S&L Podcast - #385 - What do you mean HORROR?

We address the harassment accusations against authors, discover that the July pick could be classified as horror (to Veronica's horror), and have a whole lot of good TV coming based on a whole lot of good books.

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QUICK BURNS

Mark: 2020 Locus Award winners have been selected:
Horror: Black Leopard, Red Wolf
First Novel: Gideon the Ninth
Novella: This Is How You Lose the Time War

Mark: The annual Arthur C. Clarke Award is given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year.

The shortlist for the 2020 (34th) Clarke Award is out.

- The City in the Middle of the Night  - Charlie Jane Anders
- The Light Brigade - Kameron Hurley
- A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
- The Old Drift - Namwali Serpell
- Cage of Souls - Adrian Tchaikovsky
- The Last Astronaut - David Wellington

Jan: This time the trailer for the adaptation of Brave New World on Peacock (Hi Tom!).

The series will debut with the launch of peacock in the US on July 15. There is little information at the moment when and where Peacock's original programming will be available to audiences outside the US.

Netflix's second season of The Witcher is returning to production with an announcement on Twitter, apparently written as a poem by the character Jakier:

I’m dusting off my lute and quill,
I have some news, some mead to spill:
After all the months we’ve been apart
It’s time for production to restart.
The Witcher and his bard – who’s flawless,
Will reunite on set 17 August.
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) June 22, 2020

James: Apple has released a first Teaser for the 2021 "Foundation" streaming series with Jared Harris as Hari Seldon.

Iain: Inconceivable....

Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride on Quibi:


Netflix has released a trailer for "Cursed" their adaptation of the book written by Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by Frank Miller reinterpreting the Arthurian Legend from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake.
The series drops on July 17 on Netflix.

Mark: Mandalorian art books, youth novels, adult novels, and comics are coming!
First adult novel coming Dec 2020 is Sparrow (is this really the title?) with absolutely no details right at this moment except it's about the Mandalorian and will be written by Adam Christopher."

BARE YOUR SWORD

Beth Mitcham @MitchamBeth
A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE, Arkady Martine. This stays with you after you put it down. It's about patriotism and envy of magnificent foreigners and the difference between memory and identity. A little bit of love. And lust. And loss. @swordandlaser

Drake Tungsten @turtleismytotem
@swordandlaser Listening to episode 20 and @Veronica mentions how she can't remember which Dresden Files books she read. I have the same problem. I've read about six books in the series, but I don't have a clear memory of any of them.

NEW POD! This week on Episode 4 of Dune Pod we are honored to be joined by @swordandlaser co-host @Veronica to talk about Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 meditation on pre-destination, Arrival. Warning: We also briefly cover Jeremy Renner’s music.

@tamahome02000
@swordandlaser I don't think Veronica will like Black Leopard, Red Wolf.

JULY PICK

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Book Briefing

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

S&L Podcast - #384 - Teenaged Wiccan

Tom starts throwing money at Becky Chambers and Veronica defends her rose quartz. Plus, new Star Wars short stories coming and lots of great tie-in novels up for Scribe awards! Also our first impressions of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Nothing
Veronica: I Ate a Watermelon!

QUICK BURNS

Tamahome: Excerpt from A Memory Called Empire sequel

Julie: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the fourth book in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series is set to come out in February

Kev: Celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back - here's the author list for the new From A Certain Point of View anthology set during and around the movie. The first FACPOV set during A New Hope was fun.

Mark: The 2020 Scribe Award nominees have been announced by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. Sword and laser titles abound.
Winners will be announced on July 15

Tamahome: Max Brooks' (World War Z) new bigfoot novel Devolution is being adapted for the big screen:

BARE YOUR SWORD

Amy @SuthinBelle
@Veronica @swordandlaser you and @acedtect were wondering what author was from Russia - Isaac Asimov (Foundation). BTW, the author from South Africa is actually Tolkien and the author from India is TH White (Once and Future King). Long and lasting impact from British Colonialism.”

Drake Tungsten @turtleismytotem
@swordandlaser Are there any plans to have videos of episodes like you used to?

John Taloni:
Just for the fun of it, a full-length "Staba O'Riley" aka "Teenage Wiccans."
Arty intro...Pete Townshend's guitar blends in...Keith Moon's drums hit...John Entwhistle's subtle bass...and then, Roger Daltrey!


Hang out after school
Crystals sure look cool
I get the quartz into my jewel'ry
I don't need a stone
To groove the Crone
But they sure as heck look pretty, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Don't scry
The evil eye
It's only teenage Wiccans

Sisters say the spell
The bond we feel will swell
Chant in a circle
Until the night grows colder
The crystals make the Witch
But I will cut a bitch
You try to take 'em, I'll stab you in the shoulder

Teenage Wiccans
It's only teenage Wiccans
Teenage Wiccans
Oh yeah, teenage Wiccans
They're all Wiccans!

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Keep an eye on the Patreon and Goodreads for the July Pick

JUNE PICK
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

MCE: Find your Teixcalaanli name


ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely 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/picks