The Sword and Laser discussion

This is the place to share all the latest SFF news you think your fellow members will be interested in for 2019.

A whole bunch of classics entered the public domain on January 1st.

P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha. Bristle, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, etc.: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/29/bo...

$100,000 worth of comic books stolen from a Vegas storage unit, including the entire 66-year run of Spider-man: https://abc7chicago.com/$100000-worth...

The internet has thoughts a bout today's Pottermore fact. "Hogwarts didn't always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the eighteenth century, witches and wizards simply relieved themselves wherever they stood, and vanished the evidence. #NationalTriviaDay" (Twitter)

Tor and
Pajiba: Pajiba have pretty funny takes on it.

And yes, my first Quick Burn for 2019 is about poos. Starting the year off on great note.

Of course! How else would Mr. Hanky have come to life?

Dara wrote: "And yes, my first Quick Burn for 2019 is about poos. Starting the year off on great note.."

It can only go downhill from here ;-)

Tassie Dave wrote: "Dara wrote: "And yes, my first Quick Burn for 2019 is about poos. Starting the year off on great note.."

It can only go downhill from here ;-)"

I see what you did there. Now vanish it.

Dara wrote: "The internet has thoughts a bout today's Pottermore fact. "Hogwarts didn't always have bathrooms. Before adopting Muggle plumbing methods in the eighteenth century, witches and wizards simply relie..."

So that's the secret to Vapoorize! Christopher Walken and Jack Black are wizards.

Nnedi Okorafor spoke to Vulture about Garfield, Wakanda, and her newest comic, LaGuardia.

George R.R. Martin was on " Finding Your Roots" PBS program and had his world turned upside down. Since it is PBS there is a chance you can see it a multiple times and multiple days as PBS likes to rerun stuff all the time, but it really did shake George .

SFWA Announces Newest Damon Knight Grand Master – William Gibson

"The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that William Gibson has been named the 35th Damon Knight Grand Master for his contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award recognizes “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.” Gibson joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as C. J. Cherryh, Peter S. Beagle, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Joe Haldeman. The award will be presented at the 54th Annual Nebula Conference and Awards Ceremony in Woodland Hills, CA, May 16th-19th, 2019."

Stephen wrote: "George R.R. Martin was on " Finding Your Roots" PBS program and had his world turned upside down. Since it is PBS there is a chance you can see it a multiple times and multiple days..."

to;dr - Turns out he’s House Targaryen, not House Stark.

Plot twist: he’s a White Walker.

Stephen wrote: "George R.R. Martin was on " Finding Your Roots" PBS program and had his world turned upside down. Since it is PBS there is a chance you can see it a multiple times and multiple days..."

BTW: here’s the episode in question: https://www.pbs.org/video/grandparent...

It is pretty amazing, especially the Andy Samberg section, but I was not at all surprised about GRRM’s ancestry. I’ve always thought that’s what his background was.

Well, now I'm curious. Any chance someone can summarise for the not Americans?

The latest Imaginary Worlds podcast has an interview with Madeline Miller, the author of former club pick Circe. She discusses Circe and The Song of Achilles.

Just noticed that there is now a release date for Tad Williams Empire of Grass. May 7th 2019, have to add that one to my pre-order list.

Hugo nominations are now open. https://boingboing.net/2019/01/10/dub...

Shad wrote: "The latest Imaginary Worlds podcast has an interview with Madeline Miller, the author of former club pick Circe. She discusses Circe and [book:The Song of Achilles|1..."

It’s a damn fine interview as well.

Medieval book historian Erik Kwakkel writes about "Siamese twin" books on his blog, including one that opens 6 different ways. They're almost like the Frankienstein's monsters of books but serve a cool function.

"They are like Siamese twins in that they present two different entities joint at their backs: each part has one board for itself, while a third is shared between the two. Their contents show why this was done: you will often find two complementary devotional works in them, such as a prayerbook and a Psalter, or the Bible’s Old and New Testament. Reading the one text you can flip the 'book' to consult the other."

He also says, "In the 20th century this type of binding enjoyed a revival with the Double Ace books, which featured two short science fiction stories." The post has some pretty cool images of the books.

Netflix is making a show based on Shadow and Bone / Six of Crows

https://nerdist.com/leigh-bardugos-sh...

Dara wrote: "SFWA Announces Newest Damon Knight Grand Master – William Gibson

"The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that William Gibson has been named the 35t..."

Thanks for the heads up. The S&L Grand Masters page has been updated.

https://swordandlaser.wikia.com/wiki/...

Rob wrote: "Netflix is making a show based on Shadow and Bone / Six of Crows"

Adapted by Eric Heisserer (Arrival) no less.

Dennis E. Taylor announces Bobiverse sequel to be duology.

http://dennisetaylor.org/2019/01/06/o...

More Bobiverse! *Does one-man "stadium wave" at desk*

Conal wrote: "Dennis E. Taylor announces Bobiverse sequel to be duology.

http://dennisetaylor.org/2019/01/06/o..."

Great news.

We need more lists like this. Granted, it's a short list, but two of the five books are S+L picks, and there's beer!

Speculative Fiction on Tap: Winter Books, Winter Beer
https://bookriot.com/2019/01/08/specu...

Stephen wrote: "George R.R. Martin was on " Finding Your Roots" PBS program and had his world turned upside down."
Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "Well, now I'm curious. Any chance someone can summarise for the not Americans?"

The very brief summary is (view spoiler)[that his father's father is not actually related to him. That grandfather was Italian, but no Italian appears in George's dna. (The show was able to track down his grandfather's second family, which George has no dna in common with). His father's mother was apparently cheating and his actual grandfather was an unidentified Ashlenazi Jew, which was a total surprise to him. (hide spoiler)]

The nominees for the Philip K. Dick aware were announced. Via Tor, "The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States during the previous calendar year."

Nominees are:
Time Was by Ian McDonald (can't find a link for the book)
The Body Library by Jeff Noon
84K by Claire North
Alien Virus Love Disaster: Stories by Abbey Mei Otis
Theory of Bastards by Audrey Schulman
Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories by Vandana Singh

Cory Doctorow has a new book coming out, Radicalized. It's a collection of 4 novellas - "A timely book comprised of four SF novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of today and what America could be in the near, near future."

Tor: https://www.tor.com/2019/01/16/book-a...

can't find a link for the book
Searching by ISBN/ASIN works: Time Was

Scott Lynch's Gentleman's Bastards has been optioned by Phoenix Pictures. Now before you get to excited image if a movie was the flu. Scott has just sneezed. Not every sneeze turns into the flu. So Here to hoping Scott gets the flu.

Stephen wrote: "Scott Lynch's Gentleman's Bastards has been optioned by Phoenix Pictures. Now before you get to excited image if a movie was the flu. Scott has just sneezed. Not every sneeze turns into the flu. So Here to hoping Scott gets the flu..."

So by extension, if you want this to become a long-running TV series then you hope... Scott gets pneumonia and dies? Dude. Harshest analogy ever.

I think Scott said that this was also the 3rd time it's been optioned, so I'm not holding out hope.

Yeah, third time sneezing is no big deal. I love that analogy. Now I will remember it every time something is optioned. *tips hat

Dara wrote: "The nominees for the Philip K. Dick aware were announced. Via Tor, "The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction pub..."

One of these should be a Laser pick!

Time Was, 84k and Alien Virus Love Disaster (what a title) look really interesting.

Gee, Trike, I think it is a great analogy. Hear me out. Okay you sneezed, but now your feeling achy and a bit out of sorts because fundamental investing has been lined up. Next a screenwriter has been hired and your stomach is queasy. Someone else has your baby!! Next a Director has been attached to the project and you have diarrhea. You are , you know what, yourself. This is really going to happen.!!! Most likely. Next, a cast has been announced, principle shooting is scheduled and locations secured. Then your first attempt to create excitement for the project, say a short clip of the main actor in full makeup as the character, is released. And you are throwing up.
Also if the powers that be decide to make a TV series, I may feel like I died and gone to heaven.

Robert Jordan has a new book coming out this fall called "Warrior of the Altaii". Tor says:

"Warrior of the Altaii is a fascinating formative work by The Wheel of Time creator, offering an abundance of the epic themes that Jordan would continue to develop in The Wheel of Time itself. A standalone fantasy story told with implacable momentum, readers new to Robert Jordan will find Warrior of the Altaii an easy gateway to the author’s artistry."

The new novel will be released in the fall of this year.

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Are you a Hugo voter? Do you love the Sword and Laser podcast? Do you like nominating things, such as the Sword and Laser podcast for Best Fancast?

Well dear reader, you're in luck! Hugo nominations are now open for the 2019 award ceremony. Do T&V a solid and show them your appreciation by nominating them in the Best Fancast category!

Instructions on how to vote can be found here. Check your email for individual links for online nominating.

The link for the full article from Tor re: Robert Jordan's "Warrior of the Altaii"
https://www.tor.com/2019/01/18/robert...

Conal wrote: "Dennis E. Taylor announces Bobiverse sequel to be duology.

Wonder how different the re-write of Outland will be from the original?

Not sure if this counts as a quick burn:

From Mary Robinette Kowal's Twitter @MaryRobinette
"LA area! Want an opportunity to pay it forward? SFWA has an urgent need for volunteers for the Nebula Conference taking place in mid-May. We're having an informational meeting tomorrow at the Woodland Hills Marriott at 1pm. Come hang out with me and learn about available roles."

I'm nowhere near the LA area, but this would be a cool gig.

Nokomis.FL wrote: "Conal wrote: "Dennis E. Taylor announces Bobiverse sequel to be duology.

Wonder how different the re-write of Outland will be from the original?"

I haven't read Outland yet so it will be all new for me when it comes out in a couple of months. I am a new fan to Dennis Taylor with my first read the Bobiverse and the Singularity trap last year. He and Ray Porter make a winning combination that I will be in line for anything they put out.

Conal wrote: "Nokomis.FL wrote: "Conal wrote: "Dennis E. Taylor announces Bobiverse sequel to be duology.

Wonder how different the re-write of Outland will be from the original?"

I haven't read Outland yet so ..."

After listening to the Bobiverse, I went looking for other books narrated by Ray Porter, which is how I discovered Peter Clines.

Same here but in reverse. I found Taylor looking for more Ray Porter after listening to all his Clines performance. Just chiming in because I'll never miss an opportunity to sing his praises. Porter's narration is outstanding. Lovely to read others feel the same. Looking forward to more of the Bobs.

The Verge has a nice Q&A with John Scalzi in honor of his Better Worlds story that was released today.

You can read "A Model Dog" here.

The Oscar nominations were just announced and, much to my surprise, Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture. It won’t win, but I’m pretty sure it’s the first superhero movie ever nominated for the award.

It is based on a book, specifically the Christopher Priest run: Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1.

Trike wrote: "The Oscar nominations were just announced and, much to my surprise, Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture. It won’t win, but I’m pretty sure it’s the first superhero movie ever nominated for..."

It is for the Oscars, but I believe Deadpool got a Golden Globe best Comedy/Musical nomination.

Book Riot is celebrating World of Fantasy Day on their website today. They have a ton of lists of recommended reading from graphic novels to Slavic-translated fantasy to books for Harry Potter fans. Check it out of you need some inspiration or for some ungodly reason want to make your already enormous TBR pile even larger.

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In order to drum up support for nominating the podcast for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Fancast, I asked a few authors for an endorsement on Twitter*.

"You want me to support the Sword and Laser podcast for Best Fancast? You guys have read three of my books so I guess I have to." – John Scalzi

"Buy my book." – Sam Sykes

"Don’t buy his book, buy MY book." – Myke Cole

"You’ve read three Scalzi books but none of mine? No thanks." – Mary Robinette Kowal

"I get it, you loved Jade City. Please stop bothering me. I’m going to block you." – Fonda Lee

There ya have it, folks. Even authors love the podcast! Nominations are open! Go vote!

*(view spoiler)[Please note these are all 100% satire and made up for the lolz. (hide spoiler)]
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Instructions on how to vote can be found here. Check your email for individual links for online nominating. Voting ends Friday 15 March, 2019, 11:59 PDT.

I love that so much!

The Expanse Season 3 goes worldwide on Amazon Prime February 8th!

Additionally Seasons 1 and 2 will now be on Prime everywhere (previously it was just North America).

https://deadline.com/2019/01/amazon-p...