Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 101-150 of 4,412

[Eric]

Hi, my name is Eric and I read whatever interests me at the time. I mainly read SF and Fantasy but will pick up just about anything that catches my eye.

[John]

Hello all my name is John.

Although I joined a while ago I have just no gotten around to making and introduction post.

I have always loved Sci-fi and fantasy and will read just about any author. I have way too many favorite authors/books to list here but am always on the lookout for fresh new authors to try out. I look forward to seeing what everyone else out there is recommending and enjoy discussing the books I have read.

[Karlis]

Hi all!
My name is Karlis I'm a comuter science student from Riga, Latvia. Recently I stumbled upon the S&L when I saw screenshot of the webpage in Squarespace ad in some Revision3 show (bytejacker, I guess). I am catching up with some older episodes now.
I am more "laser" than "sword" guy, currently reading all I can find from Douglas Adams :)

[Geoff]

Hi. I'm Geoff Web developer by profession. Father and husband most of the rest of the time.

I have to stay I have the hardest time starting a book or tv show. Once I get into I don't want to stop reading. For example, I just pickup up the sequel to Daemon which I genuinely enjoyed but am loathe to read even page one. Am I the only one like this? What do you do to get over the hump with a book?

[Trent]

Hi all. My name is Trent, I'm a Information Systems/Computing student from Tasmania, Australia. I first got into fantasy when I read the Hobbit in Grade 2, and I've been hooked ever since. My main goal in joining this group is to try and stretch more into Sci-Fi; I read the ocassional novel, but I've never been quite as immersed in it as I have Fantasy, and hoping that a bevy of good books can change this.

[Larry]

Hi, I'm Larry. I've been a Sci-fi geek for years, but I'm new to the Fantasy genre. I've read The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter Series, and a few other fantasy books (The Princess Bride, Stardust, etc.) I've yet to read any of the long fantasy series (WoT, Song of Ice and Fire, etc.)

My favorite author is Stephen King (seriously, can anything beat The Shining?). I also like a lot of Michael Crichton books. For non-fiction, I tend to read true life adventure/survival stories (John Krakauer has some great books).

I found the podcast through iTunes, because I was looking at the other Frogpants Studio podcasts. I'm looking forward to reading whatever comes next (as long as it is on kindle. I'm in Afghanistan at the moment, so kindle is the only way for me to get a specific book).

[Kithkannan]

Hello, I'm Kith,
I've been am avid reader since I was atleast 5 (learned to read at age 3, by the time I was 5 I could start a Hardy Boys book one evening, and finish it the next day). I've been a SciFi/Fant Fan for about twenty years or more now. My primary exception being my love of Dean Koontz's work.

My favorite authors include Dean Koontz, Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis (but strangely only when she's working with Tracy), Asimov, Heinlien, and Jim Butcher.
Loving the podcast, hope to be able to start picking up the books and reading along soon.

[Stephen]

Hello, I'm Stephen,

I am a great lover of both sci-fi and fantasy, until recently more laser than sword after a run of unfortunate experiences with some phenomenally uninteresting fantasy books whose names elude me. I have the Sword and Laser to thank for my new love of George R. R. Martin, whom I had not heard of before I tuned in and who I in turn thank for inspiring me to get back to work on my own novel. I'm rereading "A Game of Thrones" and loving every line.

My favorite authors include, but are definitely not limited to, George R. R. Martin, Ray Bradbury, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams.

[Jay]

Hi, I'm Jay.

Been listening to Tom and Veronica since the Buzz Out Loud days, and Sword and Laser from the beginning,but I have an allergic reaction to social networks, so I had avoided Goodreads, despite the many mentions of it on the show. However, if there were a social network I could stomach, one based on reading would probably be it, so here I am.

I started reading in middle school, and that was mostly sword. By high school, I was mostly laser. Then 20 years of mostly poison and stillettos (the knives, not the heels). But the podcast has renewed my interest in S& L.

My favorite authors are GG Kay, LE Modesitt, Douglas Adams, Jhumpa Lahiri and the late Robert Parker. Right now, I'm reading Michael Sullivan and Ken Scholes.

[Space Preacher]

Hey, I'm smeej. I live in Portland, OR (Powell's, woo!) and am a pretty epic janitor.

I've been following the book club for awhile but haven't read along with many of the books but have read all of them at some point so I'm sure it evens out.

I tend to lean towards dark/hard/surreal sci-fi/fantasy. Favorite living authors are Christopher Priest (The Prestige, The Separation), Joe Abercrombie (First Law series), and Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos series). Other than that I like a lot of pulp and old (19th century) fantasy, comic books, and SCIENCE.

[Adam]

Hello, my name is Adam and I just started listening to Sword and Laser...love it. I am finishing up grad school for Library Science and Information Technology. I like to read lots of books but my favorite authors are Jim Butcher, Terry Goodkind, and Patrick Rothfuss.

[Joshua]

Hello, for the life of me, I can't remember if I've already posted here:) But anyway, Hello. My name is, obviously, Joshua Caleb. I write sci-fi/fantasy novels, my first being Warped & Wired. You can find my website at www.TheWryterChronicles.com or follow me on twitter @JoshuaCaleb75. Okay, enough self-promotion:)

[Alasdair]

Hi guys I'm Ali (also known as 40_thieves on various places around the internet).

I'm loving the podcast, especially as I'm finding out about some great books. I'm trying to get back into reading properly a bit more as I've dropped off recently...

You can read my blog at 40thiev.es or follow me on Twitter where I'm @40_thieves - and that's enough self pimping for now :-)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Adam wrote: "Hello, my name is Adam and I just started listening to Sword and Laser...love it. I am finishing up grad school for Library Science and Information Technology. I like to read lots of books but my..."

Welcome! What school are you at? I'm an IU grad, working as a music librarian, and loving my work!

[Dennis]

Hi all, long-time listener and lurker (from back in the Ning days even) but first time poster. Not sure why it's taken me so long.

Long time SF and adventure reader (I'm a certified old fart) who grew up on everything from Asimov to Zelazny.

Currently reading (well, listening) Echo by Jack McDevitt, his new Alex Benedict novel

[Stefan]

Hi, I'm Stefan.

Ok, that was a bit short. I'm from Switzerland and I devour books, although I don't find enough time to read recently. While I read a wide variety of books, I was always a big fantasy/scifi fan - which is one of the main reasons I usually lurk around in these parts.

[Paul]

Hi my name is Paul. I am a soon to be 23 year old student entering my last semester of college. I have been listening to the show for months and have finally decided to join the group. I tend to stay towards sword, but the podcast has gotten me interested in some laser works. My two older cousins were the ones to blame for my interest in fantasy. I am a Social Studies Education major and this spring I will be doing my student teaching. Since I am a social studies major I have read so much history that I have lost track on whether or not I have read certain historical works, but hopefully this site will help me keep track now. I am about to finish Neil Gaiman's American Gods. After I finish that I can't decide on whether I should start the Dexter series, the Millennium Trilogy, or the second book in A Song of Ice and Fire series.

[Alex]

Hello, I'm Alex! Joined a bit a go but decided to finally post! I'm a 25 year old sorta-It guy who is aspiring to work in publishing. I love Sword & Laser as a podcast and as genres. I have recently been moving through some nonfiction but always return to the tried and true. I am also embarking on a journey through Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, so there is tons on my plate and this show just keeps adding more in the best way possible.

[Jared]

I'm Jared! My favorite authors are Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, and Terry Pratchett. I'm about to re-read Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun (Shadow & Claw & Sword & Citadel) because they were the last books I've read that really blew me away. Cryptonomicon is far and away my favorite book!

[Dennis]

I'm not sure if I've done this already, but this thread is massive, so please forgive me if I double-post!

My name is in the subject line of this post!

I discovered the Sci-fi section of the public library in 5th grade and worked my way through it, alphabetically by the time I was in high school. I didn't read everything, but I did read the backs of everything.

Every once in a while, I would come across a mis-shelved fantasy book and read it, to see what the other side was like. By this mechanism, I learned that Piers Anthony was awful, but Dragonlance books were pretty exciting.

I read the The Illuminatus! Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid/The Golden Apple/Leviathan in 7th grade, and I had no idea what to make of it.

Starting in the 8th grade, I read more than one novel because it had a sexy girl on the cover.

The internet had coalesced by the time I was a senior, and that was when one could get useful recommendations and I became a more discriminate consumer.

I have Kraken in the hole, waiting for me to finish A Feast for Crows.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Adrian wrote: "Hi,

My name's Adrian and I live in The Socialist Republic of Romania, it's been hard not calling it that lately ;).
I'm a pretty avid reader, I like both sword and laser books evenly. I also like ..."

Simon Vance has the best reading voice EVER!:)

[Don]

Hello, I'm Donald.

I work for a library games and technology program, I produce a podcast about board games, and have been an unrepentant geek for as long as I can remember.

As a relatively new convert to the S&L podcast I haven't actually done any of the reading as you've been talking about the books, but I had to join the group when I heard you talking about Pratchett. I then proceeded to post way to huge of a post in the thread related to him.

Also, I love the King Arthur myth, having even worked as a line developer for a company that produced King Arthur books and games. My least favorite character in the saga? Lancelot.

Edit to add: Oh, I'm both sword and laser reading wise, though I'm constantly shocked at how much truly awful fantasy there is. Great fantasy requires something more than filing the serial numbers off your D&D campaign and adding extra vowels (for good guys) or consonants (for bad guys) to every other word.

[Michael]

Ello there! My name is Michael, I'm a Sword and occasional Laser. Been a fan of the podcast for sometime now, and as I keep hearing of Goodreads and the group here I thought I would join. I'm a big fan of R. Jordan, Angus Wells, Terry Pratchett, Tad Williams among many others. I look forward to hopefully broadening my reading horizons and getting others takes on what is out there. Cheers!

[Rob]

Hi I'm Robyn and I hail from Toronto. I recently joined Goodreads and tweaked to Sword and Laser group from listening to the Twit Network. Thank you again Leo.
Like many others I became a fan of fantasy novels from reading "The Hobbit" in grade 9. After I had completely immersed myself into the Tolkien universe I started to branch out and discovered Brooks, Moorcock, McCaffery, and Eddings. My first introduction to Sci Fi was when I read the Foundation series, (does this sound familiar?).
I am looking forward to meeting new people, discovering new authors, reading and hopefully contributing to the groups discussions,
I hope I hear from you :-)

[John (john)]

Hello! I started listening to Sword and Laser occasionally earlier this year at a friend's suggestion; attended the live podcast at Dragon*Con and became a fan! Reading mostly SciFi for a good while now; just bought Yu's "How to Live Safely..." and hoping to keep up....

[Chris]

Hello I'm Chris. I've recently found out about Sword and Laser thanks to the Frogpants ultra feed and I've been trying to keep up to date with the books (finished Once and Future King, working on Princess Bride). I'm a pretty big Sci-Fi fan, but I've come to enjoy fantasy recently as well.

[Matthew]

I'm Matt! I kept hearing mention of the Sword and Laser podcast whenever Veronica was on any twit podcast (not to mention Tom), so I decided to check it out. Great work!

I've been an avid science fiction and fantasy reader since I was young; I read all of my mom's Isaac Asimov books when I was in middle school.

Favorite authors: Neal Stephenson, Robert Jordan, William Gibson, Brandon Sanderson

[[deleted user]]

Hi, I'm Michael, from Vancouver. I just discovered the Goodreads group for the Sword and Laser not too long ago and it's awesome! I prefer science fiction to fantasy but I'm pretty open to reading any kind of book. Off to university next year so I'm pretty young, but I love the discussions and stuff here.

I absolutely love William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, warming to Cory Doctorow and Neil Gaiman, starting on Terry Pratchett.

[Roxanne]

Hi, I'm Roxanne.

I read a variety of genres, but science fiction and fantasy is my go to genre, when I want something new to read. I probably will not update my profile to reflect my prior readings since I have already done this on shelfari. I am excited to participate in some discussions!

[Majtaylor]

Hi I am Marianne. Been a fan for a long time. My first time posting. I live in BC Canada. I started like many others with Tolkien and Asimov.

[Will]

Hi. I'm Will. I'm a numbers geek heading up an efficiency command center at a theme park resort.

My eyes aren't as young as they were and reading was becoming a strain, but thanks to the Kindle I'm going full force again.

Lately I've been trying to explore some newer writers, and I look forward to expanding my horizons here.

[Arik]

Hi. I'm Arik - new to the club. I'm an attorney in Chicago who devours fantasy novels when I am not working or wow'ing or hanging out with the family. Found both the website and the group through the podcast thanks to the Frogpants network!

I am a kindle convert, but I have been reading all the fantasy I could get my hands on since I was 11 years old and picked up Vale of the Vole at a used book store.

Currently re-reading WoT and am almost through TSR. Just got done reading Bakker's aspect emperor stuff. Awesome reads.

[Mikemayou]

Hello, I'm Mike

I've been reading Science Fiction and Fantasy for years. My favorite genre is Fantasy comedy but I will read almost anything. I greatest wish is the G RR Martin wil live long enough to write the conclusion to Song of Fire and Ice and that I will live long enough to read it. My introduction is done so I will go on to What are you reading the real reason I decided to join. Love Tom and Veronica on TNT and Tekzilla.

[Phillip]

Hello, I'm Phillip... obviously.

I have read and currently read a lot of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Authors I enjoy include Robert Jordan, David Gemmell, David Eddings, Asimov, G.R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman and many many more. I'm currently reading the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott which is quite brilliant.

In addition to the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres, I'll read whatever's handy as long as the story's worth while. In my collection you may find an inordinate amount of Elmore Leonard.

I've been listening to the Sword and Laser Podcast for a while, and finally decided to join the club.

I'll always be indebted to the S&L podcast for introducing me to Daniel Suarez's books Daemon and Freedom TM. So. Freaking. Good.

Okay, so that's my intro. Looking forward to joining the discussion.

[Dominik]

Hi, I'm Dominik from Bonn, Germany.
I've been reading SF and Fantasy for years and I'm glad to find a forum that will give me interesting suggestions on new books to read.
I'll try and keep up with the current books if I can.

[Axis]

Hi all, just joined and can't wait to find some bookish buddies!

[ashn0d]

Hi, I'm Fabio

Writing from Spain (actually Portugal as I'm on vacations, but you get my point), kinda new to written science fiction. Always been more of a tv/movie guy.
Knew about the podcast while Veronica on Tekzilla, and after listening to the most recent one had to catch up on the wholle run, very interesting stuff.

[Starfury9999]

Hello all I'm Starfury writing from London, I have been a science fiction and fantasy reader for a very long time. Just finished reading the new David Weber book Out of the Dark, not quite what I thought it was, very reminiscent of a short story that I read a long time ago, (The road not taken by Harry Turtledove), but the plot takes a complete left turn in the dénouement which felt too deus ex machina for the good of the overall book. So I would judge the book as generally good, well written with some very interesting concepts but let down by a less than stellar resolution!

[Jamie]

Hello - Jamie here, and a professional lurker. I read plenty, although it's usually 'crap sci-fi' stuff. You can't beat a good (or bad) here comes a bloody big meteor story to really brighten up your day. I'm trying to bring myself to read Lord of the Rings, despite playing the online game! No, honest - I think I managed to avoid reading it since Mum and Dad have a very valuable first edition volume, and I was always told 'not to damage that book!'. Something my Mum still chuckles about to this day - yup, she made me a Tolkienaphobe.
Other fiction - from fantasy to erm, 'interesting and artistic novels' through to Star Trek. Yup, I'm a omnibookvore.

[Adam]

Hello! My name is Adam, and I am an addict of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. I keep trying to branch out into other genres of fiction, but I continue to find myself back in the somewhat safe, comfortable realms of magical past and scientific future.

What's that? This isn't Sci-Fi/Fantasy Addicts Anonymous? Then I must have joined the correct group!

(Everything else about me that you probably don't want to know is located in my Goodreads profile.)

[David]

I've been lurking around here for a while now. Name is David, and the first novel I can remember reading is The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again, followed by Jurassic Park.

Been really into Audiobook for the last few years because I drive a lot for work, but I am starting to get myself back into print, and I am getting a Kindle soon.

[Kelly]

Hello all. My name is Kelly and I've been a fan of sci-fi and fantasy for as long as I've been reading actual books (I think I started with the Dragonlance series). I'm a big fan of podcasts as well and stumbled across the Sword and Laser recently. It seemed like a great way to discover new books and authors and to hear from other speculative fiction fans. See you around the threads.

[Nick]

Hey there!

I'm Nick and have been reading sci-fi and fantasy since I was just a little kid. I've known about the podcast for awhile, being a long-time listener to Buzz Out Loud, but just decided to join the book group as well.

Recently I've been reading some Harry Turtledove and right now am in the middle of Against All Things Ending (Book 3 of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant).

Hopefully I will be able to sync up soon on the book the group is reading and join in on the lively discussion!

[Thomas]

Hullo,
I am Tom, and I've been listening in for most of the last year. I like sword and laser books, and I've recently been getting back into reading some (grad school took a bite out of all of my non-grad school activities).
I've been loving Terry Pratchett and George R.R. Martin the last year, but also China Mieville, Ian McDonald and Kim Stanley Robinson.

[Bill]

Hello, all. Bill from Pittsburgh, PA.

I've been a SciFi/Fantasy geek since I was a wee kid. In high school I devoured LOTR, Dune, and Thomas Covenant. In college, it was David Eddings, the Foundation Series, and Piers Anthony. Lately, I've been all about Simmons' Hyperion series, Alastair Reynolds, Steven Erikson's Malazan Books and D.M. Cornish's Half-Continent books.

Currently reading World War Z and looking forward to Bitter Seeds and (one day) finishing the Malazan series.

[Adam]

Hello.

I'm Adam from Cincinnati, OH.

I'm not really reading anything at the moment as I've been spending as much time as I can writing. When I am reading it's usually H.P. Lovecraft, Philip Jose Farmer, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert R. McCammon, Fredric Brown(gotta represent that hometown pride)and Frank Edwards. I haven't read a lot of the popular sci-fi/fantasy series... LOTR, Dune, The Dark Tower, Necroscope or some of the countless others that I know I should have. But I do plan on getting around to it.

[Matthew]

Hello everyone I am Matt.
Just getting into reading. I was never able to when I was younger do to bad eye sight and what not, but now I have my new KINDLE woohoo and I am really enjoying it.

[Mario]

Hello S&L,

I'm Mario I live in Tampa Florida. I work in IT doing data analytics. I love Science Fiction and Fantasy mostly and occasionally will venture into the realms of nonfiction. I don't get a lot of time to sit down and read but my saving grace has been audio books.

I have been listening to the podcast since I heard Tom and Veronica's interview on Tech Stuff. I love the podcast and still trying to catch up on their reading list and other recommendations on the way. I look forward to more podcast episodes and more recommendations from Tom, Veronica, and other good reads members.

[Gordon]

Hey Sword and Laser fans,

I'm Gord, from the Toronto, Ontario area. I just learned of this whole group earlier today while searching iTunes for more podcasts from our hosts Veronica and Tom, as I'm big fans of their other work.

I'm a huge science fiction fan, though I don't read as much fantasy these days. I used to read it voraciously. I still enjoy it now and then, looking forward to new ideas on what to try though.

My one concern with this podcast/discussion group/experience thing is that I have a Kindle and know how to use it. This is my first post to Goodreads for S&L, and I've *already* found two new books to buy in the last 10 minutes! Help!

[Adam]

Gord wrote: "Hey Sword and Laser fans,

I'm Gord, from the Toronto, Ontario area. I just learned of this whole group earlier today while searching iTunes for more podcasts from our hosts Veronica and Tom, as I'..."

There are a lot of new authors on goodreads that offer their stuff through kindle. It can be quite overwhelming.