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Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont
Read along with the Sword and Laser book club! From classic science fiction to the latest gritty fantasy, we cover it. Subscribe for book discussions, author interviews, hot releases, and news from the genre fiction world!
Total 362 episodes
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#499 - Hugs for Your Ears
We decided to take a break from the usual format and recommend some BIPOC and LGBTQIA authors. Plus, we kick off The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in case you need some comic relief.
39:49
13/11/2024
#498 - Weird Things With Burritos
We 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.
43:25
17/10/2024
#497 - Some Desperate Sniffles
We learn a lot about nunchucks and old best SciFi lists, but we spend the majority of our time mulling over Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. We also kick off a cozy October horrorish read.
56:21
03/10/2024
#496 - Leminal Space
Sad news followed by recommendations from Parade Magazine! And The Booker Short List. Plus, do you hate it when a series isn't continuing the story directly? And we check in on our September read of Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.
34:07
19/09/2024
#495 - All The News That's Fit to Squee
We have Dragon Awards and Hugo Awards, we kick off Some Desperate Glory, and wrap up our final thoughts on The Spear That Cuts Through Water. Also, we determine we might need to squee more.
36:05
05/09/2024
#494 - Wheel of Thyme
This is not a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles podcast but it sure does end like one. But before it comes to that we boggle at all the awesome award winners, and talk about our good first impressions of The Spear That Cuts Through Water. Oh, and we have an idea for a cafe filled with Brandon Sanderson puns. Oh the puns!
39:20
08/08/2024
#493 - Bunny Lamps and Bad Decisions
Oh, Hugos. Also, the best Sci-Fi books of all time, and will AI kill the planet? We kick off our August book The Spear that Cuts Through Water, and wrap up our last thoughts on Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung.
53:16
26/07/2024
#492 - Smokey and the Narrator
We debate whether we want dead celebrities to read our audiobooks. How long is too long for a series? And our non-spoilery takes on Cursed Bunny.
38:12
11/07/2024
#491 - Next Month, Trauma!
It's awards season and we cover them all, including a Martha Wells sweep! We wrap up our thoughts on Sword of Kaigen and get excited (read: trigger warnings) for Cursed Bunny, our July pick.
56:37
27/06/2024
#490 - Cosy Adjacent
Are 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.
48:14
31/05/2024
#489 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Veronicas
We 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!
33:37
17/05/2024
#488 - Barrayar Your Sword
Some great books in the Seiun Awards in Japan, why Sword and Laser is good for your heart, we kick off the May pick, and finally wrap up our thoughts on the surprising complexity and depth of the awesome Cordelia's Honor.
47:19
02/05/2024
#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!
35:16
18/04/2024
#486 - Pre-re-read
Will 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.
34:20
08/04/2024
#485 - Triangles Are Stronger
The 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.
48:35
27/03/2024
#484 - It's Giving "Mad"
We check in on who's winning the tournament. A vikings kids book! Where it's stabbing time! We talk a little bit about Iron Widow, and wrap up Shadow of the Gods.
48:34
07/03/2024
#483 - C is for Chestburster
A few more thoughts on the Hugos, who would win in a fight between Maas and Yarros, and we preview our March Madness brackets!
44:14
23/02/2024
#482 - Let's Talk About Seax, Baby
We've opened nominations for Mad Marchness!, our March tournament of book picks. Plus, the failure of the Hugos and the rise of Romantasy. And we begin our first impressions of Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne.
54:47
09/02/2024
#481 - Big Trouble in Little Worldcon
Surprise, there's a problem with hosting the Hugos in China. Plus: Keanu Reeves is co-writing with China Mieville, we kick off our February read, The Shadow of the Gods. And our spoilery thoughts on The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.
54:27
26/01/2024
#480 - What You Can Do With Mickey Mouse
Alternatives 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.
49:14
04/01/2024
#479 - Where Have All The Beef Suits Gone?
Are there too many Nat 20s in Kings of the Wyld, our stance on Skarsgard as Murderbot, and we introduce the January pick (which has a lot of triggers).
48:57
30/12/2023
#478 - Without A Lick of Condensation
All the end of year book picks are out with lots of great titles to add to your own list! Did Vonnegut think he was a genre writer? And our non-spoilery thoughts about Kings of the Wyld.
35:14
14/12/2023
#477 - I Said What I Said, She Said
Veronica 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.
44:49
30/11/2023
#476 - Don't Get Your Atmoscarf In A Bunch
We're huge fans of mushrooms! Fourth Wing is EVERYWHERE. And remember, the very aspects of a novel you might not fancy could be the same ones that captivate someone else.
34:36
16/11/2023
#475 - Father Knows Best
Awards season is here! We're celebrating deserving winners and discussing potential TV and movie adaptations of our favorite books. This November, we're diving into a novel about trains on Jupiter and concluding our October discussion on Father’s “5D chess.”
48:07
02/11/2023
#474 - The Vibe-rary at Mt. Char
Best books of the year? Already? How Veronica got her k-wires out. And our non-spoilery thoughts on Library at Mount Char.
35:26
19/10/2023
#473 - Dewey Decimated
Veronica'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.
44:40
10/10/2023
#472 - Felicia Day Opens Her Third Eye
We talk to Felicia Day about her new Audible Original Third Eye, and how her own struggles led to her story about a chosen one who fails. Plus, we talk about the importance of doing what you love and learning to leave your past behind (and why she's eating ground turkey a lot).
48:13
28/09/2023
#471 - PSL: Pumpkin Sword and Laser
Guess what? The new Bobiverse is coming, and we would love to have your emails! Plus, we've got some super cool thoughts (no spoilers, promise) on China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh. But you don't have to take my blurb for it!
56:58
21/09/2023
#470 - Hammfisted
The last new Terry Pratchett stories, the rise of nonsense literature, a brief intro to our September pick China Mountain Zhang, and final thoughts on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
40:44
31/08/2023
#469 - Venomous Breaded Hairtail Sucker
Veronica 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.
37:29
24/08/2023
#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.
44:30
10/08/2023
#467 - It Was Good Filk
We get to the bottom of why it's called Fahrenheit 4-5-1 and which songs get stuck in our heads when we hear “Aes Sedai.” We finish up our thoughts on Planetfall by Emma Newman and kick off Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
39:37
03/08/2023
#446 - Spoon & Ladle
The Hugos are out! The Hugos are out! Huge cookies are out! TRIKE READS READER'S DIGEST? Plus, the varied emotions caused by Planetfall.
39:19
20/07/2023
#465 - Skirting on the Edge of Danger
Some of our favorite authors are giving away free short stories and winning Locus Awards. What the best book club pick we ever made was. Why books that make you uncomfortable are important to read. And our last thoughts on Fourth Wing.
58:13
07/07/2023
#464 - Awesome Bundle
So much good news! Telltale Games is making a game based on The Expanse! Season 2 trailer for Good Omens!Humble Bundle has Mercedes Lackey books. And we think it should stop being humble and admit it's awesome! Plus we check in on Fourth Wing. Turns out more people like it than you think.
35:39
17/06/2023
#463 - OK Ant Computer
Are 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.
50:34
01/06/2023
#462 - $5 FOR SCI-ANTS!
Foundation is coming back to Apple TV, why Silo is great, you should not eat a bear, and what makes a great alien.
36:23
18/05/2023
#461 - CheckItOut!
Taika Waititi is adapting a fantasy novel and also looked quite fine at the Met. Plus, self-publishing award winners, Locus nominees, and we have a progressive story in the works!
34:56
04/05/2023
#460 - Thimble's Kitchen
We 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.
40:55
22/04/2023
#459 - Leave the Broadsword, Take the Biscotti
We 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.
40:45
08/04/2023
#458 - Pikastew is Off the Menu
New books for spring, finalists for the Annual Lambda and Imadjinn Awards, and the Internet Archive's e-book lending lawsuit. Plus, we kick off the March Madness winner!
37:38
31/03/2023
#457 - Timecozy
The March Madness semifinals are here! And the race is TIGHT. Our first (non-spoiler) thoughts about Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings. Nomination lists are out for Nebulas and Bradbury's, and nomming has begun for the Hugos (hint hint). Plus why everybody ate lasagna after our last episode!
41:18
09/03/2023
#456 - The Clarkesworld Flood
Our “March that is Mad” tournament is live! 15 books enter, one gets to be the April pick, and everyone wins! Plus, please stop flooding Clarkesworld with AI-written manuscripts. Use ChatGPT for good! Also, we kick off our March read and wrap up our thoughts on Nettle & Bone.
45:56
24/02/2023
#455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone Dog
Three Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom).
33:38
09/02/2023
#454 - Baltimore, City of Baltars
We may be getting some Zelazny TV, Murderbot is coming back, some ideas of non-fiction book picks we could try, and we kick off our February book pick, Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.
34:58
26/01/2023
#453 - And That's How the News Goes
We check in on how everyone is feeling about Brightness Falls From the Air. We also feel mildly optimistic about Apple's digital narrators, and we discuss the best way to introduce someone to a series.
31:11
12/01/2023
#452 - Having Feelpinions
A 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.
42:16
29/12/2022
#451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too Anti
We properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to
[email protected]
. 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.
40:24
15/12/2022
#450 - Where the Wild Nerds Are
We 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.
44:27
02/12/2022