Shows
The Sword and Laser#516 - I Know What You Did Last Book BriefingWhy taste in books is like taste in food. Plus, our final thoughts on Joe Abercrombie's The Devils. And the Ruth-Veronica feud heats up. Also, Tom likes fish sticks. Literally.2025-08-0353 min
The Sword and Laser#515 - The Details in the DevilsWe cast The Devils, try to apologize to Ruth, and recall other food-related romantasy. Plus, Veronica has a shameful tequila revelation.2025-07-1739 min
The Sword and Laser#514 - The Rebirths of Wesley ChuWesley Chu joins us to talk about The Lives of Tao and Jan is back, so we have loads of news including Locus Award Winners and the British Fantasy Society shortlist. Plus Tom sings. We're all sorry about that. Also, we almost named this episode The Lives of Wesley Chu until we realized we had already done that in 2014.2025-07-041h 09
The Sword and Laser#512 - Deep Dish is SciPieWe speculate on how James Cameron will make The Devils and whether Frankenstein will be too scary for Veronica. And we further kick off The Lives of Tao.2025-06-0531 min
The Sword and Laser#509 - New Achievement!We wrap up Dungeon Crawler Carl, including our horrible imitations of Jeff Hays. Plus, we announce the next pick for May and ponder data-driven determinations of the best SFF books of Tom’s life.2025-04-2552 min
The Sword and Laser#507 - Book GoblinTom forgot to write the intro to the show this week, so you’re stuck with the Veronica Edition. March is still full of madness, which makes sense because it’s a full moon eclipse coming up and Venus is in retrograde. Or something! We check in on The City and The City by China Miéville, and we see and unsee your perspectives on the book thus far.2025-03-1340 min
The Sword and Laser#503 - Tapeworms and Time TravelTom is safe. Stephen has had three New Years, and we all love Graham Gore. But the best part of the show is Veronica's parade of diseases.2025-01-1546 min
The Sword and Laser#502 - Rhubarb AbercrumbleWe kick off our January read, wrap up Akata Witch, and welcome in new public domain characters. There's a new Lord of the Rings movie this year. Yay! Plus, Veronica had a rhubarb cider, and Joe Abercrombie looks great for 50!2025-01-0648 min
The Sword and Laser#498 - Weird Things With BurritosWe wrap up our thoughts on A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. Tom lays down some very obscure hints about the next pick. And why we’re glad Andy Weir got fired.2024-10-1743 min
The Sword and Laser#490 - Cosy AdjacentAre we living in a Maas society? Veronica has recommendations in joining on the Sarah J. Maas train. Independent bookstores are on the rise. We kick off The Sword of Kaigen and give our spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.2024-05-3148 min
The Sword and Laser#489 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of VeronicasWe have Locus Award and Arthur C. Clarke award nominees. We share our non-spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. And Tom discovers Birria Ramen!2024-05-1733 min
The Sword and Laser#487 - Have We Reached Critical Maas?OMG all of the top bestsellers are romantasy! What order should you read series in? Does it matter? Also why is Veronica telling Tom to suck it? Or did we misunderstand. Tune in and find out!2024-04-1835 min
The Sword and Laser#486 - Pre-re-readWill Veronica and Tom make it to Glasgow? Not after that embarrassing German pronunciation. And after talking some baseball, they dig into non-spoilery discussion of Cordelia's Honor.2024-04-0834 min
The Sword and Laser#485 - Triangles Are StrongerThe Nebula Award nominees are out! Should we re-read Neuromancer? Veronica explains Type I, II, and III fun. The truth behind Cordelia's Honor. And our final thoughts on Iron Widow.2024-03-2748 min
The Sword and Laser#480 - What You Can Do With Mickey MouseAlternatives to Goodreads, and one of them is Amazon. Which owns Goodreads. What you can and can't do with Mickey Mouse. The "Who should play Murderbot" discussion continues. Typical human and augmented human stuff! Plus why Veronica should read this month's book pick.2024-01-0449 min
The Sword and Laser#477 - I Said What I Said, She SaidVeronica now knows how to catch up on Old Man's War. Should good books not be SciFi? Is "they said" saying too much? He “sucked his teeth” is not enough! We kick off Kings of the Wyld and wrap up Mimicking of Known Successes.2023-11-3044 min
The Sword and Laser#474 - The Vibe-rary at Mt. CharBest books of the year? Already? How Veronica got her k-wires out. And our non-spoilery thoughts on Library at Mount Char.2023-10-1935 min
The Sword and Laser#473 - Dewey DecimatedVeronica's state of K-wires, the most highly-rated books in the world, we kick off our read of The Library of Mount Char, and wrap up China Mountain Zhang.2023-10-1044 min
The Sword and Laser#469 - Venomous Breaded Hairtail SuckerVeronica has been in Canada for a year, and the best book in Canada is about Marie Antoinette. Tom ate some breaded hairtail and is excited about Gail Carriger's K-pop post. Plus, we announce the September book and give a few non-spoilery thoughts about Ninth House.2023-08-2437 min
The Sword and Laser#468 - Go Tweed Lions!Veronica curses the Lions and eats SO many blackberries. Also, our non-spoilery thoughts on Ninth House and Ivy League schools.2023-08-1044 min
The Sword and Laser#463 - OK Ant ComputerAre lengthy books inherently inferior? Tom and Veronica ignite a clash of generations! Furthermore, we delve into the captivating world of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and conclude the enthralling journey of Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.2023-06-0250 min
The Sword and Laser#460 - Thimble's KitchenWe wrap up Legends and Lattes and have a great idea for a sequel involving Thimble doing a cooking show. Plus, we're getting a Twilight TV series? We’ll make our best guesses about that too. Finally, Veronica's thoughts on spotted dick.2023-04-2240 min
The Sword and Laser#459 - Leave the Broadsword, Take the BiscottiWe hear a better version of the Pokemon cookbook than the real one, Veronica gets the tipoff for hot sauce, and our first cozy feelings about Legends and Lattes.2023-04-0840 min
The Sword and Laser#455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone DogThree Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom).2023-02-0933 min
The Sword and Laser#452 - Having FeelpinionsA very tense episode as Veronica and Tom violently agree about Elric of Melniboné. Plus, the most anticipated books of 2023, and how to take advantage of Novelist at your local library.2022-12-2942 min
The Sword and Laser#451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too AntiWe properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to feedback@swordandlaser.com. Plus our mid-read takes on Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Also, we break the news about Henry Cavill to Veronica live on the show.2022-12-1540 min
The Sword and Laser#450 - Where the Wild Nerds AreWe wrap up our thoughts on Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty and Tom tries out his 4-part way of evaluating books to explain why people enjoyed it differently. Plus we kick off our December pick, Elric of Melniboné, encourage you to save Locus Magazine and Veronica is IMPRESSIVE at reading author names now.2022-12-0244 min
The Sword and Laser#449 - Finding a Leggy BlondeVeronica forgets what beer she had. Must be a good beer. It was a blonde in a tall can. A leggy blonde perhaps? Also, we have the World Fantasy Award winner AND the SPFBO finalists! Plus our non-spoilery first impressions of Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes.2022-11-1729 min
The Sword and Laser#448 - The Reverse HeisenbergVeronica is very concerned about the Witcher news. Also on this episode: we have some prize winners to increase your to-read list. We pick a tentative fan name for y'all. We kick off our November read, Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, AND our final thoughts on The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. Also, Veronica might have Crow-vid.2022-11-0440 min
The Sword and Laser#446 - Don't Blurb on a Dime[Ed. note: We tried to fix V’s audio, sorry for the weirdness!] Veronica may have overdone becoming a friend of crows. She has more than 100 of them in her driveway now. Plus, we kick off our non-spoilery thoughts on The Jasmine Throne.2022-10-0637 min
The Sword and Laser#441 - Multiverse Tom Read ItHas a book ever changed your mind? Do authors write differently for audio? Pack that reading list with Clarke award nominees, it’s a new Sword and Laser!2022-07-1542 min
The Sword and Laser#440 - Mr. Darcy in SpaceWe have Locus winners and Veronica read so many of them! Plus, what makes some books seem like a retread while others more of a remix? And our first thoughts on Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik.2022-07-0143 min
The Sword and Laser#436 - It's About the HowdunnitIs a mystery ruined if you guess the perpetrator too early? We say maybe not! Plus good news from Peter V. Brett and more radical transparency from Veronica.2022-05-0637 min
The Sword and Laser#422 - Horror is Like CheeseVeronica and Tom discover why horror is like cheese. Plus the reason a German book is being made into an English TV show by Germans. And our spoilery final thoughts on NOS4A2 by Joe Hill!2021-10-2155 min
The Sword and Laser#419 - Trust me, It's SciFiTom and Veronica are jealous of those with Leviathan Falls ARCs, and wonder if a phobia ever affected your book enjoyment! Plus we kick-off Terra Nullius, and Tom reassures us that it IS SciFi.2021-09-0936 min
The Sword and Laser#418 - Don't Fart on My ArtAlastair Reynolds has a book, Tom needs a bookcrate sub stat, and our wrap-up of The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry.2021-09-0339 min
The Sword and Laser#417 - Bong!We've got Dragon Award finalists, a Kickstarter roundup for small publishers, and Tom buys new bookends. Plus, our non-spoiler thoughts on The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry.2021-08-1440 min
The Sword and Laser#415 - DisCon is not for DiscoDisCon is not for Disco but it could be? Why Veronica and Tom aren't idiots. All the summer reading list fodder your list can take. Who was your first binge? And is hard Sci-Fi cold by nature?2021-07-1645 min
The Sword and Laser#414 - The Age of Aquarium ShoesShould Tom enter a book contest? Good Omens season 2 is a good idea. And our final thoughts on Piranesi, problematic and otherwise.2021-07-0149 min
The Sword and Laser#412 - The Year Veronica Returned to Sword and LaserVeronica is back! And we have good news about TorCon, lots of new book recommendations from iO9, thoughts on the phrase "Asian Fantasy" and our kick-off of the June book pick, Piranesi by Susannah Clarke.2021-06-0336 min
The Sword and Laser#411 - Is Murderbot Art's Murderboo?The final book of the Expanse has been handed in for publication. Feelings of joy and sadness hit Tom. Plus, did Murderbot convert Robb Dunewood into a SciFi fan. Find out!2021-05-2036 minThe Sword and Laser#408 - You Can't Spell Young Adult without Adult#408 - You Can't Spell Young Adult without Adult by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont2021-04-0829 minThe Sword and Laser405: Above the FoldThe hosts of the SMR Podcast join Tom to discuss The Fold by Peter Clines. Is the main character overpowered? Can they convince Christ to read the book? Plus why kids these days get to tour potato chip factories AND the beginning of March madness!2021-02-2543 minThe Sword and Laser#402 - A tripod has three legs....#402 - A tripod has three legs.... by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont2021-01-1441 minThe Sword and Laser401 - More Like Dys-HOPE-ia, right?We learn the mysteries of the fig newton and Fangtasia. PLUS we kickoff our January book with a SUPRISE GUEST and how Parable of the Sower ended making Brea and Tom more hopeful.2020-12-2452 minThe Sword and Laser#400 - Boxing Day ExpertsLots of great books are turning into TV shows and movies and lots of great book recommendation lists are coming out! We also become experts on Boxing Day and are BLOWN AWAY by Trike's Sword and laser word search. And Brea and Tom make recommendations of when NOT to read Parable of the Sower.2020-12-1744 minThe Sword and Laser#399 - Sneaky Alternate Pick?Veronica is off on maternity leave but Brea Grant from the Reading Glasses podcast is here. yay! Brea gets to know pigeons, our legion of Richards and kicks off her pick for December, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. We also need your help uncovering the mystery of Boxing Day.2020-12-0333 min
The Sword and Laser#398 - Stand for the Strain at the StrandIt's Veronica's last episode before her maternity leave! OH MY. And we have some fun, including wrapping up our thoughts on Howl's Moving Castle.2020-11-1934 min
The Sword and Laser#397 - SqueeherentTom and Veronica draw the lines on whether they favor Alix E. Harrow or Tamsyn Muir (because they are both awesome). Tom has some new new writing coming out, and we have our first impressions of Howl's Moving Castle and why we missed out on it in our own childhoods.2020-11-0629 min
The Sword and Laser#395 - Spider BelmontSandman and Lord of the Rings go back intro production, why publishers shouldn't fear library eBooks, and a call for Sword and Laser book remembering help!2020-10-0927 min
The Sword and Laser#389 - Embracing the ChallengeIn this episode, it's tricky to put the World in WorldCon, alternate history first contact, and Tom is really excited about next month's pick. Plus, we wrap up our ultimately satisfying read of Black Leopard, Red Wolf.2020-07-3043 min
The Sword and Laser#385 - What do you mean HORROR?We address the harassment accusations against authors, discover that the July pick could be classified as horror (to Veronica's horror), and have a whole lot of good TV coming based on a whole lot of good books.2020-07-0339 min
The Sword and Laser#384 - Teenaged WiccanTom starts throwing money at Becky Chambers and Veronica defends her rose quartz. Plus, new Star Wars short stories coming and lots of great tie-in novels up for Scribe awards! Also our first impressions of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.2020-06-1830 min
The Sword and Laser#380 - The One Where Veronica ForgetsWe invited Andrew Heaton, Host of Alienating the Audience, to join us! Oh Dune… is there any wrong way to enjoy you? Possibly yes. We also wrap up How to Lose the Time War.2020-04-2352 min
The Sword and Laser#379 - Interview with Veronica RothVeronica Roth is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Divergent series, the Carve the Mark duology, The End and Other Beginnings collection of short fiction, and most recently her newest novel, Chosen Ones. We talk to her about the new novel, and what it’s like doing a virtual book tour!2020-04-1628 min
The Sword and Laser#377 - How to Hopefully WIN the Time WarWorldcon goes virtual and we totally get it, Tom has a new book out, ways to support your independent bookstore, we kick off our April pick, and FINALLY give our last thoughts on The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley.2020-03-2645 min
The Sword and Laser#371 - Science FungusVeronica explains the awesome piece in the New York Times about Ken Liu, we're excited for The Witcher, we announce the January book will be In the Company of Others by Julie Czerneda, and we wrap up The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Plus, we put the “fun” in Science Fungus.2019-12-2030 min
The Sword and Laser#370 - Death is Her Favorite CharacterGot reader’s block? We've got some tips to get you out of it. Is there too much SFF out there now? And why Death is Veronica's favorite character. We kick off Hogfather and give our final thoughts on Snow Queen!2019-12-0548 min
The Sword and Laser#361 - My Little Space Brain FriendsAre we excited for The Witcher? Probably? Are we excited for the Hitchhiker's Guide Hulu TV series? Maybe? Are we excited for Vessel? In some ways? Is Tom excited for The Poppy War? YES!2019-08-0146 min
The Sword and Laser#360 - Cuddling with DirewolvesVeronica is definitely not meeting direwolves in Ireland and stealing them and smuggling them back into the United States. Definitely not. Plus, our thoughts so far on Vessel by Lisa Nichols.2019-07-1833 min
The Sword and Laser#359 - We Have Literary OpinionsWe’re so excited about our guest pick! It’s the kickoff for our July book, and the first ever-not-in-any-way chosen by Tom or Veronica. Also we love XKCD and we love Station 11. Also Dara and Terpkristin. So much love!2019-06-2725 min
The Sword and Laser#358 - Nebula Interview with Greg van EekhoutTom talks with Greg van Eekhout, author of Voyage of the Dogs and California Bones about dogs, writing from local influences, and what the Nebulas mean to him. Also Tom embarrasses himself at least twice!2019-06-2022 min
The Sword and Laser#357 - The Last BeagleWe're excited for a trip to the Hunger Games' past and to hear Tatiana Maslany show us her Orphan Black chops again. Plus, Veronica takes on a Jim Butcher challenge and our final thoughts on The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.2019-06-2038 min
The Sword and Laser#356 - Greetings from Tom Merritt, IllinoisWe’re cautiously pessimistic about Winds of Winter, but hey wouldn’t that be cool? Also we discover what famous authors we live in (yes, you read that right, live in) and our initial thoughts on The Last Unicorn. PLUS an astonishing announcement about next month’s pick!2019-06-1025 min
The Sword and Laser#355 - Rebecca Roanhorse at the Nebulas!Tom catches up with Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning, to talk about writing native cultures in genre fiction and what she gets out of the Nebula conference.2019-05-3114 min
The Sword and Laser#354 - More Than a Bookstore to MeTom had fun at the Nebulas, and we’re excited about the winners. We also kick off a new book, wrap up the last one and give our thoughts about the Game of Thrones finale.2019-05-2340 min
The Sword and Laser#346 - Accio Book Pick!So many good TV shows based on books that we love are coming, and we even got a movie with a casting announcement that made Tom very excited! Plus, our final thoughts on The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal and the kick off of what we assume is a re-read for most of you, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling. Come on. Read it again! It’s fun!
We are GO for March Madness! Head to Goodreads or find the link on swordandlaser.com to vote for your favorite books.2019-03-0435 min
The Sword and Laser#341 - All You Need is BrainThe Sword and Laser bump returns! Also, Veronica wants to start reading comics. And we realize we need brain, but that’s all we need. Isn’t that festive!2018-12-2037 min
The Sword and Laser#338 - Hygge PunkTom inadvertently affects a listener feud, the truth about George R. R. Martin and why we think Zeroes is number 1.2018-11-1533 min
The Sword and Laser#326 - Slow Down, Readers!A database of all the stories, Stranger Things enters the tie-in book world, a debate about speed-listening, and what Veronica REALLY thinks about Zeus.2018-06-1440 min
The Sword and Laser#318 - I Wanna Know What Love IsTom tries to convince Veronica to fight hate, but A Wrinkle In Time has her questioning love's power.2018-03-0240 min
The Sword and Laser#312 - Eating Bones for Fun and Magic#312 - Eating Bones for Fun and Magic by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont2017-12-0835 min
The Sword and Laser#298 - Don't Get Eaten By a BearGeorge R. R. Martin has even more money coming his way, public domain books clean up nice, we love the Locus Award winners, and why Veronica is not allowed to let a bear eat her.2017-07-0631 min
The Sword and Laser#285 - Why You Should Like Bad CharactersSometimes a character does stuff you hate. And that’s OK! We explain why. Plus: great space opera, women writer picks, and some guy named Tom wrote a book too.2017-03-1539 min
The Sword and Laser#277 - January No-Beer ProblemWe commend Terry Brooks' foresight, possibly convince Veronica to watch the Man in the High Castle some more, and give you important information to get the most of The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.2017-01-0634 min
The Sword and Laser#270 - Be a Cat Burglar for Good!We don't want you to steal cats (not even books, really), just to take home the exhibit from the Museum of Science Fiction. We'll explain! Plus, you must cast your vote for the classic or the new! Will you vote against Veronica?2016-10-1337 min
The Sword and Laser#254 - Wheel Of BoobiesWheel of Time is getting a TV series and Veronica has one thing (well, more than one thing) that she expects to see. Would that make it the "boob tube?" (Ed. note -- Jesus, Tom... c'mon) Meanwhile we discuss how Aurora masterfully balances hard science and literary storytelling.2016-05-1135 min
The Sword and Laser#252 - Andrew Mayne's Magical Writing SecretsMagician and TV star Andrew Mayne has managed to become a successful published author. How? Not magic. Well some magic. But magic isn’t required. Plus Tom loves his latest novel Station Breaker.2016-04-2035 min
The Sword and Laser#251 - How Veronica Tamed TyrionStatistics dub Tyrion the main character of George R. R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords and Veronica got to talk to him! Well, she talked to Peter Dinklage anyway, who plays him on the TV show. She reports back on his handshake and reveals what Arya Stark did to her. Plus, we kick off our April books!2016-04-1329 min
The Sword and Laser#245 - Terry Pratchett Helps Us Feel BetterWe're very excited about the debut of our first Sword and Laser Inkshares collection book, The Life Engineered by JF Dubeau. We're a little bummed that Tom forgot to bring more than water to drink. We're super-excited about the Nebula Award nominees. And we were a little bummed at some of the reactions to The Sword of Shannara. But Vickie helped us out with an amazing Terry Pratchett quote, and all was well in Swordandlaserville.2016-03-0236 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #232 - Is This Book A Traitor To Its Genre?We wrap up our October book pick, The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Some people find the hero less than heroic. Some people find the genre less than fantasy. So why did Tom like it so much? Is HE a traitor? Also a short story vending machine and why we're so jealous of Ann Leckie's good taste.
http://swordandlaser.com/home/2015/10/27/sl-podcast-232-is-this-book-a-traitor-to-its-genre2015-10-2841 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #228 - Is Present Tense For Baby Brains?This week, things really go nuts when Veronica realizes that she likes Tom's book pick more than Tom does, which causes Tom to question everything he has ever known. Meanwhile, over on Goodreads, Thane questions whether present tense is the bane of genre fiction! Hmmm...2015-09-1632 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #217 - Apply John Scalzi Directly To ForeheadWe congratulate John Scalzi on his book deal (while Veronica teases about his Lock In Sequel’s title), applaud Ernest Cline’s choice of audiobook narrator and have polar opposite opinions about Leigh Brackett’s “Sword of Rhiannon.”2015-05-2841 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #215 - Is The Magician S Quentin Too HandsomeEverything you’ve ever read seems to be coming to TV. Plus Veronica tries to uncover Tom’s secret political conspiracy, while Tom changes Veronica’s opinion of 1940s era swashbuckling.2015-05-1435 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #214 - Discworld's Inner RageRucksack Universe Author and Pratchett Enthusiast, Anthony St. Clair joins us to wrap up our reading of Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters. Is Granny Weatherwax a conduit for Pratchett's righteous anger? Does Tom live next to Nanny Ogg? All these mysteries and more revealed.2015-04-3046 min
The Sword and LaserBUMPERX - Who Is Veronica BelmontCreated by Scott Johnson!
http://www.myextralife.com/2015-03-1900 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #206 - How Tyrion Could DieWe have a whole Wheel of Time pilot mystery to solve and then on top of it George RR Martin says any character in the Game of Thrones series could be killed even if they’re safe in the book. WHAT?! Hands off the Imp! Also we explore the mystery of why Tom didn’t like Annihilation more, even though he wanted to.2015-02-1843 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #204 - Annihilation Is Not The EndVeronica REALLY wanted to make the title of this episode "Tom Merritt is a sexist pig." But Tom doesn't need that kind of grief. And besides he has promised to read even more female SciFi/Fantasy authors going forward. But if you want to hear Veronica giggle at the notion-- as well as defend our book pick, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, and wax eloquent about the need for varied perspectives in literature-- then fire up this episode!2015-02-0440 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #197 - Veronica Is A CannibalWe sing the praises of Ursula K. Leguin, marvel at the casting of HBO's Westworld, announce our December book pick and wrap up Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Also, Veronica admits she would eat people.
Ed. note: I would eat people -V2014-11-2648 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #191 - Tom Merritt, Kindle HaterFrom excitement about a new book in the Old Man's War series, to a rising demand for SciFi, things are looking up on the laser side. We also find out that Tom doesn't use a Kindle and Veronica's opinion on spiders.2014-10-0149 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #187 - How To Win A HugoWe congratulate all the winners of the Hugos and chat with Aidan Moher about how he took home the best fanzine Hugo for A Dribble of Ink. Veronica milks him for info on how to win, and then we learn a way you can help more people become better writers and win more Hugos!2014-08-2042 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #184 - Threeways To Save HumanityThere’s so much you can do with us this week, including bringing Neil Gaiman to the stage, discovering 20th century high fantasy, and saving humanity. And how we can save humanity makes Tom blush.2014-07-2351 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #183 - The Damon Inside MeWe ponder on Matt Damon's role in The Martian, why we love to hate villains, and the role of philosophy and ideology in Octavia Butler's Dawn. Join us, before Veronica falls into the hellmouth.2014-07-0940 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #178 - David Weber Talks Honor At BayCon 2014David Weber joins Tom Merritt at BayCon to talk about the origins of his writing, the journey of Honor Harrington and how he relies on his fans.2014-06-081h 17
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #176 - Martians And Panda PantsVeronica is back from China to regale us tales of motorboating pandas, but first we announce our June book pick and wrap-up The Martian by Andy Weir. Is it as scientifically accurate as so many say? We get an aerospace engineer's perspective.2014-05-2849 min
Sword and Laser VideoS&L Video: Author Spotlight -N. K. JemisinN. K. Jemisin writes fiction that reads like history in the best way. But could it also be romance? We ask N. K. Jemisin that and how she’s able to keep a day job and still write amazing fiction. We also find out what trope she’d like to give a rest. It’s our season finale […]2014-05-0821 minSword and Laser VideoS&L Video: Author Spotlight – Jim C. HinesHaven’t you wondered how orcs and goblins and other monsters see the world? Do they feel unfairly vilified? Jim C. Hines can help you walk a mile in their— scaly misshapen feet. Find out why the author of the Goblin Series finds book-cover poses personally painful and whether he’ll give you a fire spider. Download […]2014-05-0121 minSword and Laser VideoS&L Podcast – #173 – JJ, Destroyer of CanonsWe’re very excited to have Bryan Benson on the show today, who backed our Kickstarter for season 2 of video, and got to pick this month’s book. He’s a game designer, author and all around great guy. Plus, he helped us to realize that JJ Abrams has become the destroyer of canonicity in SciFi. Get […]2014-04-3021 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #174 - A Wrap - Up Of EarthseaVeronica is traveling in China, so we pre-recorded this episode and took the opportunity to properly wrap-up A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin. We also kick off the rest of The Martian and promise to be better about these sorts of things once Veronica is back. Still, on the bright side, we are putting in practice a ton of great suggestions from the audience. Yay audience!2014-04-3027 min
The Sword and LaserS&L Podcast - #156 - Wrapping Up Dragons!It’s a no-holds barred episode where Tom and Veronica reveal their most horrible secrets. Happy Christmas! Also good news from Scott Lynch, slightly bad news from Charles Stross, and the book character you want on your side in a bar fight.2013-12-2337 min