January 25, 2013

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

January 25, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

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

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

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

Discussion Links:

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

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

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

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

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

January 22, 2013

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

January 22, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

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

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

CALENDAR

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

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
New GAME OF THRONES video

BOOK CHECK-IN
Use of "said"

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

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this

January 18, 2013

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

January 18, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

More about our guest, Terry Brooks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 12, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

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

CALENDAR

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

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

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

MAIL

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

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

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ADDENDUMS

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

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

January 11, 2013

Trash Talking Angels and Tad Williams

January 11, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

More about our guest, Tad Williams:

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

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

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

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

January 04, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

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

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

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

E-Mails, Discussions & Video Questions:

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

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

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

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