Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 1,701-1,750 of 4,412

[Farcyde]

Hello, my name is Matt. I mostly read horror, but I'm trying to expand my literary vocabulary. I've started off reading fantasy the Dragonlance books and George R R Martin and a few others. I've only just started reading sci-fi. I started with the Dune series and Michael Crichton books. I've been listening to the show for a few months now and figured it was time to get in on the good reads. Thanks!

[Scott]

Hi all--Scott here.

I'm a husband and dad of 2 boys here in woods and hills of beautiful western Pennsylvania. I'm a pastor, a hospital chaplain, and a nerd right down to the core! I read like crazy, including science fiction, fantasy, suspense/thrillers, mysteries, westerns...well, let's just say I read. A lot. I'm also an avid gamer, with Lord of the Rings Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic being my MMO's of choice.

I heard about Sword & Laser via Geek & Sundry (SUCH a great idea, and limitless potential). From taking part here, I hope to be introduced to great fantasy and science fiction books of which I'm not yet aware, and to take part in mining as many compelling ideas and subjects from said books as we can!

[Chris]

Hi, I'm Chris.

I'm a computer engineer who has been reading SF and fantasy (and pretty much everything else I can get my hands on, I'm not picky on genre) for, uh, 30+ years (I won't say how old I am, but Ready Player One really resonated with my teen years).

I play board and role playing games. Not as many computer games as I used to (it's that "old" thing again - I like keyboards and mice and joysticks, consoles? not so much).

Some of my favorite authors (I say some 'cause I'm sure I will leave out a bunch): Robin Hobb, Dan Simmons, Stephen King, Lois McMaster Bujold, George R R Martin, Neil Gaiman, Michael Connelly, Terry Pratchett, Robert R. McCammon.

I found out about this via Geek & Sundry and I'm very glad I did. I've never been much for podcasts, but this one has me hooked.

[Serenity]

Hi, I'm Serenity.
I'm the one you always saw in high school reading as she walked through the hallways (not an easy feat when the graduating class alone had 1,200 people in it). I have a huge list of favorite authors, but some of the big ones include R. A. Salvatore, Janet Evanovich, Patricia Briggs, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman... I'll stop there else we'll be here all day. Currently I'm reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books.

I look forward to sharing my love of the written word with others of a like-mind, as well as learning of new books and authors to fill my library.

[Jason]

Hello,
I am Jason of Nevada an avid reader of many subjects, but I have always found myself coming back to the sword type. I have been a fan of both T&V from back when Cnet was cool... Don't tell Molly, but show lost it's cohesion after ya'll left and am glad to now consum content by the two of you once again, any chance of Molly making a gust apperance I wonder. Anyway I also am the type of person who has to read the inter series if started, having been an audible member for along time makes this habit more enjoyable. (Robert Jordan...)

Thanks for the great show and the new set is awesome!

[[deleted user]]

Hi, I'm Sharon from Alaska and a friend steered me toward the Sword and Laser podcast when you were in the middle of reading "The Magicians". I found kindred spirits and like-minded readers in the process so I picked up the Audible copy of Hyperion and away we go...

Some of my favorite authors are Ursual K. Le Guin, Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, GRR Martin, Tolkien, Patricia McKillip and Sherry S. Tepper.

[Mike]

Hello, I'm Mike.

I have been an avid reader since grade school. I am now older and wiser, but I still read when time allows.

My interests in books include most anything. Zombie genre is a big favorite. I was into the zombie thing before it became main stream.

I look forward to being a part of the discussions.

[David]

Cheers!

I'm Dave. I mostly like to read fantasy adventure and sci-fi. These days, I've been reading Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Douglas Adams, as well as Drew Karpyshyn and Mac Walters (yes, the writers of Mass Effect).

I don't know if I'll keep up on the club reading, but I'm glad to be here! I'm really impressed with the whole Sword and Laser/Geek and Sundry experience. I think it fills an important niche promoting literacy and geek culture.

I blog a little, too. You can check it out if you like. davaflava.wordpress.com

Cheers!

[Rob]

Hi, my name is Rob and, like a lot of the other new folk, I found my way to the Sword and Laser group through Geek & Sundry. Since then I've been going through the back catalog of podcasts on the main site and am thoroughly enjoying them. Glad to be here :)

I'm an avid reader, pretty much anything I can get my hands on but primarily the two genres here. I've been loving them both since my Dad read Tom Swift and CS Lewis books to me as a child. I move back and forth between sword and laser preferences. Right now I seem to be on a David Drake and Glen Cook kick (with a healthy dose of Pratchett to lighten things up). A few years ago it was all Gaiman and Stephenson. I've about run out of options for each of those authors at the library, though, so I think it's time to move on to something else :) The book list here has already given me some good starting places.

[Katrina]

Hello!
My name is Katrina and I am more of a sword than a laser. I have read Hyperion before and really liked it. I also have enjoyed some more scifi-ish fantasy books (Coldfire Trilogy by CS Freidman, some of the Pern books by Anne McCaffery) but I've never really been drawn towards sci-fi like I have always been towards fantasy.

I've been reading fantasy for as long as I can remember and have read more of the longer series' than standalone books. Here are some of my favorite series: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan), The Sword of Truth (Terry Goodkind), A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. Martin), The Coldfire Trilogy (C.S. Friedman), the Devvery books (Katherine Kerr), the Kushiel books (Jacqueline Carey) and His Dark Materials (Phillip Pullman). There are lots of others that I have read and loved but those are the ones that come to mind as favorites right now. :)

I'd love to be exposed to more different fantasy books and I'm hoping that I can foster a new love of scifi with the help of this group. I've already started on Tigana and so far I'm loving it.

My favorite thing about book groups is that it encourages you to read something you might not have chosen on your own.

I look forward to making lots of friends and maybe even learning something!

[Kevan]

Hello, I'm Kevan living in London, UK.

Was an avid reader of Sci-Fi in my teens (Brian Aldiss, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov). By my 20s was more into the likes of Thomas Hardy, Emile Zola and Leo Tolstoy, and in my 30s pretty much stopped reading any sort of fiction at all.

Now in my 40s I am very happily getting reacquainted with Sci-Fi and fantasy thanks to S&L, like catching up with an old friend, only less awkward.

[Bernardo]

Hi!
I was introduced to S&L via Geek and Sundry.
I have been an avid reader of sci-fi. Only recently have I started branching out into fantasy;I just finished Dance With Dragons.

I hope to get some good leads on new books to read. I'm always looking. I'm lucky that I have a commute that allows me the luxury of reading on the way to and from work.

My favorite authors are James Hogan, William Gibson, Larry Niven, GRRM(I liked his Wild Card series before I found out about GOT), Ian M. Banks(The Culture), Robert Asprin(Myth Adventures), Douglas Adams, HP Lovecraft, Lian Hearn, CS Lewis, Tolkien, Greg Bear, Fred Hoyle(The Black Cloud).

[Thurman]

Hi My name is Thurman Jamison (Brooklyn, NY, USA). I've been listening to the podcast for years now. I just wasn't active in the group.

I like Issac Assimov, David Weber, Star Trek Books, Magic Kingdom of Landover, Thursday Next, Narnia Books, Dresden Files, Tom Clancey, H.I.V.E, Foundation Series, The Pendragon Adventure (D. J. MacHale), The Lost Fleet (John G. Hemry/Jack Campbel), Legend of the Seeker (Terry Goodkind), Ender Series, and so many more.

As you can see I love to read. Those were only the books in my Kindle collections though. I have 1,000+ books in various formats. For the ebooks I use Calibre to get them into a format my Kindles can read. But I also listen to audio books or have the kindle read to me.

Finally, I have some time to read this summer so I hope to be a active member of the group.

tj

[Paul]

Hello All,

My name's Paul... because that's what my folks called me. I used to be a predominantly 'laser' reader (Dick, Bradbury, Clarke, Adams, etc.), before switching to mostly 'sword' (Jordan, Sanderson, Donaldson, Goodkind, Tolkien, etc.)

I'm hoping to broaden my horizons, and read some stuff I would never have otherwise read.

I'm currently reading 'A Clash of Kings' by that bloke with the beard and Peter F Hamilton's 'Mindstar Rising'.

[Eric]

I am so excited to be here! My name is Eric. I recently discovered Good Reads through S&L. I love the Fantasy genre and only recently started exploring Sci-Fi in its literary form. Thanks to Veronica and Tom for having such an awesome Podcast and Youtube show for something that has always felt niche, but in reality has millions of fans!

[Ian]

Hi I'm Ian. I just started watching the YouTube show after reading The Magicians. I'm not big on posting in forums or commenting on things on the internet, but I am still excited to join this community!

[Jim]

I'm Jim. I'm excited to be a part of the community. Keep up the good work!

[Tony]

hello! my name is tony. i'm excited to join this community mainly because the realms of sci-fi/fantasy are so vast that trying to decide what to read next can be very daunting. so thanks, tom and veronica, for putting this together.

my relavent interests are ones that have stayed with me pretty much since childhood: arthurian/medieval and medieval-inspired fantasy, dystopian and speculative science fiction, and androids.

[Emma]

Hi my name is Emma.I'm from Sydney and am new to Goodreads. Am a librarian, gamer and life long fan of science fiction and fantasy. Reading Gods War by Kameron Hurley at the moment. Just a quick hi and take care.

[Paul]

Hi my name is Paul. I'm a gamer and sc-fi and fantasy reader. Currently reading Iron Council by China Mieville. Favourite authors are George RR Martin, Peter F Hamilton and Joe Abercrombie, but always always looking to find new people to read. Really excited to have found this community.

[Niz]

Hi, my name is Niz. Long time fantasy reader. I categorize my favourite authors. Tier 1 are authors who I must re-read once a year. Mervyn Peake, Jack Vance, Guy Gavriel Kay & Stephen R. Donaldson inhabit this tier. Tier 2 are authors who's work I buy on sight, no questions asked, but likely don't warrant re-reads. China Mieville, George RR Martin, Patrick Rothfuss. And tier 3 is everyone else. Often time a tier 3 will make a jump to tier 2, and vice versa, but movement to tier 1 is very rare.

[Carlos]

Hi, my name is Carlos and I've been listening to the podcast for only a few weeks.

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I really enjoy sci-fi, although I find it harder to approach sometimes: I don't think I've ever marathoned a sci-fi book.

I know this is a sci-fi and fantasy community but I should mention I have really eclectic taste when it comes to books: I've enjoyed everything from hard sci-fi to historical fiction and non-fiction.

[Paul R]

hey there, I'm yet another Paul

read a lot of fiction and fantasy when I was younger , been caught up in work for a while so have not been reading. interesting that some of the old books are still on the reading lists.

started following Veronica due to the PS3- then saw a note about Sword and Laser - neat - now all i have to do is find time to read

[Chris]

Greetings! My name is Chris, and I'm a longtime SciFi fan. The first sci-fi book I remember reading was an illustrated version of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (one of those versions with a picture on every other page... remember those? I must have read it 2 dozen times. At least). That expanded to Asimov, EE doc Smith, Bradbury, Heinlein... My favorite authors are Tolkien, CS Lewis, Asimov, and Douglas Adams. Recently I've also been exploring the world of comics.

[Sherlock]

Hello to all you good S&L folk! I'm Michael and I have been reading both sword and laser books for many, many years. Can't say I favour either genre, so I am looking forward to joining the discussion every month. I have only recently found this group through the YouTube show, which is excellent, and reading some of the forum entries on here has really reignited my enthusiasm for reading/listening to some new books.

[Jeffery]

Hi, I'm Jeff. As my profile says, I am a father of five, pop-culture fanatic, techno-geek, avid reader, blogger, aspiring author, husband of the most amazing woman ever, and sharer of random thoughts. You can check out my random thoughts blog at jefferymoulton.com.

I've always been a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi—my two favorite genres. I love too many authors/books to name all of them, but a few at the top of my list today include Terry Brooks, Tad Williams, and Orsen Scott Card. I hope this list introduces me to a lot of great authors, books, and people.

[Edwin]

Hi Everyone, my name is Edwin, I love reading :D now I am proud owner of a kinlde DX and I read even more :D D: I got to know about sword and laser through "geek and sundry" and I love the show.

My favorite author is Isaac Asimov :p and my life task is to read all his books :P quiet a challenge but I am on it

I am almost done with Hyperion and looking forward for more books.

Regards

EZ8-D

[Gary]

Hey there, I'm Gary.

I started reading Tom Swift and mythology books in 3rd grade, eventually moving to Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkein, and Marvel Comics by high school. Everything came from school and public libraries (well, except for the comics). Later joined the SF Book Club, which widened my perspective tremendously.

Currently my favorite authors are L. E. Modesitt Jr., Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, . . .

[Gregg]

I joined this group in April with The Magicians. Wasn't really satisfied with the ending, but evidently the story continues in The Magician King. The May selection was Hyperion and at the end of the book, the story seems to be unfinished. Supposedly the story lines are tied up in The Fall of Hyperion. So the last two months have added those two books to the stack that I intend to read someday. I'm glad that Tigana isn't part of a series.

I used to read a lot of books, but got out of the habit when we started a family. Thanks for starting the geeksandsundry youtube channel which encouraged me to read again.

[Cheri]

Hi,
My name is Cheri. I am a mother of three kids. For now I am a stay at home mom but plan on going to work soon. I love online gaming. I also love to read and started reading more fantasy type books lately.I live in Washington State. I started following Felicia Day on her vaginal fantasy group. There I met Veronica and thus Sword and Laser. My first fantasy read was Piers Anthony's Xanth series of which I have yet to finish. I look forward to finding more books to read and people with which to discuss them with.

[Aaron]

Hi, I'm Aaron. I've been lurking since The Magicians (basically, since the video show started) and I've been reading every selection since. With Tigana I've decided to give audio books a try; it's my first time listening to a book, so I'm interested to see if it's something I continue. I'm also reading Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (and, piece by piece, The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes).

[Rae]

Hey all.

My name is Rachel. I've been reading Fantasy for about 20 years now, ever since I read LorE in 4th grade.

Since then, I've become a huge fan of Redwall, Owen, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games.

My hope is that discussions here will spark my love of reading anew.

[Eric]

Howdy; I'm Eric. The first SF book I can remember reading is Dune (I was 8 or 9), and it's pretty much all downhill from there. I just finished Anathem and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Growing up, my favourite authors were Susan Cooper, whose series The Dark Is Rising made me fall in love with the Arthurian mythos, Larry Niven and Fred Pohl, whose Heechee books are criminally unavailable in e-book form (as far as I know, and please please convince me otherwise). These days, I try to read everything I can, including as much non-genre fiction as I can manage, in order to stretch my wings a bit.

[Ed]

Hey Sword & Laser community! Nice to meet you ;)

I'm Ed, I live in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood where gay geekery is abundant. However, I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where gay geekery was nonexistent. I'm an MBA student and also an artist and daydreamer. I am fascinated by linguistics, astrophysics, philosophy, theology, finance, statistics, accounting, mergers & acquisitions, literature, poetry, business strategy, interfaith dialog, mass transit, and I can only fall asleep watching those cheesy documentaries about the universe on Netflix. Nice to meet you.

As for reading, I don't do much of it these days as I'm super busy- I read Hyperion ages ago and am really looking forward to reading it with a group and discussing it because I was like 17 when I read it last and probably didn't quite understand or appreciate it all!

OH PS- I just reread that and want to clarify: I am not a homophobe- I am a homosexual.

PPS- I just almost wrote "homophone" instead of homophobe. I'm not one of those either. FYI.

[Jose]

Hi everyone! I'm Jose, probably one of the many people who have discovered Sword & Laser from their new youtube show. I was really excited when I found out about this community since not enough of my friends read quite like I do.

So quick summary of what my top picks. Lord of the Rings is certainly where i started off and i still read it again every year or two. I loved the entire Ender's series by Orson Scott Card, recently read The Magician's and The Magician King by Lev Grossman, and am completely willing to read almost anything people recommend. So here's to hoping i find a spot in this community!

[[deleted user]]

Hi my names lucy, i love fantasy books but dont read enough sci fi which i want to remedy, but there are so many books to read already lol. My recent reads have been some brandon sanderson books, some dragonlance, patrick rothfuss, and i have recently purchased the third and fourth song of ice and fire books, but now im interested in reading the hyperion series and catching up with the books on discussion here lol. Anyway nice to meet you all and i look forward to reading some good books.

[RogueHireling]

Found this via Geek and Sundry, though I've been on Goodreads for quite a while now.
Big SciFi and Fantasy fan here. =)

[James]

Hi, I'm James. I'm primarily a reader of fantasy but i do enjoy a good sci-fi. I really tend to focus on just a few authors so I tend to be one of those people who like the really long series. Some of my favorite authors include R.A. Salvatore, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, and Terry Brooks. I have burned through The Hunger Games trilogy, The Millennium Series, The Magicians, Hyperion, and Railsea all in the past couple of months so i am looking for something new!

[Eric]

Hello,
My name is Eric. I have been reading Sci-Fi & Fantasy as long as I can remember picking my own books. My favorite authors at the moment are Neal Stephenson and Patrick Rothfuss. I've been following the podcast for sometime, but thought it was time to jump in to the forum!

[Barry]

Memorial Day in Colorado - barbecues, golf, hiking adventures - but no! One of my characters finally revealed her subplot and tied me to the chair to write...

[Samuel]

Hello! I'm Sam. Pleased to meet you all. I'm from Manchester, England, and reading is a cherished pastime for me, though, like many of those with a computer nowadays, I have fallen into reading less long-form books than I would like.

I have loved fantasy ever since my dad read The Lord Of The Rings to me as child over many, many, many, nights. My favourite author is Terry Pratchett (Small Gods, still makes me chortle even though I've read it about four or five times), though there are many others.

Right now i've picked up Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins as way to placate my partner who demands that I read it so it can be discussed!

Looking forward to having a little chat with all of you.

[Guinneys_mum]

Hi! I'm Sanya. I discovered Sword and Laser through Geek and Sundry.

I first found fantasy/SF waaaay back in my teens when I picked up Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery. Pern was my absolute favourite escape place until AMC killed off my crush character.

[Melanie]

Hi, I'm Melanie.
I've always love sci-fi and fantasy books. My mom got me started on them when I was really young. Can't pick favorites right now, I love too much. I'm really looking forward to reading and getting to discussing these books.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Samuel wrote: "I'm from Manchester, England"

Me too! :D Or, at least, it's easier to say so than be specific; actually I'm from a small town a little north of Manchester, but whatever. Yay for Manchester! :D

[Bavan]

Hi - I'm Bav, interested in both sci-fi and fantasy sides, but generally I lean towards sci-fi.

Favourite authors include Peter F. Hamilton, Neal Asher and George RR Martin, but the list is pretty endless.

Looking forward to refreshing my reading list through this group, and getting my feet wet discussing some of the books.

Cheers,
Bav

[Andrew]

Hello
My name is Andrew. I recently joined after watching the Sword and Laser on YouTube. I'm not big on forums on the internet but thought to give it a try. I enjoy reading comics, science fiction, and similar genres of books.

Take care, yall.
Andrew

[Felina]

Hello everybody,

I realized that my list of groups was sadly lacking in Sci-fi reads so I asked a friend (Hi Leslie) for a recommendation and she sent me here.

I'm excited to be joining the group and even more excited to see Nerdtacular listed as an event and to find out that Veronica is a mod. I'm a HUGE TMS/Frogpants fan and will be attending Nerdtacular.

Small world.

[September]

Hi! I'm Christina.

I'm a geeky girl who can't get in enough reading of sci-fi/fantasy books!! My latest love is Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. A-MAH-ZING!!! My current favourite authors are Steven Erikson, Patrick Rothfuss, & Brandon Sanderson. Oh! And Scott Lynch!! And probably a few more. :)

[Jacqui]

Hello Everyone!! My name is Jacqui,

I am a very well rounded person when it comes to reading... I discovered S&L by finding Vaginal Fantasy Book Club and listening/watching Veronica Belmont. I recently discovered podcasts and listen to them while I am on downtime at work (when I do not have to wear a geeky looking headset). Nerdist Podcast was my gateway to all things Geek and Nerd!!! I am having a terrific time learning about fantasy, sci-fi, sword and laser books... where I have exhausted most of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, and all other horror, thrillers and crime books! I have read the Hobbit and The LOTR Trilogy, some Christian stuff like Frank Peretti and Ted Dekkar but I am in need of finding new material to read!


Thank you S&L for feeding my reading addictions!!

[Erik]

Greetings readers, I'm Erik.

About 34 years ago, during Summer vacation, my mom got tired of me wasting beautiful days in the basement. There was a neighborhood full of kids to play with but I preferred the basement and my own company. She hatched the clever plan of grounding me--- out of the house! At loose ends I wandered into the local library and found THEIR basement. That's where the Sci-Fi section was located. That Summer I met 'Tom Swift' and 'The Mad Scientists Club'. Definitely gateway books into a lifelong Science Fiction passion.

Years later along comes the world widening experiences of Jr. High and I'm introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien. Henceforth I bore the Laser AND the Sword.

Occasionally reading other genres proves to myself that I'm well rounded. One thing that has fascinated me about this sci-fi relationship is how age changes books. "Lord of Light - R. Zelazny" comes to mind. Every time I read it, it's different to me. I love that, and those are the kinds of book I cherish most. The ones that grow with me.

Look @ the book shelf and pick 5 (quick!)
Ready Player One - E. Cline
Cryptonomicon - N. Stephenson
Mouser Guard - D. Petersen
Uncle Tungsten - O. Sacks
Gentle Giants of Ganymede - JP Hogan

wheee!