Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 1,451-1,500 of 4,412

[Matt]

Hello all. My name is Matt. I'm relatively new to sci-fi/fantasy literature although not completely ignorant. :-/ Orson Scott Card, Tolkien, Douglas Adams. Is it bad form to say amongst hardcore fantasy readers that I like CS Lewis?

[Mike]

Hi, I'm Mike.

I am mostly a reader of the fantasy genre, but I enjoy a good sci-fi book as well (I'm looking at you Dune and Ender's Game.) Also a big D&D fan as I have been playing for over 30 years. First time I heard of Sword & Laser was from Geek Sundry and I enjoyed the show very much. I am looking forward to some good recommendations/discussions and I plan on starting The Magicians by the end of the week.

[Joe]

Hello all, I'm Joe.

I'm a photographer, gamer and avid reader. I was introduced to goodreads and The Sword and Laser by some friends from the WOW AIE Guild.

I am mostly into fantasy books, but lately find myself branching out into a lot of different areas.

I look forward to being part of the group. I've already jumped in with reading The Magicians. Now to read through the, what seems like a very quick moving, list of discussions.

[Jonathon]

Hi folks, I'm Jonathon and I'm hailing from Birmingham, England.

I'm a huge sci-fi and fantasy fan (You should see my bookshelves and my DVD collection, I'd say about 90% of what I own is sci-fi or fantasy related in some way), it really is a safe bet to say that I'm a geek.

I'm currently working my way through George R. R. Martin's a Song of Ice and Fire series (at the minute I'm on A Storm of Swords), I really love this world that he's built up and populated with whole host of fascinating characters.

Prior to the video show on the Geek & Sundry channel, I'd never heard of this group but after watching the first episode I've bought both Scott Sigler's Nocuturnal and Lev Grossman's The Magcians and I'm looking forward to delving into them both over the next few weeks.

[Bejon]

Hello, my name is Bejon. I'm a computer geek by day (and night, lets be honest), a father of three and a husband to name a few of the biggies. I'm a huge fan of the SciFi/Fantasy genres, and recently was recommended to S&L by a colleague at work.

There are a number of authors that I'd call favorites, but lately I seem to be enamored with Alastair Reynolds and am really appreciating Patrick Rothfuss.

I hang my hat, kick up my feet and read in sunny Southern California in the Ventura County area.

[Rob]

Hi I'm Rob and I'm a geek for life. I've been on goodreads for a few years, a book reviewer/forum moderator at SFFWorld for over a decade and I've been blogging here for almost a decade.

Some favorite authors include Matthew Stover, Gene Wolfe, George R.R. Martin, John Scalzi, Stephen King, and Tad Williams.

[Ben]

Hey everyone! I'm Ben, I've been sneaking around the forums here quietly for a couple of weeks, and only started listening a few weeks before that. I listen to a ton of podcasts, I work at a factory so I have 8 hours a day to fill, and when the podcasts don't fill it, Audible takes over. I also get a lot of feeds from Podiobooks.com too.

Some of my favorite authors right now are online authors: Scott Sigler, Mur Lafferty, Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine. My favorite "conventional" authors though are Kurt Vonnegut and Michael Crichton.

I'm also a "Wannabe" writer myself.

I also have a podcast I just started with my mom (who also listens, but doesn't really do the online thing) called Reader/Writer at http://readerwriter.ca if anyone would like to check it out.

A great show and I'll keep listening/watching!

[Mathew]

I am Mathew in Phoenix, AZ. I have read Science Fiction since 1970 and started collecting works since 1975. I have always loved the thing that is a 'book'. Asimov, Clarke, Niven, and Herbert were my best friends. Somewhere in there I discovered Tolkien and Lewis, and the middle ground of Bradbury and so the Sword crossed the Laser.

When I met the works of Gordon R. Dickson, my life changed, literally. When Mr. Dickson passed in 2001, I put down my Sify books and only read History, Medieval, Renaissance and all Scottish History of Nigel Tranter. Mix in Historical Recreation and you get lots of sword, while the laser lay fizzing on an old dusty shelf.

Then my wife introduced me to Danny Adam's collaboration with Philip Jose Farmer and the Laser and Sword were wonderfully reunited in the work, "The City Beyond Play". Awesome piece that I intend to review here...
So much for brevity.

So here I am after having discovered the Pod-casts and now the YouTube broadcasts. Hope to share opinions and good reads all around. Well done guys.

[Jason]

Hey everyone! I'm Jason.

Science fiction is my passion and it fuels most of my hobbies from tabletop gaming to PC gaming. Though, I haven't found anything quite as satisfying as exploring new worlds through books. I look forward to engaging in further laser-based discussion here.

My favorite book is Battlefield Earth and I will forever contest that it is awesome despite the author's reputation.

[Davonne]

Hiya! I'm Davonne author of Sorrow's Fall and the upcoming Sorrow's Despair. I've loved science fiction since I was old enough to read and have read all the great classical sci-fi writers starting with Jules Vern, Mary Shelly, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury all the way through the up-and-coming authors of today. I love to write as much (maybe a hair more) as I like to read and can't wait to discuss all the great stuff out there with everyone!

In all honestly, I've never been part of a book club before, so while I'm very excited, I'm also a little apprehensive. My inner dorky-geek/geeky-dork is rather shy ;)

[Gillian]

Hi, I'm Gillian. I just found out about this group through the show on Geek & Sundry. I am a huge fan of fantasy and scifi although I must confess I haven't read a lot of science fiction books. Hopefully that will change soon!

[Alexander]

Hi, my name is Alexander.

And I'm from a town in Sweden called Västerås, it's pronounced the same as Westeros!

I found Sword & Laser's new video-show and became hooked on hearing you guys talk about books. Luckily I had just finished reading The Magicians so I could look into all the fun discussions.

Currently I study Information design & Informative Illustration. Before that I went to an Art School and studied Prop making and special effect in a school far far to the north!

The last few years I shied away from fantasy and mainly read contemporary and science fiction books. Fantasy and I had a bit of a falling out. But then I read the Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind and it blew me away. It opened me open to fantasy books again which is nice! Just finished A song of Ice and Fire and I'm itching for more..

My favourite authors are probably: Neil Gaiman, Chuck Palahniuk and Haruki Murakami closely followed by JK Rowling and Philip K Dick!

[Michael]

Hey Everyone!

I'm Mike. I'm a poet, and podcaster living in San Francisco. I'm also gigantic nerd. I've never had a reason to join a book club until now. Reading has normally been a solitary experience for me. Most of my friends have either already read books that I pick up or have no interested in reading them. So to put it shortly, I'm really looking forward to talking to all of you about The Magicians.

My favorite book is Born in the Year of the Butterfly Knife. And my favorite fantasy/science fiction story is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Huzzah.

[Micah]

Hi, I'm Micah.
I work as an IT Specialist at my church. In my spare time, I watch a lot of crime shows. I also watch a lot of anime and am a casual gamer. Currently playing Warp and doing a second play-through of Mass Effect 3.

As far as books go, I'm a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and military/spy books. Robert Jordan kick-started my consumption of books with the Wheel of Time series. I used to like Terry Goodkind, but in a weird sort of way, his own voice/views drowned out the world he made.

Big fan of the less post-apocalyptic more magic/fantasy Terry Brooks. Currently reading Inheritance by Christopher Paolini and anticipating the 3rd book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles.

[Rosemont]

Hello, I'm Rosemont.

I found your book club through the wonderful Felicia Day and Geek and Sundry. This group fits me perfectly. I've been reading sci-fi/fantasy since I read the Chronicles of Narnia in grade school, a rediculously long time ago.

My favorite authors in the genre are Neil Gaiman,Robin Hobb,Kurt Vonnegut,Ursula K. Le Guin,John Steakley to name just a few.

Really excited to be a part of this great community and absolutely love the podcast. Veronica,I particuarly feel that you and I have very similar tastes (I've seen all the Vaginal Fantasy hangouts as well) So I know I can trust your reviews and recommendations.

Cheers!
Rosemont

[Amy]

Hi, I'm Amy :)

I'm a huge fan of graphic novels and fantasy books. My favorites include George RR Martin (though if he doesnt stop killing people I like we may have to have words*glower* ) Terry Goodkind, Neil Gaimen, David Eddings and more.

I've never done a book club before, but Im really hoping to discover some amazing new authors :) Lately every new book I pick up seems to have the same classic story line, and I'm really looking for a change.

Looking forward to some good discussions :)

[Davonne]

Amy wrote: "Hi, I'm Amy :)

I'm a huge fan of graphic novels and fantasy books. My favorites include George RR Martin (though if he doesnt stop killing people I like we may have to have words*glower* ) Terry G..."

Hiya Amy, I too just joined and have never been in a book club of any kind before. Which graphic novels are you reading? I'm currently on a list of manga to get through. That and the prequel series to the upcoming Avengers movie. omg Loki *swoon*

[Jo]

Aloha I'm Jo! Complete noob to sword and laser's awesome-ness. I caught their first vid on geek and sundry and became hooked! Can't wait to see what other marvelous books are brought to light. I already purchased Nocturnal (one of the books featured) and will also pickup the magicians! A Harry Potter-ish storyline with beer? In!

[Christopher]

My name is Chris and I've been reading science fiction and fantasy for 40+ years now. I still fondly recall reading my first Andre Norton book when I was in 3rd grade (Star Rangers!) and the sense of wonder and excitement that went with it. Heinlein and Tolkien soon followed. I've never lost my love for either genre. My favorite book is probably Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. Nice to meet everyone!

[Catherine]

Hello everyone! My I'm Catherine, and before I could read, my mom read to me. Books are a big deal in my family, and I've always loved fantasy and science fiction.

I have written a little (nothing serious; just for fun), and I'm a gamer as well. I'm really excited to participate in this group. I found it being a fan of Felicia Day and watching geek and sundry. Nice to meet everyone, and this is gonna be fun.

[Harold]

Catherine wrote: "Hello everyone! My I'm Catherine, and before I could read, my mom read to me. Books are a big deal in my family, and I've always loved fantasy and science fiction.

I have written a little (nothin..."

Love it! I've a 14 month old daughter who we have read to every night since before she was born. She already chooses books over almost any other toy when given the opportunity. It's a beautiful thing.

[Absurd Nerd]

Hello, I'm an absurd nerd who likes a good read and I'm glad that I got pointed to The Sword and Laser by Geek and Sundry.

I'd say I'm more a Laser, though the Discworld is a place I love to visit more than anywhere else.

[Frederick]

Hello! My name is Freddie and, like most other recent additions, I found Sword and Laser through Geek and Sundry. Loved the 'videocast' and have been listening to some of the podcasts since then too.

I have to admit I am more in the Sword group, though I do enjoy the odd sci-fi novel occasionally. My favourite series right now is Tom Lloyd's The Twilight Reign.

[Mollie]

Hi! I'm Mollie. I have been a fan of science fiction and fantasy for as long as I can remember and I love to talk about it.

I found this group via the Vaginal Fantasy group and the Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube. I began listening to all of the audio podcasts and just got the Magicians yesterday from my library so I could join in!

[Mandy]

Hi, I'm Mandy. I found this group through the video show, which I fell in love with in the first 30 seconds of watching! I've been looking for a book club just like this, so I'm looking forward to jumping in with the current book and seeing what everyone thinks about it.

[Paulo]

Hi, my name is Paulo,
I'm from São Paulo, Brazil and have just recently found out about your show via Geek & Sundry.
This is the first book club in goodreads.
I have been a fan of science fiction and fantasy for as long as I can remember
Some of my favorite authors are H. P. Lovecraft, Lord Dunsany, Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi and George R.R Martin.

[Robin]

Hi, I'm Robin,

just re-reading the David Eddings books as a bit of light relief after reading the wheel of time novels.

Am a really big Terry Pratchett fan.

Have read fantasy for years but occasionaly delve into sci-fi or historical novels.

[[deleted user]]

Hello, I'm Patricia aka Patty.

I've been a fan of sci-fi and fantasy for as long as I've liked reading, which is quite a bit of time in my rather short life. A few authors I absolutely love are Anne Bishop, Orson Scott Card, Piers Anthony, Tamora Pierce, and Huxley Aldous.

This is the first book club, online and off, that I've been part of, so please forgive my learning curve. I've promptly purchased copy of The Magicians for the current read, so I hope to be diving into the discussions soon.

[Alex]

Hi, everyone! How are you all doing today?

My name is Alex; I've been a Goodreads member for a while now but all I ever used to do was post the books I had on my bookshelves or was reading at the time and writing an occasional review. A few of my friends from Epinions (which is where I write reviews) are members of GR as well and they suggested that I become, um, a bit more active here, especially now that I'm a new author and needed to join the Authors' program.

Anyway, I am basically a guy who likes to read non-fiction books, mostly about military and world history, but I also like other genres, including (no surprise) space-fantasy/science fiction, techno-thrillers a la Tom Clancy, humor, erotica and horror.

[C.R.]

Hello. My name is C. R. Myers, but everyone calls me Cat. I write mysteries and some Scifi and love reading both. tinyurl.com/bre32t4

I love Roger Zelazny and Brian Lumley (weird combo, right?) Good fantasy fiction is hard to beat. I enjoy fast-paced novels, heavy on plot. I also enjoy paranormal, gothic, romantic suspense, and noir. ...Cat

[Catherine]

Robin wrote: "Hi, I'm Robin,

just re-reading the David Eddings books as a bit of light relief after reading the wheel of time novels.

Am a really big Terry Pratchett fan.

Have read fantasy for years but occas..."

I love the Belgariad :D I found it when I was in high school and read all of them. Are you enjoying it?

[Alex]

Hi, my name's Alex.

I've been a long time fan of the Fantasy genre, in any form not just books. I'm currently a Junior in High School. I read a lot in middle school and at the start of Freshman year, and for some reason I just stopped for a while. About a month ago I've started reading a TON again and enjoying it and I started watching videos on Felicia Day's many channels which eventually turned me on to here.

[Robin]

Hi Catherine, just finishing off the elenium then moving on to the tamuli. then onto belgariad and mallorian. Have read them about once a year for the last few years, sad I know but really enjoy them.

[David]

Hi everyone.

I'm David. My favourite author is Terry Pratchett, I have ready almost everything he has written. I also enjoy the works of Neil Gaiman including his Sandman series as well as his novels.

I am definitely more of a fantasy fan than science fiction but have enjoyed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the short stories of Philip K Dick in the past.

I have just ordered my copy of The Magicians from Amazon after discovering the show on YouTube yesterday. I am not a very fast reader so I hope I can catch up before the club moves onto the next book!

[Nathan]

I'm Nathan and I read almost exclusively fantasy stuff with a rare excepting here and there. I basically love anything involving magic and/or dragons.

[John]

Hi there, I'm John! Still figuring out Goodreads groups, I actually found this through the podcast RS rather than GR itself. I like the mix of a formal interactive book club as well as the self-driven threads.

I'm a general writer. Published a lot of flash fiction and am finishing up a Fantasy novel right now, about a prison break of monsters. I adore the Pratchett and D.N.A. school of SpecFic humor, and am an old Tolkien lover. Particularly, I'm a fan range and the breadth that the genres can cover. Just finishing up reading Peter V. Brett's The Warded Man this weekend.

[Jj]

Hello All! My name is Jay, and I just started listening to Sword and Laser. I'm currently reading the Lies of Locke Lamora after hearing about it on the podcast. I love scifi and fantasy, but I've been kinda out of the loop, so I'm excited to join and learn! :)

[Fox]

Hi all! I'm Jess – a wife, mom, gamer, and geek. I've been a big fan of both science fiction & fantasy since I was a kid thanks to my mom, and now my kids are becoming fans, as well. I'm very happy to be here and look forward to joining the conversation. :)

[Jessica]

Hi! I'm Jessica and I recently discovered Sword and Laser on Geek and Sundry through my membership in Veronica's other GR book club - Vaginal Fantasy. I've been having so much fun with that group that I decided to check out the show and loved it! I just bought The Magicians for my Nook and I'm looking forward to joining in discussions soon. I'm a lifelong Heinlein fan, and I also enjoy Neil Gaiman and Patrick Rothfuss. One book a month is never enough for me, so I'm excited for more reading inspiration!

[Philip]

Hi, I'm Phil. I'm a gamer, and mostly a fantasy/horror fan. I have read a few sci-fi books but am a little wary of the genre as I am a bit more critical of it while reading (less suspension of disbelief). Favorite authors would be Jim Butcher, Stephen R. Donaldson, H. P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker. Trying to find new and varied authors and realizing how limited my scope has been. Just started following The Sword and Laser through YouTube and love it.

[Gab]

Hello to all! My father introduced me to sci-fi at a young age (Hobbit, Wrinkle in Time) and, later on, introduced me to my first literary lover, Neil Gaiman. I worked at used bookstores all throughout my undergrad, but since I graduated in April '11, I haven't been reading as much. I thought Sword&Laser was the perfect way to get back into it. Can't wait to meet you all, happy readings!

[Steph]

I'm Steph and I live in Australia. I've loved reading since I was a young child and I read across all genres and styles. I especially love finding new authors to read, which is why I've joined S&L!

[Becky]

Hi everyone, I'm Becky.

I found out about S&L through the Geek and Sundry channel that Felicia Day started, and I really enjoyed watching the first episode. I still have a few of the podcasts on my "to listen" list, but as a newbie to S&L, I'm enjoying getting as much of it as I can. I think it's awesome that there is a group like this, and props to S&L for talking about books in such an accessible, interesting format!

I am an orchestra teacher by trade, and love reading (but have to force myself to find the time!) I think that being part of this group will help inspire me to read more.

I read practically anything, but really enjoy getting lost in a fantasy or sci-fi book. Some of my favorite authors include: Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman, Lynn Flewelling, and Asimov. I always love finding new authors to read though!

[Kristjan]

Hi all. I'm Kristjan (an alternative spelling of Christian if you're curious).

I've been a fan of science fiction and fantasy for the past 25 years or so, and especially love Roger Zelazny, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, William Gibson, Samuel Delany, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

I also like graphic novelists like Warren Ellis and Allan Moore.

In my daily life I am an IT-consultant in Copenhagen, Denmark.

[Peter]

Hi everyone I'm Peter.

I just started listening to this podcast, which is my medium of choice for commuting to and from work. I enjoy SF and I would say my favorite author is Gene Wolfe, but I also enjoy many others including Ray Bradbury, China Miéville, Orson Scott Card, and Philip K Dick. Really, there are too many to mention.

I am a husband and father of twin toddlers (boys), I work as an engineer, and enjoy both reading and writing.

[Catherine]

Robin wrote: "Hi Catherine, just finishing off the elenium then moving on to the tamuli. then onto belgariad and mallorian. Have read them about once a year for the last few years, sad I know but really enjoy them."

I don't think that's sad at all. I regularly reread books and rewatch movies that I particularly love. There's always something that I missed, you know? I mean, The Last Unicorn, Flight of Dragons, and The Labyrinth are some things that I must have watched a hundred times, and I've reread the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series too many times. I think that the Charlaine Harris books (both True Blood, and the mysteries) are rapidly joining that group.

[Redd]

Hey, I'm Redd. I'm an author (Weight Loss Terrorists, check it out) and I'm into genre film and speculative fiction.

Hit me up on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reddkaiman

[Marz]

I'm Marz, and I'm a total geek. In addition to fantasy/sci-fi (which I should hope it's obvious I like if I'm here) I'm a gamer, and a girl. I know, shocking. My favorite gaming genre is RPGs. I came here through Geek & Sundry, and am catching up on some of the past books read by S&L.

[Pallox]

Hello, I'm Bryon.

I've been reading SF & F for as long as I can recall. I first heard about the podcast when Veronica was on Nerdist and have been listening since then. I've heard of some great books that I hope to get to.

[Kass]

Hey-o,

I'm Kass. Once in high school, I was asked if I was bringing a dictionary on a fieldtrip, to which I replied, no, it's just my copy of the Merlin Trilogy. I then questioned what I was doing with my life. The answer, it turns out, was being awesome.

The last six years or so have been spent reading a lot more non fiction and comics because they're easy and have practical application (Also, I think I was burned by Robert Jordan), but I had SO MUCH FUN reading fantasy back in the day that I'm game for a book club of this ilk.