Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 1,951-2,000 of 4,412

[Jo]

Hello! I'm Joanna,
I admit, I've been lurking here for a while and listening to the podcast but up until now my schedule and my budget haven't allowed new books. This is the first month I'll actually be reading along instead of just joining in later. I love sci-fi and fantasy but I haven't read much lately and I'm hoping to get back into it. I've seen some good (and some bad) reviews of this month's book and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be starting it in the morning (and enjoying my day off with too much tea and lots of reading in the park). I hope you're all enjoying the book so far and I hope to get very involved in discussion in the next week or so. Happy reading!!

[Connie S]

Hello I'm Connie, I got here thanks to the vaginal fantasy hangout. I've been a fantasy fan for as long as I can remember and although I hadn't read much sci-fi it's always been a part of my life thanks to Star Wars.

[Lindsay]

Hi all,

I'm Lindsay and I'm from Brisbane, Australia. I've been reading science fiction and fantasy since the early 80s. Favourite authors include Dan Simmons, Guy Gavriel Kay, C. J. Cherryh, Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, Stephen Donaldson ... and I think I could keep going for quite a while.

[Becci]

Hey there!
My name is Becci and I'm from Carson City, Nevada. I'm stoked I found this through Geek and Sundry and was even more estatic when I saw that Animorphs was on the table in Episode 5 of Sword and Laser. I need books like I need air. I am Orson Scott Card fan (Bean over Ender any day) and have been addicted to the fantasy/SciFi library stickers since first reading the The Hobbit and The Time Machine.

It's good to know I'm not a red shirt here.

[Dan]

Hi all,

I'm Dan, a social media and food blogger (two blogs) from Wisconsin. I'm mainly here for the Laser portion, though Sword topics can intrigue me sometimes.

I found about the group through the Geek and Sundry YouTube channel.

[Rachel]

Hi, I'm Rachel. I stumbled on Sword and Laser after watching The Guild on Geek and Sundry. When I'm not programming, I read both Fantasy and Sci-Fi, with a leaning towards Fantasy. I'm currently re-reading Sherlock Holmes, and before that I was reading Celtic Myth's, and the Song of Ice and Fire (I have a personal goal to stay 1 book ahead of the TV series). Before that was Dresden files. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Sword and Laser book club has to offer!

[Igor]

Hello,
My name is Igor and I'm from Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Joining this group mostly for the Sword part of it.
So, since I really enjoy epic fantasy the most, my favourite writer is Brandon Sanderson and the Laser representatives would be Asimov and Clarke (old school :)
Cheers!

[James]

Hello, I'm James and I live in southern california. I'm a geek and a gamer with too much time on my hands. I found S&L from following Felicia Day on facebook when i heard about geek and sundry and got really excited about S&L. I have up till now been a bit of a closet geek and kept to myself. I really love audiobooks because I can game or drive or workout or whatever and still get my fix of fiction.

I tend more towards the sword end of the spectrum but I really enjoyed Leviathan Awakes this month. Just recently got into good reads as well. Most of my friends don't have the geeky tendancies I seem to be afflicted with so it's nice to be among like minded people.

[Julia]

Hello fellow Sword & Laserers! (Laserites? Laserians?) I'm Julia, a college senior living in Chicago. I'm set to graduate with my BA in Fiction Writing, and I also pursue acting when the opportunity strikes.
I've always been more of a Sword than a Laser, though I love Star Wars (original trilogy) and Firefly. In general I'm drawn to stories with a psychological edge to them-- Tolkein-esque, world-driven fantasy doesn't do it for me. My favorite fantasy authors off the top of my head are Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, Susanna Clarke, and Ray Bradbury; but I'm open to most genres, as long as they have complex characters and a unique narrative voice.

[Blake]

Hi I'm Blake. Been listening for a few months now and am watching the youtube version of course. I haven't read a book with you guys yet and have decided to start with Leviathan Wakes. Going to listen to the Audible version since I am trying to catch up with A Song of Ice and Fire series (currently on book 3) in ebook form. I am definitely a "sword" type of person and have not read many sci-fi books but am hoping that will change. Love the podcast and am excited to start reading along!

[Binayak]

Hi guys, I'm Bin. From Singapore
Was a lurker in these parts for quite a while, finally decided to join cos I was also reading Leviathan's Wake, and wanted to see if there is any discussion to be had.

As a graduate in Physics, Sci-fi is the one that fascinates me. Especially hard sci-fi books. But i also enjoyed books by Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.

[Joseph]

Hi guys! I'm a longtime fantasy reader and starting fantasy author (two short stories out, one novel in the works that should be out Fall). I just watched the Game of Thrones/Song of ice and Fire special on youtube and thought "Oh man, geekandsundry has a book show?" So I clicked the link and here I am.

I started off with fantasy before I knew what fantasy was. My mother, when I was small, read my brother and I "The Hobbit" by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien and I read the book myself soon after.

For a long time I was just a general reader, devouring whatever came my way but with a penchant for anything that had swords and armor, with magic as a nice bonus. Like many people my age I read Harry Potter, still now not distinguishing fantasy from other fiction. When the Lord of the Rings movies came out I re-read the Hobbit and the LotR books, and shortly after the movies came out I discovered The Elder Scrolls series of video games. That is when I started to distinguish genres and figured out that fantasy was my favorite because it's only limits are the imaginations of its creators. I determined to add my name to the pantheon of fantasy greats and... uh, well I'll have to get back to you on that.

My favorite authors are Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, Terry Pratchett, Michael Kirkbride (one of the main writers for the Elder Scrolls series for some time) and doubtless many others who I'll feel stupid for not including.

[Tim]

Greetings, I'm Tim
I've been a fantasy reader ever since I read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in 6th grade and a sci-fi reader since I was in 4th. Currently, I'm picking my way through Game of Thrones, though with my job and school it's a bit difficult to find time to read. I'm mega-awesome-super-excited to get a chance to read some books with a community and maybe get some cool discussion too. :)

[Jeff]

I'm Jeff don't have much to say until I do.

I have more on my to-read list than even I can keep track of and hopefully one day I'll become rich enough where I don't have to work and can catch up on my reading.

[Megan]

Hello! I'm Megan, and I've always been into reading sci-fi and fantasy since I was 10 years old and I picked up Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and just fell into it.

I'm just starting to expand my reading lists into different genre's (I've also joined the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout) and I'm hoping to become a writer myself one day.

[Susan]

Hello,

I learned of Sword and Laser from the Geek and Sundry Youtube Channel. When it comes to favorite type of books to read it is hands down speculative fiction. The question of 'what if...?" will draw me into a book.

My favorite authors are Cherie Priest, Pat Rothfuss, and Joe Abercrombie.

[Robin]

Hello Everyone, I'm Robin, I figured I've visited the site often enough and listened to some of the pod casts enough that I'd better join. I've also read some of the books on the list and added a bunch more to my to read list. I'm starting with two books right now, Daemon and The Magicians. Both borrowed from the library, Daemon in paper form and The Magicians as a book on CD. It will be the first time I'm trying a book that way because now I have a long commute.

[Giulio]

Hi Everybody. I'm a new goodreads member and i came here from the Youtube Show. What can i say.. I'm AGHAST at how good the show is and how much passion and work is put into it. I joined the forum because after watching the series from the start, this month i decided to read along with the bookclub.

I'm 28 and from Italy. I'm a Network Engineer by trade and a geek by upbringing.

[Davin]

Hello all, my name is Davin. I've been listening to the podcast for a while, and only recently got on board with reading the current book of the month. Looking forward to getting involved in the conversation!

[Amber Dawn]

I'm Amber, I live in Seattle. I found this group from Geek And Sundry. I read a lot of sci fi and fantasy... recent favorites include Lois McMaster Bujold, George RR Martin, Jacqueline Carey, SM Stirling... perennial favorites include John Shirley, William Gibson, Pat Cadigan, Nancy Kress, Heinlein, Asimov, and the much lamented Lem.

[Aaron]

Hey! I'm Aaron. Been a reader of Fantasy and Sci-Fi for the past few years (though mostly Fantasy). I've been listening to the podcast for quite a while now as well as watching the new Youtube show. Just thought it was time to get involved with the S&L Goodreads forum and get even deeper into the SF and Fantasy community!

[Eric]

Hi everyone, I'm Eric and I found out about Sword and Laser by following Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day (and hence Geek and Sundry) on Google Plus. Some of my favorite speculative fiction authors are Neil Gaiman, David Gemmell, Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card, Neal Stephenson and Christopher Moore. I've also more recently gotten into John Scalzi and Patrick Rothfuss.

[toria (vikz writes)]

Welcome all new members.

[Paul]

Hi everyone, I have been reading science fiction and fantasy since I was little; I have also played and play my fair share of old fashioned pencil and paper sci fi and fantasy role-playing games. I am a one-time university lecturer in history, now turned to organic gardening and writing.
With the help of my partner and some friends, I recently knocked my first sci-fi novel into shape; it is now on Kindle and will soon be available in hard copy. I shall put all the information about it in author promo later on.
What else? I am a big Iain M Banks fan.

[Tomás]

Hi. My name is Tomás and I really really like to read. I love being transported to other worlds and being part of the life of all the main characters of the storys telled on the books I read. I am from spain, so my english is not that good but i suscribed to this book club to try learn. I think I'm not going to have problems, so be this be an exercise of self teaching.


I readed very few books in english, so every book i will read here will be as it were new. My favourite authors right now have to be Ursula K., Patrick Rothfuss, Margaret Weiss, Neil Gainman (american gods, uf...), and Douglas Adams.

That said, pleased to meet you and let's have fun!


Don't hesitate correcting my grammar / spelling.

Saludos.

[Diego]

hi, i'm Diego. I'm from Brazil, with kind of suck, cause the books take so long to be lauched around here. I'm not a fantasy & sci-fy lover, i guest. Not that i don't like fantasy and sci-fy! I do! A lot! But i'm more of a book lover. Classics, YA, Romances, Fantasy, Sci-fy. I want it all.

I got to know Sword and Laser by Geek and Sundry channel (i was already a The Guild huge fan). Veronica and Tom absolutly conquered me at, so i was forced to enter the group.

Since i'm trying to craft a little more my poor english (btw, sorry if i made any mistake writing this) and started reading in english AND need a bust in my sci-fy section (i'm not the fantasy hardcore, but i think that i have covered more land on that then in sci-fy.), i think the Sword and Laser is the perfect place to do it.

Unless that Amazon don't let me buy the kindle edition cause i'm from Brazil...

[Elsiya]

Hi everybody,
My name's Julia, I'm doing a PhD in microbial ecology and am obssessed with reading anything else than publications, as I am with audiobooks. I am currently finishing A Dance of Dragon (yeah, I'm late), and reading Cold Magic (more on the Vaginal Fantasy side). And currently listening to Best Served Cold (so good...).
I ought to say that I actually order most of my books, e-books and audiobooks in the UK, or through Amazon.com, as I usually can't wait for them to be translated in my native laguage (a.k.a French. I'm sneaky like that...
My favorite authors are completely all over the place, ranging from Orson Scott Card to Tolkien (not very original, duh), from James Baldwin to Hubert Selby Junior (told you, very broad).
I have always been quite busy (some of my friends actually call me the Minister), but a good read has always helped put my mind to rest.
I'm always searching for new reads and I've bumped into this group through the podcast.Although I might not have time to follow all the reads, I will be on the lookout for good advice, and, if I can, will participate to the *very* interesting discussions going on.
So hello there :)

[Steven]

Hi there
steve here. I am a fan of the sword and laser podcast! Decided to jump into the forum. I have been reading science fiction and fantasy for a number of years. Just a few months (?) behind in the reading list having just started magicians which is pretty good so far !

Happy reading
Steve

[Aidan]

Hi all,

I'm Aidan. I run a blog, A Dribble of Ink, which is decently popular. I've worked with a lot of S&L's favourite authors, like Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Abraham, N.K. Jemisin, Tad Williams, and many others. I can also be found on Tor.com, Suvudu and SF Signal.

I've been catching up on all the S&L stuff over the last couple of weeks and am excited to join the community. So, cheers!

[JR]

Hi, I'm Jeff (or JR, whichever people prefer is generally OK with me)
I've always been an avid reader, though I don't read nearly as much as I used to these days (what with having a regular job and all). Always been a big Sci-Fi Fantasy fan.

Heard about Sword & Laser when Geek & Sundry was getting ready to launch, but haven't been keeping up with it. I've been wanting to branch out from the core set of authors that I've been reading for ages (Jim Butcher, Simon R. Greene, Asimov, and a few others). Figured joining a book group on-line would be a good way to branch out and find some new authors :D

[Rob]

Hello, I guess the best way to shorten this username is QD?

I found Sword and Laser via the youtubes. I downloaded The Magicians on my nook, which was unfortunately stolen as soon as (view spoiler)[ they got to narnia (hide spoiler)] . So that was unfortunate. After that was finals, then a study abroad summer thing in england, and now that I'm back in the states I'm trying to catch up. Whenever I'm not working on my thesis that is.

My favorite author is probably Evelyn Waugh (a british satirist whom is extremely reminiscent of Douglas Adams....except for in his most famous book, Brideshead Revisited). Lev Grossman's description of The Magicians as Harry Potter Meets Brideshead Revisited had me more excited than I had any right to be.

I really enjoy a lot of British and Southern writers from that period- mostly because quite a few of them could be classified as genre writers, if you didn't know to look for them in the "proper literature" section of the bookstore.

And then my favorite genre authors- Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton, etc, are all from that period as well.

After Waugh though, I probably would rank Neil Gaiman and John Green as my top 3 authors. Graham Greene comes in soon after, and then PG Wodehouse.

[Rissa]

Hey, I'm Rissa. I love sewing, dancing, cats and video games! My favorite authors are Patrick Rothfuss, Haruki Murakami, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, George R.R. Martin, Terry Brooks, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

[Egmart2]

Hi all!

I love reading but find it hard to try new books. Sword and Laser has great reviews that help me with that.

Favorite authors: Robin Hobb, George R. R. Martin, Orson Scott Card.

[John]

Hi, I'm John.
I fell in love with reading when I was 7 and started the DragonLance series (I know, I accept that I was born a nerd). I enjoy adventure classics, Fantasy, and am willing to get more into Science Fiction but haven't read a lot of it.

Favorite authors include: Weis and Hickman, Alexander Dumas, Orson Scott Card, George RR Martin, JRR Tolkien , and CS Lewis. There are probably others, but my memory is generally fried when a PC is in front of me.

[Reggie]

Hey guys,

I'm Reggie, from Mississippi, I have been listening to the podcast for a while but have not been reading along because I have been reading the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, but I have finished those now. I am now reading Leviathan Wakes and look forward to becoming an active member in the community. Thank you guys for putting out a great podcast that is encouraging me to read more.

[David]

Hi I'm Dave.
I've been reading Science Fiction since I was around 12. Fantasy came later, then horror (which I suppose, given the name of the forum & show might be called knife) and finally I returned to mystery (gun?), where I'd started with Hardy Boys and Three Investigators when I was around eight or nine. And during my work on a masters degree I even returned to those. LOL I also like reading anthropology and a lot of other types of non-fiction. I found out about the forum and the show on my Goodreads feed when a friend wrote something on a message board and decided to join and see what it's all about.

[Patrick]

Hi!
I'm Patrick from Sweden. Found sword and laser through geekandsundry and started listening to the podcast and the show. I've no idea what goodreads is all about which made me hesitating about joining. But the need for discussions was stronger than my insecurities in the english language and goodreads-knowledge.

I'm also an aspiring author, but to break through or even get published is almost impossible in Sweden unless you write crime or romance. Or already are a bestselling american fantasy author. And even then mostly of the swedes read in english anyway. So I'm pretty much a hopeless case.

Favorite authors are Steven Erikson, Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson.

[Nikki]

Hi, I'm Nikki. I read a lot, but I have never really done a book club-type thing before. I liked the Sword and Laser videos at Geekandsundry and thought I'd give this a try. The people here seem to have good taste in books.

[Liz]

Hello, I'm Elizabeth from Northern Indiana. I found Sword and Laser through their show on GeekandSundry and I've enjoyed watching them, so I thought I'd give the book club a try. I read a lot even though I haven't really been very involved in reading sci-fy and fantasy since I was in middle school. (Currently in high school and accepting the fact, I'm a nerd and love sci-fy and fantasy.)

I'm currently reading Leviathan Wakes of course and Corsets & Clockwork, a book of 13 steampunk romances. And I don't have any favorite authors since I have not read this genre in what feels like a long time.

[Aaron]

Howdy. I'm Aaron and I'm watching episode 7 of Sword and Laser at this very moment. I love science fiction (grew up reading Crichton) and wouldn't mind writing a science fiction book at some point in the future, but for the moment I'm working on comic crime stories. Too bad it's not sword and laser and revolver.

I published Sleepy P.I. last year and am in the process of revising the sequel, Highland High, due out November 1st.

[toria (vikz writes)]

welcome new members

[Tim]

Hi, I'm Tim. I'm another new member who found S & L thru Geek and Sundry. I've been listening and reading along for a few months now, and I recently finished going thru all the previous S & L episodes. My favorite things to read are epic fantasy, hard sci-fi, military sci-fi, and cyber thrillers. I'm currently (still) trying to finish up Tigana (love it) on ebook and Leviathan Wakes (love it more) on audio.

Other than reading, I have quite a few hobbies, the biggest of which is underground heavy metal music. I do a weekly radio show, and if you're an interested metalhead, you can stream it here (http://wqna.org) and get more show info here (http://facebook.com/mondaynightmetal).

Many thanks to Tom and Veronica for putting on a great show, and to all the members for the great discussions and auxilliary content!

[Jump_scare]

Hi, I'm Chuck!

I've been listening to the show for a while and figured that I would finally join the forum...

[Austin]

Hi I'm Austin and I have been listening to your podcast as soon as I learned about it from the geek and sundry website, your show and tabletop I find really interesting. I just got done reading the Magicians two nights ago, and while I can see some people's complaints and I will admit that Q. was an insufferable selfish prick I did like the overall feel of the book, aside from it kinda made me depressed to see how they squandered their lives always hoping for something more. But it was still relatable in an uncomfortable way as a way of growing up and being a selfish person who too often does and says the exact wrong thing even when you know it is the wrong thing to say or do.

I love fantasy and sci-fi and have for almost two decades now, basically since my early teens. I started with Narnia then went to Sword of Shannara, until I got to the third book and got tired of reading the same book over again for a third time it seemed, and then i discovered Dune which I still feel is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I love Orson Scott Card and besides just Ender I found his book Empire to be absolutely fantastic and a little frightening with the real world aspects. Also Asimov's Foundation trilogy is really interesting me quite a bit and I look forward to finishing it soon.

It would be criminal though not to mention my absolute favorite author C.S. Friedman who I discovered entirely by accident when I saved a book from a yard sale my mom was having because I thought the cover looked cool. That book was Black Sun Rising and to this day ten years later from the first time i finished the book and frantically hunted down it's story of the Coldfire trilogy in Hastings until it was finally in my grasp it captured me with it's rich world of after earth Erna and the religion based around the Fae magic and the compromises and sacrifices the characters had to make in their own beliefs and perceptions of morality, yeah it was awesome. Then there was the discovery of this Alien Shore the book I lent out three times and had to buy four times because of it, thank god for ebooks now, where a young woman faces an entire galaxy alone only accompanied by the voices in her head while everyone hunts her down to remove her brain. In Conquest Born where two races of drastically different philosophies battle each other to the death constantly for galactic dominance in a brutal seemingly never ending stalemate. To her latest trilogy, The Magister Trilogy , where magic users sacrifice a piece of their lives every time they do a spell and usually die at very young ages because of it. She seems to embody everything I love about Science Fiction and Fantasy and I offer her books to anyone who wants to invest their time into solid characters with dark story-lines and consequences.

Wow, and to think i was so intimidated when I first saw how much people typed and here I am doing the same thing, oh well I guess you write about what you love. Happy to be a part of the community.

[Travis]

Hey, my name is Travis. I have sort of been a member for a little while and just realized I never did the meet & greet thread. I read a variety of books but am mostly here for the laser side of things. Orson Scott Card is my hero and John Scalzi and Robert J. Sawer are pretty dang good too. Most of my sword books are YA like the Demon King series by Cinda Williams Chima (should we call YA fantasy "dagger" picks?) but I also love the Magicians by Lev Grossman and Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker.

[Jay]

Hello, My name is Jay.

I enjoy both SciFi and Fantasy but also like to throw in a good techno or legal thriller to break things up. I also enjoy gaming and most things dealing with technology, gadgets and since.

[William]

Hello,
My name is Will and I just finished The Magicians.

[Oldman]

Hello All

My name is Oldman Brook, and I absolutely love fantasy, albeit I like the lighter side as opposed to dark, heavy stuff - saying that, Game of Thrones is must watch TV-wise. I don't get much time for reading these days what with the children, the long work hours, the book... oh, didn't I mention the book? :) Yes, I'm another one of aspiring authors trying get their tome 'out there' - but I'm friendly enough. I let my partner do the marketing, bar the odd author post - in the right places, of course.

[Jakub]

Salutations,

My name is Jakub Nowak and I am bookworm from Poland. I like almost all types of literature - from fantasy, SF through postmodernism, thrillers and some contemporary fiction (Polish and not only). There are too many authors to name but the first that come to mind are Orson Scott Card, George R.R. Martin, Fiodor Dostojewski, Wiesław Myśliwski, Stanisław Lem... See? Already I am getting ahead of myself. I write reviews for a Polish website centered on all thing fantastic and I translated two short stories for them (Kij Johnson and Aliette de Bodard)

[Jonathan]

Hello, I'm Jon and just recently of this morning I've started listening to the podcast, which I love. I love Abercrombie, Marin, Glen Cook, David Dalglish and many more. I've read twilight and I don't like to discuss those few weeks of my life. I am currently reading Mistborn, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and listening to The Girl Who Played with Fire, I like to keep a diverse list going. I'm looking forward to the discussions of all nerdom in the areas of books, movies, and gaming.