Thanks Charles. And sorry to hear your work has been AI-slopped too. (Also just realised who you are - I loved 1491!)

I didn't use those words, no! I guess rather than plagiarism it would fall in the category of fan tribute, if it hadn't been produced by a joyless machine

Thanks Nicola! I've written about this strange journey at great length in a chapter of my next book - just handed in the first draft...

... all I can say is that sometimes a book rings out like a bell struck cleanly, and sometimes what you hear is dud notes. It's hard to put your finger on, and not something you can 'prove'.

Thanks for this nuanced thread, Tim. My reaction when I read it is only that it didn't 'feel' true (clunky, unbelievable dialogue and a general sense of contrivance more than anything) but that could just have been down to bad writing. I didn't say that publicly because it felt mean and gossipy...