Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 4,001-4,050 of 4,412

[Stephen]

Hi all! I've been listening to the podcast for about two years now but have decided to come out of the shadows and join the community. I'm from Dublin, Ireland, and have been a huge fan of SFF ever since I randomly picked out Terry Pratchett's Men at Arms from my school library when I was 14.

I look forward to chatting with ye all in the future!

[Francis]

Hello everyone! I bumped into the podcast searching for new suggestions on my already large pile to-read and I've been listening to it for half a year (give or take). About me, I'm originally from Spain and I reside in Ontario, Canada. I'm a sucker for a good space opera or time travel story but I wouldn't dismiss any other sword-and-laser-related media.

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome everyone. I'm bad about welcoming folks, but happy you all found us.

[April]

Hi! I'm April and I've been listening to the podcast for a while now. It's one of my favorite places on the internet, and so is this group (even though I'm a longtime lurker who's decided to emerge from the shadows to join the 2018-sword 2018-laser group challenge.)

[Rob, Roberator]

Huzzah. More challenge participants!

[Katie]

Hello there! I'm Katie, and I found this group while looking for other fans of sci-fi and fantasy. I haven't listened to the podcast yet, but it seems like it would be a lot of fun. I've been on here for a few months as a lurker, but I'm hoping to be more active in the future.

[Andrew]

Hello everyone! I have been a lurker for quite a long time, but wanted to join in the Sword v Laser competition, so I figured an introduction was in order. I'm much more in the Sword camp and my 2018 reading challenge is 52 books, so watch out Lasers ;)

[Julie]

Hi, everyone. I'm Julie, I live in Colorado, and I've lurked for a while. My resolution for 2018 is to read all 12 S&L selections.

I prefer fantasy. Some favorite authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, N. K. Jemisin, Ursula K. LeGuin, Ken Liu, and Leigh Bardugo.

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome to our new folks and/or lurkers coming out of the woodwork!

[Alex]

Hi everyone!
My name is Alex, I've been trying to find a book club I could do for a while now and this is perfect. I love fantasy and definitely want to get into Sci-Fi I just have a few questions. How are things scheduled? I listened to this past episode and you guys started talking about AWIT. DO you set a certain amount to read weekly and discuss here and on the Podcast? When should I start the book for March, and how will the discussions move from there. I just downloaded Awit on audible and started listening. Thanks for the help in advance everyone!
Team Sword!

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Alex. With regards to your questions:

Alex wrote: "How are things scheduled? DO you set a certain amount to read weekly and discuss here and on the Podcast? ."

We read one book a month. It is normally announced at least 1 week in advance. Patrons get an early announcement some (most?) months. Once the book is announced it will be added to the S&L Bookshelf and I will create an announcement thread.

Alex wrote: " DO you set a certain amount to read weekly and discuss here and on the Podcast? ."

No. Everyone reads at their own pace. Some people jump right in as soon as it's announced. Others read later in the month (or even year) depending on when they get a copy of the book.

Podcasts are generally bi-weekly. Veronica and Tom will have a kickoff for new books (often the same podcast as the wrap-up for the previous month's book). In the middle of the month they'll do a "check-in" where they may discuss part of the book and/or pick some of the current discussion threads from the forums to bring up.

Check-ins and wrap-ups are typically the last part of the podcast so if you're not caught up/worried about spoilers you can stop the podcast before that part but still hear the rest of the podcast.


Alex wrote: "When should I start the book for March, and how will the discussions move from there."

The March pick (like the last 2 months) was announced much sooner than is typically normal. I haven't created an announcement thread yet (I probably will in the next few days), but I have added it to the S&L Bookshelf.

In general, we prefer people wait until the first of the month to start new discussion threads, especially if you didn't like the book. There is nothing more off-putting than someone complaining about a book before most people have even had a chance to start it.

The announcement threads are typically created 1-2 weeks ahead of time. You can discuss the book in general terms there, but any discussion of the plot/characters/etc should be done in a separate thread. No spoilers are allowed in the announcement thread.

You can create any threads you'd like but we follow a pattern for the Thread topics, and have a section for each book we read. For example this month we're reading A Wrinkle in Time so all the threads should be in the section for A Wrinkle in Time and all the threads should follow a format of AWIT: ([No/Some/Full] Spoilers)

For additional questions we have a FAQ: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Also, If there are things missing/out of date from that let me know. I've been debating retiring that thread and creating a new one so I can have the ability to update the original post periodically as things change. The member who created it originally isn't around as much as they used to be.

[Alex]

Thank you for the info, Rob! It was very helpful.

[André]

Hi everyone! After six months of binge listening to the podcast (and telling everyone about it), I managed to get to the current podcasts! And from now on try to participate more in the discussion groups.

My name's André, from Portugal (I've seen a couple of portuguese here, which is always nice to see), definitely a Sword, but I do love a good Laser book.

Really keen to join into the S&L challenge! :D

[Richard]

Hi everyone! Been a lurker for a long time. I use the book club mostly as inspiration to find new books to listen to while I work out, or do house work.

My name is Rich, from California in the USA (Sacramento area, which means I could conceivably make it to Borderlands for an in person meetup with Veronica). I'm a Laser Sword as I love both genres equally (though I'm a big fan of horror as well, so I guess that makes me a Laser Sword Chainsaw).

I've actually discovered some of my favorite books through this book club. I absolutely love James S.A. Corey's Expanse series, Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastard Sequence, Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles, and Redshirts by John Scalzi.

I look forward to being a more active member in the community.

[Maria]

Hello, all!

I'm Maria and I've been a fan of scifi/fantasy my whole life (and also videogames!). Curiously, when I was younger I read almost exclusively fantasy... but now as an adult, I've switched into mostly scifi. :D Anyways, I've lurked around here for sometime and finally decided to introduce myself.

I love myself some classic vintage scifi from the 50's/60's/70's. My favorite scifi author is probably Arthur C. Clarke. He was such an imaginative storyteller and had a (rare) positive outlook about the future of humanity... Lately I've been digging into some newer stuff as well, like Alastair Reynolds and John Scalzi.

Some of my favorite scifi books:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Odyssey-series by Arthur C. Clarke
- Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
- Blindsight by Peter Watts
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons
- The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

Last month I joined the 2018 Laser Challenge so I'll be contributing there!

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome André, Richard and Maria.

[Jack]

Hi all, my name's Jack. long time listener, first time poster. I'm a regular over on r/fantasy, and thought I should finally jump into the goodreads group

[Ed]

Hello!

I'm Ed (on most of the web, I'm swampyankee). I've been reading sf/f for a long time, and even had some peripheral exposure to fandom, being present at the very first Campbell Memorial Award, 1973, Chicago: http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/campbell.htm

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Jack and Ed.

[Karen]

Hi I'm Dythya I've been reading SF and Fantasy since I was a teenager.

I've been listening to the podcast for a well over a year and found so many new, to me, authors like V.E. Schwab, N.K. Jemisin, P Rothfuss
and B Chambers. To go along side old favourites like Neal Asher and Robin Hobb.

So thank you!

[Erik]

Hi all! I'm Erik from nearish Detroit. Been listening to the podcast off and on for a few years (as I've been able to) and am currently trying to read all 12 books this year as well as a handful of previous selections.

Some favorites include Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury, Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut and GOT. Also the Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Martian by Andy Weir, Wool by Hugh Howey and World War Z by Max Brooks.

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Dythya and Erik

[simon bowman]

Hi. I'm Simon and I am interested in reading fantasy, science fiction
i am currently reading Xeelee: Endurance by Stephen Baxter

Xeelee: Endurance

[Mario the lone bookwolf]

Hi!

I am 32, from Austria and totally into science fiction, fantasy, humor, nonfiction and science topics and always trying to widen my range.

Best regards

[Rob, Roberator]

Greetings Simon and Mario.

[Tony]

Hi All. Thanks for having me.
I'm an SFF junkie and author. Currently two thirds of the way through writing my 'How to Survive the Afterlife' series. Joining the group to discuss all things swordy and lasery and to reach out to like minded SFF who read the types of books I like and write.
Tony

[Jenna]

Hi, I'm Jenna. I live in the Pacific Northwest and read a fair amount of SF and a smidgeon of fantasy. Favorite authors include Lois McMaster Bujold, John Scalzi, Heinlein, Clarke, and Ursula LeGuin. Looking forward to finding and discussing new books and authors through this group.

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Tony and Jenna.

[Jarod]

Hey folks! Jarod meyer here! It is great to be among fellow sci-fi/ fantasy fans. I'm new to this good reads platform so my reading list looks short. I will be going through and rating all the books I've read so please bear with me while I get that up to date.

I am an author working on a sci-if fantasy series in which the first two books have been published. I hope that once you get to know me you'll give them a shot.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.

[[deleted user]]

My name is Jason, my friends call me Jason. Been posting here and there and realized I never introduced myself. Used to read in middle school until the institution /s started telling me what to read and it turned me off for a while. Got a job where I work alone at night so I started listening to podcasts, branched into audiobooks. Now I’m playing catch-up for the last 15ish years. Started going back to the library for books instead of movies. Recently bought a kindle because books are heavy, and I wanted to read more. Nobody I know reads so when I discovered these online book clubs I got really excited.

I like to drink beer and whiskey while I read. In the summer I like to listen to fantasy books by the fire pit.

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Jarod and Jason.

Greetings from the lurking shadows Kirk.

[LouLouReads]

Hello, I'm Hannah. Really enjoying the Sword and Laser podcast - I found it when I was looking for reviews of and commentary on Doomsday Book, which I *loved*. I read both SF and fantasy, but don't really know much about either, so I am enjoying learning more about both genres :-)

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Dani and Hannah.

[Matthew]

Hello, i'm Matthew. I found this group from Vaginal Fantasy and thought i'd follow along. I'm always looking to seek out and discover new fantasy/sci-fi.

[[deleted user]]

Hi, everyone:

My name is Scott. I love listening to the podcast, but I am forever behind on my reading.

Favorite Sword: Neil Gaiman
Favorite Laser: Hugh Howey

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Scott and a long overdue welcome to Matthew.

[Trina]

Hello, I'm Trina. I'm a library assistant in California. I found Sword and Laser through Veronica in Vaginal Fantasy, so I have a lot of catching up to look forward to. Favorite authors include Tamora Pierce, Neil Gaiman, Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant), and J. R. R. Tolkien.

[Rob, Roberator]

Greetings Larry and Trina.

[AndrewP]

Trina wrote: "Hello, I'm Trina. I'm a library assistant in California. I found Sword and Laser through Veronica in Vaginal Fantasy, so I have a lot of catching up to look forward to. Favorite authors include Tam..."

Hi Trina. If you are in the Bay Area or Orange County there are local S&L meetups if your interested.

[Trina]

I'll look into the OC meetup, Andrew. Thanks for letting me know.

[Dave]

Trina wrote: "I'll look into the OC meetup, Andrew. Thanks for letting me know." Here is the link for this month’s meetup: https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

[Oleksandr]

Hi all,
I'm Oleksandr from Ukraine. I've read a lot of SFF as a teenager in the 90s, but then there was a hiatus for almost two decades. Now I'm back and trying to catch-up as well as shifting from translations to original works. I'm a big fan of the Golden age SF (Asimov, Heinlein, Simak, etc) but I like fantasy and contemporary SF as well.

[Andres]

Hi everyone,

I'm Andres from Arizona. I just self published my first sword which led me to snoop around this website and find you guys. I find myself a greater fan of the Sword but I have found some really good lasers these last two years and I am growing into a bigger fan myself.

Favorite Sword: Patrick Rothfuss
Favorite Laser: Pierce Brown

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Oleksandr and Andres

[André Luiz]

Hi everyone!

My name is André, I'm from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and I was looking for a podcast that make reviews and found Sword & Laser, for my luck I discovered that the podcast have a group here and now I can make friends and share the books and reviews too.
I read everything, but my favorite is fantasy!!

[Ayemossum]

Good morning. Ayemossum here.
I've been lurking for a while and figure it's high time I introduce myself. I've been reading Sci-fi and fantasy since I discovered that novels were fun in my early teens. Tolkien, Asimov, Brooks, Salvatore, Card, doesn't matter as long as it's a good story. Read a lot of Star Wars in my early teens and the Shannara series was probably my first big fantasy delve. Now I'm getting into more of the classic sci-fis and some of the newly-released (relatively) Tolkien works. Recently got a used Kindle and it's changed my life.

[Rob, Roberator]

Greetings Andre and Ayemossum.

[Aethon]

Hi folks,

I'm Aethon and I'm based in the UK. I've been listening to the podcast for a number of years and, for the most part, reading along and I've finally got around to getting a Goodreads account.

Currently, my favourite writers are Roger Zelanzy, Josiah Bancroft, Julian May and James SA Corey.

[David]

Hey, all.

My name is David, and I'm an author, voracious reader, and long-time sci-fi/fantasy geek...who only recently discovered podcasts. The Sword and Laser is the second podcast I now follow, and I'm enjoying it very much!

Currently, my favorite authors are Gail Carriger, Scott Lynch, Lois McMaster Bujold, Richard Kadrey, Casey Glanders and Illona Andrews.

(Choosing favorites is hard.)

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome Aethon and David.