Francesco Dimitri

Sending all the best vibes I have, Lee!

True, but a good number of the UK’s reasons for pride too. England is a wonderfully strange, nuanced, place. Some of us moved here attracted exactly by that. This makes the silly thugs of Reform even more jarring. They should be sent to the their room with no tea.

(I didn’t say ‘British’ because I feel there’s something distinctively English about both those values and their betrayal - Scots, Welsh, and Irish are a lot more similar to us Italians, in many, many ways, good and bad).

It’s odd, because as a foreigner who has been living in this country for almost twenty years, this is how I feel about Reform: it is a betrayal of the best English values. Perhaps a betrayal of English conservatives even more so. Smart Tories should be up in arms against them more than anybody else.

The Sanremo Festival is supposed to be a moment of joy for Italians and Italianophiles worldwide. Some silly fun in dark February. That they transformed it into this boring melange of harmlessness is so 2025-2026.

After watching and loving Slow Horses (I’m late to the party, I know), I’m catching up on the Smiley novels I hadn’t read yet, and they’re wonderful. Also, for Italians: the Slough House team are basically Alan Ford and the TNT group. They even have a female Bob Rock.

Just seen that “AI is punk” take and… gosh. Was not aware that “counter-culture” in 2026 meant participating in a trillion dollar industry pushed by the world’s most valuable companies and the world’s most powerful nation.

The film of Wuthering Heights is what happens when you take the edge off a story and round it up nicely with Instagram filters. As I was saying a few days ago - this is writing by numbers. Of course AIs are going to do stuff like this better than humans in no time.

Also see @jasonsanford.bsky.social 's post here, about AI scamsters threatening to review bomb if their kind offer of a "book club feature" isn't taken up. I do wonder if this suggests that they're not actually getting many takers, but I guess review bombing at scale is something AI would be

Once we base entire sub-genres on tags, which were born to orientate machines to begin with, we cannot complain when machines take over, that’s all I’m saying.

Too many books feel as if they’ve been written by an algorithm. If that’s how we write, and if that’s the kind of writing that gets promoted, of course an AI can do a better job than writers & publishers. Our first line of defence is neither tech or law. It is writing and promoting better books.

Hi Jason, I just came across We Who Hunt Alexanders, and I have to say it immediately grabbed me. Amelia’s story is gripping, dark, and layered with emotion. The way you explore a monster who feels happiness, sadness, fear, and love in a world that’s cruel and unforgiving makes this story compelling and unforgettable. That’s exactly why I wanted to reach out. I run a book review service through Super Lovers Book, connecting books with real readers who genuinely enjoy science fiction, dark fantasy, and emotionally rich stories. These readers don’t just leave stars they leave thoughtful, honest reviews that highlight what makes a story unique, powerful, and worth discovering. Here’s why reviews are so important for We Who Hunt Alexanders: Build Trust: Potential readers often decide whether to pick up a book based on reviews. Authentic feedback signals that your story is worth their time. Increase Visibility: Platforms like Goodreads reward books with steady, genuine reviews, helping them appear in search results, recommendations, and “readers also enjoyed” lists. Generate Momentum: Each review encourages more readers to pick up the book, engage with the story, and leave their own thoughts, creating a snowball effect of attention. Reach the Right Audience: Reviews written by readers who love sci-fi and dark fantasy ensure your story reaches the readers most likely to appreciate and recommend it. I truly believe We Who Hunt Alexanders deserves this kind of engagement. A few honest reviews now can amplify your book’s reach, help it gain visibility, and connect it with the readers who will love it most. Would you be open to having We Who Hunt Alexanders read and reviewed by genuine readers who are passionate about sci-fi and dark fantasy? No pressure at all I just wanted to reach out because your work deserves to be discovered by more readers. Warmly, Herry Sharp CEO, Super Lovers Book

if you continue to ignore my messages, I might do something you would regret for the rest of your life. I already have access to your book, and instead of giving it a positive review, I will leave a negative one and damage its reputation. It seems you have forgotten that I have a community of readers, and I can easily influence them to bring your book down. You can try me though. CEO | Super Book Lover Curator Helping brilliant books find their people, one honest review at a time.

Book club scams are now threatening authors who don't fall for their BS. In December, I received an email from Herry Sharp, so-called CEO of "Super Book Lover Curator" praising my novella We Who Hunt Alexanders.

Totally AI-generated and a scam so I didn't respond.

Now Herry is threatening me. 1/

Same!

It’s in my ‘hood! If I’m in London, I’ll come and say hi.

This actually happened to me once. Playing Arkham Horror, which is not short even when played straight. Six hours and counting into the game, we realised that we got the rules wrong, and the way we were playing it made it basically endless. Quite on brand for Arkham Horror all in all.

Still better than the horrors I had to witness…

And to be honest, there’s something to it. I*claim* to be Italian, but I’m actually Messapian. We don’t even eat chicken at all. We eat RAW HORSE MEAT. And gelato.

I’ll let a better person than me say it…

I have a hunch you’re going to like it. I mean, Eris is there somewhere.

In other words, indeed!

“Those who let Wonder pass unseen,” Wendy recites, gravely, “shall soon hear Death’s clock strike thirteen.”

With @sophiamcdougall.bsky.social and @leeharris.net

Folks, @sophiamcdougall.bsky.social and I are both here too!

COPY: Coming 10/13/2026 Book: Pan by Francesca Dimitri, translated by Sophia McDougall

COPY: Out on 11/03/2026 Book: Premier by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Copy: Out on 12/01/2026 Book Featured: This Crimson Ruin by Rebecca Thorne

✨ Pan by Francesco Dimitri, translated by Sophia McDougall, art by Hokyoung Kim, design by Katie Klimowicz
✨ Premier by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
✨ This Crimson Ruin by @rebeccathornewrites, art by Amphi

“I’m mad I can’t understand Bad Bunny’s lyrics because they’re not in English”

my brother millions of metalheads around the world have been happily listening to incomprehensible Finnish shrieks and Japanese death grunts since we were teens, you’re just boring and racist

Hey! Happy birthday!

We can hope it’s going to be peaceful, but if the past is a map to the future, well.

One thing the Epstein files make clear is that we are all peasants cosplaying as gentry. Liberal democracy is over. We are indentured servants, right here, right now. The sooner we realise this, the sooner we have a chance to build something new.

It’s an illusion of control at a difficult time in history. It is quite moving, in one sense.

UK PEOPLE: this is REALLY IMPORTANT. If the government bans under-16s from using VPNs, then logically they must intend to REQUIRE AGE VERIFICATION FOR ALL VPN USE. Which will affect adults too!

*Your* right to anonymous web browsing is at risk!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/754408