Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 1,251-1,300 of 4,412

[Steve]

Hi, I'm Steve.

I've been reading mainstream Sci-Fi for since I was a boy and got introduced to fantasy after meeting my wife. I heard the podcast and wanted to check out the forum to find new authors. Kind of bummed that I wasn't a few weeks earlier, I have been wanting to read Locke Lamora after my wife recommended it. Guess I'll just have to play catch up.

Some authors I enjoy include: George R. R. Martin, Karen Traviss, Drew Karpyshyn, Peter David, R. A. Salvatore.

[Shawn]

Hi Shawn here. I love sci-fi and fantasy, I guess we all do though or we wouldnt have joined this book club! I just finished Ann Rice's TheWolf Gift. I am a WoWer and Trekie and Guildie and am a general nerd.

[Amanda]

Hi, I'm Amanda. I found my way here through Geek & Sundry, like many of the more recent joiners. I enjoy all kinds of books...historical fiction/alternate history, sci-fi, fantasy, and mysteries, to name a few. My earliest journey into sci-fi/fantasy (besides Narnia & Tolkien) were the Star Wars books. Since then, I haven't left the genre. I'm currently working my way through George R.R. Martin now. I'm excited to find even more books to read through this group.

[Stefanie]

Hey everyone, I'm Stefanie, and like so many of you I found this group through the geekandsundry trailer. I'm excited for the show to start, and I will check out the podcast in the mean time.

I'm a fantasy-girl mostly, though I will also read SciFi if the story pokes me the right way. I'm excited to find new books and hopefully a few like-minded souls and geeks and readers here.

I'm currently reading "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin so I can watch the second season of Game of Thrones, and I've got too many books waiting for me on my shelves to count ;)

[Tim]

Hi, I'm Tim.

I'm from Australia. I have been a big Sci-Fi reader all my life. I have enjoyed reading many of the classics authors I my younger days. My current favourite sci-fi author is Peter F Hamilton. I have read most of his books. I especially enjoyed his Commonwealth Saga series.

I am currently reading "Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds on Kindle and have also just started listening to "The Forge of God" by Greg Bear on Audible.

I have also been working my way through the "Song of Ice And Fire" series as well and recently finished reading the 3rd book. I'm waiting for my wife to finish the the 4th before I can start reading that as well.

[Dave]

Hi, I'm Dave

Got onto Sword and Laser from Geek & Sundry. Big fan of the fantasy but dont have huge exposure to SciFi. My favorite fantasy book is the Age of Misrule series and earlier works of Raymond E. Feist. Huge Jim Butcher fan also.

Currently working myway through Mistborn, Song of Ice and Fire and Discworld series.

[Usako]

I started into sci-fi/fantasy at a young age, poking at my father's shelves of Tolkien, Douglas and Asimov, which later he bought me fantasy series by Lackey, MZB, and Norton. Now it's a genre we bond over and we typically swap books.

[Brandon]

Hey guys, as many others have mentioned, I found out about this place via Geek and Sundry. Love all sorts of sci fi and fantasy and hope to get some good recommendations from the group.
Currently reading the first in the Mistborn saga, and just finished Leviathan Wakes about a week ago (which was sheer awesomeness).

[Brian]

Hello I'm Brian, living in Melbourne Australia. I found Goodreads after being invited by a friend on Facebook, and then found this group through links on both Geek and Sundry, and via VFH (again featuring Veronica).

I'm still in the process of sorting my bookshelves after moving house so I'm still slowly adding my collection onto my Goodreads profile, but I'm a big fan of both the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres.


PS: Have to thank Veronica for adding me to her already overwhelming friends list.

[Sean]

Tim wrote: "the Dr. using his sonic screwdriver as a universal Get Out Of Jail Free card really gets on my wick"

Ditto. It drives me nuts! I wish he'd just leave the bloody screwdriver in the Tardis for a few seasons already!

[Doug]

Hello, I'm Douglas and probably tend to align myself with the Sword over the Laser.

Some of my favourite authors are George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and Terry Pratchett. In an attempt to expand my choice of genres I have recently started picking up some Sci-Fi (Laser) classics such as Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks and Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. I have recently read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons and was utterly astounded by the level of genius in that series.

I'm currently reading Shadow and Betrayal by Daniel Abraham and am slowly trawling through Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson. Listening to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files for something a bit different.

Looking forward to participating in some of the discussions on here - feel I have a slight headstart as I read The Magicians last year. It's pretty good...

[Mcnighteyes]

Hi, I'm Nuana. I have always loved reading. When I was a child it was C.S. Lewis, Diana Wynne Jones (Dogsbody was my first introduktion to her great books) and the Dragon Song trilogy by Anne McCaffrey.

My primary genre is fantasy, but I'm looking forward to getting to read some great sci-fi too.

Nuana

[Faye]

Hello, I'm Faye. I haven't actually logged in to goodreads since 2010, but did so to join this group. I'm solidly both Sword and Laser, and have been all of my life.

[Emmanuel]

Hello, I'm emmanuel. I'm French but I've lived in the US, Canada and Brazil (and France) which is why I am very good at the english speak (joke).

I really like SciFi, I don't know much about the Fantasy genre.

[John]

Hi all, I'm John
I'm a professional fish monger who loves to read sifi & fantasy books from J. R. R. Tolkien to Frank Herbert and all worlds in between. I look forward to being a part of this group.

[Joanna]

Hello I'm Joanna (Jo) and I was was introduced to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsinger trilogy by my mom when I was 12 and have been hooked on genre fiction ever since.

I generally veer towards "Laser" in TV/movies and "Sword" in books. I recently realized that I have a huge classic sci-fi gap in my repertoire so I've been trying to fix that... along with gap in regular classic fiction. Needless to say, my to-read list grows longer every day.

I would love recommendations of non-dry classic sci-fi. I'm used to character driven novels and some of the classics are a doozy to get through.

[Thomas]

Hey, I'm Tab. I found this podcast and group through Tech News Today, Game On, and other podcasts at TWiT (if you get a chance, watch the live streaming of the TWiT podcasts).

I've been reading Sword & Laser type books for about 20 years - started in grad school. Calgon could never take me away from the rigors of academia like a good SF/F book! Some of my favorite authors are Steven Brust, Brandon Sanderson, Lois McMaster Bujold, Robin Hobb, and Patrick Rothfuss. For me, Sword > Laser.

I’m enjoying the audio version S&L and I am excited about the video version at Geek & Sundry.

[David]

Hello everybody, I'm David. I found the podcast, and then this group due to my commute changing from a 30 minute drive to a 90 minute train ride, so I've gotten back into reading quite a bit. I was looking for a podcast to listen to while I was driving to the train to fill the void left by a football offseason.

I like the podcast quite a bit, and I plan on diving into the book club as well since I've never been a part of one and I think it will be fun.

I've been into the Sci-fi and fantasy books for probably close to 25 years now, ever since I was learning to read. I'm a big fan of Tad Williams, Robert Heinlein, and I'm sure quite a few others that aren't coming to mind.

[Robert]

Hello, I am Robert. I can't remember how I found the podcast though I suspect it was a link from a link to a link. I joined the message boards of Sword and Laser many moons ago but didn't have the time to keep up with the discussions there (Ok I really lost my password)

I've been reading since I was 5 years old and never stopped. I enjoy both the Sword and the Laser aspects so refuse to play favorites. I am drawn to the snarky characters so am a big fan of books who have those characters in them..

[Steve]

Hi all. I found you through geekandsundry.com. thanks for this group!

[Julia]

Hi, i also found you through the geekanssundry trailer. I like reading fantasy, currently i am reading A Song of Ice and Fire Book 3.

[Tipper]

Hi, I'm Paul

I just joined the group recently and made a start on "The Lies Of Locke Lamora" immediatley, it's actually the first fantasy book I've read in a long time (being more of a sci-fi person of late,) but I have to say I'm enjoying it immensely!

Philip K Dick and Terry Pratchett are two of my favourite authors...

[Malin]

Hi,
My name is Malin. I'm a secondary school teacher in Oslo, Norway. I teach English, Norwegian and History to 14-year-olds, and read as much as I can to cope with my job.

I've loved fantasy since I discovered it with a vengeance when I was about 13 (David Eddings, translated into Swedish). I read a lot, mainly historical romance, urban/paranormal fantasy, young adult fiction and general fantasy, with the occasional "normal" fiction book thrown in. I have my own blog where I review books (I also post most of the reviews on Goodreads). Favourite authors include Patrick Rothfuss, George R.R. Martin (although I'd love it if he wrote faster), Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs.

I also enjoy comics and graphic novels. My favourite series right now is Mike Carey's Unwritten, which is amazing. Also adore Sandman, Lucifer, Hitman, Manhunter, Ed Brubaker's Catwoman, Gotham Central, 100 Bullets and Scott Pilgrim.

A couple of months, a friend linked me to the first Vaginal Fantasy Hangout on YouTube, and that in turn brought me here.

[Charles]

Hi!

My name is Charles and I'm from the Philippines. Currently the online marketing specialist for our local eBookstore, Flipreads.

Was watching The Geek and Sundry YouTube Channel (Table Top specifically) when I found this.

[Karey]

Hello, my name is Karey and I have been a huge fan of sci-fi/fantasy books my entire life. I started early with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and moved on to Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Piers Anthony and many others.
I am always looking for a new book/author to read and am currently making my way through the Song of Ice and Fire.

[Christal]

Hi, I'm Christal. I found out about this group through the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout. I normally read urban fantasy but would like to read more traditional fantasy and to get into "laser" books.

[Jonathan]

Another Geek&Sundry discoverer, although I have been using Goodreads for ages.

I have a love/hate relationship with both sci-fi and fantasy. I've been reading books for far too long to endure common tropes for very long. I am a very harsh critic in both genres because the tropes (so effectively skewered in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland) are so ever present and I get bored easily.

But I've liked plenty of new books. I liked Acacia: The War with the Mein (but did not like book 2. I liked Leviathan Wakes. I enjoyed The River Kings' Road.

I am not a big fan of magic. It always seems to me to be used as a kind of deus ex machina, to fix things when the author has painted themselves into a corner. I think that is why I love the Song Of Ice And Fire books so much - while a fantastic world, the magic part of it is so underplayed.

[Leeandlaura]

Hi all

My husband and I have signed up after listening to the Sword and Laser podcast.
I read a lot! I'm not fussy on what type of books...I think chick-lit is fine for some light relief. My favourite book is Far From The Madding Crowd.
I am looking forward to reading the books and hopefully joining in on discussions, though I have never been part of a book club.
My husband is a big sci-fi fan and will hopefully manage to keep up with the rest of us!

[Gothic_pepsi]

Greetings and salutations. I'm Clayton, and I am an avid fan of Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. I haven't been reading much the past few years, and this podcast has brought me back into the realm of reading.

[Ryan]

Hey guys, like most recently I was watching Geek and Sundry and heard about Sword and Laser. I'm hoping to jump onto the bandwagon and start reading The Magicians.!

[Ryan]

Hello, I'm Ryan.
I come from a tabletop RPG background and love hard scifi.
I'm a voracious consumer of podcasts and have been going through large portions of S&L's back catalog. I'm finally up to date and looking forward to reading with the S&L community.

[Zach]

Hello everyone! Name's Zach, favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut. And I'm currently reading The Magicians of course.

[Alexander]

Hey, I'm Alex.

I live in London UK.. I work in boring business, but love to escape to fantasy worlds via a good book!

My favourite series ever is 'The Wheel of Time' by Robert Jordan.

I found the S&L podcast after listening to Scott Johnson's warcraft podcast 'The Instance'

I just finished the Magician, so looking forward to the discussion!

I'm also in the middle of updating my book history onto good reads, turns out it's quite hard to remember everything you've read if you don't note it (and I like to give my books away rather than keep them).

Please add me as a friend if you would like, especially if you are in London too :)

Would be good to find more people to talk books with!

Alex

[James]

Hi everyone, I'm James. I've been reading genre fiction since I was allowed to choose my own books! I love the escapist element as well as the imagination that goes into the books and the freedom to talk about big questions! I'm currently having a go at a fantasy novel of my own.

I would start reading the monthly book but I'm currently fulfilling a pledge to buy no more books for the rest of the year!

[Benedicte]

Hi one and all. I'm Cassy. I stumbled upon this group through the Geek and Suntry program on youtube and thought I would give it a go. I love fantasy/new weird and remember spending many hot summer days hidden away in my bedroom completely lost to the world while I had adventures with brave female knights and strange alien beings. I am joining up for the monthly read hopefully if my book gets here in time!

[Mark]

Hi people, im Mark, im 26 and I wish I could read faster.
Just finished Kraken by China Mieville, liked it a bunch, currently making my way through A song of ice and fire, on book 3.
Just returned to goodbooks after a while and the site seems to have improved somewhat so I think ill stick around.
Didnt know about the podcast but iv aready subscribed to geek and sundry on youtube, so magicians ordered and off to itunes I go.
Friend requests welcome as I dont have any...

[Kelly]

Hi! I'm Kelly and a sci-fi/fantasy fan. My favorite authors right now are Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, and Kelley Armstrong. I just finished reading Game of Thrones after getting hooked on the TV series. I heard about Sword & Laser on TWIT TV. I also subscribed to Geek & Sundry. Looking forward to discovering new books to love!

[Jenny]

Hey everyone. I'm Jenny.

I just finished reading 'Interview with a Vampire' and now I'm starting 'The Magicians'.

I'm big fan of Philip K Dick, Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman.

I found out about sword and laser from the geek and sundry YouTube channel and I look forward to discussing the next book on here

[Ashton]

Hello, I'm Ashton. I'm a fan of Science Fiction novels more than anything, but I do read Fantasy if it keeps my attention. Not saying the fantasy theme within itself doesn't interest me, in anything other than books I jump straight into it without question.

My all time favorite author is Orson Scott Card, I've yet to read a book of his that I don't favor.

I'm also pretty hype about finding this group, I ran across it on Felicia Day's website. I look forward to participating!

[[deleted user]]

Hey, I am Thiel Love, I am a YA & A fantasy reader out in this huge world :).
I look forward in participating on this group. I think I will be able to like everyone else.

[Mark]

Hi all, I'm Mark.

[Stefan]

Hello, I'm Stefan.

I used to read a lot of SF/Fantasy in high school until I got a job and became impatient with the "Wheel of Time" series. I just started getting back into it for my own pleasure. Right now I am reading "A Game of Thrones" and am enjoying it. My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick and Gene Wolfe.

[Dave]

Hey all,
My name's Dave.

I found out about this group from the Geek and Sundry site, although I'm looking forward to going back and checking out the podcasts.
I'm well-versed in the Sword, and looking forward to exploring the Laser side a bit more.
This seems like a total blast, glad to be here!

[EMA]

hello everyone! i'm el. i'm an aspiring fantasy novelist who has just written her first book.

i love, love, love to talk about books; fantasy, modern, history, YA, whatevs. it's almost a problem. please check out my favorites list and let me know if you have any recommendations.

i'm happy to have found this group through geek and sundry!

[Ctgt]

Hi, my name is Chris.
I never really intended to use Goodreads as a discussion site, I used it to keep track of books I wanted to read. The recent monthly newsletter mentioned this group, so I figured I would give it a try.

I read lots of different types of books, but tend to get in a rut with my reading and right now I'm in the sci/fi fantasy groove.

I also enjoy reading graphic novels. I have quite a few history and biographies sitting around waiting to be read, but my to-read pile gets larger everyday so who knows when I'll get to them. I have so many sci/fi and fantasy books in line, it may be awhile.

[Sky]

Hi, I'm Sky Luke Corbelli. You can insert a star wars pun if you'd like.

I've been known to read a bit, game a bit, and write a bit. Looking forward to checking the update feed on this group a couple times a day to amuse myself participating. Seriously though, glad to be here and looking forward to talking swords, lasers, and everything in between. Like lightsabers. Or sword-chucks. Or... lightsaber-chucks... with lasers... that are also on fire...

[Alistair]

Hey everyone, I'm Alistair.
After listening to the podcast for a while, I've decided I might as well (occasionally) invest my two-cents here on the forums, as the interest rate in my head is a little low at the moment compared to the fees and charges...
Killing that cheesy metaphor; I'm currently pretty much a Sword guy who would like to get back into some decent Laser. (Lightsabers are awesome, but they're kind of both, so I'm not counting 'em as either.)
Anyways.... Uh, I don't know how to end this.

[Cosmo]

I'm Cosmo and I'm just remembering how to read novels or do much of any reading for "fun." Grad school just about ruined my ability to read long works so I've been reading short stories for what seems like forever. I also broke down and got a pair of reading glasses; it's easier to read then you can actually see the letters! I tend to favor dark fantasy like Caitlyn Kiernan and experimental/arty writers like David Foster Wallace. Other favorites include, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, William Burroughs, Flannery O Connor, Franz Kakfa, PkDick, William Gibson, Clive Barker, Thomas Ligoti... I dearly love ink on paper but I recently got a reader app for my iPhone and I just breezed through Game of Thrones basically during the time I normaly spent waiting in lines. I discovered Sword and Laser through the Geek And Sundry launch this week and I've been doing my best to catch up on past episodes.

[Martin]

Hi everyone. I'm Martin, and I've been a podcast listener and Goodreads member for quite a while, but not a contributor.

I was inspired to finally participate after meeting Tom and Veronica after the Geek and Sundry panel at Wondercon, and I'm looking forward to discussing The Magicians.

I lean toward the Sword, and my favorite author is Steven Brust. I've been open to Laser lately as well, and have recently enjoyed Vernor Vinge and Karl Schroeder quite a bit. All-time favorites by other authors are the Amber Chronicles, Good Omens, and The Three Musketeers.

[Kelley]

Hi, I'm Kelley. I discovered the podcast a few weeks ago and decided to jump right in to the April book club selection. Started The Magicians last night and I'm already very much enjoying it.

I'm primarily a sword, although I enjoy some occasional laser as well. Some of my favorite authors at the moment are Terry Pratchett, Steven Brust and Naomi Novik. I've also been steadily working my way through everything on NPR's list of the top 100 science fiction/fantasy list that I hadn't ready already.