Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 3,551-3,600 of 4,411

[Paul]

Hey Paul, Julie, Naty, Mike and Genesee. Naty I havent been on much social media or interacted on groups either before GoodReads. I wish I did way earlier though. Any fantasy series you guys recommend? Maybe I'll check out the Sparrow as well. Genesee hopefully we can all stick to our reading/writing goals this year. I need to catch up on writing :)

[Genesee]

Hey Paul. In general I hope to do a LOT more reading, which includes my science fiction goal. In the past I have mostly read fantasy and classics. My top two fantasy suggestions are Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey and the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier. I like the first for its world building/philosophy and adventure plot, and the second because I love the twist it puts on a classic Irish myth. I've never been a part of a Goodreads forumn either so I too am looking forward to exploring this version of a book club!

[Trike]

Genesee wrote: "several friends recommended The Sparrow. I started it on New Years Eve and then looked up S&L to see what the January book pick was. It was (well, is) The Sparrow! I've taken this as a sign that S&L is supposed to be a part of my life"

Freaky!

Insert Twilight Zone theme here.

[Paul]

I will have to check those two out and the sparrow then. Basically everything is new to me. I still need a facebook page lol. I think im the last one on earth to not have one yet.

[Trike]

There are a lot of "Recommend Books To A Newbie" type threads both here on S&L and on the Science Fiction and Fantasy group. There's a lot of crosstalk between the two; we tend not to choose sides around here.

[Arrika]

As another long time listener and member of these forums who hasn't introduced themselves I thought I'd come out of the wood work and say "hi".

I had an unintentionally lengthy break from reading when I moved to California from Vancouver and lost access to libraries that stayed open late at night.

When I read a littlle I tend to get carried away quickly and read a lot. The need for a hefty book budget is pretty daunting and it took quite some time for me to work out the very limited library schedules and locate the best bookstores to feed my addictions.

I really struggled to get back into reading for until I rediscovered good reads and sword and laser. I listen to all the podcasts ( getting into the videos again but always missed them being live), read 70 percent the book picks (but am a dominant laser) and am steadily reading a large variety of books ( and finishing them ) again

My favorite book is one No One knows - "The Chrysalids"

[Eric]

Arrika wrote: "As another long time listener and member of these forums who hasn't introduced themselves I thought I'd come out of the wood work and say "hi".

I had an unintentionally lengthy break from reading ..."

If you're on a tight budget, check out StoryBundle and Humble Bundle (when they're doing ebook bundles) - pay what you want for lots of books. So far I'm really loving the books I bought on those sites in 2014 - often at a 90% discount.

[John (Taloni)]

Arrika, can you get a library card to the LA public library, then get books sent to your local branch? Or similar big city if you're not near LA?

[Yang-Gee]

Hello everyone. My name is Yang-Gee but I also go by Alex.

I tend to listen to several podcasts and stumbled onto the 'Sword and Laser' through Geek and Sundry. Finally decided to stop being a lurker and to actually participate in the readings and discussions.

Now I have no excuses to start reading more classics in sci-fi and fantasy.

[Erica]

Found my way here from an internet rabbit hole that started at Tor.com this afternoon. Long time reader of SFF but still trying to get my Goodreads account up to speed. I do a lot of my "reading" while driving so a lot of my recent books reflect availability of library digital copies and Audible deals.

[Brett]

Hey everybody. I'm Brett, a lifelong nerd from Louisiana currently finishing up my debut fantasy novel. I found this awesome bookclub thanks to the Geek & Sundry show, and joined back during the Ringworld / Redshirts pick, but have just been lurking around on the forums & podcasts. Been meaning to post here and never got around to it, but today is a day of remedies!

Also I've slacked off from following the last several picks because I've been trying to finish some of my series reading (grrr at them picking so many series) and just haven't been able to keep pace, so I'm hoping talking on here will help me get back in the groove with the picks.

[William]

Hello everyone!

I'm Will, a lover of Fantasy and SF. My favorite authors include Asimov, Vernor Vinge, Julian May, Alastair Reynolds, Tolkien (of course) and Anne McCaffrey, particularly her Crystal Singer books.

I started listening to the podcast for two reasons - firstly I've never found a replacement for the nigh on perfect podcast "Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas", secondly because I'd recently read The Sparrow and was interested in hearing some views and I really enjoyed the discussion.

I'm a bit dubious about the next selected book - "Annihilation" as it seems more horror than Fantasy or SF, not my thing really. I usually find it a bit boring. I had to give up on "Great North Road" which sounds a bit similar...but I'll give it a go, this is a tad shorter than a Hamilton book ;-)

[Stephen]

World of Time is one of those must reads to understand how the fantasy genre reach the point it has today.

[Robert]

Howdy! I'm Robert. I'm an art director / professor with a literary lean. I read just about anything I can get my hands on.

All time faves....Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Aldous Huxley, William Gibson, Murakami when I'm in the mood, Kurt Vonnegart, Doug Adams and Tolkien, because obviously :)

[Adam]

Greetings All!I'm Adam. I've been a Sci-Fi and Fantasy guy since forever. Recently got an MA in Middle Eastern studies with a thesis on Egyptian sci-fi author Ahmed Khaled Towfik's novel Utopia. Looking forward to being part of the group!

[Korey]

Hello. I'm Korey. I've been a Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan since I was a wee lad. I lean towards the laser more than the sword as I age, but that hasn't always been the case. My favorite authors are Alastair Reynolds, Banks Iain M and Karl Schroeder. I also really love Guy Gavriel Kay. I'm currently struggling to get into The Garden of Stones, and I'm thinking of taking a break from it to read February's pick, which looks pretty interesting.

[アウト.]

Hi everybody you can read some work I've been involved in here https://m.facebook.com/terminalAUT

[James]

Hello everyone, I'm James. I've been reading and loving it for over....nevermind, let's just say for a long time lol. My favorite authors are Robert Heinlein, David Weber, Mercedes Lackey, and many more. Currently I am reading novelizations of the original Battlestar Galactica tv series and am enjoying them greatly. I have actually been a fan of Sword and Laser for a while now, I first learned of it on the Geek & Sundry channel and have stayed with the group since. I tend to not make many posts or comments though I do read most of what others post. Anyway, Glad to be a part of the community and love all the great books everyone has turned me onto.

[E.M.]

HI all! I'm Erin, and I've been reading SciFi and Fantasy since I could read. I am pretty much even split between Sword-y stuff and Laser-y stuff. Some favorites are Goodkind's Sword of Truth, McCaffrey, Dune, Kevin Anderson...There are just too many to list. Hard to find a scifi or fantasy author I don't like!
Anyway, looking forward to being a part of this group and getting to know you folks!

[S.K.]

Good tidings!

My name is Sam. I can't actually pinpoint when I started reading fantasy, but I've always been obsessed with dragons.

You'll find Brandon Sanderson, Anne Bishop, Robert Jordan, Elizabeth Haydon, and Sara Douglass on my bookshelf. I've made it my new year's resolution to read more. I've been writing, and I was worried about imaginative 'bleed-through,' but am now working on convincing myself to get over it.

Fun fact: I finally got a kindle over Christmas. I'm ashamed at how much I love it.

Good to be here!

[Matt]

Hi my name is Matt. I read SciFi, Fantasy and a little Mystery/Thriller mixed in as well. Lately I have been on a big Fantasy kick but I'm never going to make my 52 book goal for this year if I keep reading 1000 page tomes!

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

[Erica]

Hey, I'm Erica.

I've been a Sci-Fi and Fantasy fan for literally longer than I can remember. I lean a little on the fantasy side, but I'm a fan of both, and especially anything that plays with blurring genres. Started listening to Sword and Laser a couple months back, and enjoyed the podcast enough to check out the group.

I'm looking forward to some fun discussion!

[Paul]

Hi everyone, I'm Paul. I am a software engineer, a gamer, and I love sci-fi and fantasy books. I've been listening to the podcast for a while now and finally decided to join. My favorite book series is the original Dune Saga by Frank Herbert.

I am looking forward to discovering new and interesting books to read!

[Marion]

Ok, I'm more of a passive member on here, but I'll introduce myself.

Hi! My name is Marion, I'm French, and I am beginning to realise that I really really like science fiction.
I'm fairly new to the genre though, so I don't have favourite authors as of yet, but I'm working on it.
Since sci-fi is such a wide genre, I don't really know where to look or where to begin; so I figured that this group would help me discover books and authors.

[David H.]

Bonjour Marion! That's almost all the French I have...

Have you read anything by Elisabeth Vonarburg? She's French but has lived in Quebec the last 40 years. She's the only French SF writer I can think of off the top of my head.

Hope you can find some SF you like in English, too. Have you ever read the same book in English and French? I always wonder how well translators can capture the same feelings and effects that the native writer does. :)

[Johnny]

Hello hello. I am a longtime fan of S&L and just joined Goodreads so I wanted to say hello. I like Sword books but Laser books slightly more so. That is all.

Oh, some of my all-time favorite S&(mostly)L-type authors: Neal Stephenson, China Miéville, W. Gibson, PK Dick, Douglas Adams, Vonnegut, LeGuin

[Nicholaus]

Hey everyone. My name is Nick. I joined this group b/c I wanted to participate in the Annihilation discussion thread. Looking forward to it. I especially love works that genre bend. Currently, I'm an expat (originally from the US) living and working in Bolivia SA.

[Timothy]

Hello, I'm Timothy. I have been a long time Sci-Fi fan, with interests ranging from the classics like Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov, to movies and video games like Star Wars and Halo. I have also found great depth, meaning and insight in the bible (not that I count it to be Sci-fi). Each of these sources have significantly influenced me in my own literary pursuits. I confess that I am a Sci-fi author and my joining this club is not completely a selfless act. I do desire to contribute to this group and expand my literary horizons, so to speak. I am especially interested in Military Sci-Fi books. Jack Campbell's Dauntless was a read that I especially liked. Hopefully being part of this group will motivate me to read other books in the genre that I love so much and connect with others who share this passion. If any one reading this is interested in my works, I would be pleased to get copies of my book into your hands.

[Dustin]

Hi, I'm Dustin,

I'm a long time reader of fiction of all types. I've been listening to "Sword and Laser" for a while now, as I was a fan of Tom and Veronica from old tech podcasts. Thought I'd join up and give the book club a go :)

[J]

Recent subscriber to the podcast, and deciding to update and become more involved in Goodreads. My favorite literary character is Sherlock Holmes. I'm currently reading Malice by John Gwynne and my non fiction selection is Citizens of London by Lynne Olson. My reading partner is Sheriff a Pitt Shepherd mix but he's a slow reader so hoping to get some good discussion and book lists with and from y'all.

Kind Regards,

J

[Duncan]

Hi everyone,
I'm Duncan and I'm an author. My inspiration was originally Tolkien, then Iain M Banks and Grant Morrison and Frank Miller. Currently, I think 'The Walking Dead'is a modern masterpiece of storytelling!
I have posted some info about my book Foehammer and a competition I'm running in the Author Promo section.
I'm looking forward to talking 'swords and lasers'with you guys.
Best wishes to all.

[Kat]

Hi, I'm Kat.

I read almost everything (including the cornflakes packet), but SFF wins out most times.

I've been watching you on youtube for a while, and finally decided to join you here for the discussions :)

[Rob, Roberator]

Hi Kat! ;-)

[Miranda]

Hello all,
My name is Miranda and I love fantasy. I spend most of my free time reading or playing games set in amazing worlds. I am also a wannabe writer.

I discovered Sword & Laser about half year ago and noticed i'm not only behind with the show but also missed out on some great books. My to-read list is only growing and growing.

As a kid I read all of the fantasy/scifi/detective/thriller books (all books except for soccer/ballet type of books) in my small town library. The Redwall series really dragged me in. I felt like it was my secret world only shared with the writer.

I was afraid that the grown-ups did not have those type of books and it did take me some time to find them. All thanks to one little book (Legends?) that had short stories of a lot of amazing series. That's when I fell in love with sword of truth and discworld.

I live in the Netherlands and english is not my main language so mostly I read translated versions.

Currently I am reading a very long book (Deluge by Henryk Sienkiewicz) so I am hoping to join the reading in the future.

[Sky]

Hey Kat, welcome! I recognize you from another group :)

[Kat]

Ooooooooooooh, hi Rob, hi Sky - feels like home already, haha :)

[VonMitzelWeber]

My name is Mike. I've been a huge SFF geek for as long as I've known how to read. I cut my teeth on Cherryh's Downbelow Station and spent my formative years in Heinlein's Expanded Universe. My current goal is to read all novels that have won the Hugo award (currently approx. 75%). I started listening to the podcast a while ago (starting as far back as I could) and am close to catching up with the current feed. I look forward to listening and reading in real time and posting more. My most current reads from the club are The Martian, Among Others and Ancillary Justice (loved them all). Lastly, I'm close to completing the outline of my first novel and am very excited to start the writing process.

[xGvJx]

Hi!

My name is Sølvi (that's a girl's name - foreigners are often mistaken), I'm from Norway, and I joined this group after my real-life friend Fredrik told me about it. I'm one of the main organizers at the Norwegian horror/sci-fi/fantasy film festival Ramaskrik Oppdal, and also work with other film events, large and small. In addition, I'm in the final months of writing my Master's thesis in musicology, about sound in computer games - with a special emphasis on the sci-fi RPG Mass Effect.

I grew up in the local library, and soon understood that horror, fantasy and sci-fi were my favorite genres. I remember thinking, in lower secondary, that I didn't want to read about "real" stuff - I'd rather go out and experience that for myself. Horror has always been my greatest love of the three - I think I read everything the library had to offer for my age group - but I also remember some fantasy and sci-fi really making an impact - especially the Norwegian writer Jon Bing's planet series.

In high school my focus was mainly on music - playing and listening - but I bought a Stephen King book on impulse and the fire was lit again. I spent several summers reading him in the shadow of a tree, while my friends were sunbathing nearby.

I'm on a book diet these days - no new books over 250 pages until the pile I've already started is gone - but I'll be lurking and participating in group reads every now and then.

[Fredrik]

Hello to Sølvi!
Started on Annihilation yet?

[xGvJx]

Finished it this morning! I liked it, but wish I hadn't been colored by other people's (technically non-spoiler) comments. But I live and learn - next time it'll be book first, discussions later :)

[David]

Escape from Netherworld

Hello Group, I am Dave and just had my first book published in August of this past year. I am here to enjoy discussing science fiction and fantasy.

[Stephen]

That is when friends are great, when they clue you in to cool things.

[Rebecca]

Hi, I'm Rebecca!

I'm admittedly not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to scifi/fantasy books, but I love reading and am definitely interested in learning more about both genres through this book club!
I'm currently working my way through the Sandman comics (I'm on Season of Mists, at the moment).

[James]

Hello Everybody, My name is James. I just started a book review blog if anyone would like to check it out. https://mightythorjrs.wordpress.com/ Nothing to special but I enjoy it! Feel free to add me as a friend on goodreads. I am always looking for book friends and info.

[Andrew]

Hiya! I'm Andrew. I'm an avid reader and fantasy gamer.I just recently published my first novel, Forging Divinity. I'm looking forward to participating in the discussions here. =D

[Jen]

Hello! I suppose I'd better introduce myself, although I don't know how lurky/active I'm going to be here yet.

My name's Jen, and I listen to S&L at work (along with every other interesting podcast I can get my sweaty little hands on) while I herd data for an energy company.

My first significant memory of SFF is getting hooked on Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series when I was ten. It's been a slippery slope from then on in. Nowadays, I devour everything fantastic in every medium from comic books to television to interstitial fiction. I even keep a blog wherein I occasionally rant about SFF and/or British politics.

[Cal]

Hello all Sword and Laser folks - I have been a member of Goodreads for a while now, and this is my fourth year doing the reading challenge. I have enjoyed S&L since their Geek and Sundry days, and I left G&S to stay with S&L, because that was my main purpose. I love that they give equal attention to Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and everything in between, plus Tom and Veronica have a great report together. I just want to say that I think what you all do at S&L is great and it is wonderful having such a vast and wonderful community.

[Daniel]

Hello, all - thanks for letting me join The Sword and Laser! :)

Let me tell you a bit about myself: I'm a rabid reader and writer - like others, I abandoned my writing for a career in IT but I've never forgotten it. In fact, I love it so much that I've been writing it since 2008.

My love of sci-fi came together to form a Voltron-like structure of passion to become a full-time creative professional. I go into more detail here but I think you can understand why I'd want to take something I'm passionate about and turn it into a full-time job! :)


Aside from my own stuff, sci-fi has been my first and best love :). My desert island top-five sci-fi novels would have to be Neuromancer, The Postman, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Diamond Age and Enders Game.

I love telling stories - mostly dystopia and scifi. In fact - one of my prized possessions is my original Blade Runner one-sheet that I have hanging in my office. It collects all of my Comic-Con contribution tags (http://i.imgur.com/oZL9d5Ul.jpg).

Thanks for having me here - I look forward to getting to know all of you! :)

Best wishes,
Dan H.

[Robert]

Hello, I'm Robert and I mainly read Fantasy and Science Fiction. But I also read crime, horror and history. I'm currently "Sixty Days and Counting" by Kim Stanley Robinson.

I did a marathon last year of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series and of the Wheel of Time. I like doing the dual of audio book and eBook because I can always "read" while driving.

Probably my first science fiction was Heinlein's Time for the Stars and Clarke's Childhood's End. First exposure to Fantasy was Tolkien, the Brooks and on from there.

I like getting exposed to something different but unfortunately I usually go the safe route and stick to the same authors and type of genre such as epic fantasy. I may not be able to keep up the book of the month selections but at least I'll take note of them and have them added to my (virtual) stack of books to be read.

[Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net]

Hi everyone! I'm Bentley, I'm 25 years old, and I'm addicted to reading and writing all things fantasy and science fiction. Really, anything fiction will do in a crunch though. I have always been a huge reader, ever since I was young and that desire to read also manifested itself in me as a desire to write. While I don't have anything published yet, it's my hope to someday be an author on this website as well as an avid reader.

Life has its ways of getting in the way though, and a couple of years ago I realized I hadn't been reading very much at all - and that really scared me. So I started a Goodreads account and have since re-dedicated myself to reading and reviewing all the books I can get my hands on.

I discovered S&L about six months ago, and have been a lurking member of this group for some time although this is my first time posting. I love all the new recommendations I've been getting here! My reading list is certainly growing!