Mahmud El Sayed
@mahmudelsayed.bsky.social
Writer | SFF | Arabfuturist | BSFA | Codex | Debut THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY out in 2026 from Gollancz & Saga Press
The speakers in the British Library's Humanities 1 reading room play an unassuming white noise-y shhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound and now I can't write without it.
January 17, 2026 at 9:38 PM
The speakers in the British Library's Humanities 1 reading room play an unassuming white noise-y shhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound and now I can't write without it.
Just used the term "it's spitting" to describe a particular kind of rain only to be met with a look of disgust. Is this only a UK thing?
January 15, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Just used the term "it's spitting" to describe a particular kind of rain only to be met with a look of disgust. Is this only a UK thing?
Finally deactivated my twitter (ugh X) account. Enough is enough. I'm only here and on Instagram now.
January 14, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Finally deactivated my twitter (ugh X) account. Enough is enough. I'm only here and on Instagram now.
What an amazing list, including my own lil THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY. 2026 is set to be a great year for sci-fi!
okay, here we go...
Here are my picks for the 30 most exciting SFF titles coming out in the first half of the year! There are a LOT of beautiful books coming up—it's gonna be a really good year for spec fic
reactormag.com/30-sff-title...
Here are my picks for the 30 most exciting SFF titles coming out in the first half of the year! There are a LOT of beautiful books coming up—it's gonna be a really good year for spec fic
reactormag.com/30-sff-title...
30 SFF Titles to Look Forward to in 2026 - Reactor
And other SFF book highlights for the new year!
reactormag.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:56 PM
What an amazing list, including my own lil THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY. 2026 is set to be a great year for sci-fi!
Watching the Iranian protests and wondering, "Do we never learn?"
January 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Watching the Iranian protests and wondering, "Do we never learn?"
It's-a-me, Mahmudio.
(It seems my novel is so dangerous, dogs attack it on sight lest it spark a spate of pro-feline revolutionary zeal 😂).
(It seems my novel is so dangerous, dogs attack it on sight lest it spark a spate of pro-feline revolutionary zeal 😂).
There are a ton of great-looking books coming in 2026, and I've rounded up the ones that I'm looking forward to the most, including space operas, interstellar art heists, unicorns, dinosaurs, and plenty more.
Here's the full list: www.andrewliptak.com/sci-fi-fanta...
Here's the full list: www.andrewliptak.com/sci-fi-fanta...
January 8, 2026 at 10:19 PM
It's-a-me, Mahmudio.
(It seems my novel is so dangerous, dogs attack it on sight lest it spark a spate of pro-feline revolutionary zeal 😂).
(It seems my novel is so dangerous, dogs attack it on sight lest it spark a spate of pro-feline revolutionary zeal 😂).
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
We asked @mkhardywrites.com for their best books of '25, the books they'd love for Xmas & their anticipated reads of '26.
Read on https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why they picked @buehlmeister.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social @cj-dotson.bsky.social & more!
https://geni.us/needfire
Read on https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why they picked @buehlmeister.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social @cj-dotson.bsky.social & more!
https://geni.us/needfire
January 2, 2026 at 7:30 PM
We asked @mkhardywrites.com for their best books of '25, the books they'd love for Xmas & their anticipated reads of '26.
Read on https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why they picked @buehlmeister.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social @cj-dotson.bsky.social & more!
https://geni.us/needfire
Read on https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why they picked @buehlmeister.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social @cj-dotson.bsky.social & more!
https://geni.us/needfire
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
The one, the only: the ✨UNMISSABLE SFF of 2026✨ list!
🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆
aka all the fantasy and sci-fi that should definitely be on your tbr, how are these not on your tbr already??? you poor unfortunate soul, let's fix that!
buff.ly/IWTR8A6
🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆
aka all the fantasy and sci-fi that should definitely be on your tbr, how are these not on your tbr already??? you poor unfortunate soul, let's fix that!
buff.ly/IWTR8A6
Unmissable Fantasy and SciFi of 2026!
The EXTREMELY MANY SFF releases of 2026 that I consider unmissable!
buff.ly
January 1, 2026 at 5:11 PM
The one, the only: the ✨UNMISSABLE SFF of 2026✨ list!
🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆
aka all the fantasy and sci-fi that should definitely be on your tbr, how are these not on your tbr already??? you poor unfortunate soul, let's fix that!
buff.ly/IWTR8A6
🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆
aka all the fantasy and sci-fi that should definitely be on your tbr, how are these not on your tbr already??? you poor unfortunate soul, let's fix that!
buff.ly/IWTR8A6
A final front page for my father who sadly passed away this week. Permanence is for God alone.
January 1, 2026 at 2:05 AM
A final front page for my father who sadly passed away this week. Permanence is for God alone.
The google translate scene between Carol and Manousos on Pluribus was top notch translatorial comedy. "A bug?" "Insecto?" 😂
December 29, 2025 at 2:35 PM
The google translate scene between Carol and Manousos on Pluribus was top notch translatorial comedy. "A bug?" "Insecto?" 😂
The days after Christmas but before New Year's: A liminal space, a peripheral time, circumjacent nothingness. What even is time?
December 28, 2025 at 11:10 AM
The days after Christmas but before New Year's: A liminal space, a peripheral time, circumjacent nothingness. What even is time?
Reader: What's up with this POV chapter? It keeps skipping between different genres. Ugh, why can't you just write something normally, Mahmud?
Me (yes, doing the voice): Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.
Me (yes, doing the voice): Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.
December 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reader: What's up with this POV chapter? It keeps skipping between different genres. Ugh, why can't you just write something normally, Mahmud?
Me (yes, doing the voice): Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.
Me (yes, doing the voice): Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.
Me: Yes, of course I've got the whole story meticulously plotted out. Detailed notes. Character sheets. Scene breakdowns. A world building bible. My pantsing days are over, I swear. I'm a plotter now. Look! Just look at my notes!
My notes:
My notes:
December 26, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Me: Yes, of course I've got the whole story meticulously plotted out. Detailed notes. Character sheets. Scene breakdowns. A world building bible. My pantsing days are over, I swear. I'm a plotter now. Look! Just look at my notes!
My notes:
My notes:
Odysseus negotiating with Circe: I don't want fop, goddamnit. I'm a Dapper Dan, man!
Look, I'm sure that Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey" will be fun, but I highly doubt it will be as good as the original.
December 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Odysseus negotiating with Circe: I don't want fop, goddamnit. I'm a Dapper Dan, man!
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
What a better way to start a Monday than with the second part of "A Jam's list to 2026 releases"?
Second part of my most awaited titles for 2026 and that I hope to cover in the blog (depending on review copies and all):
jamreads.com/articles/a-j...
💙📚
Second part of my most awaited titles for 2026 and that I hope to cover in the blog (depending on review copies and all):
jamreads.com/articles/a-j...
💙📚
JamReads - Making your TBR closer to infinite
In JamReads you will find content about books, and why you should read them more. This content may include reviews, interviews and occasionally, some news of the literary world
jamreads.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:16 AM
What a better way to start a Monday than with the second part of "A Jam's list to 2026 releases"?
Second part of my most awaited titles for 2026 and that I hope to cover in the blog (depending on review copies and all):
jamreads.com/articles/a-j...
💙📚
Second part of my most awaited titles for 2026 and that I hope to cover in the blog (depending on review copies and all):
jamreads.com/articles/a-j...
💙📚
When you manage to sneak a reference to The Princess Bride into your text.
a man says " you keep using that word i do not think it means what you think it means " to another bald man
ALT: a man says " you keep using that word i do not think it means what you think it means " to another bald man
media.tenor.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
When you manage to sneak a reference to The Princess Bride into your text.
“My grandad always said, 'You should never judge a book by its cover.' And it's for that reason that he lost his job as chair of the British Book Cover Awards panel.”
– Stewart Lee
– Stewart Lee
December 19, 2025 at 12:33 AM
“My grandad always said, 'You should never judge a book by its cover.' And it's for that reason that he lost his job as chair of the British Book Cover Awards panel.”
– Stewart Lee
– Stewart Lee
I've been ill for the past few weeks which means I've been doing little writing but lots of reading. Here are some impromptu reviews (come at me, internet!)
December 17, 2025 at 11:42 AM
I've been ill for the past few weeks which means I've been doing little writing but lots of reading. Here are some impromptu reviews (come at me, internet!)
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
Just finished reading an arc of the fabulous, rich and politically dense Republic of Memory by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social. You're going to want to add this to your 2026 TBR now.
December 11, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Just finished reading an arc of the fabulous, rich and politically dense Republic of Memory by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social. You're going to want to add this to your 2026 TBR now.
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
"A Ship Called Moon" by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social
Spaceship status: Also a wise-cracking detective
Crew status: Loyal but tired of their ship's shit
What are they doing on the ship?: Pretending to be cats and hanging out in pirate coves
www.fusionfragment.com/issue-12/
Spaceship status: Also a wise-cracking detective
Crew status: Loyal but tired of their ship's shit
What are they doing on the ship?: Pretending to be cats and hanging out in pirate coves
www.fusionfragment.com/issue-12/
Issue #12
“A Ship Called Moon” by Mahmud El Sayed: hard-boiled detectives / ship-minds / patsies”Explorer / Cartographer” by John WM Thompson: portals (sort of) / creation (sort of) /…
www.fusionfragment.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:19 AM
"A Ship Called Moon" by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social
Spaceship status: Also a wise-cracking detective
Crew status: Loyal but tired of their ship's shit
What are they doing on the ship?: Pretending to be cats and hanging out in pirate coves
www.fusionfragment.com/issue-12/
Spaceship status: Also a wise-cracking detective
Crew status: Loyal but tired of their ship's shit
What are they doing on the ship?: Pretending to be cats and hanging out in pirate coves
www.fusionfragment.com/issue-12/
I am my language. I am words' writ: Be!
- Mahmoud Darwish
- Mahmoud Darwish
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 7, 2025 at 1:47 AM
I am my language. I am words' writ: Be!
- Mahmoud Darwish
- Mahmoud Darwish
Mewish elegance, part one and two.
December 6, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Mewish elegance, part one and two.
Listening to some Ibrahim Maalouf today while writing.
December 4, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Listening to some Ibrahim Maalouf today while writing.
Nationalize the story! Unionize the characters! Workers of the book, unite!
December 3, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Nationalize the story! Unionize the characters! Workers of the book, unite!