S&L Podcast - #76 - Interview with Tad Williams

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

New episode is up!

http://www.swordandlaser.com/home/201...

[Bryan]

Yay!

[Anne]

I'm so excited.

[Tamahome]

Do dee do. Dee do Dee. (Skype calling!)

Sexy German Anne voice!

[Will]

Great interview. I need to read some of his stuff.

I'm glad Ready Player One is the next book. Can't wait to get started.

[Anne]

Tamahome wrote: "Do dee do. Dee do Dee. (Skype calling!)

Sexy German Anne voice!"

Thank you. It's always strange to hear your own voice, but I had my own podcast a while ago so I've gotten used to it.

[Kris]

Cool interview!

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Tamahome wrote: "Do dee do. Dee do Dee. (Skype calling!)

Sexy German Anne voice!"

You like that? I thought it made a good transition into the interview!

[Francis x]

great podcast. I was wondering where to put H.P. Lovecraft(Cthulhu) and Guy de Maupassant(Horla)on the line between of hard SF and hard Fantasy. Check the SFFaudio podcast 125 and 126.
Have you do the next interviewing on Christpher L Bennett of the book, Star Trek DTI - Watching the Clock. It might to wonder what JJ Abram will do on this film called 'Trek 2'(working title).

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Yay for hearing Anne!

I'm going to try The War of the Flowers thanks to the interview (and then read Tailchaser's Song, which I started to read in jr high but never finished).

[Tamahome]

Francis wrote: "great podcast. I was wondering where to put H.P. Lovecraft(Cthulhu) and Guy de Maupassant(Horla)on the line between of hard SF and hard Fantasy. Check the SFFaudio podcast 125 and 126.
Have you d..."

Lovecraft is hard Creepy.

[Colin]

also hard Racist in places.

[terpkristin]

Is The War of the Flowers the book he recommended "virgins" read first? I was driving when listening and couldn't remember. I'd actually never heard of Tad Williams prior to joining S&L. After listening to him on the show, I've added a lot of his books to my "to read" list. ;) Tad Williams is younger than I thought he would be. I'm not sure why I thought he was old, but I figured that since V was introduced to him at a young age, that he'd be as old as some of the people I was introduced to at a young age (Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, Susan Cooper...weird, I just realized that the ones that stick out to me from when I was in middle school are women writers).

Was cool to hear Anne's voice. So now I've heard Josh, Jenny, Tamahome, and Anne in addition to V&T. And I guess I've heard Luke too but he doesn't seem particularly active.

Looking forward to a Tad Williams pick, having already read Ready Player One. This should definitely give me time to finish Stand on Zanzibar in the meantime...

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

terpkristin wrote: "Is The War of the Flowers the book he recommended "virgins" read first? I was driving when listening and couldn't remember. I'd actually never heard of Tad Williams prior to joining S&..."

Hey mentioned Tailchaser's Song as a good younger person virgin book (hah) and The War of the Flowers as a good "standalone" novel for more adult readers.

[terpkristin]

The premise of Tailchaser's Song kind of cracks me up. Oddly, one of my first forays into SF was a book by Andre Norton that had to do with cats. I believe it was Breed to Come.

Anyway, thanks V!

[Tamahome]

terpkristin wrote: "Is The War of the Flowers the book he recommended "virgins" read first? I was driving when listening and couldn't remember. I'd actually never heard of Tad Williams prior to joining S&..."

I can only wonder what Terpkristin sounds like.

[Tamahome]

Fyi, it's Westerfeld, not Westerfield. :)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Francis wrote: "great podcast. I was wondering where to put H.P. Lovecraft(Cthulhu) and Guy de Maupassant(Horla)on the line between of hard SF and hard Fantasy. Check the SFFaudio podcast 125 and 126. "
If you believe Jesse (on SFFaudio), the de Maupassant is SF. But you have to see the aliens.

[Tamahome]

Veronica wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "Do dee do. Dee do Dee. (Skype calling!)

Sexy German Anne voice!"

You like that? I thought it made a good transition into the interview!"

It was cool. The Skype calling tone is actually a 5th (3rd harmonic) followed by an octave (2nd harmonic). They should add a microtonal 7th harmonic.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Tamahome wrote: "It was cool. The Skype calling tone is actually a 5th (3rd harmonic) followed by an octave (2nd harmonic). They should add a microtonal 7th harmonic. "
Maybe you should make a microtonal interview sound effect!

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Tamahome wrote: "The Skype calling tone is actually a 5th (3rd harmonic) followed by an octave (2nd harmonic). They should add a microtonal 7th harmonic."

What is this I don't even...

[Tamahome]

Veronica wrote: "Tamahome wrote: "The Skype calling tone is actually a 5th (3rd harmonic) followed by an octave (2nd harmonic). They should add a microtonal 7th harmonic."

What is this I don't even..."

I was getting geeky with the 6 notes that are played when you skype someone...

[Anne]

Tamahome wrote: "It was cool. The Skype calling tone is actually a 5th (3rd harmonic) followed by an octave (2nd harmonic). They should add a microtonal 7th harmonic."

Isn't that what they already do?

[Andrew]

Another fab podcast guys. Loved the Anne inclusion (almost like those suggestions in the enough grrm thread got read?). It was really cool to hear Tad, someone who like V I've been a fan of (particularly memory, sorrow, thorn) for some time. He sounded like the kind of guy you'd love to have dinner with, just so excited by life. Good next book pick too even if many of us have read it. The audio version with Wil is a fun listen (and grin worthy with the meta reference to himself).

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Andrew wrote: "Good next book pick too even if many of us have read it."

That's why we have an alternate read too! :P

[Andrew]

Veronica wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Good next book pick too even if many of us have read it."

That's why we have an alternate read too! :P"

True, already loaded it (Reamde) on to my ereader, though we're not doing well matching our alternate book lengths :)

[Nevan]

I wasn't impressed when he mentioned that his publisher actively encouraged him to write longer books. It put me off trying anything by him in the future, too.

[Tamahome]

As part of the over 40 crowd, I vote for a bigger font instead.

[A.J.]

This was a great episode and a fun interview. I'm a huge Tad Williams fan, but I think that's the first time I've ever heard any sort of interview with him.

I'm suddenly excited about his next book. Of course, you just have to put his name on the cover to get me to buy it, but this one sounds particularly awesome.

[Ed]

I read his "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" series like 20 years ago and I loved it back then, but it hasn't really stuck with me. I couldn't tell you the name of a single character or plot event from that series. His "Otherland" series, on the other hand, proved to be very memorable for me. I loved it! It was very Snow Crash, but the story had this grand scope and characters that resonated with me. Unfortunately, the long waits between "Otherland" books are specifically why I instituted the rule that I shall not start a book series until the final book has been published. It's the reason why I haven't started "A Song of Ice and Fire", which is kind of funny since George R. R. Martin says Tad Williams' writing is what inspired him to start "A Song of Ice and Fire".

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Are you saying Otherland remains unfinished even now? I also have that rule.

[Ed]

No, the "Otherland" series is finished. It's safe to read. :)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Ed wrote: "No, the "Otherland" series is finished. It's safe to read. :)"

Phew!