The Witch by Marie NDiaye is a 1996 French novel translated in 2026 and long listed for the Booker prize. Not as witchy as you may hope, it’s a cryptic, meandering and alienating critique of domesticity and isolation. Review 👇 #books #bookreview #booksky maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book Review, "The Witch" by Marie NDiaye

Even witch powers can't save you from domestic imprisonment

maxpuffins.substack.com

You’ve joined the spice girls and you need a name, what is it? I’m quixotic spice.

Who likes cyberpunk / sci-fi / noir / cult awesomeness? Because THIS new Blade Runner 2099 is coming soon youtu.be/0Dr8I_RyRCg?... #scifi #cyberpunk

Blade Runner 2099 - Official Teaser | Prime Video

YouTube video by Prime Video

youtu.be

Prophet Song depicts a world heading rapidly towards Parable of the Sower and, beyond that, maybe even <shudder>The Road, and it’s here to burst your comfy modern bubble with a big dystopian needle. Review 👇 maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie... #booksky #bookreview #book #books #fiction

Book Review: “Prophet Song”, by Paul Lynch

A dystopian needle to burst your safe bubble

maxpuffins.substack.com

Pro tip: If you are “a writer” it’s ok to eat a chocolate brownie for breakfast then read/write on the beach because, um, it’s research for a book character (in this case a gluttonous, hedonistic wannabe writer). #writing

Gym, noise cancelling headphones, audiobook at max volume. Look around - everyone else also in headphones. Still: all I can hear is the blaring gym music. Gyms, it’s time to kill this unwanted, unneeded practice. #gym #annoying

Why you should read this poetic, dream/nightmare novel of witchery, narrated by an occult-infused wax doll. The Wax Child, by Olga Ravn Review👇 #books #fiction #booksky #bookreview maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book Review: "The Wax Child", by Olga Ravn

Unique, poetic novella of weird, dreamy witchery

maxpuffins.substack.com

Anyone used that DJ guy on Spotify? Cool AI dude works out a party mix from your listening history. I haven’t been sleeping well, so for me the DJ was like “Yo Max, I know the kind of tunes you like! Let’s get down with TEN HOURS OF WHITE NOISE by WHITE NOISE.” Good party. #music #spotify

Bestselling fantasy author Garth Nix has a sci-fi book out in September - Massif. It has an interesting & creative premise, rich in potential, but has a fairly straightforward fantasy-quest plot superimposed over it. Review 👇 #scifi #books #bookreviews maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book Review: "Massif", by Garth Nix

Mountain ranges (yes, mountain ranges) rocket across the galaxy as giant spacecraft

maxpuffins.substack.com

Brevity with depth, a creeping dread, a story you’ll think about after it’s done. One of the best books I’ve read this year! Check out Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag 👇 #books #bookreview #booksky #fiction maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book Review: “Ghachar Ghochar”, by Vivek Shanbhag

“Oh my god. I think…a lot of things happened."

maxpuffins.substack.com

snort

🤮 Advertising in books? (Aka “there is no depth to which advertisers won’t sink”) I read an interesting afterword in Walter Jon Williams’ 30th anniversary edition of his book “Hardwired” where he talks about how advertising was included in the German edition of his book…. (1/3)

Quick reminder to all the striving writers: A writer who hasn’t been rejected is an unpublished writer. #writingcommunity #writing

Upgraded my setup with the latest Purr-cessor. ⚡ #Cat #Caturday #Catsofbluesky #LifuX

Is it horror? Is it literary fiction? Is it sci-fi? Is it experimental art? Probably all of them! Review of Olga Ravn’s excellent, visceral, evocative book: The Employees 👇 #Books #book #fiction #bookreview #booksky maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book review: “The Employees” by Olga Ravn

22nd century employee statements that will make your back teeth vibrate

maxpuffins.substack.com

Any of my folk horror / occult fan friends read The Wax Child by Olga Ravn? I’m having quite a few thoughts about it. #books #horror #fiction #booksky

I sat and just listened deeply to all the sounds around me: - the distant rumble of a car - the creak of the house shifting in the heat - warbling magpies - the sucking hiss of the infinite abyss creeping ever closer, terrifying and inexorable - children playing next door

I really hope @greatdismal.bsky.social (William Gibson) has been involved in the Apple TV+ adaptation of Neuromancer. I have a lot of special memories and creative sensibilities shaped by that book. I’m a bit on edge seeing it come to the screen. #appletv #cyberpunk #books #booksky

Whoah - how did I only learn just now that the seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer is being made into a television show by Apple? I am both filled with excitement and trepidation. #books #cyberpunk #appletv #scifi www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

The ‘unfilmable’ sci-fi novel that’s being boldly adapted for TV after all

New series is ready-made cult hit in waiting

independent.co.uk

I would have read The Odyssey but I’m Homerphobic. #books #booksky

Speculative fiction writer friends - be friends with @thedeadlands.com

The Deadlands@thedeadlands.com · last mo.

hello how are you. GREAT we want to follow more writers and editors and magazine staffs here in the literary & spec fic space if you have 11 second, pls 🙏🏻 reply with some of your favorites, we will follow and say hello let's spread love and recognition like strawberry jam (on toast or other) 💀🍓

If you’re looking for good, curated anthologies of short stories exploring reality through the lens of fantasy, science fiction and magic realism, check out @thecoloredlens.bsky.social. This linked edition also has a story by me in it but don’t let that deter you… shorturl.at/Xjo2D #books #scifi

The Colored Lens: Summer 2025

The Colored Lens: Summer 2025 [Milner, William, Pil, Tuesday, Mirabito, Stephen, Wikner, Fay, Giddens, Micah, E. Sutin, Sam, Anna Varlese, Kevin Holochwost and, Tomczyk, Jakub, Wadsworth, Kidd, Georgeson, Matt] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Colored Lens: Summer 2025

shorturl.at

Trying to write about Arthur C Clarke’s classic sci-fi novel “Rendezvous With Rama” and autocorrect thwarted me 3 times with what would’ve been 3 pretty different and interesting novels: - Rendezvous with Rene - Rendezvous with mama - Rendezvous with rams #book #books #fiction #sci-fi #booksky

"Slow Horses", by Mick Herron (now a massively successful Apple TV+ show) Spies doing spy stuff and spying on other spies in aid of secret double-triple-crossing spy plots. Will you like it? Maybe. Do you like spies? Review 👇 #booksky #bookreview #books maxpuffins.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Book review: “Slow horses”, by Mick Herron

Spies doing spy things

maxpuffins.substack.com

Pretty excited that I have an advance copy of @garthnix.bsky.social’s first adult sci-fi book, Massif. I’ll write a review of it here soon. It’s out in September. #scifi #booksky #bookreview #books

“Vitally, the human race is dying. It’s like a great uprooted tree with its roots in the air. We must plant ourselves again in the universe.” -D.H Lawrence

Angels: we’re making a new type of human called “writers”. Sensitive, thoughtful, often shy souls God: make it so that in order to succeed they must endure constant criticism, public exposure, rejection and failure, and they need really thick skins Angels: why would you— God: I want ‘em tortured

Looking at your SO when it’s past bedtime but there’s only one episode left to stream in the series

“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders. A beautiful, weird, funny book that will make you want to hug your neighbour and/or inhabit their body. Review 👇 #books #bookreviews #booksky open.substack.com/pub/maxpuffi...

Book review: “Lincoln in the Bardo”, by George Saunders

Where souls in purgatory observe Abraham Lincoln visiting the body of his dead son.

open.substack.com

Happy Return of the Living Dead Day (my own personal horror depicted here) #booksky #film