The Sword and Laser
Episodes
#530 – You’re Pulling My Noodle
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Veronica's sick but she soldiers on and we review the final four of the March tournament. Plus our non-spoiler check in on Automatic Noodle. Also, we ...
#529 - Fuzzy Edges
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A voter's guide to our March Madness tournament. How to define genres. Your favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy quotes. And we wrap up our thoughts on Someplace t...
#528 - Dazed and Crowfused
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for our March book tournament! Nominations are open. Also, Veronica and Tom have shocking revelations about books they have NOT read. Also, ...
#527 - I'm Starting to Worry This Book Isn't Sci-Fi
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Heaton from the Political Orphanage stops by to talk about "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom" by Jason Pargin. Also, Veronica...
#526 - Halfway Happy
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
LACon V(eronica) registration is open, the Philip K. Dick Award nominees are out, and we discuss why we're "halfway happy." Plus, we kick off I'm Star...
S&L Podcast - #525 - The Beans That Wouldn't Burn
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s all about the beans on this Sword and Laser. Chili, chowder, and more. We also find time to talk about books, specifically Mark Lawrence’s bo...
#524 - 4 Stars: Clean, Not Cozy!
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Floating Hotel was a great deal, and we really enjoyed it when we checked in. During our stay we met some really interesting folks, and the staff ...
#523 - Ship Happens
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Should the Floating Hotel be called a “space cruise ship”? Why Veronica can't make change. Tom tries not to insult Stephen's intelligence. And hoo...
#522 - Punchin' Shrimp and Grits
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Jackson Bennett deserves more kudos. We clarify it's a tapas bar, not a topless bar. And our thoughts on the new book, Floating Hotel, and the ...
#521 - The Portions Are Too Big!
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We revel in the Lammy Awards, follow the tale of root beer, and discuss our first, or most recent, impressions of Interview with the Vampire. Hosted o...
#520 - Alternate Batman
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom reports from the Matt Dinniman book event in LA, we kick off our Interview with the Vampire read, and share our last spoilery thoughts on The Hexo...
#519 - No Stomach for Old Salad
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#519 - No Stomach for Old Salad by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#518 - Hugo Bump Yourself
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
#518 - Hugo Bump Yourself by Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#517 - She Who Became Herstory
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We get a history listen and revisit accents. And the clean blade battle is confirmed for WorldCon 2029. Plus our non-spoilery first impressions of She...
#516 - I Know What You Did Last Book Briefing
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why 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 lik...
#515 - The Details in the Devils
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We cast The Devils, try to apologize to Ruth, and recall other food-related romantasy. Plus, Veronica has a shameful tequila revelation. Hosted on Aca...
#514 - The Rebirths of Wesley Chu
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wesley 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 Soc...
#513 - A Civil War-burton
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everything is out of context. But we do have interesting thoughts about The Lives of Tao and lots of congrats for the winners and nominees of the Nebu...
#512 - Deep Dish is SciPie
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We 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 T...
#511 - Throw Me in the Corpse Hole
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss the return of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Frank Herbert’s posthumous SFWA Infinity Award, Audible’s AI narration plans and Amazon...
#510 - A New Theseus
10 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Hugo admins resigning over AI panel vetting to the latest award winners and a fresh Murderbot clip—to set the stage for our book club pick. The...
#509 - New Achievement!
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 determ...
#508 - Sexy, Sexy, Mind Palace
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have Murderbot trailer! And we like it! Plus, the Hugo nominees are out and we wrap up our thoughts on The City and the City and begin our April du...
#507 - Book Goblin
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom 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 be...
#506 - SECs Unit
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
March Madness has begun, so get your votes in now. Plus do we like Alexander Skarsgard as Murderbot? And our final thoughts on Will of the Many and n...
#505 - The Roman Empire is My Roman Empire
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The nominations have begun for our March Tournament! Why do we care if eBooks and print books are the same? And our first thoughts on The Will of the ...
#504 - The Miéville Effect
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have the best 25 books coming out in the next six months and the best 25 books of the last 25 years. Goodbye to the Science Fiction Book Club, our ...
#503 - Tapeworms and Time Travel
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom 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. Hosted on A...
#502 - Rhubarb Abercrumble
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We 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! ...
#501 - One Missed S-Call-Zi
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's end-of-year book list time! And we have a list of our favorite end-of-year lists. Plus, our initial thoughts on Akata Witch! Hosted on Acast. See...
#500 - 500 Gargle Blasters!
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We celebrate our 500th episode in the best way we know how—by asking ChatGPT to get our stats wrong. PLUS, announcing the book pick for December and...
#499 - Hugs for Your Ears
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#498 - Weird Things With Burritos
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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’r...
#497 - Some Desperate Sniffles
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 als...
#496 - Leminal Space
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 di...
#495 - All The News That's Fit to Squee
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#494 - Wheel of Thyme
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 winne...
#493 - Bunny Lamps and Bad Decisions
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 wr...
#492 - Smokey and the Narrator
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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. Host...
#491 - Next Month, Trauma!
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 wa...
#490 - Cosy Adjacent
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
#489 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Veronicas
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Fawce...
#488 - Barrayar Your Sword
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#487 - Have We Reached Critical Maas?
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 di...
#486 - Pre-re-read
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Will Veronica and Tom make it to Glasgow? Not after that embarrassing German pronunciation. And after talking some baseball, they dig into non-spoiler...
#485 - Triangles Are Stronger
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ou...
#484 - It's Giving "Mad"
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#483 - C is for Chestburster
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few more thoughts on the Hugos, who would win in a fight between Maas and Yarros, and we preview our March Madness brackets! Hosted on Acast. See ac...
#482 - Let's Talk About Seax, Baby
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 begi...
#481 - Big Trouble in Little Worldcon
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#480 - What You Can Do With Mickey Mouse
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Murderbo...
#479 - Where Have All The Beef Suits Gone?
30 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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)...
#478 - Without A Lick of Condensation
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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-spoile...
#477 - I Said What I Said, She Said
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#476 - Don't Get Your Atmoscarf In A Bunch
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 cap...
#475 - Father Knows Best
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Awards season is here! We're celebrating deserving winners and discussing potential TV and movie adaptations of our favorite books. This November, we'...
#474 - The Vibe-rary at Mt. Char
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Best books of the year? Already? How Veronica got her k-wires out. And our non-spoilery thoughts on Library at Mount Char. Hosted on Acast. See acast....
#473 - Dewey Decimated
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Z...
#472 - Felicia Day Opens Her Third Eye
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 tal...
#471 - PSL: Pumpkin Sword and Laser
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Chi...
#470 - Hammfisted
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#469 - Venomous Breaded Hairtail Sucker
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#468 - Go Tweed Lions!
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Veronica curses the Lions and eats SO many blackberries. Also, our non-spoilery thoughts on Ninth House and Ivy League schools. Hosted on Acast. See a...
#467 - It Was Good Filk
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 thought...
#446 - Spoon & Ladle
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hugos are out! The Hugos are out! Huge cookies are out! TRIKE READS READER'S DIGEST? Plus, the varied emotions caused by Planetfall. Hosted on Aca...
#465 - Skirting on the Edge of Danger
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 tha...
#464 - Awesome Bundle
17 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#463 - OK Ant Computer
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are lengthy books inherently inferior? Tom and Veronica ignite a clash of generations! Furthermore, we delve into the captivating world of Fourth Wing...
#462 - $5 FOR SCI-ANTS!
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Foundation is coming back to Apple TV, why Silo is great, you should not eat a bear, and what makes a great alien. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
#461 - CheckItOut!
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 pr...
#460 - Thimble's Kitchen
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
#459 - Leave the Broadsword, Take the Biscotti
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#458 - Pikastew is Off the Menu
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ma...
#457 - Timecozy
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The March Madness semifinals are here! And the race is TIGHT. Our first (non-spoiler) thoughts about Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings. Nominatio...
#456 - The Clarkesworld Flood
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Clarkeswo...
#455 - When Life Gives You Bones, Make a Bone Dog
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Three Body Problem is coming to two platforms, so many beginning-of-the-year reading lists, and why we all love Bonedog (even Tom). Hosted on Acast. S...
#454 - Baltimore, City of Baltars
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#453 - And That's How the News Goes
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 dis...
#452 - Having Feelpinions
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 advantag...
#451 - When Your Anti-Hero Gets a Little Too Anti
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We properly credit the amazing Nancy Pearl and her four doorways into stories. And we want yours! Send them to [email protected]. Plus our mi...
#450 - Where the Wild Nerds Are
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#449 - Finding a Leggy Blonde
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Veronica 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 ...
#448 - The Reverse Heisenberg
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Veronica 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...
#447 - Sword and Lazy
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 15th anniversary! And we celebrated by making puns, discussing our favorite wearable fantasy and sci-fi weapons, and finding rumors about our...
#446 - Don't Blurb on a Dime
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
[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...
#445 - Release the S&L Cut!
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We love the Wellsian Touch, be it murderbots or fantasy. Is there a Harry Potter of SciFi? And we wrap up How High we Go in the Dark… and suggest th...
#444 - Cut Thieves and Purses
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Hugos are here and lots of very deserving winners. A roguish story bundle. Are TV shows worse than an ending? Our first thoughts on How High We Go...
#443 - The Land of MoarTor
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We get more Tor now and possibly more Lord of the Rings movies. Plus a nuanced discussion of representation in a book when the author is white. Hosted...
442 - Multiverse Penguin
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is Hunt the Stars a summer fling? We wrap up our thoughts on the SFR hit. Plus, the lowdown on the RandomPenguin antitrust lawsuit as they try to buy ...
#441 - Multiverse Tom Read It
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Has 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 L...
#440 - Mr. Darcy in Space
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We 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 t...
#439 - And the Rest is History
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So many awards! We learn about a novelization of an unpublished Alien 3 script by William Gibson. We take a brief trip back to episode 1. And we share...
#438 - New Ruth Rising
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's award season! We have Nebulas, we have Mythopoeics, we have Nommos. We also have some nice reviews of the show, and we wrap up our thoughts on Ma...
#437 - Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The hope of science fiction spurred by a science museum, Dracula by email, why it's called a tetralogy and our non-spoilery thoughts on Machinehood, a...
#436 - It's About the Howdunnit
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is 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 Ve...
#435 - Cultural Appreciation
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Hugo finalists are out? Already? Already! A banned beer. And our initial non-spoiler impressions of Master of Djinn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...
#434 - Are Sequel Prequels Equal?
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A whole bundle of good stories, telling tales from the point of view of villains, and we kick off our reading of A Master of Djinn by P. Djèli Clark....
#433 - Slow Burns
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss our March Madness winner, salute Martha Wells, and wrap up our copious thoughts about Pandora's Star. Are you in with the motiles? Hosted o...
#432 - Does the Crow Rooster?
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We have thoughts about why a rooster crows. Plus all the Nebula news and more awards. And we dig into our non-spoilery thoughts on Pandora’s Star. H...
#431 - A Peach Blossom of a Novella
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A mad, mad March has arrived! Every year in March we run a tournament to determine the April book pick. And like some actual sporting tournaments, we ...