We chat with Gregory A. Wilson, author of The Third Sign, about his newest novel Icarus and the graphic novel based on it that he and artist Matt Slay are working on. It’s about a being who falls from the sky to save a world from tyranny. We also find out if he named his daughter after one of his own fictional characters.

Direct download here!

Moth and Spark: A Novel

By Anne Leonard

Hey all, Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard is coming out Feb. 20 so Viking press gave us 5 copies to giveaway! The book comes out Feb. 20, so we’ll pick that day to announce a winner drawn at random from respondents to this thread.

To enter, head over to our Goodreads thread entitled “If you were a recently freed dragon, what’s the first thing you’d do?“

Listen to the show or check back in the thread on the 20th to find out who wins!

This time around we’re kicking off our February book pick, A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin. If you’re looking for the first tale a of a boy who attends a school of wizardry, we’ve got the goods, as well as what Ms. Le Guin, who wrote her book in 1968, thinks of Ms. Rowling. Plus The Clarion Workshop deadline is looming and USC and Intel make one author’s world come alive.

Direct download link here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?    
Tom: Bikini Blonde Lager   
Veronica: 2011 Plantagenet Shiraz Omrah

    
QUICK BURNS    
    
Announcing the instructors for the 2014 Clarion Writers’ Workshop    
SF writing competition: a world without the Normal Curve!    
British science fiction book awards lurch towards gender parity    
Intel Leviathan Project    
This interactive chart maps out all the storylines in The Hobbit    
    
 CALENDAR    
    
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES    
    
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods gets a brand new TV deal    

BOOK KICK-OFF    
    
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin    
Wikipedia entry for ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’    
Ursula K. Le Guin’s website    

    
March Poll launched, vote on what our book should be!

April will be a book picked by our Kickstarter backer Bryan Benson!    
    
BARE YOUR SWORD    
    
What fictional items would you decorate a room with?    
    
Adding “lem” to the dictionary    
    
EMAIL    

Hi Guys,
I listened to TNT for a long time and really enjoyed Tom’s narrative about tech and the tech industry. I just returned to TNT from a short hiatus to discover that Tom is no longer there. It’s only been a couple of episodes but it doesn’t feel the same. I don’t think TNT will be the same without Tom.
Anyway…. I remembered Tom use to mention S&L from time to time on TNT and figured I’d give it a try. I downloaded and listened to my first S&L episode (#160) today and liked what I heard.
I use to submit articles in the TNT’s sub reddit from time to time. Not sure what the official way is to submit for this show but I just read a book I thought was very relevant to discuss you guys had about how Fantasy and Scifi are so tied together and how (as Tom mentioned) it even mixes into Horror sometimes.
I thought this book was really cool for just that reason. It’s got pirates it’s got sudo time travel it’s got monsters. Take a look!

Mike E.

Kevin Singer – The Last Conquistador
    

 

My dog didn’t RSVP…

We had a fantastic time at the meet-up at Borderlands Books in San Francisco! Luke Pebler read his Anthology story, The Same International Orange, in front of the live audience, and we had a fantastic live song from Sky Corbelli! You can listen to it below. It’s about the Dresden Files! 

We all had a blast, and we hope to do more meet-ups in the future (and not just in San Francisco). Thanks again for coming!

We’ve got some awesome news about new books from Peter F. Hamilton, Richard Morgan, Joe Abercrombie and Gillian Anderson. Plus we wrap up our January book, The Einstein Intersection.

Download direct file here!

QUICK BURNS

Cover art for HALF A KING by Joe Abercrombie

Richard Morgan completes THE DARK DEFILES

Peter F. Hamilton update

X-Files’ star Gillian Anderson writing sci-fi book series

FINALISTS: 2013 Philip K. Dick Award

CALENDAR

Read down to Feb. 4

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

The first Outlander trailer is all epic battles (with a hint of sex)

First Game of Thrones season 4 trailer shows why Westeros is hell

READ THEM NOW, WATCH THEM LATER: SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND HORROR ADAPTATION WATCH

BOOK CHECK-IN

Best websites that explain the Einstein Intersection

The role of music in Einstein Intersection

Pronouny things

Knowing the genre

February Pick

Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin

BARE YOUR SWORD

The “Party Scene” in classic Sci-FI

EMAIL

—

On your last podcast you talked about the “controversy” of picking a weirder, lesser known title like “The Einstein Intersection” over something more well known, like “Nova.” But those weird picks, informed by the personal tastes of you two, are so much more interesting than standard picks that I might come across just by googling “top Delaney novels.” The weirder picks you guys do don’t always sync up exactly with my tastes, but they’re always interesting, and they’re often something I never would have had the pleasure of coming across on my own.

I personally am loving the weird beauty of The Einstein intersection, and I thought it a good idea to let you guys know that not everyone hates the decision to sometimes go off the beaten path.

-Rob

ADDENDUMS

Audible is offering Sword & Laser listeners a FREE audiobook , along with a 30­day trial. Go to audiblepodcast.com/swordlaser to take advantage of this special offer!!

We are wrapped on Season 2! We shot twelve episodes over three days, so needless to say…. we are pooped. But the important thing is that we have twelve amazing Author Spotlights in the can, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

So stay tuned! Edits are going to start this week, and we should have the first episode rolling out in Feb. Remember, it’s all thanks to you wonderful Kickstarter fans, and we are eternally grateful! 

We have a chance to chat with the fabulous Ian Tregillis, author of the Milkweed Triptych and Something More Than Night. He alludes to his secret ‘Clakkers” project, explains how to make an angel talk like a shamus, and reveals Gretel’s secret Reagan baby.

Ian Tregillis entry at Wikipedia

Download link here!!

This video is part of our re-release of the first season of Sword and Laser videos as they exit exclusivity. This episode originally posted January 4, 2013.

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

It’s our first episode after New Year’s and we’re still recovering. Thank goodness Neil Gaiman, the Wertzone and Stephen Chow are here to perk us up. Plus we kick off our January book, The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany. 

Direct download link here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Earl Grey

Veronica: Literally nothing

QUICK BURNS

2014 Hugo Award Nomination Period Is Now Open
Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane named 2013 Book of the Year
The Wertzone Awards 2013
300 Years of Imaginary Space Ships: 1630-1920
What Does Sherlock Entering the Public Domain Really Mean?
Reading a Novel Alters Your Brain Connectivity — So What?
Our Flipboard Magazine is out!

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West is delightfully insane

BOOK Kick-Off

The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R Delany (Damon Knight Grand Master Recipient)
Wikipedia article on Einstein Intersection

BARE YOUR SWORD

Marie Brennan still answering your questions
Reading Goals for 2014 (again!)

Proud member of the Boing Boing! network and Frogpants Studios.

This video is part of our re-release of the first season of Sword and Laser videos as they exit exclusivity. This episode originally posted December 28, 2012.

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.