S&L Podcast - #526 - Halfway Happy
/LACon V(eronica) registration is open, the Philip K. Dick Award nominees are out, and we discuss why we're "halfway happy." Plus, we kick off I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom and wrap up The Book That Wouldn't Burn.
WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?
Tom: Singapore Noodles
Veronica: Olé!
QUICK BURNS
Clyde: There is a John Scalzi in the asteroid belt! He is rightfully chuffed. Link
Tamahome: The title for the sequel to The Strength of the Few was just announced. Hierarchy, Book 3: The Justice of One by James Islington. Link
Mark: More Sci-Fi TV from James S.A. Corey and friends. Prime Video is adapting The Captive's War series. Link
Mark: Registration for LACon V, where the next WorldCon is being held, ends January 31. If you want to nominate and vote for the Hugo Awards, a WSFS Membership is $50 and includes the Voting Packet with many nominated works. Link
Chris K (via Locus): The 2026 Philip K. Dick Award nominees have been announced:
Sunward, William Alexander (Saga)
Outlaw Planet, M.R. Carey (Orbit UK; Orbit US)
Casual, Koji A. Dae (Tenebrous)
The Immeasurable Heaven, Caspar Geon (Solaris UK)
Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow)
Scales, Christopher Hinz (Angry Robot UK)
City of All Seasons, Oliver K. Langmead & Aliya Whiteley (Titan) Link
Tamahome: Books entering the public domain on Jan 1st, 2026 include Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, Gladiator by Philip Wylie, and the first Tintin graphic novel. Link
JasonB: Cory Doctorow shared a list of 20 public domain books that have been beautifully reformatted by volunteers at Standard Ebooks. Link
trpw: The Guild is being adapted into a musical for MTFestUK 2026, with Felicia Day reprising her role as Cyd/Codex. Link
BARE YOUR SWORD
Stephen expressed skepticism that well-planned plots with twists could be written by "pantsers." Scott replied that Nnedi Okorafor is a pantser who executed the complex structure of Death of the Author largely as it emerged, rather than through heavy revision. Stephen King is another famous pantser with a prolific output.
Paul let Veronica know that Canada has several 4D theaters, including one in Burnaby. He also noted that Amazon Kindle AI likely restricts copying output to prevent academic dishonesty, a major concern in university settings.
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION
Kick Off
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin. (Bookshop Link)
Iain & Judge Ruth: Both noted the book briefing has them curious, though the premise sounds somewhat similar to Pargin's previous work, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits.
Tassie Dave: Prepared to give the author a second chance despite mixed feelings on past reads.
John Nevets: Excited to jump in after enjoying Tom’s previous recommendations.
Wrap Up (Spoilers!)
The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence. (Bookshop Link)
John Taloni enjoyed the connection to Teela (Livira's aunt) and the "three nickels" riff on the Phineas and Ferb meme.
ScottM praised the dual-perspective approach:
"The novel tackles some of the hardest questions we ever pose to the universe. Who do I hate and why? Who is my enemy? What does it mean to love? And at no point does it offer platitudes or easy answers."
ADDENDUMS
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show! If you would like to support us, head to patreon.com/swordandlaser.
You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com.
