The Sword and Laser discussion

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 because it’s a full moon eclipse coming up and Venus is in retrograde. Or something! We check in on The City and The City by China Miéville, and we see and unsee your perspectives on the book thus far.

https://www.swordandlaser.com/home/20...

When I saw the title, I thought Tom and Veronica would mention Elisabeth Wheatley
She's an indie author who writes in the fantasy genre. She is a queen of tiktok/youtube self-promotion and created a voracious book-reading character called Book Goblin.

I have read her book Daindreth's Assassin and can definitely recommend it.

She would be good to interview.

The question was asked, How often have we read the March Madness Runner-up.

In the 9 years of March Madness, the runner-up has not ended up as a pick eventually, only 3 times.

2016: was a tie. Both books read. The Fifth Season as an alt-pick.
2017: Howl’s Moving Castle was a pick in 2020
2018: Soulless was an alt-pick.
2019: Never picked. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
2020: Never picked. The City of Brass
2021: Never picked. Gods of Jade and Shadow
2022: Children of Time was a pick in 2023
2023: Children of Time was a pick in 2023
2024: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a pick in 2024


Of the books chosen to be in the March Madness Final 16 Brackets, 33 have ended up as S&L Book picks. (So far)

The best year was 2018 where 8 of the 16 books have ended up as book picks (7 official and 1 alt-pick)

The most read in a single year was in 2024, 6 of the 12 Book picks for the year were March Madness books (5 from the 2024 Tournament and 1 from 2022)

4.77 books, on average, from each Tournament end up as Book Picks.
3.66 books, when you account for books that were in multiple Tournaments.

Children of Time warps the statistics after going semi final, final, final before being picked.

So only two have been read in the same year... Miéville effect all over again,

Iain wrote: "Children of Time warps the statistics after going semi final, final, final before being picked.

So only two have been read in the same year... Miéville effect all over again,"

4 runner-ups were read in the same year.
2016, 2018 (Both April alt-picks)
& 2023 & 2024 (Both May picks)

The Fifth Season was, effectively, the runner-up, as V&T used their veto powers to declare A Darker Shade of Magic as the Official Book pick.

^ Call me Gandalf because I have no memory that event.

^ wasn't the vote between The Fifth Season and A Darker Shade of Magic was a dead heat / tie?

Yes it was a tie.

Veronica and Tom chose A Darker Shade of Magic as the official April book pick because we had already read an N.K. Jemisin book.

The Fifth Season was chosen as an alt-pick for the same month.

Ties can longer happen. Veronica and Tom will cast a deciding vote if votes are level.

Tassie Dave wrote: "Yes it was a tie.

Veronica and Tom chose A Darker Shade of Magic as the official April book pick because we had already read an N.K. Jemisin book.

The Fifth Season was chosen as an alt-pick for ..."

I thought I remembered them talking that over on the podcast at the time. It was good to know that there was a process in place for the possibility. I also seem to remember one of them explaining that they don't vote in the tournament in case they had to "cast the deciding vote".

Honour and integrity. We like that! :-)

Cottage pie has pieces of cottage in it.

As it should and Pot Pie has pot in it. 😜