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

[Jonathan]

Hi, I'm Jonathan

I am currently trying to finish my Master's Degree in Information Assurance (graduation in April) and study for my CISSP exam in May so not much time right at the moment for reading.

When I do read I tend to prefer lasers over swords. I also read a lot of nonfiction as well.

My interests include amateur astronomy and photography, sometimes combining the two. I also assist at an Observatory. As well, I am a graduate teaching assistant for several sections of Astronomy Lab.

[Phil On The Hill]

Hi, I'm Phil. I live in London, Blighty. Tend to read all sorts of stuff, but Fantasy and Science Fiction have always been staples. I buy more books that I read, so I am hoping for some steers on what to read next. Last year I managed to read 40 books, so in 2011 I want to beat that, but I am off to a slow start

[Joseph]

Hello everyone! I'm an author and a lifelong fan of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. I'm also a long-time computer nerd and have always been into geeky things like that. I ran a dial-up computer BBS called 'The Shadow Realm' in the 1990's, and have made a few websites since then. I make computer animations as a hobby, and I love PC gaming. Lately my life has been all about my post-apocalypse sci-fi/fantasy novel, Shard Mountain, and working to write its upcoming sequels.

[Steve]

Hi, I'm Steve. I'm happy to be part of this group. I enjoy listening to the podcast and getting good ideas about what to read. I am a sword; as hard edged and straight as they get. I've tried to read laser, but they just don't sit well with me. Amazingly the last two Authors I've read this year have been my favorites, George RR Martin and Brandon Sanderson and I can't wait for either one to put out their next book. I find this amazing because I've read fantasy for 25 years and I have new favorites. It just goes to show you that there is a vast world of literature out there that can become a new favorite.

[Anthony]

Hi all, feel free to call me Tony. I'm a long time reader and have read more than my fair share of books since the 80's. My favorites have shifted over the years, but I'm following a few authors at the moment. Right now, the biggest ones are Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, and Jasper FForde.

I'm heavy into the urban fantasy subgenre right now, as it's darn popular at the moment. A few more years and I'll be beyond sick of vampires...

[Paul]

Hello, Im Paul

I have a reading problem according to my girlfriend =)
sci-fi, fantasy, history, fiction, suspense, autobiography, science, military and just about anything else except tween romance .. lol

glad to have found this podcast and site!!

[Yessirrom]

Hello everyone. I am an avid reader and really enjoy the podcast and have decided to join the conversation. I have read just about everything on the bookshelf for S&L and look forward to more.

I am re-reading the New Sun series and look forward to the discussion.

I was hurt to hear on the podcast that Thomas Covenant was mentioned a a most disliked character. This series is one of my favorite and I have read the original books 3 or 4 times now. This series really started my love for fantasy.

I have recently discovered and enjoyed all of Brandon Sanderson's work and look forward to more.

Now reading Wise Man's Fear as well.

[Arturo]

Hello all!! I'm Arturo. I'm not as an avid reader as I used to but I try to keep up with audible.

I have never been part of any book clubs, so this will be interesting.

Currently I'm finishing the Miles Vorkosigan series (Lois Mcmaster Bujold). I'm also finishing many satellite books from Orson Scott Card.

Love scifi and other nerdy topics.

[Russell]

I'm Russell from southeastern US, so there will be the obligatory "y'all" for those who are keeping count of such things.

My reading tends to be more sporadic than I would like, but having been reading sci-fi/fantasy for more years than I care to recall, I have quite a few titles/series/authors already under my belt.

My current effort is to work through the Malazan books from Erikson having made it up to about book six.

[Hannah ⚔️ Jaedia]

I recently stumbled across the Sword and Laser podcast... I think it was from either Patrick Rothfuss's blog, or an interview with him, either way, I stumbled, I listened, I liked.

I'm more of a fantasy fan than a scifi fan and my favourite authors are [Patrick Rothfuss], Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Mr Tolkien, Maria V. Snyder, just to name the fantasy authors.

I don't always join in with book clubs - I can't really afford to keep buying books groups read and I'm very bad with libraries, but from time to time I like to. The discussions are always interesting to read and join in with, and any recommendations I can come across are fantastic. I've discovered some brilliant authors from lurking on Goodreads, and a lot more that I'd love to get around to reading one day.

[Osvaldo]

Hey all I am Ovy, a teacher, wannabe writer, and reality suspension enthusiastic living in New Orleans, looking forward to the debate.

[Ray]

I'm relatively new to Goodreads and just heard about Sword and Laser today. I was pleasantly surprised to recognize Tom Merrit from the Buzz Out Loud podcast so we'll give this a try.

As far as SciFi and Fantasy go I read both graphic and traditional novels. I have just a few franchises that I've stuck to for a long time (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Transformers) but I'm looking to branch out. Giving Harry Potter a try next, then maybe Game of Thrones and we'll go from there.

[Christopher]

Greetings!

I'm Christopher I lurk around the SF/F blogosphere a lot. That sounds kinda creepy....I read a lot but don't usually participate that much. It sound great to have a place to talk with other genre lit fans. I can't wait to get started.

I just met Tom, Veronica, and the gang at the Pat Rothfuss reading here in SF. They are just as charming and witty as they are on the podcast. I thought it might be a feat of engineering or intellectual auto-tune. At long last something is the same in real life and it is on the internet. who knew such a thing could happen?

Looking forward to talking to you all!!!

[Regina]

Hi, I'm Regina and a fan of Sword and Laser. Looking forward to joining in the next book.

[Kevin]

I just find it odd and funny both at the same time how this club, even if it talks about Science Fiction and Fantasy, many of the people I know who are the other Science Fiction and Fantasy book clubs on goodread are just not on this group. Also the the same could be said about some of the people on here, that is what makes this group so great ,and interesting.

[Lindis]

Hi, my name is Lindis and I am absolutly a fan of the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Paranormal. I tend to read alot in the catagory of the young readers. (I work in a middle school) I consider my self a "non-muggle" yes, I am a Potter Geek. And I am a Twilighter. Right now I am reading The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer, The Sweep series by Cate Tiernan, and the much more for adults, Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Mostly I have been reading "young readers". I can't wait for the next books in The House of Night novels, Hush Hush and Fallen. But I have also read some Stephen King, I loved Angles and Demons by Dan Brown and hope to start the DaVinci Code soon. I joined this group to try and expand my adult reading library and to simply chat with others that enjoy the same types of books that I do. I look foward to reading reviews and joining chats about our guilty pleasures! Happy Reading everyone!

[Mallory]

Hi! I'm Mallory and I'm a sword and laser addict. I was always that kid in school who got in trouble for reading in class.

I'm currently reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

I'm fairly new on goodreads and I'm really excited to be a part of a book community!

[Greg]

Hello, everyone! I'm Greg from Canada.

I'm a long time reader of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, although I do enjoy Thrillers and Mysteries as well. Some of my favourite authors are Jim Butcher, Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan and Roger Zelazny.

I haven't read much on the laser side of things in the last few years so I hope to get some reading ideas for Sci-Fi as well as finding some new Fantasy authors to read!

I've heard about Sword and Laser on many podcasts involving Tom and Veronica and I thought it was about time I got involved! I'm looking forward to being a part of the group.

[Tony]

Hey folks, I'm Tony, I live in Los Angeles, and some of the writers I like are Joss Whedon, Stephen King, Shakespeare, and Arthur Miller.

Started listening to the Sword and Laser podcast last summer and really dug it. I read World War Z because of their recomdation, and was thourghly blown away by it.

Now I'm reading their current pick, The Shadow Of The Torturer, which I would've never even known about, let alone chosen on my own. Dense and dark stuff, but I kinda guessed it might be, the word "torturer" being in the title and all. I like it though. I have no idea what's going on, but I like it. The characters are fascinating, and the world is completely engrossing, so there's definitely a lot to like. Can't wait for Veronica and Tom to chime in on it.

[Nora]

Hi,

I am a speculative fiction author and recently joined this site.

I live with an exotic zoo, which is my other passion besides books/writing and photography. I have 3 cats, two hermit crabs, a Knight Anole, two bearded dragons, and a 3-toed box turtle that live with me and my husband in Dallas, Texas.

I'm originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Some of my favorite authors are Stephen King, Ramsey Campell, Clive Barker, Joe Hill, Kim Harrison, Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Charles de Lint, anything edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Terry Brooks, Kelly Link, Midori Snyder, Delia Sherman -- just to name a few. I read between 60-100+ books a year depending on how busy I am.

You can find out more about me here:

http://norabpeevy.blogspot.com/

I also am looking to friend more people on this site.

Nora

[Mark]

Greetings all!
I'm Mark from England.

I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, but i've not been able to do much serious reading due to college stuff, but now that I have spare time I thought i'd start reading again.
I heard Tom talking about Sword and Laser on TWiT and I thought i'd check it out, and that lead me here.
I'll probably just be lurking around to get recommendations on what to read.

[Puey]

Hi everyone!
I'm James. I'm new to Goodreads. I have always been enamored of fantastical literature, from The Odyssey, to Narnia, to The Lord of the Rings. In fact, I'm trying my hand at writing mine own story myself. I especially like stories that dream their own language into being, be it a different style of English such as we find in The Book of the New Sun, or a language within the story, such as Quenya. I look forward to some good discussions here.

[David]

Hi Everyone,

So I stumbled across the Sword & Laser podcast after hearing the Techstuff podcast where Tom and Veronica were on it. I love SciFi/Fantasy books and started with The Hobbit when I was 6 years old.

[Eric]

Hey all, not new to Goodreads, but new to Sword and Laser. I've been into this Genre forever though. And as far as whether I'm on team sword or team laser? I started out with the Belgariad, read through many Star wars novels, and like many, I am anxiously awaiting the completion of the Wheel of time. I guess more sword, since I'd say Star Wars is more space fantasy than strictly science fiction.

[Nora]

Really? I started to dislike the Wheel of Time series around the tenth book. The writing was stronger before then, in my opinion. Haven't read any since.

[Eric]

Really? I though book 10 was when it started to get good again. Started to tie up some loose ends. My feelings were that books 1-4 were some of the best I've read, books 6-9 almost lost me because he wandered so much, and the story has been back on track since then. Sanderson has done a good job on the last 2.

[Michael]

Hi, I'm Mike and I have a problem. I'm addicted to books. Likely I am in good company here, but I figured I'd get that out of the way right off the bat.

I usually tend to stick to sci-fi and fantasy in my book choices, though I do occasionally branch off into thriller and horror genres, and have a fairly big addiction to Arthurian legend (one of my earliest memories of reading was my Dearma giving me a book of the legends to read; changed my life).

Favourite authors include: J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Robert Jordan, Cory Doctorow, John Scalzi, and Neil Gaiman (I could list more, but I won't).

Also, Canadian. Fun!

[Nora]

Eric wrote: "Really? I though book 10 was when it started to get good again. Started to tie up some loose ends. My feelings were that books 1-4 were some of the best I've read, books 6-9 almost lost me because..."

I agree that books 1-4 were great and then it lagged. I lost interest in the series waiting for the last book to come out before it picked up again, which I think was 10. I also didn't like the direction that the characters were taken then and yeah, they did get off plot and not tie things up for awhile. I just can't get back into it.

[Mary]

Hi. I've been reading since I can remember, but disappointed my mother thoroughly when, in 4th grade, my dad introduced me to "The Rolling Stones" by Heinlein. Soon after that, I started reading the Chronicles of Narnia, & it's been sword & laser for me ever since. I mostly read fantasy, with my favorite authors being Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Raymond Feist, & Tolkien.

I discovered S&L when I was looking for something to listen to at work. My husband suggested you. So far I haven't been disappointed!

[Simone]

Hi, I'm Simone, I started reading fantasy as soon as I could read and probably spread out to science fiction soon after. I've been listening to the podcasts for ages - came across from TWiT - great to listen to while at work. Probably my favourite authors at the moment are William Gibson and Neal Stephenson but also love Feist, Pratchett, Tolkien, Frank Herbert and dozens more.

I live in Christchurch, New Zealand, well just outside actually so yes, my house is still standing. I'm a librarian that does mainly web development work. On my time off I frequently play SCA. So one big geek basically.

[Jestin]

Hello, I'm Jestin. I'm new to Goodreads and the podcast the last few weeks. I read a lot of Fantasy books in the late 80's and 90's and stopped reading for fun when I went off to college. I caught the fiction book-bug again this last summer with my audible account and even "worse" when I got a Kindle for Christmas. Just finished re-reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight and started listening to Shadow & Claw audiobook.

[Dominik]

Hi, this is Dominik. New to S&L since XMas 2010 but already several books and book series recommended there under my belt. (I'm a quick reader.) Sometime literary critic who believes in the genre. Read slightly more fantasy than scifi - but not opposed to either. Read everything Terry Pratchett and PG Wodehouse every wrote.

Big fan of reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan fiction on my Kindle.

[Bruce]

Hi. I'm Bruce.
I'm a computer scientist, who specializes in security. I am also a magician, a woodworker, and a father/husband. All are equally demanding.

I've been reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy since the 1950's. I grew up with Heinlein, Asimov, and "Doc" Smith. I read about anything, but I do avoid the myriad of what seems to me to be Buffy wannabes. In that vein, I do like The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

I just finished and reviewed the The Electric Church and I am currently reading the next book in the Avery Cates series, The Digital Plague.

[John]

Hi, I'm John,
I've been a SF and Fantasy fan essentially as long as I can remember, starting by sneaking out of classes in grade school to read the mythology books in the school library. I worked my way up the ranks, through Andre Norton and Anne McCaffery.

These days my favorite authors include, but certainly aren't limited to, George R. R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, Neal Stephenson, Jim Butcher, Peter Hamilton, Lois McMaster Bujold and Ilona Andrews.

I tend to lean more towards Fantasy than SF but I'm not sure if that means anything.

Currently enjoying the S&L podcast and figured I'd join the group on Goodreads to see what's going on in the message boards.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, some of you probably know me (I know Kevin does as he invited me, thanks Kevin). I've dropped by a couple of times but this is the first time I've stopped to intro myself. Of course first I'm having to get over my disappointment as I thought this was a group where I could actually GET a sword and laser...but oh well. Life goes on.

Like so many here, I'm a long time fan of science fiction (including space opera) and fantasy... primarily fantasy over the last, oh...thirty or forty years. :)

I'm a retired (read disabled) Commercial refrigeration tech., a "voracious" reader, a gamer (though mostly inactive right now), and as are so many here an unpublished (so far) author. I spend most of my time right now in writing, reading, going to the Y' to work my damaged tendons and joints in the pool...and of course on Goodreads.

If you have questions please feel free to ask... :)

Mostly I suppose I like heroes, well written characters that at least try (even if they fail) to live up to their ideals. Characters who believe in honor, honesty, and actually standing against actual evil. My favorite books??? Well, the Harry Dresden books, fantastic, Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion books, The Lord of the Rings (of course), Everything I've read by David Gemmell, so many others.

I'm just now reading the Honor Harrington books, I've had them on the shelf or a long time...but have only recently gotten to them. So far I've rated them 4 stars...but that's always subject to revision. :)

I do read and like some negative or semi-negative characters, but I can't say they usually are my favorites.

[Treetop]

Treetop here. I've been a sci-fi/fantasy fan since the way back. I found the S&L podcast by a recommendation recently and was pleased to find people enjoying some of the books and authors I had lately been enjoying myself. Some of my favorites over the years have been Tolkien, Piers Anthony, Tad Williams, Spider Robinson, Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, George R. R. Martin, China Mieville, Neal Stephenson, and many more. I also dig on mystery; especially the pulps. Lester Dent, Chandler and Hammett, and John D. MacDonald are some favorites. When I'm not enjoying Swords, Lasers, or Snub-nosed Revolvers, I have a dirty little addiction to useless outdated reference books: electrical dictionaries from the 40's, authoritatively written history books whose authors now reside in history books, woodworking texts that predate the spindle router.

[Brian]

Hi everybody, I'm Brian. I've been reading sci-fi and fantasy for as long as I can remember. I think I started with Dune when I was 10 or so, and then all of the Piers Anthony Xanth novels (or at least all of them at the time... I think he's written 30 more since I stopped reading them).

I found the podcast after Pat Rothfuss mentioned it on his blog. I'm a big fan of Pat as a person and an author. I am also a huge fan of Gene Wolfe, and especially the Book of the New Sun, so I am very pleasantly surprised to see people discussing it here. In addition to those guys, I like Joe Abercrombie, George RR Martin, Iain Banks, R. Scott Bakker, China Mieville, and lots of others.

I should also thank the podcast for introducing me to audiobooks. I downloaded the free Name of the Wind and listened to it again as I got ready for Wise Man's Fear to come out. Now I might be hooked. I can't decide if I should read WMF or listen to that one too.

[Dan]

Hello! Been listening to S&L for a few months now, and I don't even remember how I found it... Twitter maybe? Finally decided to join in.

Way back in the day I used to read abridged classics, and then I was a little put off by reading when it was time to read the real things instead of the abridged versions. And then later on sci-fi got me back into reading when I was lured in by Star Wars books, specifically Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Since then it's mostly been sci-fi, with maybe more fantasy joining the mix lately. The big reads along the way for me were things like the Dune and Foundation novels. I think my big three writers are China Mieville, Gene Wolfe, and Neil Gaiman. I could use some more Mieville and Gaiman novels... but I feel like I'll never manage to catch up with Gene Wolfe.

I probably need to branch out more. And so far S&L helped me find Daniel Suarez's books (And I'm only just getting started on Game of Thrones). Not a bad start!

[Totoro25]

Hi everyone my name is Terry.
I just found this group by listening to the podcast. I like to read both swords and lasers as well as pretty much everything else. I go through phases and pretty much right now it's all laser. I'm pretty much going down the John Ringo Posleen invasion series right now. I can hardly wait for Dances with Dragons now that we have a release date.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I went through the entire Posleen war back to back to... Ringo has some other good stuff, haven't read it all.

[Jonathan]

Just started listening to this podcast about a month ago when looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy podcast. That Tom and Veronica were hosts seemed too good to be true, but there it is.

I started into fantasy and sci-fi with Lloyd Alexander, Terry Brooks, Isaac Aasimov, and Piers Anthony, and now find myself a big fan of George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie, and Scott Lynch.

[Bobbi]

I guess I missed this when I joined. Anyway, my name is Bobbi. I've been into fantasy for pretty much forever but didn't get into sci-fi until I read Neuromancer in high school. I still mostly prefer fantasy, but prefer urban fantasy to high fantasy.

I think instead of listing my favorite authors, I will list the authors whose books I will straight buy without reading the back, which I think says it all: Patricia Briggs, Rob Thurman, Wen Spencer, Terry Pratchett, Connie Willis, Sarah Monette,Violette Malan. And Lois McMaster Bujold if fantasy - I don't like her sci-fi quite as much.

I also like detective/cop mysteries and true crime. Therefore, as you might imagine, I was pretty excited to discover Richard K. Morgan.

I joined the group to get ideas for what to read next - I'm constantly running out of books! I had no idea there was a podcast.

[Bryan]

Thank You guys both for a wonderful podcast. I've joined the group to get more out of the podcast and possibly give back a little.
Favs: Orsen Scott Card, JRR Tolkien, Harry Turtledove

[Sanjiv]

Sanjiv here. Hadn't read in a while, but I had been listening to the Podcast, and just picked up and hammered through the first two KingKiller Chronicles books--Didn't realize that the trilogy wasn't complete. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that.

I'm finishing my Masters, working on a socio-economic model in southern Africa. I had been away from my sci-fi fantasy roots for a while, so I recently started reading again (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), and learned to play Dungeons and Dragons. Actually, the most important influence I've had that kept me into SciFi has been Mega Man. Dude, Mega Man is deep.

[Aaron]

Helo All- My name is Aaron. I am a new listner to the podcat. I enjoy it a great deal and have enjoyed many of the books suggested. I am a huge Jim Butcher fan. I am currently enjoying the King Killer Chronicles. I look forward to future discussions with everyone!!
Thanks

[Brian]

Hi, I'm Brian. I was on the previous S&L site before. I really enjoy the podcast. I joined Audible last month too. I read books on my Iphone too. I love SciFi and fantasy. I am also into military history. I own a business in Vegas.

You guys have turned me onto some good authors. The Novak dragon books were the first I tried and enjoyed them. Read American Gods per recommendation. Recently I listened to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and I am in the middle of Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind right now. I love Robert Jordan, really looking forward to the last book. Also I have come to hate GRR Martin and refuse to read his books anymore.

Thanks Tom and Veronica!

[Válter]

Hi. I'm Válter from Portugal and i am a media analyst and i ended up on goodreads after discovering the S&L podcast (that i found out about in the techstuff podcast)

I love sci-fi/fantasy novels among all other kinds but this particular genre i have no one to discuss it with...

I hope to find some good recommendations and discussions around here.

[Patrick]

Hello, I'm Patrick
I am an avid reader and have been listening to The Sword and Laser since about September of 2010 after meeting Veronica at Dragon*Con. I started reading Fantasy books in middle school starting with the Dragon Lance series of books by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I then discovered the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and it quickly became my all time favorite series. I have read all of the books at least twice and I am very excited about what Brandon Sanderson brings to the series now. I am also a fan of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Novels based on Comic book characters are also very enjoyable for me as I read the Death and Life of Superman in 1994. I look forward to meeting and getting to know everyone and expanding my horizons in the fantasy genre!

[Steve]

Hello everyone,

M name is Steve and I ahave been listening to S&L for a while now, though I am running a fair bit behind due to audiobooks pushing back my podcasts. (darn Wheel of Time series... re-listening to the whole thing when a new one comes out)

I am far from a prolific reader, but having received a kindle for Christmas, I am trying to read a bit more, though I usually don't get more than a few chapters each evening.

I am hoping to get a good sampling of new books to enjoy. Thanks!

~Steve

[[deleted user]]

Hello, I'm Michael. I don't get to actually read much anymore, but I have a wonderfully dull job in an empty office building at night and can listen to audio books to fill my time.

I started listening to The Sword and Laser just recently and enjoyed the discussion of Shadow and Claw, though I really didn't enjoy the book much.

Most recently I finished Reaper Man and Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett.

Not sure what is next, the interview with Joe Abercrombie has me very interested in his books, but also all the talk about the George R R Martin books has me leaning that way. I've not read either, and will probably at least try both, but which one first??