S&L Podcast - #223 - Why Station Eleven is Horror AND Science Fiction

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This week we congratulate several more authors on TV deals, one author on getting to write more movie books, and another author on having too many potential movie deals. We also come to the conclusion that Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is all the genres.


Download direct here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom:Yorkshire Gold Tea
Veronica: Sorta sour red wine    
    
QUICK BURNS

Sandra: Del Rey books has announced Chuck Wendig will also write two more books in the Star Wars series, further bridging the gap between the original movie trilogy and the new one coming in December.
    
James: Shannara Chronicles trailer has been released.    

Nick: Warner Bros., MGM and Lionsgate are among a group of studios locked in a heated bidding war for Patrick Rothfuss' mega-best-selling fantasy novel The Name of the Wind, book one in The Kingkiller Chronicle series.     
    
Andy: Third episode in the Max Temkin/Pat Rothfuss podcast dropped this morning, featuring a lengthy discussion from Pat himself about that bidding war for the film adaptation of The Kingkiller Chronicle everyone was buzzing about at SDCC. Check it out! Could I love this man any more? Ask me when "The Doors of Stone" hits the shelves in 2016.    
    
Ethan: Jim Hines is quitting his job to write full time. If you haven't read anything of his, pick up Libriomancer - a quick and fun urban fantasy - this series is up there with Dresden for me. 
    
Sandra: Here's the Nominees for the 2015 World Fantasy Awards. Three Sword and Laser book picks are up for best novel (The Goblin Emperor, City of Stairs, and Area X:The Southern Reach Trilogy). Chances are good for another Sword and Laser winner. 
    
Mark: British Fantasy Awards 2015 nominees include City of Stairs (fantasy) and Station Eleven (horror ???). One of the film/tv episodes nominated is Under the Skin, one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. 

BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Long time listener first time caller. I noticed you’re piicks links to amazon and was wondering do you guys have a straight link that would give you guys credit for any purchases? I could guess but looking at what’s the same but would rather be sure so you get credit. Wife’s a prime member and we are both pretty good Amazon customers. If I could use a link to help you guys out some more, all the better. You guys just missed my PS4 purchase.

Thanks again for doing the show and consider this a performance review for the year. “Exceeding expectations”

One of the 500 patrons peeps (number as of now) :o)

Michael

---
    
Yes/No/Maybe!

You know, Veronica? You're in excellent company; over here in Trondheim that yes/noing is a thing we've been doing since the dawn of time (or as long as I can remember, and who's counting)*. And funny thing; when listening to Among Others (thanks to you guys), I got a smile out of hearing that vocal quirk described as a characteristic of the North Welsh dialect. So throw away your embarrassment and embrace your expressionistic ambivalence!

(And it generally doesn't mean either yes, no or maybe; it's just a bit of verbal padding to to keep the thought in place until you shoot your mouth off ;)

Fredrik
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Next Month: Uprooted by Naomi Novik    
    
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel    
    
Details matter    
    
Reminded me of Cloud Atlas    
 
ADDENDUMS    

Scott Sigler hangout Friday at 5:30 PM!!    
    
We'll be at Nerdtacular 7/31 at 4:30 PM and at DragonCon in September!    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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.    

S&L Podcast - #222 - Neil Gaiman Writes All the Things

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We have an eyewitness report from the ALA conference in San Francisco, our initial thoughts on Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Neil Gaiman will write some episodes for the American Gods TV series. Thank American Gods!

Download direct here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Hendricks Gin and Tonic    
Veronica: Boonville Bite Hard Cider    
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Kenley: The American Library Association held their annual conference in San Francisco this week. 25,000 librarians descended on Moscone. The event included a Tor panel with Vernor Vinge, Greg Bear, John Scalzi, Marie Brennan and Larry Correia.     

And Ulmer Ian says: "Just came from the Tor panel. Not much interaction between panelists so no barns were burned. Was great to see Vinge, I'm a long time fan. Marie Brennans talk about what books show we miss from current technology was particularly fantastic. 

In quick burn news: S&L pick and Nebula winner Goblin Emperor won best fantasy novel for the Locus Award. Be an S&L pick, win all the awards. "
    
Ulmer Ian: Ancillary Sword wins Locus best scifi novel.    
    
Alex
Neil Gaiman is going to write multiple episodes of American Gods for Starz. That makes me SO much more excited than it probably should.  
    
Joanna - There's a wonderful interview of Lois McMaster Bujold . 

It really dives into her process and what inspired her. It also highlights why the Vorkosigan Saga is still my very favorite scifi series. Namely following how culture follows technology and the development of great characters over time. 
    
Alex - Patrick Rothfuss and Max Temkin (one of the Cards Against Humanity guys) have started a podcast, and it needs a name   
    
Andy - The final novella installment to John Scalzi's "The End of All Things" was released.    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    

---
"Hi Veronica and Tom, 
We are in San Diego at WesterCon! We had a good reads/ S&L coffee klatch this morning. Thought of you two. It was great fun and we met some new S&L pals. Here's our pix. Hope all is well with you both. 

Best, Melisa from SF "    

---
    
    
"Dear Tom and Veronica, 

I happened to catch Tom's "book haul" video and I enjoyed it. What a 
great idea! 

That tall stack of books behind Tom got my wheels turning and here's 
what I think you should do: you should send them to listeners who agree 
to review them. I don't know what the rules are, exactly, so maybe you 
can't do it that way, but I think you should be able to publish the 
reviews on the website, can't you? I know you've published some 
listener-written reviews. 

The benefit of this vs. just giving them away at events is two-fold: the 
author gets a review out of it, which is why they sent it to you, and 
the Sword and Laser community gets to find out if these books are good. 

You'd have to come up with a way to decide who gets which book, but you 
can do a drawing or something? Does the Patreon funds give you enough to 
cover the cost of mailing these out? If not, asking listeners to pay the 
shipping cost would ensure they'd be invested enough to definitely write 
a review. It would still be cheaper than buying the book. 

Love the show! 
Beelissa "    

---    
"Hi Guys.

Love the podcast. This may be a little off-topic, but you're two erudite people, so I'm hoping you can  help.
Veronica, last podcast I heard you agree with Tom by saying ""yeah-no"" and then going on to say why you agree with him so much.
Can you help me understand why I'm hearing this more and more, all over the place. It's no longer just a simple yes, or no, it has become ""yeah-no"" or ""no-yeah""  
WTF? Why?
Will there be a new word in the dictionary soon, ""yeah-no"" ?
This drives me almost as crazy as hearing the word ""literally"" used incorrectly all the time now.
Ugh.

Keep up the great work on the podcast.

Darren"    Yeah, no
Yeah-no, controversial since 2006    
    

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel    
Emily Mandel's website    

Station Eleven > SE: Literary crossover? (please tag spoilers)

ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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.    
    

S&L Podcast - #221 - From Authors to Hollywood Moguls!

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Ellen DeGeneres is apparently interested in adapting Naomi Novik's Uprooted as a film. But, we all know there's a long road from "interest" to "released." Just ask Neil Gaiman.  The good news is Gaiman's American Gods is finally green-lit for TV! So there's hope. Unless you're a god from the Continent! More about that as we wrap up The City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett.

Direct download link here.

QUICK BURNS
    
2015 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Winners    
    
Ellen DeGeneres To Produce Naomi Novik's Uprooted    
    
This Year's Science Fiction Hall Of Fame Inductees Are Legends    
    
David: Hyperion being made for TV
    
Robert: Only a few days after the trailer was released, Fox has moved up the release of "The Martian" from November 25th to October 2nd. That's nearly two months!    

Daniel: Andy Weir did a spontaneous AMA  
    
Clyde: Shepherd's Crown will be the last Discworld novel. Rhianna Pratchett tells fans: 'I don’t intend on writing more Discworld novels, or giving anyone else permission to do so. They are sacred to dad.' 
    
SporadicReviews: American Gods TV series greenlit
    
Andy: SyFy slipped in a second trailer for "The Expanse" via their YouTube channel. Initially, it seems identical to the first trailer, but there are a few scenes scattered throughout which are not in the original. It looks amazing. 
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
I'm fairly certain I'm doing this wrong but hey at least I'm doing it. I was wondering if you have read the Adventurers Wanted series by M.L. Forman? if not it would be Awesome if you could showcase his first book Slathbog's Gold on your show. he has 4 books out and the 5th is on the way but he had a stroke last year and has been struggling with his writing and it would be Great if more people were made aware of his stories so they can show him support and encourage him to keep writing! thank you and I hope you are having a Great day.

P.S. just because he is my all time favorite Author you should read Saxon Andrew if you haven't already, all of his books are Awesome!!!

Dany

---
    
Hello.
I love the podcast and have been listening for a year or so now.
I have tried writing my first novel but was informed by a friend that the world I had created, had the same mechanics as the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.
The plot was completely different but the way ships moved and fought were similar. I read some of the books and they were brilliant. (Very unique! Very different to normal space books)
Thus ended my writing career and my dreams.

My question is. How long (if at all) should I wait to write again? The ideas won't leave me but I don't want to be seen as plagiarizing someone's work!
When can a revolutionary idea be used by others in their own unique way?

Thank you for your time.

From a sad and confused fan
Turner Davis.

P.S. keep up the brilliant podcast.

---
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett    
    
CoS: Vohannes (full spoilers)    
    
Next Month: We'll read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel        
     
ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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.   

S&L Podcast - #219 - We Make People Win Nebula Awards-- Maybe.

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First off we now have a 100% record picking Nebula-award winning books for the club. That’s 100% of the last two years. So take note Nebula-wanters! Also we’re very excited about a new series from University of Illinois Press called the Masters of Science Fiction. You can find out William Gibson’s secrets!

Download direct here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Snowdrift: Orchard Select Hard Cider   
Veronica: Bulliet Rye    
    
QUICK BURNS
Ian: Sword and Laser pick Annihilation won Best Novel Nebula!

Joanna 
In 2013, the University of Illinois Press launched a new series of scholarly books: The Modern Masters of Science Fiction, a series dedicated to studying the men and women who shaped modern science fiction literature.

Nick: The Martian first teaser trailer/clip
    
John
IDW Publishing teases comic project with William Gibson
    
David H.
Chaz Brenchley won the Lambda Award for Bitter Waters for Best LGBT SF/F/H Book (it's a collection).

    
Brendan: Goodnight Dune

Sky 
Stealing Rob's post from another group that shall not be named - New Riyria Chronicles book and chance for bonus goodies like awesome t-shirts. Due to various deadlines, Mr. Sullivan has decided to self-publish the 3rd Riyria Chronicles book and is doing a Kickstarter.    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD

I am new to the Sword & Laser podcast and just really podcasting in general. It's amazing to find a medium where similar interests are explored and expounded upon. Having said that, I'm slowly catching up from earlier podcasts on Sword & Laser but upon listening to the Elizabeth Bear author spotlight I learned that your a fan of Grimdark (Abercrombie). I'm a huge fan of the genre and have read and found the following authors/books truly fascinating: Abercrombie (First Law), Heroes, Best Served Cold, Brent Weeks (Night Angel), Brian McClellan (Powder Mage Trilogy), Brian Staveley (Emperor's Blades), Luke Scull (Grim Company), and most recently Mark Smylie (The Barrow) which was amazing but yet found certain parts uncomfortable to get through. Right now I'm reading Marc Turner's (When The Heavens Fall).

Based on your experience with Grimdark and the Fantasy genre and what I have been reading, I was hoping you could shed some light on some other author's and their books that would fit the mold of what I am currently reading.

I'm really looking forward to what you have to say. Thank you so much for your time. Hopefully I'll be able to get up to speed on the podcast shortly enough. Thanks for your time.
Best,
Paul

--- 
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett    
    
S&L Podcast - #192 - Sexual Experiences with Robert Jackson Bennett    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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.
    

SWORD & LASER AT THE BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL IN BERKELEY!

SWORD & LASER AT THE BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL IN BERKELEY!

S&L Podcast - #218 - Why There's No Such Thing as Writer's Block

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Peter Orullian wears many hats. He is an author, musician, and has worked for many years at Microsoft on the XBox team. Today we talk about his series The Vault of Heaven, get the scoop on his all-time favorite music, and hear why Peter believes there is no such thing as writer's block.

Download direct link here!

Peter Orullian wears many hats. He is an author, musician, and has worked for many years at Microsoft on the XBox team. Today we talk about his series The Vault of Heaven, get the scoop on his all-time favorite music, and hear why Peter believes there is no such thing as writer's block.

​

S&L Podcast - #217 - Apply John Scalzi Directly to Forehead

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We congratulate John Scalzi on his book deal (while Veronica teases about his Lock In Sequel’s title), applaud Ernest Cline’s choice of audiobook narrator and have polar opposite opinions about Leigh Brackett’s “Sword of Rhiannon.”  

Download direct here! 

QUICK BURNS
    
AndrewP - Just read on the Tor.com website that Tanith Lee passed away :(    

Joanna: Holy crap, John Scalzi just signed a $3.4 million deal with Tor for his next 13 books. Well, if he still thought that he hadn't "made it", he has no excuse for that, now. Given his blog, though, I don't think imposter syndrome was something he suffers much anymore, if at all. More details, including the plan of books.    

James (Observant Raven) The first trailer for The Magicians TV series has been released.    

Louie: Wil Wheaton to narrate the audiobook of Ernest Cline's Armada.    

James (Observant Raven) The trailer for Arthur C Clarkes Childhood's End tv series has been released.    
    
Astronaut reads 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' in space    

See a first look at Matt Damon in Ridley Scott's 'The Martian'   

Finalists: 2015 Aurora Award    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Are some stories just too old? Forgotten or unreadable by today's standards?    
    
Adding "Lemmed" as a shelf    
    
Just for fun - reviews of self-pubbed "bad" ebooks    
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Next month: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett    
  
WRAP UP    

Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett    
    

ADDENDUMS    
    
Inkshares promo! If you've heard about Inkshares on the show, and want to try it out, use the link: inkshares.com/secrets/swordandlaser

You'll get $10 in credits to back a book you'd like to read! If you've already created an account and have backed one of the S&L contest entrants, you've already received an additional $5 to keep the momentum going! So head over to the S&L Collection contest and back your favorites!" 
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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 .

S&L Podcast - #215 - Is The Magician’s Quentin Too Handsome?

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Everything you’ve ever read seems to be coming to TV. Plus Veronica tries to uncover Tom’s secret political conspiracy, while Tom changes Veronica’s opinion of 1940s era swashbuckling.

Download direct link here!
    
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar    
Veronica: Viansa Sonoma County Zinfandel 2009    
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Campbell Award Finalists    
    
Locus Award Finalists
    
Tamahome: As the unofficial spokesman for the Arthur C. Clarke award, I'm here to inform you that Emily St. John Mandel’s post-apocalyptic novel Station Eleven just won it.    
    
David H. :They picked up ""The Magicians"" as a TV series.

Sandra: It feels dirty to link a buzzfeed article, but they have an exclusive look at Syfy's adaption of ""The Magicians"" series.

Dara: SyFy and Amblin are making a Brave New World miniseries.
    
Dara: BBC America set a premiere date for the Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell miniseries. June 13th at 10pm.    

Brendan: Natalie Portman to Lead Alex Garland's Next Sci-Fi Film 'Annihilation'
Say hello the the Biologist. 
    
Daniel: The folio society (who I just bought and awesome edition of Dune from) are going to realease a special edition of The Man in the High Castle.

BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Hey T & V:

     Alright, I'm that guy.  I'm the guy that read the ""Song of Ice and Fire"" books years ago, and now is watching how the television adaptation is playing out.  I feel this brings up an interesting precedent.  Normally a film or TV version is based on novels (or in some cases the other way round).  But this series brings up an interesting paradox:

    If the Novel series were begun first, but the final TV episodes aired before the book series concluded, which one is CANON? 

     Normally we have one or the other to point to so we can say ""...well Originally this happened but in the film .... etc""  This will be hard to parse as an avid reader.

Love the sword swipes and laser beams,
Caliban

P.S.  Loved the homage to Terry Pratchett.

---

TSoR: Is this Tom's response to the Hugo Controversy?    
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett    
Audiobook     
Used copies    
EBook (Under the name Sea-Kings of Mars)    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
Inkshares Sword and Laser novel contest check-in    
    
Read an Excerpt from THE LIFE ENGINEERED by J.F. Dubeau    
    
Read an Excerpt of CINNABAR by Edmund Newton    
    
Read an Excerpt from ASTEROIDS MADE OF DRAGONS by G. Derek Adams    
    
Read an Excerpt of ROCKETS by Liam Dynes    
    
Our show is entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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.    
    

S&L Podcast - #213 - Our Thoughts on the Hugos

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We're excited and fearful about a new chapter from George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, we're hopeful about new books from John Scalzi and Ann Leckie and we're just a little wistful and/or angry about the Hugos.  

Download direct!
    
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Newcastle Brown Ale    
Veronica: Viognier White Wine    
    
QUICK BURNS 
    
Sword & Laser Collection Contest    
    
Sandra: Behold!  A new chapter from Winds of Winter    
    
Eleanor (via Steven): BBC Radio 4 have three sets of programs celebrating the work of Ursula Le Guin. 

Dara: Ann Leckie sold another Ancillary story to Orbit, to be published in 2017.     
    
Sandra: Cover Art and Release Schedule for John Scalzi’s The End of All Things Novellas

Paul: The Tiptree awards and for 2014 have been announced. 

People are dropping out of the Hugos    

Aidan -  Two Hugo nominees have been disqualified due to ineligibility  

Pssst: Aidan's also got a short story collection coming out    

Ewan: The whole Hugos Thing   
    
BARE YOUR SWORD

Just a quick heads up that the Discworld Reading Order Guide now has an official Facebook page!
We are gearing up toward releasing the final (sad, I know) 3.0 version of the Guide soon and will be taking suggestions for the draft on the /r/Discworld subreddit and on Facebook once the draft is published. Looking forward to hearing from S&L Pratchett fans.

- Krzysztof Kietzman 

What COMICS Are You Reading    
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett    
    
Brendan: Discworld graffiti showing up in London    
    
Neil Gaiman on Terry Pratchett's inspiration
    
Question about selecting out of print books as our book pick    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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    

S&L Podcast - #212 - Do You Have the Right to Delete Swear Words?

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We give our last thoughts on The Goblin Emperor, kick of our April pick, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett and discuss why some author names are bigger than their titles. But what really gets this episode going is the debate about whether a reader has the right to "clean up" an author's language. 

Download file here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old    
Veronica: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 12yr
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Rob: James Marsters fans rejoice! They are releasing a new audio version of Ghost Story read by Marsters.
    
David (LA, CA) Steven Spielberg to Direct Ready Player One.    
    
Mark: Clean Reader, a profanity-free ereader, best explained by Chuck Wendig
    
Yento: This wasn't unexpected but HBO confirmed they will finish Game of Thrones first.    
    
Trike: Game Of Thrones May Circle Back To Characters And Plots That Were Skipped    
    
Carl Poppa    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Is it still about the author or is it about the title?
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Kick off Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett    

Wrap up The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison    
    
Oh you poor villains...    
    
In the end I liked this book    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
 Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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    

S&L Podcast - #210 - Are You the Goblin Emperor?

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We bid adieu to Terry Pratchett and commemorate him with one more book pick next month. We cheer for Chuck Wendig being picked for the next Star Wars novel. And we wonder if we are too much like the Goblin Emperor. Are you?

Download direct link here!

QUICK BURNS
    
Paul: Terry Pratchett has passed away    
Sandra: There will be one more DiscWorld novel    
    
Dara: Gollancz plans to publish The Thorn of Emberlain by the end of 2015. They also revealed the cover.    
    
Alpha Young Writers scholarship drive    
    
Dara: HBO wants 10 seasons of Game of Thrones
Mark: George RR Martin is sad but cancels WorldCon Saratoga and ComicCon "(Should I complete and deliver WINDS OF WINTER before these cons roll round, I reserve the right to change my mind)."

Joanna: Lois McMaster Bujold just announced that she has sold a book about Cordelia Vorkosigan to Baen, titled "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" and tentatively scheduled for February 2016. 
    
Sky: 20 new books will be released in the new Star Wars universe in a series dubbed "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens", that span multiple publishers and age groups and fills in the gaps between Return of the Jedi and the upcoming The Force Awakens. Including Chuck Wendig! --- Details on the first standalone Star Wars movie including the title "Rogue One" and director and release date for episode VIII: Rian Johnson / May 26, 2017    

Tamahome : Station Eleven a finalist to be nominated for the Faulkner
    
BARE YOUR SWORD

Hey guys, just heard your podcast for the first time and really enjoyed it.

I'm a designer and concept artist that works in film and games and just thought I'd share the fact that I just finished working with Denis (Den-ee) on his upcoming sci fi film The Story of Your Life which will star Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.

I can't say anything about the movie i just worked on, but I wanted to voice my support for Denis as the choice to direct the new Bladerunner. People may not be super familiar with him, but if they watch his films, they'll see that he's could do a great job with it. He's got a kind of dark, gritty style and , fingers crossed, could be what this new Bladerunner film needs. I really like the idea of a less "Hollywood" type of director tackling this story.

Anyway, thanks! And if you'd like to see what kind of fantasy and scifi design work I do, please check out my site: www.theartofpeterkonig.com

-Peter

---

March Madness SF/Fantasy Style
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison    

Next time we'll kick off a Terry Pratchett book. Watch the goodreads group for the announcement of which one    

ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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    

S&L Podcast - #208 - Who Will Win This Year's Nebula?

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So much good news! Some of our favorite stories are becoming movies and TV shows and we even have good news of a popular indie author getting picked up by Tor. And we even make a stab at predicting the Nebula winner. Yet controversy rages in the Untheileneise court. Especially about how to pronounced Untheileneise.

Download direct link here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Nothing. I'm tired.    
Veronica: Nothing, I have to go to a dance class after this!    
    
QUICK BURNS
    
"Mark Nebula nominees are up at including S&L March pick The Goblin Emperor and the current pick Annihilation Will the Supreme S&L go out on a limb and predict a winner? "    
    
Rob: Amazon picked up a full season of Man in the High Castle     
    
David: The City & the City may be coming to TV!    
    
Allister: This sounds great. Kazuo Ishiguro is writing a novel with elves and ogres. The Buried Giant is set after the departure of the Romans from Britain and draws on Arthurian themes whilst being influenced by samurai movies/films and westerns.    
    
Stephen: Becky Chamber's well reviewed self published The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet has been picked up by TOR for wider distribution.     
    
Louie: Blade Runner sequel gets its director and star. Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) is in negotiations to direct Harrison Ford.     
Warren: Harrison Ford to reprise role as Deckard in 'Blade Runner' sequel    
    
Dara: Paramount is trying to acquire the rights to The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.    
    
David: Bryan Singer looking to adapt The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Apparently they're going to rename it Uprising. Maybe they're just using it to mine it for elements instead of really adapting it? Is the original (famous!) title that movie-unfriendly? "    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
I also wanted to comment on the topic of alternative sexuality in SciFi.  It's funny because it seems like the last few books I have read in the genre are in fact exploring the idea that in the future sexuality isn't your standard hetero relationship.   The "Commonwealth Saga" by  Peter F. Hamilton had many different types of partnering, as a standard course throughout. Which also continued in his "The Dreaming Void" series.  Also "Hollow World" by Michael J. Sullivan had a very experimental play on sexuality (can't go into it since... Spoilers) and was really the whole point of the book.  I know these are just a few books, but it just feels like many of the newer books coming out have mixed things up.  Or at least not taken a hetero relationship as a standard assumption. -    Travis E
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison    
    
Sarah Monette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia    
The Goblin Emperor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia    
SarahMonette.com: Who am I?    
Katherine Addison || FAQ    
SFF In Conversation: Katherine Addison on The Goblin Emperor and Grimdark | The Book Smugglers    
The Book Plank: Author interview with Sarah Monette // Katherine Addison    
        
ADDENDUMS    
    
 Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser 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    
    

 

S&L Podcast - #207 - Crowdfunding an Abomination with Gary Whitta!

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Gary Whitta is an award-winning screenwriter who wrote The Book of Eli and worked on the first Star Wars standalone film. So when he had an idea for a dark historical fantasy story he wrote a book. Why? We ask him that, about successfully crowdfunding his novel, and much more on this episode! 

Direct download here!

Oh, and yes. We ask him about Star Wars too.

S&L Podcast - #206 - How Tyrion Could Die

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We have a whole Wheel of Time pilot mystery to solve and then on top of it George RR Martin says any character in the Game of Thrones series could be killed even if they’re safe in the book. WHAT?! Hands off the Imp! Also we explore the mystery of why Tom didn’t like Annihilation more, even though he wanted to.

Download direct link here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Longboard Lager    
Veronica: Old Potrero Whisky    
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Wheel of Time Pilot weirdness    
    
Game of Thrones TV show will start killing chracters independently from the book    
    
Sean: Here's something related to GoT/ASoIaF that's not depressing and/or annoying - Martin's original outline/proposal for the series.
    
AndrewP: Milla Jovovich will star in an adaption of GRR Martins 'The Lost lands' stories.

Terpkristin: Obviously, everybody is upset that the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (The Winds of Winter) is not coming in 2015. However, there is some good news as GRRM announced that his Dunk & Egg stories are finally coming to a stand-alone collection on October 6. This edition will be illustrated "on virtually every page" by Gary Gianni. GRRM's announcement can be read at his LJ site.     
    
David: They've announced that the first in Butcher's new Cinder Spires series, The Aeronaut's Windlass, is out in September    

Kevin: Tor.com announces its first line up of novellas to be published later this year from it's new imprint    
    
Ben: the Locus Recommended Reading List itself is a worthy quick burn. Each year it comes out in February highlighting what Locus Reviewers collectively regard as the best genre work to come out in a given year. It covers everything from YA to grimdark and from literary SFnal works to action heavy space opera. Its much longer than an award's short list and many people use the list to give them ideas what great works they might have missed from the previous year.    
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer     
    
Sean: The problem of motivation    
    
Daniel: This book is not normal narrative    
    
John (Taloni): What genre is it actually (expect spoilers)    
    
From Annihilation to Acceptance: A Writer’s Surreal Journey    
    
Next Month: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison    
    
ADDENDUMS    
    
Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons at patreon.com/swordandlaser Thank you to all the folks who back our show,
    
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    
    

The Goblin Emperor
$8.99
By Katherine Addison
Buy on Amazon

S&L Podcast - #205 - Brian McClellan Grows His Own Spaghetti Sauce

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When you rule the world of powder mages you can do what you want. Brian McClellan wields his powder for good. In addition to delivering us the complete Powder Mage trilogy with the third book The Autumn Republic, Brian is going to bring us a second trilogy in the same universe, all while growing his own spaghetti sauce and keeping bees. Impressive. Most impressive.

Download direct link!

S&L Podcast - #204 - Annihilation is Not the End

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Veronica REALLY wanted to make the title of this episode "Tom Merritt is a sexist pig." But Tom doesn't need that kind of grief. And besides he has promised to read even more female SciFi/Fantasy authors going forward. But if you want to hear Veronica giggle at the notion-- as well as defend our book pick, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, and wax eloquent about the need for varied perspectives in literature-- then fire up this episode!

Download link here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Boddington's Pub Ale    
Veronica: Some kind of white wine    
    
QUICK BURNS
    
Nominate Your Favorite Works And People For The 2015 Hugo Awards
    
Nokomis.FL noted "George RR Martin’s The Winds of Winter: no plans for publication in 2015 " Trike wasn't sure this was really news and Robert wrote: "given that 'Winds of Winter' won't be published in 2015, it's almost certain that the TV show will finish before the books are published. "
    
Michele and Dara: 
 "J. Michael Straczynski Will Adapt Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars for Spike TV""  
    
Dara: More books into tv series! Endemol studios has acquired the rights to Lauren Beuke's Broken Monsters    
    
"Ben:  After their popular special issues and Kickstarter campaign last year Women destroy Science Fiction (and fantasy and horror too) - Lightspeed are doing a similar thing with Queers Destroy.... Which can be backed on Kickstarter at the moment.
    
Robyn:  I'm late to the game (and apologies if this has been mentioned before), but I just realised that The Guardian is doing a monthly round-up of SFF - January's is here. Fun way to find out about new books.    
    
Also take a look at John DeNardo's SF Signal's 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy and Horror Books to Look Forward to in 2015 (Part 2)    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Louie: Who are your top 5 most read authors?    
    
Tom:        

1-Philip K. Dick        30
2-William Shakespeare        18
3-Stephen King        14
4-Evelyn Waugh        11
4-Douglas Adams        11
4-Neal Stephenson        11
7-Hunter S. Thompson        10
8-Frank Herbert        9
8-Douglas Coupland        9
    
Veronica:
1-Charlaine Harris        14
2- Laurie R. King        13
2-Robin Hobb        13
4-Tad Williams        12
4-Jim Butcher        12
6-Orson Scott Card        9
7-Jacqueline Carey        7
7-Gail Carriger        7
7-Kevin Hearne        7
7-J.K. Rowling        7"    
    
A Rant about a Particular Aspect of eBooks    

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer     
Jeff VanderMeer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia    
Annihilation review – 'You'll find yourself afraid to turn the page' | Books | The Guardian    
Finally, a novel about weird science that's genuinely weird     

ADDENDUMS    
    
Support our show on Patreon    
    
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    
    


S&L Podcast - #203 - Myke Cole's Secret Unicorn

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We welcome back the amazing Myke Cole to talk about how he finds time to write great books, fight crime, and decorate his apartment with even more books. We also pressure him into a startling revelation about unicorns. And of course, talk to him about his new book, Gemini Cell: A Shadow Ops Novel which is out now!

Download direct here!

S&L Podcast - #202 - Ready Player Two

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We wrap up The Sparrow. We loved it and it made us sad. We're also blown away at the quality of books being made into TV shows. Well, only a pilot and a trailer but so far so good. But should you risk reading a book and seeing a movie or TV show too? Maybe not!

Download direct here!
Watch the Google Hangout!
    
WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Jameson's Select Reserve Black Barrel    
Veronica: Hendricks Gin  
    
QUICK BURNS 
    
Yento: New trailer for The Expanse. I'm trying so hard not to get too excited about it because syfy but this looks like it could be pretty good.   
    
Louie: First look at The Man in the High Castle adaptation. (Israel also alerted us)
    
Dara:  SyFy is really into adapting books. Now they're turning Robert Charles Wilson's Spin into a miniseries.     
    
Warren: Screenwriter Zak Penn, who's written the Ready Player One adaptation, has revealed that Ernest Cline is currently working on a second novel.     
    
David: "Gollancz have acquired the English translation and publication rights to three further Witcher books by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski." via The Wertzone   
    
BARE YOUR SWORD
    
Steve: How to dislodge the movie from the book?  
    
Jonathon: Big, Long Series to Fill Gap Left By WoT 
    
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION    
    
Next month's pick: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (We'll formally kick off next episode)    
    
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell    
    
TS: Disappointed With The Ending (full spoilers) 
        
ADDENDUMS

We have a new producer! Hi Jacob!