Review: Geek & Sundry – Sword & Laser

I’ve never heard the Sword and Laser podcast before, so, I’m sure they’ve had to tweak their format a little but the segments are funny and clever. The first segment is called “Quick Burns” and the hosts discuss the new book Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones, a companion book written by Bryan Cogman that gives fans a new way to enjoy the fictional world of Westeros. They also talk about the Hugo Award nominations, the release of Harry Potter in E-book format, and how E-books are revitalizing science fiction by allowing authors to self publish their work.

A major part of the show is an interview with Scott Sigler about his new book, Nocturnal. Scott compares the book as a cross between Lethal Weapon and Hellboy, a police detective procedural that takes a monster genre turn. I have not read any of Sigler’s works but after watching the book trailer (I wasn’t aware that books had trailers) and listening to his plot description I will definitely be looking out for his books. In their third segment, Veronica and Tom pick The Magicians as their book of the month for April. The Magicians is a fantasy novel written by Lev Grossman and can be described as a more adult version of the Harry Potter books.

I really enjoyed this web show. Veronica and Tom have great chemistry together and they have filled the show with great segue pieces like “Alternate History”, where Apollo 13 was a successful mission creating a chain reaction that causes Tom Hanks to star in Waterworld since Apollo 13 would never become a film. The show is very clever and it is great to see a showcase for fantasy and science fiction novels. I will be looking forward to the next episode that will air on April 27^th and any fantasy or science fiction fans should check it out, if only to see the adorkable Veronica Belmont.