S&L Podcast - #531 - Interesting Nacho

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We have a hurt Veronica, Cadbury eggs, Nebula Award winners, and Tom Bombadil-lo! Plus, we kick off The Raven Scholar and wrap up Automatic Noodle. Which, of course, leads to Veronica's new business plan for a nacho bar.

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WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

  • Tom: Chicken Chow Mein

  • Veronica: Mini Eggs

QUICK BURNS

Scott: The Nebula Award finalists have been announced. The Nebula Award for Best Novel Nominees:

  • When We Were Real, by Daryl Gregory (Saga)

  • The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga; Titan UK)

  • Katabasis, by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)

  • Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz)

  • The Incandescent, by Emily Tesh (Tor; Orbit UK)

  • Sour Cherry, by Natalia Theodoridou (Tin House; Wildfire)

  • Wearing the Lion, by John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia) Official Nebula Announcement

Trike, ezeller & Racer951y: Dungeon Crawler Carl is officially in development for Peacock by Seth MacFarlane’s company, with Christopher Yost writing. Yost co-created the character X-23 and has written films like Thor: Ragnarok. Variety Article

Silvana: An Animorphs TV series is in development with Ryan Coogler as executive producer. Variety Article

Mark: Goodreads adds a "DNF" (Did Not Finish) shelf for folks who "lem" books! What could they possibly do to top this enhancement? 😑 Goodreads Blog

Roberator: It looks like Wheel of Time may return to the screen, but in animated form. I wish the live action was continuing, but I'll probably check these out if they get made. I'm a bit off-put by them targeting younger audiences. ScreenRant Article

Tamahome: Warner Bros. has revealed that Stephen Colbert and his son are developing a brand new Lord of the Rings movie: The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past. The plot will come from chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring that didn’t make it into Jackson’s 2001 adaptation (Chapter III, "Three Is Company," through Chapter VIII, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs").

“Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo—Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”

Variety Article

BARE YOUR SWORD

Trike: A couple of interesting videos about book covers popped up in my YouTube feed:

Phil: What were the books you gave 5 stars to in 2025 and which were your favorites? Phil’s 5-Star Reads:

  • Olympos by Dan Simmons

  • The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters

  • Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

  • Anima Rising by Christopher Moore

  • The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

  • Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber

  • The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Favorite!)

  • The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

  • The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss

  • Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson

  • Midworld by Alan Dean Foster

Veronica’s 5-Star Reads 2025:

  • The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Library Trilogy, #1) by Mark Lawrence

  • A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

  • The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

  • The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1) by Rachel Gillig

  • The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1) by James Islington

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman

  • The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Kick-Off: The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

Wrap-Up: Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Aaron Bell on Robot Names: Any thoughts on the names (given and chosen) of the robots of Automatic Noodle? Only on my second time through did I catch that Stay-behind's sockpuppet persona was a nod to their wartime call sign. Bowtie and Ascot.

Aaron Bell on Connection: I listened to this about 6 months ago and intend to re-read/listen this month. Initial impressions: It was well written, but I didn't feel I connected with the characters (the bots) as much as intended. I think the intelligence gathering angle felt a bit rushed. I was also a bit turned off by the whole "California vs. America" thing, but I suppose that is to be expected from a certain breed of author steeped in West Coast culture (see also some of Cory Doctorow's recent work).

Jan on Signature Dishes: Our robots concentrate on one dish, which made me wonder: What would be your "one" signature dish?

"I think my signature dish at the moment would be my variant of the Anthony Bourdain Mortadella Sandwich: Crispy toasted breadroll, with good pan-fried Mortadella, molten low-moisture Mozzarella, Dijon mustard, and German tartar sauce with added minced pickle and jalapeno... We make it at least once a week!"

Veronica: "Wait... his name was HANDS this whole time??"

ADDENDUMS

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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 #530 – You’re Pulling My Noodle

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Veronica's sick but she soldiers on and we review the final four of the March tournament. Plus our non-spoiler check in on Automatic Noodle. Also, we talk about our favorite noodles.

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WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

  • Tom: Taquitos and Caesar Salad

  • Veronica: Peppermint Tea

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MARCH FINAL FOUR

Which of these will move on? One of these matchups is currently a dead heat, while the other has a 42-vote lead!

  • There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (aka Sam Hughes) | Goodreads

  • Slow Gods by Claire North | Goodreads

  • Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao | Goodreads

  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson | Goodreads

QUICK BURNS

Phil: Legendary author Dan Simmons (Hyperion, The Terror) passed away from a stroke last Saturday at the age of 77. While his later works, like 2011's Flashback, drew heavy criticism for their political themes, his contribution to the genre via the Hyperion Cantos remains a staple for many fans. Read the Guardian Obituary.

Mark: Coming this November from John Scalzi and Tor Books: Monsters of Ohio, a heartfelt exploration of a tentacular solution to the struggles of the modern world. Details at Tor.

Mark: Scalzi is also taking an indefinite hiatus from book club invitations due to the sheer volume of spam. He noted: "I can spend my days sorting 'book club' spam, or I can write books. One pays me money. The other does not." Read more at Whatever.

Calvey: ACOTAR fans rejoice! ACOTAR 6 is set for October 27, 2026, followed quickly by ACOTAR 7 on January 12, 2027. The Cut Article.

Mark: The British Book Awards have added a Science Fiction & Fantasy category! The shortlist includes:

  • Alchemised by SenLinYu

  • Brimstone by Callie Hart

  • Ice by Jacek Dukaj (trans. Ursula Phillips)

  • Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

  • The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

BARE YOUR SWORD

terpkristin: The pronunciation of Eyre was amusing. Right on point for this show, which I still love.

tamahome: She should have been named "Jane Eyrie." She might have had some corvid blood.

Stephen: How did Tom and Veronica go through life and miss all the Jane Eyre adaptations? If you have 2 to 5 hours, YouTube has the 1943 version with Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, and Agnes Moorehead! Plus, Netflix has a new one planned with White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood.

Jan: I feel the very carefully phrased statement about how long it took Tom to finish the book is the closest thing we will ever get to Tom "hating" a book. 😅 (Disclaimer: I am NOT saying Tom hated it! I just thought it was funny.)

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz Amazon | Bookshop

Community Thoughts:

  • terpkristin: "If ever there was a book for 'what are we nomming,' this is it... For Italian noodles, I love a good penne alla vodka."

  • Aaron Bell: "There are a bunch of cryptocurrencies mentioned early on... I know ETH is mentioned, which is a real one designed for self-executing contracts."

  • Jan: "If any pick asks for a 'what are we nomming?' thread, it's a book about robots making 'authentic' biang biang noodles!"

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 over to: patreon.com/swordandlaser