The Sword and Laser

We had the distinct pleasure of chatting with Daniel Suarez, author of previous Sword and Laser pick Daemon, as well as the new sequel Freedom (TM) that just came out January 7th. Get some insight into how much of the world of the Darknet Daniel really thinks could happen, and why.

Quick Burns

Star Trek going boldly again: Stardate 2012 for sequel undocking

Spider-Man 4 Scrapped, Franchise Reboot Planned

Free Online: F&SF’s Tale Of A Dog That Is Not A Dog, And A Messy Love Triangle

Don’t forget to pick up your free copy of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow! It’s the next official pick!

Sponsor: Visit our partner Sticker Fu. Use the code Sword1 and get 10% off the stickers.

Interview with Daniel Suarez – The S&L Podcast #027

It's time to pick a new book, but for some reason we just can't stop talking about George R. R. Martin. And in some cases singing about him. But we DID pick a new book and it's The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It involves relativity, interstellar war and sad soldiers. In fact it's sometimes thought of as an anti-Starship Troopers. We think this book is a timely choice as Ridley Scott is making a 3D movie out of it. More on that in this and future episodes. If you want a sneak peek, take a look at this Forever War' Concept Art .



Also don't forget we're doing a live Sword and Laser in Atlanta at Dragon*Con! The show takes place Friday evening, September 4 at 8:30 PM in Hilton room 204. It will be Veronica, me and special guest Timothy Zahn. Other guests may be announced as well.

BARE YOUR SWORD - feedback from the audience.
Audio books are no good for SF
Do you like your endings with everything-wrapped-up or open-ended?
Hi Tom and Veronica,
John Anealio' George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.

QUICK BURNS - unrelated news of the month
Robo-Ethicists Want to Revamp Asimov’s 3 Laws
A Game Of Thrones pilot script leaked
A brief history of SteamPunk
Personal Effects: Dark Art by JC Hutchins. The book with a lot of cool extra materials.

Tagline Contest
Congratulations Barry O'Neil "Different worlds - different discussion"

#022 – The S&L Podcast: George R. R. Martin is not your bitch

It was Dune time and we found out how much of nerd I (Tom) am for Frank Herbert's stuff and how hard it is to pronounce pretty much anything he wrote when you try to say it out loud.



We also found out that there are Dune influences all over popular culture including Films, spinoffs, and metal. In fact there are all kinds of heavy metal scifi influences. Including, apparently this podcast. You must listen to the end to hear the rockingest book club rock anthem ever to rock. And we also form a new band based on Dune.

More info, including club members thoughts on Dune, in the podcast and after the jump.

Dune comments

Hard to get into - Terpkristin

Bizarre early attempt to make a film of Dune - Josh Lawrence

Great lines - Sean o'Hara
One thing I love about Dune is the great quotes it provides.

- A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.

- Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. (For some reason I imagine Gurney sounding like Groundskeeper Willy when he says this)

- I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

What are the ones that stand out to you?


Comment by Sh1mm3r
Does anyone else find the sentence structure a little wacky? I find myself having to re-read some to understand what is being said. I'm in the first few pages though. I might just need to get into the rhythm.

Tom's currently reading the Butlerian Jihad by K. Anderson (one of the extended universe novels - a prequel actually)

Thread of the month
Books with both Sword and Lasers

Next Book: Daemon (buy here)

#018 - The S&L Podcast: Kwisatz and the Haderachs