Hey, Look, I’m on Sword & Laser This Week
Posted on August 3, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 14 Comments
Here’s the episode.
Incidentally, you might think that the laggy, six-frames a second thing I got going on that episode is due to a balky webcam, but the fact of the matter is that’s actually what happens to me when I have low blood sugar. For serious, man. It’s really annoying.
If you liked this episode of Sword and Laser, here’s their YouTube site for additional episodes. It’s part of that Geek & Sundry YouTube channel that also features Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton and other pals of mine. While you’re there, why not subscribe to them? They will love you for it.
The audio was fine. Good interview. Always intrigued by each writer’s process (and how their families deal with that process).
I just went ahead and deleted a bunch of comments because they promised a horrifyingly dreary and annoying comment thread, and I’d rather not have that right now.
Consider this is do-over.
Duly noted. Given myself a time out. No TV for the remainder of the day for me. A lame shot at frat house humor on my part. Carry on.
Winter’s Tale is a fantastic book, I highly encourage everyone to read it. Now I have to find a copy, it’s been years since I last did myself.
What a fantastic show! The hosts are great and the idea that I’ve been missing a show about SF/F books makes me want to kick myself in the butt. Looking forward to catching up on the previous episodes.
John, as usual you give good interview, especially when the interviewers are as good as these two are. They work really well together.
I, for one, would love it if you showed up on TableTop.
I agree with Ron, both about the quality of your interview and their skills as interviewers.
There was one thing you said that I disagree with, though…or at any rate I have a different perspective on it. You said you were telling the same story in Zoë’s Tale as in The Last Colony, but I actually think you’re telling an entirely different story with many of the same characters, against the same historical* background. (Of course I defer to you as author, but it’s my answer to “why would I want to read the same story again” when friends ask that question.)
I once, to amuse myself, tried putting the two books together chapter by chapter (just arranging the chapter numbers, not actually pasting up a book) in chronological order. I found it surprisingly hard to do. I think this is a sign of the integration of each book, and of how different they are in tone and color. It made me admire the work even more. (Someone, someday, is going to want to publish them as an “omnibus” in that format; this will be like the chronological version of the Godfather saga some TV network did a few years ago. In other words please don’t let them do it. Because no matter how they arrange it, there will be awkward clumsy wrong bits.
*Using this term on purpose to evoke historical novels set in frex the Peloponesian War; the big historical figures may be bouncing around, but there are definitely multiple stories to be told—even among them, much less among thousands of invented characters who COULD have lived then.
Arg. I should have previewed. Should be “..version of the Godfather saga some TV network did a few years ago. In other words please don’t let them do it. Because…”
I like Tom Merritt’s shoes.
John, I assumed you were dropping frames to keep your reality-warping superpowers under control.
Good interview, and I liked the John-speaking-from-a-sub-dimension-of-time FX.
And I liked the respects paid to Mencken. I admire his fearlessness also. You’re right, though, about some of his stuff being not for current tastes, shall we say. Now I have to decide whether to read the new book in bites, or wait for the whole thing in May. I already have an ereader, so you won’t catch me in the holiday scrum. Dammit, I hate making these decisions.
Easy decision; will wait for the dead-tree version. Cursing all you spoiler-droppers every minute of the way…
[Deleted because, while I am indeed bald, Sour Tipton has proven that all he wants to do around here is add comments that add nothing to the conversation here. So he doesn’t get to comment anymore. — JS]
Glad I caught this and I am looking forward to The Human Division. I know this is a new territory in regards to content distribution so I had a comment/request. If we purchase all the episodes would it be possible to also get a copy of the final eBook? For the tech savvy crowd we can stitch them together as an eBook since Tor has gone DRM-free (thank you Tor) but in the long term it is going to be more difficult to manage a 13 episode collection as libraries grow. I haven’t seen a great solution from any eReader on managing larger libraries. Ideally I would treat each “episode” like I do a TV show and “sync” the new stories and once the final version is out it will be in my library where I can re-read as a full novel.
Regarding pricing I’m going to guess that purchasing the episodes will be more expensive than the final novel. In the same way that buying individual songs is generally less expensive than whole albums. Hardcover vs. Paperback is another appropriate comparison as the stories will be available first at a premium and later at a reduced cost.
I’m honestly on the fence on how to give you my money. On one hand I can get them all in one shot in May. On the other the episodic format sounds interesting and would give me early access. Price is always a factor too so that’s another one to think about. I tend to be in the paperback/library/Red Box camp most of the time (toddlers are expensive) but could be swayed with access to episodes and the final stitched together novel that I don’t have to do myself (but legally could because its DRM-free, thank you again Tor.) Decisions, decisions.