The Sword and Laser discussion
Introduction and welcome thread!
Hello, I'm Adva.Tolkien may have been my "gateway drug" into sci-fi/fantasy back in junior high, and maybe the fact that this genre was frowned upon in my house growing up also added to the thrill. Either way, I'm a big fan now with somewhat of an eclectic taste. According to my teenage son I'm a "massive nerd".
I love the classics as well as some of the new writers out there. Some authors I find consistently enjoyable and read all their works, whereas others had only one or two books I liked.
Finding out what new, and old, books are out there and what people think about them sounds amazing. In fact, doing a search on "what to read if you loved the show Firefly" is how I stumbled on this group.
I look forward to some good discussion. And new books to enjoy.
Hello all!I'm Mark, and I've been an avid reader pretty much all my life. I've read everything from YA fiction (the Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate was one of my favorites) to fantasy and sci-fi both comedic (Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett) and serious (Neil Gaiman, Philip K. Dick), to suspenseful mysteries (Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and even the lesser-known Black Widowers series by Asimov), and so much more. I've only recently gotten into the Sword and Laser podcast (and, subsequently, the GoodReads group), but my history with S&L goes back significantly further.
I used to work as a low-level employee at the company that produced the old Sword and Laser video shows; in fact, S&L was a major reason I took a position at the company, so I was doubly saddened when I discovered, shortly after being hired, that the show had not been renewed and would stop production. I was especially disheartened when I learned that, since the company needed the studio space and didn't have anywhere else to put it, the set for the show was to be dismantled and summarily disposed of. However, as it happened, my family had recently acquired a new home in the area with a four-car garage and the company graciously allowed me to take the set off their hands and reconstruct it within part of the garage. We had to reorganize the elements to account for the differing geometry in our garage as opposed to the the original studio, but with a little ingenuity we managed to fit in pretty much all of the major elements: the bar with the bubbling drink machine, the inset bookshelf, both the wooden and airlock doors (each of which properly opens and leads to other areas of the garage), and even Lem's archway (although not Lem himself; I have it on good authority, though, that he is in more than capable hands).
I had long assumed that Sword and Laser had died when the video show did, but I was pleasantly surprised to find, years later, that it still lived on in podcast form. It took me a while, but I finally got on to GoodReads and joined the group so that I could pass along the message that the set lives on and is well-loved. We've slowly added bits of our own personal memorabilia and whatnot to the display, but we always strive to keep the feel of the original intact. We host occasional events therein, including community games nights and family reunions, and we always make sure to give credit to the show whenever anyone inquires about the provenance of the materials.
Anyway, it's great to know that such a wonderful group of reading enthusiasts exists and carries on the torch from all those years ago, and I look forward to listening to the podcast and reading along with you all in the years to come (and keeping both the memory and the physical elements of the old set alive as well).
Some selected photos of the reconstructed set: https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...
Mod
Also welcome Adva (being a massive nerd will do well around here) and Mark.
Crazy about the old set. I'll have to make sure Tom and Veronica know. They actually Kickstarted a second season of the show without the set.
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Mark, that is so cool!
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Mark wrote: "I had long assumed that Sword and Laser had died when the video show did, but I was pleasantly surprised to find, years later, that it still lived on in podcast form."
Sword and Laser will never die. The podcast was around for 4 years before the first video series. (2008) The bookclub started in 2007.
https://swordandlaser.fandom.com/wiki...
BTW which video series was the company working on when you worked there? The 2012 Geek and Sundry series or the 2014 Kickstarter funded series?
I guess it was the latter for the set to still be around.
Mod
They did still have the set in 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwIvA...
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It's good that you have me as your "Remembrall" :-)
Mod
It's good that you have me as your "Remembrall" :-)"
Yeah, I organize. Your remember things..
So...there could be a "reunion" video podcast in the old set? *Picard voice* Make it so!
Mark wrote: "Some selected photos of the reconstructed set: https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/... "Happy to see the set providing a home for more dragons!
Tassie Dave wrote: "BTW which video series was the company working on when you worked there? The 2012 Geek and Sundry series or the 2014 Kickstarter funded series?I guess it was the latter for the set to still be around."
My first visit to the set was as a prospective employee during the 2012 series, and then I made my way from once-a-week intern to full-fledged (if still low-level) employee by the time of the 2014 series. My one and only contribution to the production as an employee was as clapboard operator during one scene of the final episode because the regular clapboard person had to leave early that day. Oddly enough, though, my only official credit (that I am aware of) was on the R. A. Salvatore episode from the 2012 series: if you squint real hard at just the right moment you can see my name in the credits as "Crew Photographer" (or somesuch similar title) because they needed someone who wasn't already in the crew to take the picture of them all :D
Hi All,I'm Hugh. Avid reader, no real preference for either sword or laser - I'll read good characters in pretty much any genre.
Former game programmer, mostly console games, now working in the real world.
Well, hello again! I'm Elizabeth, and I'm actually a returning member. I initially joined in 2016/2017, and absolutely loved the group, podcast, and monthly reads. Some icky personal stuff happened in 2017, and I left all my Goodreads groups and pretty much took a big break from Goodreads and reading in general.
But 2019 is my year, and I've got a little big of a reading sparkle back. I wanted to rejoin because this group had me reading things I never would've picked up on my own, and one or two have even become some of my favorite reads ever. I'm excited to dive right back in (in a very low-key, introverted kind of way, of course).
A tiny bit about me - I work in a public library; I've always loved fantasy and want to grow my love of sci-fi; and I play a lot of D&D. My husband is a non-reader, but he loves every other form of fantasy/sci-fi media, so I'm hoping I can use the group reads selections to maybe get him to read at least one book a year, haha! Some of my favorite sword and laser authors are Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Brian Jacques, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, Nalo Hopkinson, and way too many more to reasonably list.
Mod
Sorry to hear about the icky stuff, Elizabeth. So glad to hear that bit of sparkle is back - it's the sparkles that make life, I think. Welcome again. :)
Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "Sorry to hear about the icky stuff, Elizabeth. So glad to hear that bit of sparkle is back - it's the sparkles that make life, I think. Welcome again. :)"Rob wrote: "Welcome back Elizabeth. Happy to hear you've been getting back into reading and found us again."
Thank you! I randomly decided to look at the group again today, and when I saw that HP & the Philosopher's Stone was the monthly read, it felt like exactly the right time to rejoin. ☺️
Greetings! I'm Chris.I read a lot more when I was younger, and finishing college really put a damper on reading for fun. I read a lot more non-fiction these days but when I do read fiction its all sci-fi and fantasy.
As a child I remember my favorite series being His Dark Materials and i'm a huge Neill Gaiman fan. I like being transported to a different world, but also I find the overarching political and social commentary in sci fi and fantasy to be the most interesting.
Probably lean more Sword but pretty much 50/50. Looking to read more genre stuff that isn't written by old white men.
Chris wrote: "Looking to read more genre stuff that isn't written by old white men."Hi Chris. There are a number of authors we've read that fit with this - Nalo Hopkinson and G Willow Wilson spring to mind. Happy reading!
Tassie Dave wrote: "Rob wrote: "Welcome. But while this post was created in 2010, I last posted here 10 days ago."I think she got to the bottom of page 1 and didn't realise there were another 85 pages after it ;-)"
yep - that is what happened.
Hi Niall, wecome! Where about in Japan are you living? I spent a year up in Akita in 2012 and I still miss it like crazy. Such a beautiful country!
That sounds lovely! I agree with you about the blossoms. When I lived in Japan I visted Kyoto in March and the plum blossoms there were just gorgeous!
Hello everyone, I'm Scott. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm an old school fantasy lover. My favorite authors growing up were Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, and Anne McCaffrey. Oh, and Pierce Anthony. Love those puns!Hoping to get a bit of nostalgia from this thread.
I'm also a writer, ex-gamer (WoW), basketball player/coach, and dog lover.
Mod
Welcome R.
Very belated welcome to Niall..
Hello All - New listener to the podcast as of a few weeks ago (I've finished episodes 200-274 so far) and new group member. I'm a long time fantasy and sci-fi reader and some times writer. Growing up I most definitely leaned toward the Sword side, but have recently found myself reading more Laser books.I live in Kentucky and currently do data entry (which gives me about 45-50 hrs a week to listen to audio books and podcasts).
-Shayne B
Mod
First name Anthony, middle name Shayne. Most call me Shayne. And thanks!
Hi I'm Jen, I used to be big into scifi/fantasy until about 8 years ago and now I am getting back into these two genres. I sure have a lot of catching up to do! I stumbled across this podcast and am very grateful to have found it. I am trying to read all of the books on the group bookshelf but it is going to take me a while. I really like this podcast because I feel like the books being chosen are really different then what I am used to and even if I don't like a particular title I feel good about having read it because it helps me learn more about my own reading preferences. I hate feeling like I am reading the same thing over and over again but these book choices have done a really good job of keeping me interested. Thank you to all the people working on this podcast, your work is invaluable.
Hi! I'm Sarah, and I'm new. I love both sci-fi and fantasy and read both e-books and physical books, but I get through more e-books because I like to read while knitting and it's hard to hold a book open with your hands full. I found this podcast via Reading Glasses and I'm really excited to participate in the reading challenges!
Sarah wrote: "I get through more e-books because I like to read while knitting and it's hard to hold a book open with your hands full"My goodness Sarah! I like to listen to audio books while knitting but to actually read and knit at the same time!... Wow, that takes some skill! Also, welcome! :)
Hi, I'm Bethany!Longtime fantasy/sci fi enthusiast and finally succumbed to the multitudes of people who told me I had to listen to this podcast. I present regularly on [Star Trek/Star Wars/ GOT/ etc.] and the Law, so if you have burning questions on the legal aspects of whatever you're reading (no? is it just me?), I'm your girl.
Hello, I'm Alex!I'm a lawyer by day and have to do drab real life reading all the time. The fancy world building of sci fi and fantasy give me great escapes from that. And I majored in linguistics before the law thing so made up languages are totally a bonus. Because Tolkien may have influenced my major just a teensy bit. Maybe.
Star Wars and the Law sounds like a fascinating topic. I know I've had tons of "law doesn't work like that!" talks with friends before on other TV shows/books/media.
Anyway, I've been reading a lot of Naomi Novik, Mary Robinette Kowal, Terry Pratchett, and Cat Valente recently. Which has been fantastic.
Hello all, I’ve been an avid reader since I was a kid, although I fell off my habit for a few years not too long ago. Happily I have gotten back into it with a vengeance, and have been enjoying it very much. I have been very active in another SFF group here on GR and am curious to see what’s the what here in this more famous group.
I’m a huge fan of Le Guin, Hobb, Willis, and Jemisin. I like my SFF books to have a powerful thread of humanity, no matter how outlandish or bizarre or fanciful the ideas in them are. Which is why I’m also very much enjoying my current read, Perdido Street Station.
I look forward to joining in discussions, etc. here.
Mod
The biggest differences between S&L and the SFF group are:
This group is run by 2 people who make (most) of the picks. There are occasional member votes and our now annual march madness tournament but the rest of the picks have been "dictitorial"
This group only reads 1 book/month, either SF or fantasy, but not both
This group has a podcast done by the 2 leaders of the group that goes back for about 10 years. The podcast include "kickoff" episode at the start of the month and a "wrap-up" and the end.
Periodically they also do author interview podcasts as well, or live shows from conventions (for years they did a panel at Dragoncon that was recorded and released).
They've also done 2 seasons of YouTube shows. The first season was done for Geek & Sundry, the second was funded by a Kickstarter campaign.
Hi everyone,I'm an attorney by day, writer by early morning and late evening. I live in New York with my wife and three young kids.
My first foray into fantasy was the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit and I was more of a sci-fi reader (my dad pushed Asimov on me for several years in my teens before I finally listened to him) until about 12 years ago, when a friend recommended Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Neverwhere.
I bought The Name of the Wind after seeing it recommended on Penny Arcade, but stopped reading it for several years just before a certain chapter where young Kvothe goes off into the woods and comes back to find things have ... happened while he was gone. I brought it on a business trip and devoured it and then finally bought a Kindle and have had a good run of fantasy reading since.
I recently finished Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings and just started Senlin Ascends.
I've slowly been trying to get my older kids into fantasy. They have a copy of The Hobbit or There and Back Again and The Last Unicorn in their room, but at the moment they are obsessed with all things Pokemon.
Hi, I'm Brian, I read a lot of science fiction among other things. I heard and liked one of the podcasts so joined the group. I'm also a musician.
Hello! My name is Liam, and I'm a long-time fan of the scifi/fantasy genre, though am new to goodreads. Trying to make an effort to read more books and expand my horizons on what I'm reading, so I joined goodreads and this group (after listening to the podcast on and off for years) to find more books and talk about them with fellow fans!Look forward to talking about books with you folks :)
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Ghosts of the Scattered Kingdoms (other topics)The Sword of Shannara (other topics)
Shadow & Claw (other topics)
A Canticle for Leibowitz (other topics)
A Canticle for Leibowitz (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Wade Garret (other topics)Gene Wolfe (other topics)
John Scalzi (other topics)
Richelle Mead (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
More...
My favourite authors are Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs.