S&L Podcast - #516 - I Know What You Did Last Book Briefing
/Why taste in books is like taste in food. Plus, our final thoughts on Joe Abercrombie's The Devils. And the Ruth-Veronica feud heats up. Also, Tom likes fish sticks. Literally.
WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?
Tom: Fish sticks and leftover mac and cheese
Veronica: Sad Mediterranean
QUICK BURNS
Mark: A dramatized audio adaptation of Joe Lansdale's 1994 classic tale, Bubba Ho-Tep, is coming this August.
Elvis is spending his golden years at the Mud Creek Shady Grove Convalescence Home alongside a man claiming to be President John F. Kennedy. Strange sights and sounds lead the two to discover an ancient Egyptian mummy stalking the corridors of their retirement home. They soon face off against the monster...but will anyone believe their story or shrug it off as more tall tales?" — Bubba Ho-Tep
Tamahome: More awards. The winner has time travel and a mysterious realm.
Tamahome: New cover reveal of an upcoming Alastair Reynolds noir sci-fi on October 30th. I don’t think the detective’ll be carrying a whiphound.
Jan and CountZeroOr: The Dungeon Crawler Carl Webtoon has been released. The first three episodes can be read for free on webtoons if you are interested in seeing a (strangely young-looking) anime-style Carl enter the Dungeon — Dungeon Crawler Carl Webtoon
specious_reasons: has posted details of the WorldCon 2025 meetup in the WorldCon thread:
Sword & Laser WorldCon 2025 Meetup!
The Seattle and Tacoma local meetups are joining up to meet each other and other Shields attending WorldCon in Seattle. We have a private event in the Ravenna Rooms at the Sheraton on Thursday 1:30-3:00 PM. If you are in town, please join us!
Refreshments will be provided! We'll have ribbons! I'm actually very excited!
...and I created an event on Discord, too"
Seth: Not quite news, but cute and timely. Alexander Skarsgard tells an interviewer he ruined a few takes of the Murderbot finale because he kept breaking into tears. Happily, the show was renewed for Season 2, so we'll get more Murderbot and Alexander gets to hang out with the rest of the cast for another year (and, hopefully, we get to meet ART).
Note, this spoils the end of the last episode / the end of the first novella" — Murderbot finale item
BARE YOUR SWORD
Ruth: “Try to apologise to Ruth”?! But Veronica says she stands by what she said before! Talk about a nonpology.
FYI I have now finished watching the last few episodes of Murderbot with my husband and we both enjoyed it very much. I do however re-assert my right to watch whatever televisual entertainments I choose, in the company I choose.
If Veronica wants to make amends for her relentless Ruth-bashing, she can promise to buy me a drink as and when we’re ever in a bar together - possibly at WorldCon in Dublin in 2029
Alternatively, taking inspiration from previous Sword and Laser pick Jade City:
Veronica Belmont, I offer you a clean blade!
Scott: It was my first time joining a live recording that was mostly focused on a book I actively disliked. As was true all the years I just listened to the podcast after it was released, it was still a fun experience. The podcast is enjoyable whether or not you even read the book at all. Certainly there have been plenty of books over the years I didn't read. In fact, if I read a book club pick in the past, it was usually well after the podcast. (Or I had read it before it was a pick.)
I think it's pretty noteworthy that Tom & Veronica create a book club podcast that's always fun, engaging, and interesting whether a listener reads a particular book or not."
Terpkristin: I a bazillion % agree that even when I'm kind of ambivalent on the book, I LOVE the show and am totally engaged. I'm looking forward to the wrap-up episode, at which point I may decide to fully abandon the book. For now, it's cooling its heels in my queue while I read other things.
Anon: Apropos Ruth Bashing: I need advice from Veronica for a purely theoretic scenario: let's assume the girlfriend of someone named ... Uhmm ... Yann suggested watching Gilmore Girls and I ... I mean Yann .... Said yes but failed to tell her he has binged the whole series already two times. Is it too late to confess to her by season 4?!
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
August Book Kickoff
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.
Bookshop link
Last Thoughts
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
– Bookshop link
Compared to the other books like First Law
Well, I enjoyed that. Definitely gives me Suicide Squad vibes (DC Comics and movie if you’re not familiar). Every book seems likely to me to have roster shuffling due to a death or two, and, apparently like the drummers of Spinal Tap, the frequent need to replace the priest.
I enjoyed the nuance to the characters…or as much nuance as a berserker werewolf can bring to the situation. Not sure nuance is the right word; perhaps playing with stereotypes, or giving them depth. Or, is it only the semblance of depth?
The final “cousin” surprised me in not being a psychopath like his brothers. I slept on the final twist re: Eudoxia but liked the future paths that opens up.
SeréTW
I didn't necessarily dislike it, but ultimately it was too much action for me. I felt similarly about the theatrical and extended releases of Return of The King; what do you mean another army has arrived?!? In the Devils I was like, Eudoxia really needs to stop popping out these babies. I probably won't continue with the series, as I'm not built for this extent of action.
DaveZ
I finished last night. I enjoyed the book. I will probably pick up the sequel when it comes out.
I agree that it was a lot of action and if I’m complaining it was action to action throughout the book. Most of the character development was either a function of the conflict or “off camera”. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it did seem a bit long when it was one encounter into another one.
I enjoyed all the characters. Baptiste I felt was underutilized. In the Venice house she was the only one that didn’t have a memory hallucinations. I still liked her character but most of what she did was not the focus. I guess the issue might be too many character POVs.
Anyway. I gave it 4 stars. I find the small complaints I have remove a star.
AnijaCat
Just finished! It was a really fun read, I can’t remember the last time a book made me really laugh out loud 😁
I think this is a 3⭐️ for me. There were some great moments. But overall, the plot and characters seemed half developed. And the book seemed too long for the level of substance it offered.
But I really learned sth about how to write gore. A lot of authors make the mistake of writing suffering and gore that is over the top and way too sincere (Poppy Wars comes to mind), when it is painfully obvious that the author is an urban dweller who knows so little of physical suffering they probably complain about mosquito bites on a 5k hike 😆 Abercrombie writes theatrical gore that is totally insincere, and therefore far more authentic. The first proper fight scene was really masterful! I’ve never felt that the fight scene was my favourite part of a book before.
mantissa
This feels very much like a D&D campaign:
Vigga is a barbarian
Baptiste is a rogue
Balthazar is a sorcerer, er, magician
Jakob of Thorn is a paladin
Brother Diaz is a weak Cleric
Sunny is an elf with issues (VERY high stealth, I love how she has to hold her breath to stay stealthy)
Baron Rikard is a character with VERY high charisma (I don't know if you can be a vampire in D&D)
Alex is the MacGuffin and she is so much more.
ADDENDUMS
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