The Sword and Laser

We're just starting the new story, but somehow we found a ton to talk about anyway!



NEW BOOK!

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco
“In an alternate reality Boston where you are just as likely to see a troll or an elf walk down the street as you are to see a human, Fairy hustlers are winding up dead with their hearts cut out and replaced with stones. Druid Conner Grey uses his magical abilities to crack the case in this fun, interesting novel.”

Mark Del Franco takes an entirely straight-faced approach to the hard-boiled detective/police procedural template, keeping the snark to a minimum even when presenting us with dead fairy prostitutes.

Mark Del Franco spent several years in the publishing field in editorial and administrative roles and in the institutional finance field as a proposal writer. He currently is pursuing a freelance career in both these fields.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=190541030
http://markdf.livejournal.com/

FROM THE FORUMS

Free eBooks

Favorite series


CURRENTLY CHECKING OUT:

Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco

#008 - The S&L Podcast: Elf Noir? Seriously?

On today's show:



CONTEST WINNER!
Nick
As the shock wave raced across the planet, Jared’s final thought was
admitting to himself: “Those damn scientists were right all along“.

He wins... a copy of Mass Effect!

WHAT WE'VE READ LATELY

V: Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss

Tom: Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. Film version is called Stalker.

ELFPUNK!

Vote for the next fantasy book, in the sub-genre of elfpunk!
(so far, Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco is winning!)
Voting ends midnight, May 19th.

#007 - The S&L Podcast: Elfpunk FTW

Actually, no one said elfpunk. But that's kind of way Tom and I are intrigued by this sub-genre. Yes, we've done cyberpunk before, but what about the gritty and enchanting synthesis of urban life and elves and fairies? Seeing as though I've never heard if the genre before, oh... today... we turned to the experts at Amazon to show us the light. Amazon user Luna Eclipse wrote up an amazing list of elfpunk novels, and here are the five I've selected for voting as well as the blurb written by Luna for context!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

"Reminiscent of Holly Black's Tithe, Wicked Lovely follows the exploits of Aislinn, a teenage girl with The Sight. Having spent her entire life trying to avoid the fairies, she suddenly finds herself being sought after by their king, who believes she may be the queen he's been searching for."

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

"With no TV, no video games and no radio in sight, Kendra and Seth are prepared to be bored out of their minds while staying with their grandfather in his huge secluded manor while their parents enjoy themselves on a cruise...till they discover their grandfather is the guardian of Fablehaven, a sanctuary for all sorts of fairy tale creatures. A must have for all you fairy-lovers, young and old."

War for the Oaks: A Novel by Emma Bull

"If you are a fan of faeries, 80's music, and foppish attire, you will love this novel set in 1987 Minneapolis. This book was kind of slow at times but it was still pretty good. I absolutely adore the Phouka!

Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black

"The final, decisive battle between the Night and Bright courts is about to take place, and all the characters from both Tithe and Valiant are in the mix. Black's best work yet."

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco

"In an alternate reality Boston where you are just as likely to see a troll or an elf walk down the street as you are to see a human, Fairy hustlers are winding up dead with their hearts cut out and replaced with stones. Druid Conner Grey uses his magical abilities to crack the case in this fun, interesting novel."

Voting closes at midnight on the 19th, so get those votes in! All books available on the S&L store either way.

[poll=7]