S&L Podcast - #538 - It's The Words, Tom!

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What's the best SciFi/Fantasy book title. Are there too many Bobs? What about Murderbots?

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What Are We Nomming?

  • Tom: Pot stickers and Singapore-style noodles

  • Veronica: Orange Creamsicle "I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today" Fruited Sour

Quick Burns

  • RumTum: "IGN can exclusively reveal that Bobiverse Book 6, The Infinite Extent, arrives on Audible this September, bringing back narrator Ray Porter to tackle the franchise's biggest intergalactic threats yet." (Read more on IGN)

  • CountZeroOr: Renegade Studios (who are the current publisher of the new edition of Vampire the Masquerade) has announced that they have partnered with AMC for a line of tabletop RPGs based on Anne Rice's novels (or at least the ones that AMC have adapted to the screen). (Read more on EN World)

  • trpw: The Guild Reunion movie (a project to mark the 20th anniversary of The Guild webseries) met its Kickstarter funding target inside a few hours of launch. (View the Kickstarter)

  • Scott: Vonda N. McIntyre's final novel, The Curve of the World, has been posthumously published. While the publication date appears to have been May 1, I discovered that fact through the Big Idea post on Scalzi's blog written by her editor for the book (and notable author in her own right), Nisi Shawl. It seemed worth noting to me. I still remember today how much of an impact Dreamsnake had on young teen me when I read it in the late 1970s. I looked up its Wikipedia page and see it won the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula best novel awards. I'm not surprised. (Read the post on Whatever)

  • Jan: There is a new Collection over at Humble Bundle for Tanith Lee, whom Sword and Laser listeners may know from our 2018 pick Night's Master! You can get bundles from 3 to 26 books, but the three-book bundle is only the first entries in three different series (including Night's Master)... (View the Humble Bundle)

Bare Your Sword

What do you think is the best SF/F book title? (Join the Discord discussion)

Paul:

Quick note on the conversation about Neal Stephenson's new book, a sequel to his last book Polostan, which Shane described as LOOOONNG, and which Tom said wasn't surprising for Stephenson.

I think Shane was being a bit flippant with that remark, because it's actually only 303 pages, making it easily his shortest novel to my knowledge. Perhaps Shane just didn't like it, which made it feel long? Tom also noted that he was surprised he hadn't heard of the book, and that's probably because it's historical fiction and in no way whatsoever considered genre. In fact, I struggled to find it in the bookstore when it came out because it was placed with the Mystery/Thrillers.

For what it's worth, I still liked it. It had his trademark super-detailed explanations of engineering (but for weird things seen in the Chicago World's Fair and Soviet smelters), as well as his humor and over-the-top drama. For reasons I can't fully articulate, I'm just addicted to the way he writes, but I can totally understand why people more into his SF works would bounce off of this book/series.

Stephen:

BookTok loves the Red Rising series. They will look me right in the eye (from my phone) and tell me it is the greatest series they have ever read. Guessing by their age I am figuring they grew up on Rick Riordan's books and Red Rising hit that itch.

Book of the Month Discussion

Kick Off

Wrap Up

hapahappiness:

Not sure if I'm just soft now or what, but this one had me shedding tears. Really loved being wrecked in delicate ways. I would give anything to have a conversation with my Dad like Yeon-hwa did with granny, so not only am I moved but also pretty jealous. Maybe I'll bake a brownie and drown it in ice cream or something. (Discord Link)

Gristle McNerd:

Yeah, unfortunately it didn't quite work for me. I think part of it was the translation, a lot of the prose felt kind of stiff and awkward. I mean, yes, the stories all (somewhat predictably) ended in tragedy, but I just kept hearing that "dumb ways to die" song in my head throughout because I could never quite achieve immersion. (Discord Link)

ScottM:

I loved each story and the characters developed in it as well as the threads connecting them. While I'm sure I missed some of the cultural nuance, the translator did a wonderful job preserving both the depth of the writing as well as conveying the underlying sense and feel of the novel. I found it a very quick read and didn't want to put it down. The way the spirits reacted and received comfort as they prepared for what came next gave it a cozy feel despite the nature of their stories. Told differently, essentially the same content could have easily been used to construct a horror novel instead. (Discord Link)

Spriggana:

This would be my third book from this particular subgenre, the previous two being Before the Coffee Gets Cold and We'll Prescribe You a Cat. And they mostly make me go "meh", like I know the book will try to be deep, and moving, and about people getting closure [1]. And I mostly do not care. Looks like I’m too jaded, or blasé, or cynical, or something.

Looking for a name for those books I have found a review blog that calls them "Healing Fiction". And the name, when I remove the "asian" part makes me think of books like The Shack or Eat, Pray, Love. And for me the western ones are different in form, but alike in intention, if it makes sense. And I do not care for them either. So it looks like it is me, not the books.

[1] The cat one had been a bit different, but had its own share of problems. (Discord Link)

Addendums

Our show is funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way 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.

S&L Podcast - #537 - Roman Fantasy is Romantasy?

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Starlog is back! The Le Guin shortlist is out. Why Tom is naked. We kick off our July read and struggle to understand why some people think Red Rising is Romantasy. Now we know.

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What Are We Nomming?

  • Tom: Panko-crusted tilapia with roasted potatoes and braised zucchini

  • Veronica: Strawberry spritzer

Quick Burns

  • Tamahome: A new China Miéville novel is coming. View on The Broken Binding

  • Mark: Starlog (the magazine) is returning this fall with Annalee Newitz as editor! Her colleagues in this endeavor will also produce a weekly podcast and a newsletter. Starlog.com

  • Tamahøme: Neal Stephenson’s next book has been announced. View on HarperCollins

  • Mark and Chris K.: The 2026 Le Guin Prize for Fiction Shortlist is out! The 2026 selection panel includes Nicola Griffith, Mat Johnson, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, and Peter Rock. The winner will be announced on October 21, 2026 (Le Guin’s birthday). Read more at Locus

    • Audition by Pip Adam

    • Sunward by William Alexander

    • Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell

    • Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung, tr. Anton Hur

    • The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

    • Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman

    • Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta

    • One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed

    • Slow Gods by Claire North

  • Trike: I found out from an Instagram post by P. Djèlí Clark that Subterranean Press is closing down. After a long career of publishing gorgeous limited editions, collections, art books, and novellas, publisher Bill Schafer shared the news that Subterranean Press will be permanently closing in the coming years. They intend to continue publishing work through the end of 2027, "which may bleed into 2028 as we wrap things up." Read more at Locus

Bare Your Sword

Kevin: I was going to say something rude about why Romantasy readers like Red Rising but instead I'll just say that Red Rising could have been worse if the idiot girl from Fourth Wing showed up moaning on and on and on about how much she hated that guy because of something, something but he's so hot that even though she hates him, he makes her all moist in her nether regions.

John replied: I haven't read Fourth Wing as romantasy really isn't my thing but this comment is making me reconsider that decision as it made me laugh out loud :-D

Ruth: Good to hear Tom singing another K-pop bop on the show! Boompala Boompala Boompala yeah…

Alan: Did Veronica call There Is No Antimemetics Division "There is No Anti-metrics Division"? That sounds more like a shadowy group opposing SI units.

John replied: There is a panoply of such groups in the UK, all in favour of, and I am being VERY kind in my language here, the "legacy" Imperial measurement system.

Jan: (If you're not visiting the Bare Your Sword forum in the Discord you missed this!) "What I posted was actually the third version. In the first version Donut wore a royal cape, so I did specify in the second image for Tom to be 'carrying a black and beige and white tortie Persian cat with a pink purple tiara and sunglasses but no other clothes' and the AI created this... 🫣" View on Discord

Aaron Bell: I am 90% confident that the Slow Wings episode had a fast food ad for me. I was mildly amused by that. Does the editor choose where the ad break goes, or is that entirely out of their hands?

Book of the Month Discussion

Kick Off

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa, translated by Slin Jung

Final Thoughts (Spoilery)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Stephen: I am 70% in. It could be like The Dresden Files where the first two books were okay but the series hits its stride in Book 3. For me it was Grapes of Wrath to Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) to Lord of the Flies. I did buy Book Two in the series when it was on sale, which I have heard said is a marked improvement.

NotSoRedEd: This is the first Sword and Laser book since I returned to the podcast with The Hexologists that I have abandoned without finishing. I’ve just completely lost interest in it. I thought the initial concept of an oppressive government keeping its citizens in slavery while they live in luxury was a great one, especially with the lying part about the terraforming of the planet (although I did see the twist coming). I also loved the bit where he was transformed into a Gold. But since the passage section, the whole Hunger Games style challenges have completely lost my interest. I simply don’t care what happens to any of the characters; I just think this section has been going on far too long. I noticed that I’m just putting the audiobook on to finish it rather than actually enjoying it. So for the first time in ages, I’ve decided to simply abandon a book. Anyone else feel the same way? View on Discord

Liqorice: I've seen a few places where romantasy readers proclaim their love for this book. I can see it being something that is aimed at a YA audience, but I don't see the romantasy appeal. I read it a while back but I don't recall any spice. Some of the posts I've seen emphasize how everything our protagonist does stems from love for his wife and how he is willing to destroy civilization for her memory — I guess they don't think of it as fridging? I'm just confused by the popularity of this book in general and with BookTok in particular. Clearly, I'm not the target audience. What am I missing? View on Discord

J.kidd: Something I keep turning over with Red Rising is how much of its narrative pleasure comes from the thing it's supposedly condemning. Obviously, the brutality of the Institute and the hypocrisy of the allegedly meritocratic system is depicted as Bad. However, while I'm reading the book I'm not really thinking "this is what's wrong with stratified societies," I'm more thinking "wouldn't it be thrilling to be good enough to win at this." I don't think Pierce Brown necessarily intended it, but it feels like you're meant to hate what Gold represents and also, somewhere in your lizard brain, want the sigil. There's a similar kind of dissonance in The Will of the Many. View on Discord

Addendums

Our show is funded by our patrons! Thank you to all the folks who back our show. If you would like to support the show, 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.