Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 51-100 of 4,412

[Andrew]

HEy guys my name is Andrew and I live in Sacramento, California. I got into Sword and Laser after hearing how enthusiastic Tom was about 'Anathem'. I started in July of 2009 and I have been catching up on all the books I missed. I only have 3 left to go. Just finished the Golden Compass and now I'm working on Mists of Avalon. I have a BA in English (what DO you do with it?) and it's been good to get back into reading after a 4 year post college hiatus.

[Eric]

I'm Eric,
I'm a mailman and I listen to books at work everyday.

I can easily get through a book in a few hours because I listen to them at about 460 syllables per minute (I use a program called textaloudmp3, come to think of it that might be 460 words per minute).

I will read just about anything but too many characters or very difficult language can be tough for me to keep up with at that rate.

I'm a big fan of fantasy but I'm starting to feel like I've read or started and given up on almost all the worthwhile fantasy out there...

[Eric]

Hi, I'm Eric.
Been a huge fantasy reader since I was very little and have continued reading as much as I can throughout the years. Just recently found out about the podcast and the book club, so excited to be here with you all. Also a member of the best guild in gaming, AIE! Some of my favorite authors include Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore, WEIS & HICKMAN, & J.R.R. Tolkien.

Proud owner of a Barnes & Noble Nook for 2 months now. Love it!!

[Ralffie]

Heyo, this is Ralff.
I have read a ton of SciFi and fantasy of yore. Lately due to time constraints, I have stuck more to audio books and graphic novels. Favorite authors are anyone who gets the science right and/or builds strong characters and worlds. So... Douglas Adams.

[Martin]

My name is Martin and I’m a Bookaholic.
I got hooked at an early age when I made the mistake of sampling J.R.R. Tolkien, which soon lead to David Eddings, Terry Goodkind and progressively more heavy stuff such as Raymond E. Feist and L.E. Modesitt.
The last few years I’ve moved from epic fantasy to urban fantasy with Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Carrie Vaughn and Patricia Briggs.
At the moment my favorite author is Mike Carey with the Felix Castor books, which I would describe as noir detective novels in a supernatural setting. They’re good sized bricks, but an easy read mainly due to Carey’s inventive and often humorous language. Here’s a quote to give you an idea; “I prowled about the house all day like a hermit with haemorrhoids..”
I’ve tried a few SciFi books, but not really gotten hooked on the stuff and have a special addiction to humorous authors and books; Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Grunts.
What I hope to get out of joining the group is to find a few new favorite authors, learn more about how to find good sci-fi and an answer to the question if the Sookie-books are urban fantasy or if they are rural fantasy.

[Shad]

Hi, my name is Shad. I started off as a laser, but as time has gone on, I have started to appreciate the sword. After reading Dragonsdawn which is a very laser book, I decided to read the other Dragonriders of Pern books that are more fantasy and have enjoyed fantasy ever since.

A couple of my favorite authors recently are Steven Baxter, Gregory Benford, and Terry Brooks. I joined Sword and Laser hoping to find some new books and authors to read.

[Kurt]

hi guys im kurt, im defintely a sword, im from brampton, on. in canada. loved fantasy from since i was a kid... im a collector and i love the great high fantasy writers, robert jordan we all miss you! anyway anyone in my demographic who wants to network can hit me up, <3.

[Scott]

Hello, I'm Scott.

Fantasy and sci-fi are very creative genres for authors to experiment with reality and, therefore, create challenging fiction. Whether an author is writing an alternate history, creating myth, or imagining future technology...sci-fi and fantasy books are fun to read!

A few of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy authors:
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Scott Lynch, George Orwell (Is he really a fantasy author?), Peter S. Beagle, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Frank Herbert, and Terry Pratchett. I'd love to broaden my knowledge of great sci-fi/fantasy authors.

This group should be a fabulous source of good reads.

;)

-STH

[Peter]

Kurt wrote: "hi guys im kurt, im defintely a sword, im from brampton, on. in canada. loved fantasy from since i was a kid... im a collector and i love the great high fantasy writers, robert jordan we all miss y..."
What area of Brampton are you in Kurt? I am at Mayfield/Hwy 10 area, but grew up William/Dixie? Neat to see someone else in my hometown.

[Steve]

Hi, I'm Steve.
I've been a Sci-Fi and Fantasy reader since early in elementary school. My local library had a good selection of Asimov and Heinlein so I started with them. I'm also a new owner of a Kindle so I'm trying to get all of my new books for it. I'm currently reading Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom on the Kindle and Dragons Wild by Robert Asprin in paper. My current favorite authors are Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Simon R. Greene. I'm also a big fan of George Martin's Wild Card series.

[David]

Hi, I'm David from the currently rainy UK. I discovered the podcast earlier this month and have been carefully picking the ones I listened to, so I'm looking forward to joining in now with Princess Bride and The Once and Future King and have been looking for a way to find more Sword and Laser type stories so please be gentle!

[Nukethewhalesagain]

Hi everyone. My name is Ernesto and I'm from Texas. I've been a huge Sci-Fi fan since I turned four years old, (probably longer since my 4th birthday party was Thundercats themed). My other favorite genre would be comedy so my favorite book is Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

[Brett]

Hey folks, just recently discovered the Sword and Laser podcast. I'm a fan of FrogPants Studios and listened to Tom on CurrentGeek from show #1. So happy to find a new podcast about my favorite types of books, SciFi and Fantasy. (Though I lean towards Sword for the most part)

Info: I am a Student Pastor, I love to read, and I seriously love movies and geeky things.

I started reading novels in the 3rd grade, when I stumbled upon Dragonlance: Riverwind the Plainsman. Never looked back. My favorite SciFi/Fantasy authors are: Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson, Lewis, and Bradbury.

Currently reading: Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Rogue Squadron #2, and Mistborn: Hero of Ages

[Don]

My name is Don and I'm from Michigan. I was never much of a reader until several years ago when I rediscovered the Dune books and The Belgariad series. I've been an avid reader ever since. I found this group after finding the podcast a couple of weeks ago. I just finished the Sword of Truth series which I thourghly enjoyed. I've read mostly fantasy books lately but look forward keeping up with the book selections from this group.

[A.P.]

Hi, I'm from Southern California. I work in front of a computer monitor. I listen to too many podcasts. And I've always liked Science Fiction.

[Leo]

Hi, I'm Leo. I'm definitely a laser having grown up on Star Trek and Star Wars. I love the Dresden Files series, Honor Harrington, the Horatio Hornblower series and can't help picking up the Star Wars books when I can.

Recently picked up the podcast and am enjoying it.

[Jmcgill2]

Hi everyone, my name is Jim and I have been a huge scifi/fantasy reader, along with other stuff, since I was a kid. I joined because I love the podcast and the threads are so interesting.

[Chris]

Greetings. My name is Chris. I have been a fantasy and SciFi book/movie/TV Show fan since grade school in the mid 70's. Of course that fascination started with Star Trek re-runs and the release of Star Wars in 1977 when I was at the target age for that movie.

Favorite SciFi series - Star of the Guardians or Asimov's Foundation trilogy.
Favorite Fantasy series - Belgariad, LotR, The Dark Elf trilogy

[Peter]

Hello, I'm Peter from Sweden.

I'm kinda new to this whole books thing due to dyslexia and the fact that i was never encouraged to read when growing up. And I'm not actually reading, I'm listening :).

I tend to read crime novels but also enjoy me some Sci-Fi and Fantasy at times.

Favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Robert J. Sawyer, Daniel Suarez.

[Gary]

Hello I am Gary i love super heroes comics, Vampires, love LOTR any thing with magic and dragons love disk world Terry Pratchett rules. I Love rpg games like ff7,8,9 ect zelda fable 1 and 2. looking forward to talking to some like minded people none of my friends like this stuff.

woop.

[Kimberly]

Peter wrote: "Kurt wrote: "hi guys im kurt, im defintely a sword, im from brampton, on. in canada. loved fantasy from since i was a kid... im a collector and i love the great high fantasy writers, robert jordan ..."
I am also from Brampton!

By the way, I'm Kim. I have been a self-proclaimed geek since I was born. I started reading fantasy novels in high school and while I sometimes stray into other genres I usually am reading some form of fantasy. My favourite authors are George Martin, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, Terry Goodkind (sometimes), Guy Gavriel Kay, Patrick Rothfuss and Charlaine Harris. I also love, love the Harry Potter series.

Sword and Laser rocks!

[Paul]

Hi! I am Paul, I have been listening to podcast since hearing about it on the TWIT network and jumped in right about 'Down and Out in the Magical Kingdom'. I shortly after your move to Good Reads joined the group but never introduced myself. I am a software engineer, so I qualify for the Geek / Nerd / Dork title. I love Sword and Laser. Some of my favorite authors are: Niven, Weeks, Tolkien, Lewis and Koontz. I have a very busy schedule so I rely on Audible for my fix. I listen to books on my commute 45 min each way. I am not always able to follow along with the current book but enjoy listening to the podcasts and reading the posts in this forum. I just try to skip the spoilers for things I want to read in the future.

[Marne]

Hi, I'm Marne. I've been reading SF/F for as long as I can remember. I fluctuate between SF and Fantasy. Right now I'm reading The Princess Bride. Recently I've read some Robert E. Howard and Andre Norton stories and a couple of Neal Asher's Polity novels.

My favorite authors are Patricia McKillip and Ursula K. Le Guinn.

[Tina]

Hi, I'm Tina. I work in IT during the day, and wandered over here after hearing Tom mention it on TNT. Sword and laser, both.

Favorite authors include JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Bradbury, Crichton, Richard Preston (and some classic writers like AC Doyle, Thomas Hardy, Agatha Christie). Recently started reading Robert E. Howard, Margaret Atwood and some Jack London.

I couldn't decide between The Princess Bride or The Once and Future King--so I'm reading the first and listening to the audiobook for the latter.

[Erin]

Hi there! I'm Erin, I edit law books by day and procrastinate over piles of novels by night (both the ones I want to read and the ones I want to write). I'm sure I heard about the podcast on several times on TWiT, though I didn't start paying attention until Veronica mentioned reading The Eye of the World and piqued my Wheel of Time obsessed curiosity. I've been lurking around ever since. When I'm reading prose I'm mostly about the sword, but as an avid comic book fan I end up with a healthy share of laser in my reading pile as well.

Some of my favorite SF/F authors are Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol counts if nothing else does), J.K. Rowling, Robert Jordan, and Brandon Sanderson. I'm a bit weak on my classic SF/F, but I'm very good at my other classics.

Flying in the face of my previous comment, I've already read both The Princess Bride and The Once and Future King so I'll be spending this turn catching up on some of the books I missed, starting with Bitter Seeds.

[Colin]

Hi, I'm Colin. I'm a college student who is also looking for a part time job, I've actually known about Sword and Laser since it was started but for some reason never got around to joining until now.

My favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, Christopher Moore, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Bill Bryson

[Aaron]

Hey, I'm Aaron and I live in Shanghai, China with my wife. I've been a fantasy/sci fi buff since the 6th grade. Years later, I'm still reading the genres. My favorite authors include george r. r. martin, J. R. R. Tolkien, Asimov, Isaac, and Rowling J. K.. I love Arthurian literature. I slogged through the first few books in the wheel of time series back in high school and eventually gave up. I'm glad I did since Jordan died before finishing his series. I'm REALLY hoping George Martin doesn't pull the same thing.

Anyway, I love the show and the community.

[Maryellen]

Hi, I'm MaryEllen (Beth's aunt) -- I read SF exclusively in the '60's and then branched out into esoteric/witchy type books -- in the '80's I discovered Charles de Lint a Canadian author who writes what he calls "Urban Shamanism" -- I have ALL of his books and re-read them and wish I lived in his world! I also, have read most of the vampire literature and horror.

[[deleted user]]

Hey, I'm Chris, a 22 years old software engineering student from Glasgow, UK. I read sci-fi, fantasy and technology books in roughly equal measure and discovered Sword and Laser when Tom plugged it on one of his Technology podcasts, then found Goodreads when Veronica plugged that on S&L. I used to read a lot when I was at high school, but stopped when I went to university and ran low on time, and eventually just lost interest. I got back into it about 18 months ago when I stumbled onto Game of Thrones, and from then I've been hooked (I doubt I'm going to get through my to-read list any time soon as it's growing so fast).

[Theodora]

Hi everyone. I'm Theodora and I've been reading anything I could get my hands on since middle school. My love of Sci Fi/Fantasy began with Interview with a Vampire. Some of my favorite series are the Ender's Game, A Song of Fire & Ice & the Wheel of Time series. Looking forward to meeting you all.

[Philip]

Hi. I'm Phil.

I used to devour books by the truck load when I was younger (mainly when on the annual family holiday.) But it largely all fell by the way-side when I went to university (and then disappeared completely once I started work.)
I read Anathem earlier this year and I loved it so much it has kickstarted me back into reading. I then treated myself to a Kindle for my birthday at the end of April. Since then I've probably read more books than I'd managed to read in the previous 15 years.
Over the years I've read all sorts, went through the obligatory Beats phase in my late teens, but Science Fiction has always been a constant bubbling away through the years.
Been listening to the podcast since earlier this year, but these current books are the first where it's possible that I could be in a position to take part.

[Phil]

Hi, another Phil here. I've been reading science fiction and fantasy for as long as I can remember. I first read Lord of the Rings when I was 9 and have read it many times since then. As well as Tolkien, I am a fan of Stephen Donaldson (although I really struggled to get into Lord Foul's Bane), Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Ian M Banks, Douglas Adams and Anne McCaffrey. I also am a big fan of Jeff Noon.

I also enjoy historical fiction by Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden as well as thrillers by the likes of Ian Fleming, Len Deighton and Robert Ludlum.

I am married with a 2 year old daughter and work for a small engineering software company in the UK. I am a recent convert to eBooks, first on a Sony PRS-505 and lately on my iPad and iPhone.

[Alexander]

Hello. I am Alex and I love fantasy. I have many favorite authors, but probably I like most J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Terry Brooks and Simon R. Green - a peculiar mix, I have to admit.
I have come here for help, but I'll start another topic for this...

[Al]

>>I am a fan of Stephen Donaldson (although I really struggled to get into Lord Foul's Bane), Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Ian M Banks, Douglas Adams and Anne McCaffrey. I also am a big fan of Jeff Noon.

Phil, what's your favorite from Jeff Noon. I read VURT but I see there's a lot more there.

[Tashfeen]

Hey all,

Just joined the group, mainly cause I just started to listen to the S&L podcast and love the tone and content of it.

As an intro, I'm more into Swords, except when it comes to books, then I'm more into Lasers, except when it comes to Magic Realism books, then I'm Swords again. So.. yeah... I'm both I guess.

As usual, life is attention-tastic the past few months, so reading time has gone down (should be back to normal soon though!), so until then, my to-read pile is going up, exponentially now because of this group.

See you guys around.

[Craig]

Hello people of earth,

I've been lurking on the group and listening to the podcast for a few weeks now ever since shaking hands with Tom and Veronica at DragonCon. I thought it was time that I introduce myself.

I'm a pretty eclectic reader going in phases depending on mood - including mystery, classic lit, modern lit, historical fiction. But, I always return to my first love of sci-fi/fantasy.

I read both current selections years ago but I've been following the threads to help me remember. Since there are too many unread books out there, I'm waiting for the group to select one I haven't read to join in the discussion (maybe Iain Banks or Alistair Reynolds??). In the meantime, I just finished "The Blade Itself" After a short detour with a Bernard Cornwell Sharpe's book I plan to get the second in the series.

By day, I'm a college professor and direct UGA's Master of Internet Technology program. Needless to say, I have to do a lot of technical reading for my work just to keep up. It's nice to have a group like this to share the fun stuff.

Live long and prosper,
Craig

[Phil]

Al wrote: ">>I am a fan of Stephen Donaldson (although I really struggled to get into Lord Foul's Bane), Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Ian M Banks, Douglas Adams and Anne McCaffrey. I also am a big fan of Je..."

It's been a while since I read them but Pollen and Automated Alice are my other favourites after Vurt. Pollen is particularly good as it continues the Vurt story from a different perspective.

[John]

Hello, I'm John,

I've been reading fiction of all kinds for as long as I can remember. I like Sci-fi and Fantasy, but I also like spy / action thrillers, Police / crime, historical fiction. My favorite author is Douglas Adams. I am currently reading Without Warning by John Birmingham which I purchased after reading and loving the Axis of Time trilogy (highly recommended!).

[John]

Hi, I'm John.

I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy books, with heavy leanings towards anything humorous, like a Terry Pratchett or Robert Rankin novel, and also like the occasional non-fiction science or history book.

Additionally, I am nearly halfway through draft #2 of my own attempt at writing a novel.

I heard about Sword & Laser on one of Tom Merritt's many other podcasts, and finally got around to joining GoodReads today.

[Felipe]

Hello! I'm Felipe, I'm from Quito, Ecuador. I love Fantasy and Science Fiction. When I was younger I used to read any book I could get my hands on, now I'm a lot picker about what I want to read. My current favorite Authors are: George R.R. Marting, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Richard Morgan, Ian M. Banks and R. Scott Bakker. I looking to read books from authors that are as good as the folks I mentioned before. Also, loving the idea of reading a book with a bunch of people and talk about the book afterwards. Hope my english is decent ;D

[David]

David here,

Like many others, I've heard 'Sword and Laser' mentioned on several tech podcasts. I assumed it was mostly 'sword and sorcery' stuff, but it seems to be more substantial than that based on the three podcasts I have listened to.

I happened to have been reading "The Once and Future King," which I have heard mentioned on a couple non-Tom and Veronica podcasts lately. It's okay so far; long reads sometimes take awhile to develop.

Favorite writers: Neal Stephenson by far (I tentatively agree with terpkristin about Anathem not being great, but I thought that about the the three 'Baroque Cycle' doorstops 'till I got laid up and had time to soak 'em in.

I enjoy the first 3/4 of almost all Terry Pratchett's
stuff.

Like Sam, I'm a Orson Card fan, but just "Ender's Game" and "Seventh Son."

I love all the Firefly/Serenity stuff.

I'm an Arborist here in Florida. I listen to podcasts and audio books at work all day. Audio books, I recommend "The Big Short" and "Jung: A Very Short Introduction" by Anthony Stevens.

Favorite podcasts: Tech News Today, This American Life, Radiolab, Adam Corolla, Slate Magazine, A History of the World in 100 Objects.

Kudo's to Tom and Veronica. Consistently fun, intelligent, witty and professional.

[toria (vikz writes)]

hi, just joined. I love reading and writing. I look forward to talking to you.

[Ian]

Hello, I'm Ian.

I've been reading sci-fi/fantasy non-stop since then early 90's. Eversince I went in a Waldenbooks and made great use of a rewards card for 10% off and $5 coupons, sometime racking up 6 a year or more. Now I purchase my collection via Kindle on iPod Touch and Android, Nook via iPod Touch, Android and Nook 3g since the day it was released to my local store. I also have several dozen ebooks bought direct from Baen books via www.webscription.net which are available DRM free and in every format under the sun. I started reading ebooks on my Sony Clie via the wonderful mobipocket reader.

I have been listening to the Sword and Laser since it was mentioned on Twit a long time ago.

Among my favorite/must read authors are: Neil Gaiman, Peter F. Hamilon, David Weber, Robin Hobb, Janny Wurts, Neal Stephenson, George R.R. Martin and Tad Williams. I also have read and contnue to read more Orson Scott Card, Philip K. Dick, Tolkein, Isaac Asimov and other similar authors.

[Scott]

Hi:

I've been listening to S&L since it's inception (great podcast) and I thought I'd join the discussion group. Right now I'm reading Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind: a fantastic read!

When I'm not reading books I'm working (pharmaceutical law), running, playing with my dogs, enjoying time with my family and geeking out with Tom's other podcasts.

Scott

[Jacob]

Howdy everyone. I'm Jacob and I'm a high school student still, but not letting it stop my reading. I'm extremely fond of urban and epic fantasy, with some sci fi here and there. my favorite authors are Jim Butcher, Richard Kadrey, David Farland, and Douglas Adams.

I'm a sword and hope to read some good fiction in the book club.

[Sean]

Hey!
I'm Sean, I work in a bookstore, write and draw comics and love books of all subjects and genres. Nice to meet y'all!

[Sean]

Hey!
I'm Sean, I work in a bookstore, write and draw comics and love books of all subjects and genres. Nice to meet y'all!

[blumathu]

Hello, I'm Adam. I am a computer programmer and musician. If I had to pick favorite authors they would be CS Lewis and Michael Crichton. I've loved the Sword and Laser podcast for a while and decided I might as well start visiting good reads!

[Stephen]

Hi, I'm Stephen.
I started reading Sci-fi/fantasy with Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books before venturing off into other authors. My favorite authors include Jim Butcher, Terry Brooks and Jasper Fforde (sp?). I'll pretty much devour any book put in front of me. I found out about the club through Veronica's twitter feed (which I joined due to being a Techzilla fan). I've been wishing for years that Birmingham, AL had a book club I could join. I don't meet a lot people interested in the types of books I enjoy.

[Allen]

Hello, I'm Allen. I'm a big fan of sci-fi/fantasy.