Livia J. Elliot ~ Author & Podcaster
@liviajelliot.com
Literary speculative fiction author, fusing political theory, psychological depth, and philosophical horror. I write for readers who read to solve.
https://liviajelliot.com/links/
https://liviajelliot.com/links/
Pinned
A philosophical fantasy of Thucydidean politics, eldritch beings, and psychological horror woven into fractured timelines.
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
RAFT. A hard sci-fi that imagined a completely different universe—one that defies our laws of physics—with brilliant plausibility… then faltered, in my opinion, to reflect the impact of that setting in the society that so unwillingly inhabited it 👇 (1/3)
December 12, 2025 at 1:42 AM
RAFT. A hard sci-fi that imagined a completely different universe—one that defies our laws of physics—with brilliant plausibility… then faltered, in my opinion, to reflect the impact of that setting in the society that so unwillingly inhabited it 👇 (1/3)
My book, THE OMENS OF WAR, is a genre-blender: a military setting, Thucydidean politics, eldritch intellects in a philosophical quest, and human characters whose minds become the playground of the unknown.
Why did I write a literary book in a fantasy world? 👇🏻 (1/2)
Why did I write a literary book in a fantasy world? 👇🏻 (1/2)
December 11, 2025 at 6:45 PM
My book, THE OMENS OF WAR, is a genre-blender: a military setting, Thucydidean politics, eldritch intellects in a philosophical quest, and human characters whose minds become the playground of the unknown.
Why did I write a literary book in a fantasy world? 👇🏻 (1/2)
Why did I write a literary book in a fantasy world? 👇🏻 (1/2)
Collaborative writing is a fascinating experiment in trust, style, and storytelling.
Today's guest essay by Amy Minton @jajminton.bsky.social discusses the "Rosie" scene from their debut book, Discovery. Spoiler-free but full of insights and secrets.
Read: liviajelliot.substack.com/p/collaborat...
Today's guest essay by Amy Minton @jajminton.bsky.social discusses the "Rosie" scene from their debut book, Discovery. Spoiler-free but full of insights and secrets.
Read: liviajelliot.substack.com/p/collaborat...
December 10, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Collaborative writing is a fascinating experiment in trust, style, and storytelling.
Today's guest essay by Amy Minton @jajminton.bsky.social discusses the "Rosie" scene from their debut book, Discovery. Spoiler-free but full of insights and secrets.
Read: liviajelliot.substack.com/p/collaborat...
Today's guest essay by Amy Minton @jajminton.bsky.social discusses the "Rosie" scene from their debut book, Discovery. Spoiler-free but full of insights and secrets.
Read: liviajelliot.substack.com/p/collaborat...
Comparative politics. Game theory. The causes of war.
These are some of my favourite non-fiction topics—and the Nash Equilibrium shaped the state of the world at the beginning of my book.
Here's how 👇🏻(1/8)
These are some of my favourite non-fiction topics—and the Nash Equilibrium shaped the state of the world at the beginning of my book.
Here's how 👇🏻(1/8)
December 7, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Comparative politics. Game theory. The causes of war.
These are some of my favourite non-fiction topics—and the Nash Equilibrium shaped the state of the world at the beginning of my book.
Here's how 👇🏻(1/8)
These are some of my favourite non-fiction topics—and the Nash Equilibrium shaped the state of the world at the beginning of my book.
Here's how 👇🏻(1/8)
Those moments in which I decide to replay a videogame... just to be hit with a ~40min cinematic.
Don't get me wrong, I love Death Stranding, but oh well!
Don't get me wrong, I love Death Stranding, but oh well!
December 6, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Those moments in which I decide to replay a videogame... just to be hit with a ~40min cinematic.
Don't get me wrong, I love Death Stranding, but oh well!
Don't get me wrong, I love Death Stranding, but oh well!
Not meant to be consumed quickly. Meant to be explored.
THE OMENS OF WAR - Releases Feb'26
THE OMENS OF WAR - Releases Feb'26
December 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Not meant to be consumed quickly. Meant to be explored.
THE OMENS OF WAR - Releases Feb'26
THE OMENS OF WAR - Releases Feb'26
Reposted by Livia J. Elliot ~ Author & Podcaster
My friend @liviajelliot.com was kind enough to invite me onto her channel to discuss one of the greatest pieces of sequential art ever published: Watchmen. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' magnum opus about power, sequential art, and superheroes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=078X...
Broken Heroes, Broken Ethics: Guests Talk on #Watchmen | BOOKS UNDONE | #AlanMoore #DaveGibbons
YouTube video by Livia J. Elliot
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:14 PM
My friend @liviajelliot.com was kind enough to invite me onto her channel to discuss one of the greatest pieces of sequential art ever published: Watchmen. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' magnum opus about power, sequential art, and superheroes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=078X...
#Watchmen doesn't ask, "Who is right?"
It asks: "Why do *you* think that person is right?"
That's the genius of Moore's framing: the novel is a Rorschach test of morality. Your sympathies say more about you than about the characters. A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
It asks: "Why do *you* think that person is right?"
That's the genius of Moore's framing: the novel is a Rorschach test of morality. Your sympathies say more about you than about the characters. A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
December 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
#Watchmen doesn't ask, "Who is right?"
It asks: "Why do *you* think that person is right?"
That's the genius of Moore's framing: the novel is a Rorschach test of morality. Your sympathies say more about you than about the characters. A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
It asks: "Why do *you* think that person is right?"
That's the genius of Moore's framing: the novel is a Rorschach test of morality. Your sympathies say more about you than about the characters. A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
THE OMENS OF WAR story isn’t easy, and it isn’t meant to be.
If you gravitate toward fiction that challenges you, asks you to read slowly, and rewards close attention, you might find a home here.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
If you gravitate toward fiction that challenges you, asks you to read slowly, and rewards close attention, you might find a home here.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
December 1, 2025 at 6:45 PM
THE OMENS OF WAR story isn’t easy, and it isn’t meant to be.
If you gravitate toward fiction that challenges you, asks you to read slowly, and rewards close attention, you might find a home here.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
If you gravitate toward fiction that challenges you, asks you to read slowly, and rewards close attention, you might find a home here.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
Flatlands. Sheer speculation on unknown dimensions, and written by none other than a Square. This is an old book, published in 1884, and it does not fit neatly into modern-day publishing categories.
It is also a social critique of Victorian Society (1/3)
It is also a social critique of Victorian Society (1/3)
November 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Flatlands. Sheer speculation on unknown dimensions, and written by none other than a Square. This is an old book, published in 1884, and it does not fit neatly into modern-day publishing categories.
It is also a social critique of Victorian Society (1/3)
It is also a social critique of Victorian Society (1/3)
The alchemists in my series, Records of The Orders, diverge from traditional eldritch portrayals.
They are not reckless forces or ancient tentacled horrors, and they weren't born before humanity.
So what are they? A thread👇🏻 (1/6)
They are not reckless forces or ancient tentacled horrors, and they weren't born before humanity.
So what are they? A thread👇🏻 (1/6)
November 27, 2025 at 6:45 PM
The alchemists in my series, Records of The Orders, diverge from traditional eldritch portrayals.
They are not reckless forces or ancient tentacled horrors, and they weren't born before humanity.
So what are they? A thread👇🏻 (1/6)
They are not reckless forces or ancient tentacled horrors, and they weren't born before humanity.
So what are they? A thread👇🏻 (1/6)
Borges could change the entire mood of a scene with *one* adjective.
Not a dramatic one, but an unexpected one.
➡️"The *unanimous* night."
➡️"An evening that was *near, yet infinite*."
➡️"A mirror that *troubled* a hallway."
Why do these work? A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
Not a dramatic one, but an unexpected one.
➡️"The *unanimous* night."
➡️"An evening that was *near, yet infinite*."
➡️"A mirror that *troubled* a hallway."
Why do these work? A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
November 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Borges could change the entire mood of a scene with *one* adjective.
Not a dramatic one, but an unexpected one.
➡️"The *unanimous* night."
➡️"An evening that was *near, yet infinite*."
➡️"A mirror that *troubled* a hallway."
Why do these work? A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
Not a dramatic one, but an unexpected one.
➡️"The *unanimous* night."
➡️"An evening that was *near, yet infinite*."
➡️"A mirror that *troubled* a hallway."
Why do these work? A thread 👇🏻 (1/4)
THE OMENS OF WAR
A story shaped by ideas.
Political theory, psychological depth, minds in conflict.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy
A story shaped by ideas.
Political theory, psychological depth, minds in conflict.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy
November 23, 2025 at 6:45 PM
THE OMENS OF WAR
A story shaped by ideas.
Political theory, psychological depth, minds in conflict.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy
A story shaped by ideas.
Political theory, psychological depth, minds in conflict.
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy
It's time to write a podcast episode, which means my browser has at least ~20 tabs of papers, definitions, author interviews, and more 😅
What can I say? I love doing it.
What can I say? I love doing it.
November 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
It's time to write a podcast episode, which means my browser has at least ~20 tabs of papers, definitions, author interviews, and more 😅
What can I say? I love doing it.
What can I say? I love doing it.
I read plenty of non-fiction, especially on comparative politics and the causes of war. Thucydides' analysis of why states choose conflict helped shape the political foundations of The Omens of War.
Let me walk you through it 👇🏻 (1/6)
Let me walk you through it 👇🏻 (1/6)
November 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I read plenty of non-fiction, especially on comparative politics and the causes of war. Thucydides' analysis of why states choose conflict helped shape the political foundations of The Omens of War.
Let me walk you through it 👇🏻 (1/6)
Let me walk you through it 👇🏻 (1/6)
Two characters walk down the same hallway.
The father—the Centurion—sees only the nation's former glory, now defaced.
The son—the strategist—feels the weight of that history on his shoulders.
The hallway hasn't changed, but the storyteller has.
Let's unpack why. 👇🏻 (1/3)
The father—the Centurion—sees only the nation's former glory, now defaced.
The son—the strategist—feels the weight of that history on his shoulders.
The hallway hasn't changed, but the storyteller has.
Let's unpack why. 👇🏻 (1/3)
November 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Two characters walk down the same hallway.
The father—the Centurion—sees only the nation's former glory, now defaced.
The son—the strategist—feels the weight of that history on his shoulders.
The hallway hasn't changed, but the storyteller has.
Let's unpack why. 👇🏻 (1/3)
The father—the Centurion—sees only the nation's former glory, now defaced.
The son—the strategist—feels the weight of that history on his shoulders.
The hallway hasn't changed, but the storyteller has.
Let's unpack why. 👇🏻 (1/3)
Readers are discovering exactly what this novel is, and what it isn't. 👇🏻
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
November 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Readers are discovering exactly what this novel is, and what it isn't. 👇🏻
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
#SpeculativeFiction #WeirdFiction #PhilosophicalFantasy #WeirdLit
In case you missed it yesterday, here's the updated framing for THE OMENS OF WAR 👇🏻
I've been thinking a lot about how to talk about my upcoming book, THE OMENS OF WAR. It's an unusual story: philosophical, psychological, political, nonlinear—and it took me a while to find language that truly reflects what it is.
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
November 16, 2025 at 8:20 PM
In case you missed it yesterday, here's the updated framing for THE OMENS OF WAR 👇🏻
I've been thinking a lot about how to talk about my upcoming book, THE OMENS OF WAR. It's an unusual story: philosophical, psychological, political, nonlinear—and it took me a while to find language that truly reflects what it is.
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
November 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
I've been thinking a lot about how to talk about my upcoming book, THE OMENS OF WAR. It's an unusual story: philosophical, psychological, political, nonlinear—and it took me a while to find language that truly reflects what it is.
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
Here's what's changing 👇🏻 (1/6)
A philosophical fantasy of Thucydidean politics, eldritch beings, and psychological horror woven into fractured timelines.
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
November 15, 2025 at 7:35 AM
A philosophical fantasy of Thucydidean politics, eldritch beings, and psychological horror woven into fractured timelines.
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
⚔️THE OMENS OF WAR: A LITERARY SPECULATIVE FANTASY ⚔️
Coming February 2026! 🔗👇🏻
What happens when the world isn't real and you can't escape?
New podcast episode just dropped. #PhilipKDick #Ubik, and the most asked question ever: What is Ubik?
Listen: youtu.be/B1Of8JYOJ-o
New podcast episode just dropped. #PhilipKDick #Ubik, and the most asked question ever: What is Ubik?
Listen: youtu.be/B1Of8JYOJ-o
November 12, 2025 at 12:30 PM
What happens when the world isn't real and you can't escape?
New podcast episode just dropped. #PhilipKDick #Ubik, and the most asked question ever: What is Ubik?
Listen: youtu.be/B1Of8JYOJ-o
New podcast episode just dropped. #PhilipKDick #Ubik, and the most asked question ever: What is Ubik?
Listen: youtu.be/B1Of8JYOJ-o
Embassytown is both a meditation on language and an act of linguistic imagination itself. A novel that demonstrates what words can build, and what they can destroy.
My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Livia J. Elliot's review of Embassytown
5/5: An idea-driven, frame narrative about the importance of language to every culture, and what language can do for our ability to think and express those thoughts. Embassytown is a quiet story, full...
www.goodreads.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Embassytown is both a meditation on language and an act of linguistic imagination itself. A novel that demonstrates what words can build, and what they can destroy.
My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
📢PREORDERS ARE OPEN! 📢
My cosmic horror fantasy—a world of war, collapse, and impossible horrors—is now available for preorder on Amazon. Check my profile.
Thank you to everyone who's followed this journey from the prequel's release until now 🙌🏻
My cosmic horror fantasy—a world of war, collapse, and impossible horrors—is now available for preorder on Amazon. Check my profile.
Thank you to everyone who's followed this journey from the prequel's release until now 🙌🏻
November 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
📢PREORDERS ARE OPEN! 📢
My cosmic horror fantasy—a world of war, collapse, and impossible horrors—is now available for preorder on Amazon. Check my profile.
Thank you to everyone who's followed this journey from the prequel's release until now 🙌🏻
My cosmic horror fantasy—a world of war, collapse, and impossible horrors—is now available for preorder on Amazon. Check my profile.
Thank you to everyone who's followed this journey from the prequel's release until now 🙌🏻
Embassytown.
a man in a black turtleneck stands in front of a window with perfection written on the bottom right
ALT: a man in a black turtleneck stands in front of a window with perfection written on the bottom right
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Embassytown.
This was just a great Guest Post on my Substack!
Check it out, Bert-Oliver gives some very practical guidelines on how to leverage the power of conlang.
Check it out, Bert-Oliver gives some very practical guidelines on how to leverage the power of conlang.
My Galacticide universe includes 4 full conlangs, built to reflect the cultures and psychologies of the species that speak them.
Read my guest post for Livia J. Elliot’s blog here: substack.com/home/post/p-167794668
#ScienceFiction #Worldbuilding #Linguistics #Conlang #WritingProcess #Galacticide
Read my guest post for Livia J. Elliot’s blog here: substack.com/home/post/p-167794668
#ScienceFiction #Worldbuilding #Linguistics #Conlang #WritingProcess #Galacticide
As Alien As Possible ~ World-building Series #3
Exploring how conlangs (constructed languages) can be used as narrative tools to give depth to fictional societies, and reveal how reveal how characters of that world think, relate, and dream.
substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:19 PM
This was just a great Guest Post on my Substack!
Check it out, Bert-Oliver gives some very practical guidelines on how to leverage the power of conlang.
Check it out, Bert-Oliver gives some very practical guidelines on how to leverage the power of conlang.