, musician, and has worked for many years at Microsoft on the XBox team. Today we talk about his series The Vault of Heaven, get the scoop on his all-...
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S&L Podcast - #217 - Apply John Scalzi Directly To Forehead from 2015-05-28T05:20:05
We congratulate John Scalzi on his book deal (while Veronica teases about his Lock In Sequel’s title), applaud Ernest Cline’s choice of audiobook narrator and have polar opposite opinions about Lei...
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S&L Podcast - #216 - Why Genres Don't Matter On The Internet from 2015-05-21T03:50:14
We talk with Rachel Aaron about why she doesn't worry about genre anymore and how she had to fight the siren song of Warcraft to become a professional writer.
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S&L Podcast - #215 - Is The Magician S Quentin Too Handsome from 2015-05-14T17:45:27
Everything you’ve ever read seems to be coming to TV. Plus Veronica tries to uncover Tom’s secret political conspiracy, while Tom changes Veronica’s opinion of 1940s era swashbuckling.
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S&L Podcast - #214 - Discworld's Inner Rage from 2015-04-30T05:50:30
Rucksack Universe Author and Pratchett Enthusiast, Anthony St. Clair joins us to wrap up our reading of Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters. Is Granny Weatherwax a conduit for Pratchett's righteous ange...
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S&L Podcast - #213 - Our Thoughts On The Hugos from 2015-04-16T06:33:33
We're excited and fearful about a new chapter from George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, we're hopeful about new books from John Scalzi and Ann Leckie and we're just a little wistful and/or angry a...
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S&L Podcast - #212 - Do You Have The Right To Delete Swear Words from 2015-04-02T04:01:33
We give our last thoughts on The Goblin Emperor, kick of our April pick, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett and discuss why some author names are bigger than their titles. But what really gets this ep...
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S&L Podcast - #211 - Why Peter V. Brett Empathizes With George RR Martin from 2015-03-26T04:57:58
We talk with Peter V. Brett about his new book, cool tattoos and the last enjoyable book he read. The Skull Throne, 4th in the Demon Cycle series, comes out March 31, 2015.
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BUMPERX - Who Is Veronica Belmont from 2015-03-19T17:57:46
Created by Scott Johnson! http://www.myextralife.com/
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S&L Podcast - #210 - Are You The Goblin Emperor? from 2015-03-19T05:21:32
We bid adieu to Terry Pratchett and commemorate him with one more book pick next month. We cheer for Chuck Wendig being picked for the next Star Wars novel. And we wonder if we are too much like th...
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S&L Podcast - #209 - The Secret To Inventing Your Own Language from 2015-03-12T15:17:23
Sarah Monette, a.k.a. Katherine Addison, tells us why you’re all right about the Goblin Emperor, why the wizards in the book are so stubborn about using magic, and shares tips for inventing a langu...
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S&L Podcast - #208 - Who Will Win This Year's Nebula from 2015-03-05T01:40:53
So much good news! Some of our favorite stories are becoming movies and TV shows and we even have good news of a popular indie author getting picked up by Tor. And we even make a stab at predicting...
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S&L Podcast - #207 - Crowdfunding An Abomination With Gary Whitta! from 2015-02-25T07:04:33
Gary Whitta is an award-winning screenwriter who wrote The Book of Eli and worked on the first Star Wars standalone film. So when he had an idea for a dark historical fantasy story he wrote a book....
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S&L Podcast - #206 - How Tyrion Could Die from 2015-02-18T05:44:54
We have a whole Wheel of Time pilot mystery to solve and then on top of it George RR Martin says any character in the Game of Thrones series could be killed even if they’re safe in the book. WHAT?!...
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S&L Podcast - #205 - Brian McClellan Grows His Own Spaghetti Sauce from 2015-02-11T07:55:25
When you rule the world of powder mages you can do what you want. Brian McClellan wields his powder for good. In addition to delivering us the complete Powder Mage trilogy with the third book Autum...
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S&L Podcast - #204 - Annihilation Is Not The End from 2015-02-04T05:50:41
Veronica REALLY wanted to make the title of this episode "Tom Merritt is a sexist pig." But Tom doesn't need that kind of grief. And besides he has promised to read even more female SciFi/Fantasy a...
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S&L Podcast - #203 - Myke Cole's Secret Unicorn from 2015-01-28T06:37:28
We welcome back the amazing Myke Cole to talk about how he finds time to write great books, fight crime, and decorate his apartment with even more books. We also pressure him into a startling revel...
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S&L Podcast - #202 - Ready Player Two from 2015-01-21T07:39:43
We wrap up The Sparrow. We loved it and it made us sad. We're also blown away at the quality of books being made into TV shows. Well, only a pilot and a trailer but so far so good. But should you r...
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S&L Podcast - #201 - Don't Fear The Roomba from 2015-01-14T01:17:22
Author and robotics engineer Daniel H. Wilson chats with us about his new story/app called Mayday: Deep Space about a person trapped on a ship full of monsters. Only you can help him survive! But o...
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S&L Podcast - #200 - Best Books Of 2014 from 2015-01-06T04:33:59
Well we're here to kick off the new year AND celebrate our 200th episode so we gathered drinks and cheer and your favorite books of 2014 as well as our own and a few others. You'll never guess whic...
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S&L Podcast - #199 - Integrity For Sale from 2014-12-17T03:28:36
This week we almost wrap up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, discuss the intricacies of eBook DRM and try to decide just how high a price our integrity would fetch. We also wonder the same abo...
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S&L Podcast - #198 - The Most Hated Phrases In SciFi from 2014-12-10T03:33:29
This week we're busy. We congratulate the winners of several year-end awards. We kick off our December book pick, The Night Circus, a beautiful novel by Erin Morgenstern. And we dive into some of t...
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S&L Podcast - #197 - Veronica Is A Cannibal from 2014-11-26T01:43:02
We sing the praises of Ursula K. Leguin, marvel at the casting of HBO's Westworld, announce our December book pick and wrap up Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Also, Veronica ...
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S&L Podcast - #196 - Would Vegetarians Eat Electric Meat from 2014-11-12T01:15:48
We have some awesome World Fantasy winners to talk about, some exciting casting news for The Magicians and The Expanse, but it really gets interesting when our “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”...
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S&L Podcast - #195 - Why It's OK To Hate My Favorite Book from 2014-10-30T19:54:24
It's a jam-packed episode this week with great news for Ann Leckie and Andy Weir, our wrap-up of Alif the Unseen, Kickoff of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the determination that it's OK t...
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S&L Podcast - #194 - Delilah S. Dawson: Why Whimsydark Rules from 2014-10-21T19:10:01
We had a lovely time chatting with author Delilah Dawson about her struggles with Ikea furniture, brilliance on Twitter and the coining of Whimsydark. There's also a fair amount about blud and humans.
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S&L Podcast - #193 - Kiss From A Queen (on The Face) from 2014-10-15T00:40:34
In Neil Gaiman’s new book, The Sleeper and the Spindle, Sleeping Beauty gets woken by a Queen’s kiss. And there’s pictures so it did happen. Fictionally speaking. We also discuss The Steel Remains ...
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S&L Podcast - #192 - Sexual Experiences With Robert Jackson Bennett from 2014-10-07T21:44:41
Robert Jackson Bennett joins us on the show this week to talk about his new book, City of Stairs! The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutal...
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S&L Podcast - #191 - Tom Merritt, Kindle Hater from 2014-10-01T03:53:48
From excitement about a new book in the Old Man's War series, to a rising demand for SciFi, things are looking up on the laser side. We also find out that Tom doesn't use a Kindle and Veronica's op...
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S&L Podcast - #190 - Timothy Zahn Minds Your Soul from 2014-09-24T01:10:43
We chat with Timothy Zahn about his new book Soulminder. What happens when you can store a person's life essence separate from their body? And yes we get in a little talk about Star Wars and the pr...
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S&L Podcast - #189 - Literary Virginity, Literally from 2014-09-17T05:37:35
We dig into the first four stories from Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others, and boy do we learn a lot about ourselves and others. Plus you'll want to take your vitamins since Margaret Atw...
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S&L Podcast - #188 - It's A Dragon Con Plex from 2014-09-03T00:02:37
We talk with Naomi Novik, fanfic writer, Ruby on Rails coder and author of the Temeraire series, from DragonCon 2014 in Atlanta! Then, we wrap up Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
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S&L Podcast - #187 - How To Win A Hugo from 2014-08-20T00:33:41
We congratulate all the winners of the Hugos and chat with Aidan Moher about how he took home the best fanzine Hugo for A Dribble of Ink. Veronica milks him for info on how to win, and then we lear...
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S&L Podcast - #186 - The Name Of The Wind Is Dave from 2014-08-06T01:13:18
Almost every book is becoming a TV show or movie. Also we tell you how to be a part of a living creation of Alice in Wonderland and we kick off Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind.
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S&L Podcast - #185 - Traveling By Bubble! from 2014-08-06T00:35:32
We chat with Steven Paul Leiva, author of Traveling in Space and his audiobook narrator Jeff Cannata, about aliens, the beauty of language and avoiding death.
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S&L Podcast - #184 - Threeways To Save Humanity from 2014-07-23T03:15:02
There’s so much you can do with us this week, including bringing Neil Gaiman to the stage, discovering 20th century high fantasy, and saving humanity. And how we can save humanity makes Tom blush.
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S&L Podcast - #183 - The Damon Inside Me from 2014-07-08T23:50:52
We ponder on Matt Damon's role in The Martian, why we love to hate villains, and the role of philosophy and ideology in Octavia Butler's Dawn. Join us, before Veronica falls into the hellmouth.
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S&L Podcast - #182 - Ken Liu Translates Success from 2014-07-01T21:42:28
Ken Liu's short story "The Paper Menagerie" swept the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards. His short story, "Mono no aware" won the 2013 Hugo, and his novella "The Man Who Ended History: A Docum...
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S&L Podcast - #181 - The Promise Of More Blood from 2014-06-25T02:20:13
We break down our June book pick, Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, and find out why it's actually four or five books and its gods are not what they seem. Also we set up our July pick from Octav...
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S&L Podcast - #180 - Emily Jiang: Cinderella, Secret Agent from 2014-06-18T00:36:25
We talk to Emily Jiang at the Nebula Awards about her book Summoning the Phoenix, her foray into children's books and what she has planned for a full novel. Hint, it involves magic and spies.
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S&L Podcast - #179 - Flintpunk And Geekomancy from 2014-06-11T02:52:58
Would you like to be in a George R. R. Martin Book? Got $20K? Don't mind being killed? Good. You can help wolves. Also we give our first impressions of Brian McClellan's The Promise of Blood and ta...
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S&L Podcast - #178 - David Weber Talks Honor At BayCon 2014 from 2014-06-08T01:18:03
David Weber joins Tom Merritt at BayCon to talk about the origins of his writing, the journey of Honor Harrington and how he relies on his fans.
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S&L Podcast - #177 - A Chat with Grand Master Delany from 2014-06-04T03:05:08
We intersect with Mr. Samuel R. Delany at the Nebula Awards to talk about his writings, old and new, and the role of science fiction, plus more stimulating conversation.
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S&L Podcast - #176 - Martians And Panda Pants from 2014-05-28T00:58:27
Veronica is back from China to regale us tales of motorboating pandas, but first we announce our June book pick and wrap-up The Martian by Andy Weir. Is it as scientifically accurate as so many say...
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S&L Podcast - #175 Ann Leckie Wins it All from 2014-05-20T23:13:22
We chat with Ann Leckie mere hours before she wins a Nebula award, about what it's like to get so many awards, and what's coming next for fans of her award-winning novel, Ancillary Justice.
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S&L Video: Author Spotlight -N. K. Jemisin from 2014-05-08T04:59:27
N. K. Jemisin writes fiction that reads like history in the best way. But could it also be romance? We ask N. K. Jemisin that and how she's able to keep a day job and still write amazing fiction. W...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Jim. C. Hines from 2014-05-01T23:34:14
Haven’t you wondered how orcs and goblins and other monsters see the world? Do they feel unfairly vilified? Jim C. Hines can help you walk a mile in their— scaly misshapen feet. Find out why the au...
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S&L Podcast - #174 - A Wrap - Up Of Earthsea from 2014-04-30T04:34:42
Veronica is traveling in China, so we pre-recorded this episode and took the opportunity to properly wrap-up A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin. We also kick off the rest of The Martian and p...
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S&L Podcast - #173 - JJ, Destroyer Of Canons from 2014-04-30T04:06:01
We're very excited to have Bryan Benson on the show today, who backed our Kickstarter for season 2 of video, and got to pick this month's book. He's a game designer, author and all around great guy...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Elizabeth Bear from 2014-04-24T21:02:05
What kind of mind can write about a faerie war in Shakespearian England and Lovecraftian Nightmares in depression-era Maine? The kind of mind that can also win a Campbell award for best new writer ...
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172 S&L Podcast - #172 - The Invention Of BeerPunk from 2014-04-23T17:07:02
Travel fantasy writer Anthony St. Clair (Home Sweet Road, Martini Destiny) is on the forefront of a new genre involving beer and travel, plus he reveals the secret for planning a book with one word.
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S&L Author Spotlight - Kevin Hearne from 2014-04-17T05:09:16
Kevin Hearne was an English teacher who put up with rejection from twenty three agents and five publishers before he finally prevailed. Thank goodness he did! We would have never been able to meet ...
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S&L Podcast - #171 - The Martian Influx from 2014-04-16T00:57:02
We're very excited that James S. A. Corey's 'The Expanse' is being made into a TV series! PLUS we sat down to chat with Andy Weir and Daniel Suarez. We learn you shouldn't go for a publisher, but g...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Brent Weeks from 2014-04-11T06:53:02
How did Brent Weeks get from Montana to writing novels on napkins to becoming the bestselling author of the Lightbringer Series? We'll ask him about that, find out his favorite word and whether he ...
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170 S&L Podcast - #170 - The Lives Of Wesley Chu from 2014-04-07T01:23:29
Wes Chu has had many interesting (and varied) careers, but we're happy that he's focused on the fascinating tales of Tao. In this Google hangout, we talk about the upcoming finale to the series, wh...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Chuck Wendig from 2014-04-03T21:10:33
Chuck Wendig has a reputation for cursing. He also has a reputation for being a badass writer of amazing characters in inventive situations, across novels, comics and movies. He also invented cornp...
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169 S&L Podcast - #169 - Sneaking Peeks And Swapping Sleeves from 2014-04-02T01:03:29
From a debate on whether we should read early chapters from George R.R. Martin's "Winds of Winter" to the usefulness of Asimov's three laws, to our wrap-up of Altered Carbon, this is an episode tha...
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S&L Video: Author Spotlight - Alastair Reynolds from 2014-03-27T22:12:53
This week you’ll learn how Alastair Reynolds went from Cornwall to a doctorate in astronomy, to pushing ice across the vastness of space. How much do current scientific advances influence him? Does...
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168 S&L Podcast - #168 - Promises Of Blood And Old Timey Pipes from 2014-03-26T00:24:59
We had a lovely time chatting with Brian McClellan, author of the Powder Mage trilogy. He answers a lot of questions about including history in novels, snorting gunpowder, smoking old-timey pipes w...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Rachel Swirsky from 2014-03-20T17:33:15
Have you been ignoring short stories? You’re missing out!And Rachel Swirsky is one of the best authors to prove it. Find out how this award-winning author and podcaster got into writing and poetry ...
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S&L Podcast - #167 - Spitcoin from 2014-03-20T01:25:19
We evaluate George R. R. Martin's plans to stay ahead of the HBO show, look forward to spaceships returning to SyFy, congratulate Arthur C. Clarke Award finalists and ponder the disgusting need for...
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S&L Podcast - #166 - The Prolific Mr. Adam Christopher from 2014-03-15T21:31:25
Sorry for the late podcast, everyone! I took a nasty tumble this week and broke my foot and wrist, so everything kind of shut down for a bit! But we're back, and so is Adam Christopher! We talk abo...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Mary Robinette Kowal from 2014-03-14T03:41:30
How do you become an award-winning puppeteer AND award-winning writer AND a audiobook narrator? Easy. Be Mary Robinette Kowal. We ask the author of Without a Summer and Valour and Vanity how she fi...
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S&L Author Spotlight - Anne Leonard from 2014-03-06T22:49:32
Anne Leonard's first book JUST came out. Congrats Anne! Moth and Spark is about a Prince who has been chosen to free dragons from bondage to the Empire, but nobody’s exactly sure how he should do i...
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S&L Podcast - #165 - SciFi Is Finally Literature! from 2014-03-05T04:26:44
We kick off our March book pick, Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, ponder the brief career of Jonathan Ross as LonCon MC, and discover that at least Houghton Mifflin thinks SciFi is lit.
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S&L Author Spotlight - Max Gladstone from 2014-02-27T23:11:59
It's our author guide to Max Gladstone! If you want an author who knows how to work the financial crisis into epic fantasy and is handy with a sword, Max is your man. We also get the final word on ...
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S&L Podcast - #164 - Bill Gourgey's POST - Post - Apocalyptic World from 2014-02-25T23:57:49
We chat with Bill Gourgey, who's Glide Trilogy does not settle for a run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic world. What happens AFTER the post-apocalyptic dust settles!? We also find out how a tech analy...
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S&L: Author Spotlight - Hugh Howey from 2014-02-20T23:29:04
We're back!!! Welcome back to the space castle, everybody! HUGE thanks to our Kickstarter supporters for making this possible. In our first episode of Season 2, we talk to Wool Omnibus author Hugh ...
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S&L Podcast - #163 - Hugh Howey Hullabaloo from 2014-02-19T04:03:42
Hugh Howey caused quite a stir with his findings about independent authors, but what does it mean for us readers? We also talk about the Wizard of Earthsea feminism implications and have an excitin...
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S&L Podcast - #162 - Gregory A. Wilson's Graphic Fallen Angels from 2014-02-12T00:47:33
We chat with Gregory A. Wilson, author of The Third Sign, about his newest novel Icarus and the graphic novel based on it that he and artist Matt Slay are working on. It's about a being who falls f...
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S&L Podcast - #161 - What Harry Potter Stole From Earthsea from 2014-02-05T02:03:03
This time around we're kicking off our February book pick, A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin. If you're looking for the first tale a of a boy who attends a school of wizardry, we've got th...
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Sky sings Dresden Files! from 2014-01-21T23:32:36
At our meetup at Borderlands Book in San Francisco, we were treated to a wonderful song about the first three Dresden Files books by Sky Corbelli!
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S&L Podcast - #160 - Scully Writes A Book, Ringo Is A God from 2014-01-21T00:05:30
We've got some awesome news about new books from Peter F. Hamilton, Richard Morgan, Joe Abercrombie and Gillian Anderson. Plus we wrap up our January book, The Einstein Intersection.
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S&L Podcast - #159 - Ian Tregillis On Angels, Superpowers, And Deathmatches from 2014-01-15T02:31:25
We have a chance to chat with the fabulous Ian Tregillis, author of the Milkweed Triptych and Something More Than Night. He alludes to his secret 'Clakkers" project, explains how to make an angel t...
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S&L Podcast - #158 - Read A Book, Change Your Brain -- It's Science! from 2014-01-08T01:21:54
It's our first episode after New Year's and we're still recovering. Thank goodness Neil Gaiman, the Wertzone and Stephen Chow are here to perk us up. Plus we kick off our January book, The Einstein...
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S&L Podcast - #157 - Marie Brennan's Fantasy Brings The Science To Fiction from 2013-12-31T19:21:14
We chat with Marie Brennan about her historical fiction her fictionalized history and all kinds of matters relating to anthropology, ethnography, archaeology and natural history. And dragons. Plus ...
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S&L Podcast - #156 - Wrapping Up Dragons! from 2013-12-23T18:27:20
It’s a no-holds barred episode where Tom and Veronica reveal their most horrible secrets. Happy Christmas! Also good news from Scott Lynch, slightly bad news from Charles Stross, and the book char...
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S&L Podcast - #155 - Why Sam Sykes Is For Sharks And The Alliance from 2013-12-18T01:42:27
We had a really good time chatting with Sam Sykes, author of the Aeon's Gate series. Among other things, we learned what a flying shark is good for, why he left the Horde, what a "stealfie" is, and...
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S&L Podcast - #154 - A Natural History Of Dragons from 2013-12-11T01:55:42
It’s a very dragon-filled episode, as we kick off our December pick, A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent, actually by Marie Brennan. Also Temeraire. And Paul and Storm steal our id...
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S&L Podcast - #153 - Peter V. Brett Is The Dark David Hasselhoff Of Fantasy from 2013-12-04T04:29:25
We talk with Peter V. Brett about his Demon Cycle books, the grim world of dark fantasy, his old HP iPaq and why he's so big in Germany. http://swordandlaser.com/home/2013/12/3/sl-podcast-152-pete...
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