S&L Podcast - #102 - I, Dictator

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It's a roller-coaster ride of emotions this week, as we say goodbye to one of science fiction's greatest writers, revel in swordfighting, and declare Veronica all-powerful.  But there's also voting for the July book pick.  Don't let all that democracy go to your head though.
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Veronica: Charles Shaw Shiraz 

QUICK BURNS
Nebula Award winners announced
Here Are the 1960s Science Fiction Novels Everyone Should Read
9/22 - 23 2012 Philip K. Dick Festival 

BARE YOUR SWORD
Tigana > A Word of Encouragement To Early Would-be Lemmers
Thanks to Sean for setting up Listopias! Vote for your favorite books. 
SciFi Listopia
Fantasy Listopia
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

BOOK CHECK-IN
July Book Poll 

EMAIL
Hello Tom and Veronica,
In your last episode you mentioned that you noticed that fantasy seems to be more popular in later years than scifi, after which veronica immediately dissmissed the notion and attributed it to the popularity of game of thrones. It is not true, although game of thrones is extremely popular it's popularity is a simptom and not a cause.
It is a well known fact that scifi had been slowing down as a ganre for 30 years, and in the same time the fantasy ganre had been on the rise, and it seems that during the last decade these trends had became more prominent.
Love your show,
Shaul from Israel.
Keeping a candle in the window for scifi.
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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 listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

 

S&L Podcast - #102 - I, Dictator

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more about our guest and book pick!

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

Ernie on Twitter: twitter.com/erniecline

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

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

Show Notes:

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

StarShipSofa Online Narrators Workshop

Nominate a Podcast

John W. Campbell Memorial Award Finalists 

Video Review by Dr. P:  

 

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

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

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

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Maker's Mark

Veronica: Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet 

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

QUICK BURNS

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

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

Fantasy Novels That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity 

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

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

Parsec Awards 

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

Penny Arcade on China Mieville 

How do you take your audiobooks? 

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

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

BOOK CHECK-IN

Hyperion by Dan Simmons 

Where do we stand on the June book?

Hyperion... LEMMED! 

Other Dan Simmons work 

2013 Hyperion Movie 

EMAIL

Hey Tom & Veronica!

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

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

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

Anyway, you rock.

Sincerely,

Aaron

ADDENDUMS

NAME! THAT! DRAGON! 

Secret Identity 

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 - #100 - We're Old!

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

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The S&L Wiki is now live!

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

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

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

 

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

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

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2009 Château Haut-Sorillon

Veronica: St. george Absinthe Verte

QUICK BURNS

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

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

Macmillan’s Tor/Forge goes DRM-free

IO9 listing the top 100 albums sff fans should listen to 

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

CALENDAR 

BARE YOUR SWORD

Other Polarizing Books 

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

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

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

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

BOOK WRAP-UP 

The Magicians by Lev Grossman 

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

Next book will be Hyperion by Dan Simmons 

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

From Wikipedia:

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

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

And we're working on the June Pick.

EMAIL / VOICEMAILS

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

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

Hope you guys enjoy!

Kevin

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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 listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.


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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

The Mary Sue

SF Signal

Fantasy Café

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

Blackout will be available May 22nd.

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

 

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

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

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

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

Tom: Racer 5 IPA 

Veronica: 2009 Mandolin Cabernet Sauvignon 

QUICK BURNS

New cover art: Abercrombie, Sanderson, Banks, Sapkowski 

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

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

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

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

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

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

FAQ - A Sword and Laser Primer for New Members 

Lev Grossman says what fantasy is about 

Send us videos! 

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Full episode list for Season 2 of GAME OF THRONES 

GAME OF THRONES renewed for a third season 

BOOK CHECK-IN

The Magicians by Lev Grossman 

Meta-mockery of the fantasy genre? 

Courage of your convictions when referencing other books? 

A Case of Loose Ends? 

EMAIL

Hello Tom & Veronica,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

JP

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 - #98 - Stop Saying Lady Cave!

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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