Oliver Arditi's Avatar

Oliver Arditi

@paracyclops.bsky.social

Writer, librarian, worldbuilder, conlanger, lapsed musician. I like fantasy, science-fiction and horror, books, records, comics, games, cats, food, and holding inexplicable opinions.

237 Followers  |  371 Following  |  57 Posts  |  Joined: 09.02.2025  |  2.3375

Latest posts by paracyclops.bsky.social on Bluesky

You’ll see me! (I saw this post in the Discord channel that reposts everything from Bluesky that mentions WFC25 and came here to say hi πŸ‘‹)

16.10.2025 18:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A copy of Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The Eye of the Heron' held by a white male hand in front of a bookcase bearing some other Le Guin books.

A copy of Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The Eye of the Heron' held by a white male hand in front of a bookcase bearing some other Le Guin books.

Le Guin's 'The Eye of the Heron' is a beautiful fable, that uses SF mechanics to explore some political ideas, through her usual beautiful prose and heartrending character portraits.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ed71...

#sf #sciencefiction @ursulakleguin.com #theeyeoftheheron #books #booksky

16.10.2025 14:32 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A copy of 'The World We Make' by N.K. Jemisin, on a table, partially shadowed.

A copy of 'The World We Make' by N.K. Jemisin, on a table, partially shadowed.

'The City We Became' is a contemporary urban fantasy which concludes @nkjemisin.bsky.social 's duology mapping good vs. evil onto tolerance vs. the alt right. It's a lot of fun!

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/422a...

#fantasy #urbanfantasy #theworldwemake #books #booksky @nkjemisin.bsky.social

12.10.2025 17:13 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

🀣

09.10.2025 18:16 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yeah no, that’s normal. (Isn’t it?)

09.10.2025 18:10 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
a flow-chart with 2 islands. "Do I need AI?" that flows into a final island saying "No"

a flow-chart with 2 islands. "Do I need AI?" that flows into a final island saying "No"

02.10.2025 17:52 β€” πŸ‘ 14619    πŸ” 5319    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 91

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 235:
Stop equating wealth and fame with your value as a writer. Some of the writers we now admire were unknown in their lifetimes; just as many once-bestselling writers are now forgotten and unread. Making good art is not the same as making good money.

05.10.2025 11:25 β€” πŸ‘ 214    πŸ” 22    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 6
A white male hand holding a copy of 'Under The Moon' by E.M. Faulds in front of some stringed instruments.

A white male hand holding a copy of 'Under The Moon' by E.M. Faulds in front of some stringed instruments.

I absolutely loved 'Under The Moon', a short, beautifully written SFFH story collection by E.M. Faulds. Small in size, enormous (sublunary) in scope, and frequently moving.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/71eb...

#fantasy #sf #horror #sffh #UnderTheMoonEMF #books @bethkesh.bsky.social

05.10.2025 11:58 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
A white male hand holding a copy of 'The City We Became' by N.K. Jemisin

A white male hand holding a copy of 'The City We Became' by N.K. Jemisin

'The City We Became' is a wonderfully written contemporary urban fantasy that redraws the map of good vs. evil to reflect the state of early 21st century politics.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/623b...

#fantasy #urbanfantasy #nkjemisin #thecitywebecame #books #booksky

27.09.2025 13:57 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I miss you too! I wanted to find a way to tell the story of how your music led to our friendship, and how big of a deal this record is to me, but that character limit is a killer 🀣 I posted on Mastodon too and it’s clearer there

19.09.2025 17:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Workbench Recordings Vol. 1, by James Beaudreau 7 track album

Around 2011 @jamesbeaudreau.bsky.social sent me three CDs. Beautiful artefacts from which came lasting friendship. He recently released a solo guitar record, & it's a thing of strange, true beauty.

Old reviews: olidabass.blogspot.com/2011/03/albu...

jamesbeaudreau.bandcamp.com/album/workbe...

19.09.2025 12:00 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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I enjoyed @annaleen.bsky.social ’s latest column in @newscientist.com It reminded me how weird it was to go out into the real world in the 1990s, after my upbringing in a feminist bubble, to discover that the battle for gender equality wasn’t completely done and dusted!

#wheresmyjetpack #feminism

19.09.2025 09:01 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Wordle 1,552 6/6

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🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

18.09.2025 06:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

He wouldn’t be Carmy. He needs to shack up with the nice doctor and run a relaxed family trattoria, but the series would get a lot less gripping if he did!

16.09.2025 20:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A white male hand holding an iPad displaying the cover of the ebook of 'Earthsong' by Suzette Haden Elgin.

A white male hand holding an iPad displaying the cover of the ebook of 'Earthsong' by Suzette Haden Elgin.

I was underwhelmed by 'Earthsong', final book in Suzette Haden Elgin's 'Native Tongue' 3logy. No sign of the first book's radicalism. I enjoyed it, but I doubt I'll remember it.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8a33...

#sf #sciencefiction #suzettehadenelgin #earthsong #nativetongue #books #booksky

16.09.2025 20:12 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A white male hand holding a copy of 'Moon Witch Spider King' by Marlon James in front of a messy sitting room.

A white male hand holding a copy of 'Moon Witch Spider King' by Marlon James in front of a messy sitting room.

I was knocked-out by Marlon James's 'Moon Witch Spider King'β€”a stonking follow-up to the first book in the series. Dense, intricate language, wonderful worldbuilding, and no holds barred.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4a40...

#fantasy #marlonjames #darkstar #moonwitchspiderking #books #booksky

10.09.2025 11:18 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

1 star woke bs is my favourite genre πŸ˜†

03.09.2025 06:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Audible Try Audible free for 30 days! Start listening to best-selling audiobooks, exclusive Originals, and free podcasts with the Audible app.

I'm trying to get The Shape of Monsters tagged with the LGBTQ+ lable as I think it's struggling to find its queer readers.

Hopefully that tag will also help avoid the "1 star woke bs" reviews

Listen to The Shape of Monsters by C L Hellisen on Audible. www.audible.co.uk/pd/B0FGDJ5X1...

28.08.2025 11:41 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 15    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A white male hand holding a copy of Michael Moorcock's 1993 omnibus 'Stormbringer' in front of a shelf bearing other titles from the 1990s 'Tale of the Eternal Champion' omnibus series.

A white male hand holding a copy of Michael Moorcock's 1993 omnibus 'Stormbringer' in front of a shelf bearing other titles from the 1990s 'Tale of the Eternal Champion' omnibus series.

Just finished Michael Moorcock's 1993 'Stormbringer' omnibus. Much fun, occasionally profoundβ€”best story was the 1991 'Revenge of the Rose'.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a883...

#michaelmoorcock #elric #eternalchampion #chaos #stormbringer #fantasy #swordandsorcery #books #booksky

01.09.2025 13:30 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Publishing hot take: traditional publishing is really hard, and self-publishing is really hard, and everyone deserves a sandwich and a nap.

31.07.2025 19:53 β€” πŸ‘ 836    πŸ” 189    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 13

Bluesky doesn't penalize you for using links, tags, using key words like Patreon or commissions, and doesn't have a central algorithm on your following feed, which means all the power rests on you to help your favourite creators be seen!

30.07.2025 18:05 β€” πŸ‘ 15881    πŸ” 6411    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 1
A copy of β€˜Black Leopard Red Wolf’ by Marlon James resting on a black cat in a cardboard box

A copy of β€˜Black Leopard Red Wolf’ by Marlon James resting on a black cat in a cardboard box

I've got a new favourite book! 'Black Leopard Red Wolf' by Marlon James is one of the best novels I've read, and the most accomplished contemporary fantasy book I've encountered.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/1af4...

#fantasy #marlonjames #blackleopardredwolf #books #booksky

30.07.2025 19:26 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I’m absolutely loving it, possibly my favourite fantasy book since Gene Wolfe died!

30.07.2025 16:53 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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This is today’s office.

30.07.2025 15:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
A Swingin’ Surprise or Two The best-kept secret in the history of Marvel Comics was in high dudgeon by the time he sat down at his typewriter. It was a July afternoon in 1971, and Ron Whyte, a playwright and activist, was about...

A v. interesting article on Marvel's foundational era, which seems to confirm Alan Moore's hilariously vitriolic take on the US comics industry (c.f. 'What We Can Know About Thunderman' in 'Illuminations').

flaminghydra.com/a-swingin-su...

#marvelcomics #stanlee #ronwhyte @flaminghydra.com

30.07.2025 11:08 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A copy of N.K. Jemisin's 'The Kingdom of Gods' lying on a fireplace.

A copy of N.K. Jemisin's 'The Kingdom of Gods' lying on a fireplace.

I found 'The Kingdom of Gods' by N.K. Jemisin a beautifully crafted, thematically complex work of grown-up fantasy fiction.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b401...

#fantasy #fantasyfiction #books #nkjemisin #theinheritancetrilogy #thekingdomofgods

18.07.2025 15:55 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A white male hand holding up a copy of 'Metal Hurlant: Old Dreams, Young Visions' in front of some wet foliage.

A white male hand holding up a copy of 'Metal Hurlant: Old Dreams, Young Visions' in front of some wet foliage.

I loved this sumptuous English language re-launch of Metal Hurlant, jam-packed with a mix of classics and new stories. Favourites were Moebius's 'Is Man Good?', James Stokoe's 'Red Planet Tomatoes', and Yuri Campos's 'Lacuna'.

#comics #metalhurlant #bandedessinΓ©e #humanoids #moebius #comicsky

02.07.2025 12:05 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

If the bill being voted on by the UK parliament today gets through, it will become a potentially imprisonable offence for you to say you support Palestine Action, or even to praise any of its actions, or say you think it has a point. What's the name for this kind of government again? Democratic?

02.07.2025 11:40 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A white male hand holding a copy of 'To Green Angel Tower: Siege' by Tad Williams, by a widow with foliage visible through it.

A white male hand holding a copy of 'To Green Angel Tower: Siege' by Tad Williams, by a widow with foliage visible through it.

I'm making my way through Tad Williams's 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'. 'To Green Angel Tower: Siege' contains some good writing, and was really enjoyable to read, but for me it's a LOT longer than it needs to be.

app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e433...

#fantasy #epicfantasy #books #booksky

24.06.2025 18:21 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Wishing everyone a joyous Midsummer Day ❀️

21.06.2025 05:29 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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