Michael Idov
@michaelidov.bsky.social
Past: Deutschland 83, Leto, The Humorist
Present: The Collaborators
Future: THE CORMORANT HUNT, out 1/2026
Present: The Collaborators
Future: THE CORMORANT HUNT, out 1/2026
Reposted by Michael Idov
The follow up to The Collaborators is here! Read as part of the series or as a standalone, you won't be able to put down THE CORMORANT HUNT by Michael Idov! Enter for a chance to win on Goodreads! No purch. nec. US res. 18+ 11/23-12/19.
https://bit.ly/4nAB1kw
https://bit.ly/4nAB1kw
Book giveaway for The Cormorant Hunt (The Cormorant Trilogy, #2) by Michael Idov Nov 23-Dec 19, 2025
30 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Nov 23-Dec 19, 2025. The follow up to The Collaborators is here! Read as part of the series or as a standal...
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 1:25 AM
The follow up to The Collaborators is here! Read as part of the series or as a standalone, you won't be able to put down THE CORMORANT HUNT by Michael Idov! Enter for a chance to win on Goodreads! No purch. nec. US res. 18+ 11/23-12/19.
https://bit.ly/4nAB1kw
https://bit.ly/4nAB1kw
I’ve been waiting and hoping for exactly this, but it’s still a chilling read. Hope enough people in the IC locate their spines now, so it doesn’t have to go the full von Stauffenberg route later
An Open Letter to the Serving and Former Flag Officers of the U.S. Military
The Steady State | October 31, 2025
substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I’ve been waiting and hoping for exactly this, but it’s still a chilling read. Hope enough people in the IC locate their spines now, so it doesn’t have to go the full von Stauffenberg route later
I would read all four volumes of Carol Sturka’s purple sand pirate smut series before reading a single word of that Olivia Nuzzi book
November 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I would read all four volumes of Carol Sturka’s purple sand pirate smut series before reading a single word of that Olivia Nuzzi book
You could tell me this Pope Leo XIV quote was from a David Lynch interview and I’d believe you. Cool dude
November 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
You could tell me this Pope Leo XIV quote was from a David Lynch interview and I’d believe you. Cool dude
Not for nothing, this style of gov’t communication was invented around 2015 by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I remember a lot of jaws dropping when it began.
November 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Not for nothing, this style of gov’t communication was invented around 2015 by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I remember a lot of jaws dropping when it began.
Reposted by Michael Idov
The Russians made their own film titled "Nuremberg," released two years ago. Watching it side by side with the new American one speaks volumes about how the two societies see themselves and each other, writes @michaelidov.bsky.social airmail.news/issues/2025-...
"Nuremberg," Two Ways
How does James Vanderbilt's film about Nazis on trial differ from the Russian-made film of the same title? A side-by-side comparison speaks volumes about contemporary politics.
airmail.news
November 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
The Russians made their own film titled "Nuremberg," released two years ago. Watching it side by side with the new American one speaks volumes about how the two societies see themselves and each other, writes @michaelidov.bsky.social airmail.news/issues/2025-...
Reposted by Michael Idov
Slow Horses meets Red Sparrow in this electrifying spy thriller: THE CORMORANT HUNT by Michael Idov. Enter for a chance to win on Goodreads! No purch. nec. US res. 18+ 10/30-11/22.
https://bit.ly/43Hexr0
https://bit.ly/43Hexr0
Book giveaway for The Cormorant Hunt (The Cormorant Trilogy, #2) by Michael Idov Oct 30-Nov 22, 2025
Enter to win one of 50 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Oct 30-Nov 22, 2025. Enter for a chance to win an early copy of this thrilling espionag...
www.goodreads.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Slow Horses meets Red Sparrow in this electrifying spy thriller: THE CORMORANT HUNT by Michael Idov. Enter for a chance to win on Goodreads! No purch. nec. US res. 18+ 10/30-11/22.
https://bit.ly/43Hexr0
https://bit.ly/43Hexr0
Wildly proud to share this new addition to the cast of Stratagem: an actor I have hugely admired for literal decades, Mr. Dexter and David Fisher himself, Michael C. Hall
November 12, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Wildly proud to share this new addition to the cast of Stratagem: an actor I have hugely admired for literal decades, Mr. Dexter and David Fisher himself, Michael C. Hall
Flattered to have made the list, and can’t wait to get to work on this.
November 12, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Flattered to have made the list, and can’t wait to get to work on this.
Every time you check out a Longines ad, an alarm goes off at the Intellectual Dark Web Marketing Department
October 26, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Every time you check out a Longines ad, an alarm goes off at the Intellectual Dark Web Marketing Department
Reviews are nice, but the only times I am legitimately bowled over are when someone who ACTUALLY knows this stuff has this to say. (Click on John’s bio to see what I mean)
Just finished this book. Excellent story beautifully written.
The Collaborators is out — and, from the looks of it, really “everywhere books are sold” (just walked past it at the Newark airport). Can’t wait for you to meet Ari Falk and Maya Chou.
October 22, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Reviews are nice, but the only times I am legitimately bowled over are when someone who ACTUALLY knows this stuff has this to say. (Click on John’s bio to see what I mean)
Reposted by Michael Idov
"To be a Brit was to be a bit of a spy, and to be a spy was to be a bit of a Brit."
--Michael Idov @michaelidov.bsky.social
Thanks to @spybrary.bsky.social for turning me on to this emerging talent. Le Carre tradecraft & betrayal meets Bourne-style action. Plus lots of spy & sci-fi Easter eggs!
--Michael Idov @michaelidov.bsky.social
Thanks to @spybrary.bsky.social for turning me on to this emerging talent. Le Carre tradecraft & betrayal meets Bourne-style action. Plus lots of spy & sci-fi Easter eggs!
October 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"To be a Brit was to be a bit of a spy, and to be a spy was to be a bit of a Brit."
--Michael Idov @michaelidov.bsky.social
Thanks to @spybrary.bsky.social for turning me on to this emerging talent. Le Carre tradecraft & betrayal meets Bourne-style action. Plus lots of spy & sci-fi Easter eggs!
--Michael Idov @michaelidov.bsky.social
Thanks to @spybrary.bsky.social for turning me on to this emerging talent. Le Carre tradecraft & betrayal meets Bourne-style action. Plus lots of spy & sci-fi Easter eggs!
Re: “anti-ICE” on shell casings: in 2022, Russian authorities eagerly shared photos of a Ukrainian “terrorist lair” that weirdly showed 3 copies of the game The Sims. It took minutes for the Internet to figure out that the FSB officer staging the scene must have been told to include some SIM cards
September 27, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Re: “anti-ICE” on shell casings: in 2022, Russian authorities eagerly shared photos of a Ukrainian “terrorist lair” that weirdly showed 3 copies of the game The Sims. It took minutes for the Internet to figure out that the FSB officer staging the scene must have been told to include some SIM cards
Reposted by Michael Idov
Links on a fucking chain. @michaelidov.bsky.social knows exactly how this goes down. www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Grave Threat Posed by Donald Trump’s Attack on Jimmy Kimmel
The President and his allies are using the power of the state to silence speech they dislike.
www.newyorker.com
September 22, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Links on a fucking chain. @michaelidov.bsky.social knows exactly how this goes down. www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Michael Idov
"Glossy magazines were exempted for many years because the thinking went that...glossy-magazine culture is basically the urban élites talking to themselves, and we don’t really need to get into that space..." @michaelidov.bsky.social w/ the goods on media repression www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Grave Threat Posed by Donald Trump’s Attack on Jimmy Kimmel
The President and his allies are using the power of the state to silence speech they dislike.
www.newyorker.com
September 20, 2025 at 1:21 PM
"Glossy magazines were exempted for many years because the thinking went that...glossy-magazine culture is basically the urban élites talking to themselves, and we don’t really need to get into that space..." @michaelidov.bsky.social w/ the goods on media repression www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Spoke to the great @ichotiner.bsky.social for @newyorker.com about the fate of comedy in authoritarian regimes, a topic that sadly pursues me my whole life www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Grave Threat Posed by Donald Trump’s Attack on Jimmy Kimmel
The President and his allies are using the power of the state to silence speech they dislike.
www.newyorker.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Spoke to the great @ichotiner.bsky.social for @newyorker.com about the fate of comedy in authoritarian regimes, a topic that sadly pursues me my whole life www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Michael Idov
Reposted by Michael Idov
Enjoyed this essay by @michaelidov.bsky.social. I, too, have often chuckled, scowled, & called my friends over bizarrely named East Europeans in fiction (spy and otherwise). Indeed, whenever you're trying to describe a culture not your own, a little consultation can go a long way.
Opinion | Would You Believe This Spy’s Name?
www.nytimes.com
August 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Enjoyed this essay by @michaelidov.bsky.social. I, too, have often chuckled, scowled, & called my friends over bizarrely named East Europeans in fiction (spy and otherwise). Indeed, whenever you're trying to describe a culture not your own, a little consultation can go a long way.
Got a not-entirely-serious essay in @nytimes.com today, about the plague of weird foreign names in spy novels. Amazing illustration www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/o...
Opinion | Would You Believe This Spy’s Name?
www.nytimes.com
August 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Got a not-entirely-serious essay in @nytimes.com today, about the plague of weird foreign names in spy novels. Amazing illustration www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/o...
Reposted by Michael Idov
The @bloodyscotland.bsky.social programme launched on Thursday and tickets are now available for my panel with @michaelidov.bsky.social and DB John, chaired by Kim Sherwood - come along to hear us talk about spies in all compass directions. bloodyscotland.com/event/spies-...
June 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The @bloodyscotland.bsky.social programme launched on Thursday and tickets are now available for my panel with @michaelidov.bsky.social and DB John, chaired by Kim Sherwood - come along to hear us talk about spies in all compass directions. bloodyscotland.com/event/spies-...
Reposted by Michael Idov
What else would you expect a spy thriller writer to say when asked, “Are you a spy?” 😉
You can listen to my full conversation with @michaelidov.bsky.social as we talk all things espionage, his new book ‘The Collaborators’ and hear two Gen Xers get way too excited about cassette tapes. 🎙️📼
You can listen to my full conversation with @michaelidov.bsky.social as we talk all things espionage, his new book ‘The Collaborators’ and hear two Gen Xers get way too excited about cassette tapes. 🎙️📼
June 3, 2025 at 12:07 PM
What else would you expect a spy thriller writer to say when asked, “Are you a spy?” 😉
You can listen to my full conversation with @michaelidov.bsky.social as we talk all things espionage, his new book ‘The Collaborators’ and hear two Gen Xers get way too excited about cassette tapes. 🎙️📼
You can listen to my full conversation with @michaelidov.bsky.social as we talk all things espionage, his new book ‘The Collaborators’ and hear two Gen Xers get way too excited about cassette tapes. 🎙️📼
Reposted by Michael Idov
This VE Day post goes out to local public media affiliates, @npr.org @rferl.org.web.brid.gy @pbsnews.org @remhq.bsky.social (not forgetting superfan @michaelidov.bsky.social) and @swedenineu.bsky.social continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/the-lighth...
🆘 The Tower is Falling 🆘
Europe, do us a solid and support public media in the US — while it still exists
continuous-wave.beehiiv.com
May 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
This VE Day post goes out to local public media affiliates, @npr.org @rferl.org.web.brid.gy @pbsnews.org @remhq.bsky.social (not forgetting superfan @michaelidov.bsky.social) and @swedenineu.bsky.social continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/the-lighth...
Reposted by Michael Idov
“I just want to honor the band.” @michaelidov.bsky.social
At Bar Electrolite, Cocktails for the End of the World
Situated just outside of Brussels, the world’s only R.E.M.-themed bar acts as a modest, mellow shrine for the band’s devoted, graying fans.
airmail.news
April 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
“I just want to honor the band.” @michaelidov.bsky.social
If you're done with Severance, have I got six hours of Polish geopolitical intrigue for you. (Also, subscribe, it's free!) open.substack.com/pub/michaeli...
March 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
If you're done with Severance, have I got six hours of Polish geopolitical intrigue for you. (Also, subscribe, it's free!) open.substack.com/pub/michaeli...
Main lesson from The Pitt: “a pinprick and some burning” means you’re about to experience the most excruciating pain in your life
March 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Main lesson from The Pitt: “a pinprick and some burning” means you’re about to experience the most excruciating pain in your life