Conner Podcasts

#012 - The S&L Podcast: Biggest book pick ever!

The Sword and Laser

Welcome back everyone! So, I'm still trying to figure out why my audio sounds like crap, while Tom sounds great. It's especially grating since, you know, I'm supposed to be an audio producer and all. How embarrassing! We'll work it out soon, I promise. Anyhow, here's the show: Book #8 is going to be Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. The two interesting things about this book are that a) it's super long and b) it's only available in hardcover and Kindle versions. We're also going to give everyone some more time than usual to get through this 900-someodd page book. CONTEST Here's the poll for the Best Closing Line Contest! Here are the choices: 1. Michael H. -- A smile crept into his eyes and with his walking stick in one hand, and the orb faintlynbsp;glowingnbsp;in the other, Gabriel set off across the street, scanning the horizon for traffic, and making a mental note to take better care next time he bought a tchochki from a Devonian Barkeep. 2. Michael M. -- With palpable relief Schuman slumped over the rail waiting for the pool of magma to close over the briefcase and reflected to himself that he still hadn't had a cup of coffee. 3. Shane G. -- And it came to pass in the last days of the lost colony that the swords were broken and the lasers died and the people cried out to the unhearing heavens from which they had come saying, "If any remain among the stars, for your lives, do not part the quantum jelly!" 4. Gregory F. -- After the dust had settled and the sound of battle waned, Sabrina and Julia found each other amongst the ruins. nbsp;The sisters then knew they had won, and once again evil would sleep. [poll=8] The winner gets a Logitech USB Headset! FROM THE NING GROUP Music while reading Frogg Lately, I have been doing a good chunk of my reading on the bus on my way to work. Whenever I leave the house, I always have my iPod on me, so I find myself listening to music while reading. Does anyone else do this, and if so, what do you listen to? I usually shy away from anything with lyrics. It makes it hard to concentrate if I get caught up listening to the words, so most of my reading is done listening to post-rock stuff like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Esmerine, etc. Recently I have been on a William Gibson kick, and ambient electronic music such as Boards of Canada or Apparat go very well with it. terpkristin I can't listen to music while I read, even something without lyrics. If I try, I soon find myself humming along with what I'm listening to and not paying attention to what I'm reading. I do write with music on, though, typically something electronic. How Where Do You Like to Read CHECK OUT AUDIBLE! Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi #38; Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary.nbsp; In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio.nbsp; Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free. Stay tuned for more info on METAtropolis, from Audible! Featuring: Battlestar Galactica Cast Members: Michael Hogan Alessandro Juliani Kandyse McClure Legendary audiobook narrators: Scott Brick (Frank Herbertrsquo;s Dune) Stefan Rudnicki (Orson Scott Cardrsquo;s Enderrsquo;s Game) read less

Latest Episodes for this Channel

#012 - The S&L Podcast: Biggest book pick ever!

Mon September 08 2008

Welcome back everyone! So, I'm still trying to figure out why my audio sounds like crap, while Tom sounds great. It's especially grating since, you kn... read more

#011 - The S&L Podcast: We’re tharn over Watership Down

Tue August 19 2008

Hey everyone! We're back, and recording from the New Media Expo in Las Vegas (OK, we were there last week, it took me some time to get this posted...)... read more

Hey everyone! We're back, and recording from the New Media Expo in Las Vegas (OK, we were there last week, it took me some time to get this posted...). We've just finished up Watership Down, and we hope you enjoyed it. Tom is going all dictator on us next time around, so he'll be posting his choice for the next book soon! Here are the show notes: Bunnies as a community The interactions are based on real rabbit behavior, but there is a lot of humanity in them to make us able to grasp their situations/feelings etc. What do you think of the blend? The stories of El-Haraihrah Mike - I think my favorite segments of the book are the stories about El-Ahrairah. He is quick and clever, not above a prank or two and fiercely loyal to his people. In many ways his stories reminded me of SÅ«n Wugrave;kÅng (Monkey King) from Journey to the West (although to be fair El-Ahrairah is a little less irrepressable). Why do you think Adams put these segments in? Do they just fill more pages? Does the addition of the mythology add depth and meaning to the rabbit society and characters? What do you think? Sh1mm3r - I thought of the mythological trickster at first, but I think El-Ahrairah is unique in that he uses his trickster abilities to protect his "people." I like how the stories add a mythology to the rabbit culture, but also seem to encourage and inspire them to solve their own problems creatively. Disappointed in Fiver Sam! -nbsp; I feel like Adams made a promise to us as his audience. He's presented us with a warren of rabbits, living in what seem to be our world, doing all of the things that real rabbits do... except for Fiver. He's the one who starts us on our journey and ultimately moves us along throughout the entire novel. (sandelford, cowslip, the fox, hazel's shooting and rescue, even his blessing of the trip to efrafa). In each scenario, his predictions turn out to be spot on. Adams' promise was that this one outside force (fiver) was there for a reason that would be made clear before the story finished. My question is simply.. Did he keep to his promise? Do we, as an audience, believe in fiver as a rabbit of the watership down warren... or do we view him as a storytelling mechanic used to take us from act to act? Why is it that Fiver alone (with the arguable exception of one of the efrafan does) has this magic ability? And, further, is the ability justified? Nick W - I found fiver added a large amount of interest to the story due to how very dark his predictions were, the hill covered in blood, the ceiling held up with bones, but even though he added interest he did seem simply like a tool to guide the story along. It seems like Adams tossed the other doe in efrafa in so as to say "See, he's not the only one that can do this". I would of believed his abilities more (and seen him less as a tool) if all of the rabbits had some psychic ability, Fiver's just being extra strong. Perhaps Fiver discovered a worm that excreted a powerful spice. Metaphors? Adams has said he did not intend Watership Down as a metaphor.nbsp; But many paralels can be drawn? Totalitarian/Militaristic Society Rebellion The Heroes Journey Wikipedia entry draws parallels to hero journey stories like the Odyssey. Tolkien scholar John Rateliff calls Adams's novel an Aeneid "what-if" book: what if the seer Cassandra (Fiver) had been believed and she and a company had fled Troy (Sandleford Warren) before its destruction? What if Hazel and his companions, like Aeneas, encounter a seductive home at Cowslip's Warren (Land of the Lotus Eaters)? Rateliff goes on to compare the rabbits' battle withWoundwort's Efrafans to Aeneas's fight with Turnus's Latins. "By basing his story on one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Adams taps into a very old myth: the flight from disaster, the heroic refugee in search of a new home, a story that was already over a thousand years old when Vergil [sic] told it in 19 B... read less

#010 - The S&L Podcast: OMG Bunnies!

Fri August 01 2008

News Tales of Beetle the Bard to be published Dec. 4 She will donate all monies to the Childrenrsquo;s Voice campaign.nbsp; Amazon plans to produce 10... read more

News Tales of Beetle the Bard to be published Dec. 4 She will donate all monies to the Childrenrsquo;s Voice campaign.nbsp; Amazon plans to produce 100 copies with the intention to duplicate the original look and feel of the book Amazon bought from her at auction for collectors that will go for $100 (recoup some of that money back) and the 157 page book will also have additional illustrations from the author. The standard edition will retail for $12.99 i09 debate: Magic vs. Science Watership Down First novel by Richard Adams Published in 1972 Was rejected by 13 publishers but has never been out of print since first published. Watership Down began as a story that Richard Adams told to his two children, Juliet and Rosamund, on a long car journey. Based on he Private Life of the Rabbit (1964), by British naturalist Ronald Lockley Anti-feminist?nbsp; Misogynistic? Adapted into a film in 1978. Also made into a TV series in the UK int he early 1990s and a theater production as well. Ning Forum ReviewsTayo - I just read "Feast of Souls" by C. S. Friedman and I cant recommend it highly enough. Fantastic. One of the most original new fantasies I have read since "Sabriel" by Garth Nix.Simon - I have just finished reading the Terry Goodkind series 'Sword of Truth' and thought that I should tell you all that it was MEGA. Also if anyone has read this series then can you advise who to read next. I'm a bit stuck for ideas.Giveaway! We're giving away a Logitech USB Headset! Want it? Get creative! Write us a ONE LINE CLOSING SENTENCE to a science fiction or fantasy novel. See our last contest for a sample of a good opening line! We'll put the top choices up for a vote! Check out Audible! Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi #38; Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary.nbsp; In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio.nbsp; Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free. read less

#009 - The S&L Podcast: Unshapely Things

Mon June 23 2008

We're back.nbsp; Expect us monthly or twice monthly for now! Sorry for the crappy headset sound, my external sound card is having problems! Unshapely ... read more

We're back.nbsp; Expect us monthly or twice monthly for now! Sorry for the crappy headset sound, my external sound card is having problems! Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco As compared to Dresden Files? Let's turn to some forum comments from swordandlaser.ning.com! terpkristin wasn't really excited about this choice but got it anyway she says "dang, that was quite a happy surprise. I think I'm going to get the next book in the Connor Grey series. Did anybody else have any expectations going in? Were you surprised (in a good way or bad)?" Rick had the opposite reaction.nbsp; He was jazzed to read it but... "I read through it in three days, and while the read was quick and easy, it just struck me as a not very well done Dresden Files clone. I was so disappointed. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but for me, I won't be looking for any more del Franco books in the near future." Sam! said "As far as this one went, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Fun characters and a story that hooked me. I was particularly fond of Meryl. Actually, without saying too much, I found his female characterizations to be almost unanimously stronger than his male cast (aside from Joe, perhaps). Also, I was really satisfied with the ending, but there was still enough left unexplored and unanswered that I want to know what happens to Mr. Grey next." GeekDad_4WD - "I think he is setting up a whole series of books starting with this one. I did not think the characters were stiff or flat. I think del Franco is waiting for the next book or two to really develop them. And I enjoyed the allusions to a past planet/existence/world concept." Jimbo - "The only real issue I have with the novel is that it hints at past events, the convergence and fey conflict in WWII, that I find far more interesting than the main story. There are so many possibilities for interesting plots in the convergence. I also want to know what a fey war would be like. Would it be just magic or would they use human weapons also? I want to know!" Next Book? A dictatorship! Oh yes indeed. Also, Tom loves WoW. read less

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

Fri May 23 2008

We're just starting the new story, but somehow we found a ton to talk about anyway! NEW BOOK!Unshapely Things by Mark Del Francoldquo;In an alternate ... read more