Mahmud El Sayed
@mahmudelsayed.bsky.social
Writer | SFF | Arabfuturist | BSFA | Codex | Debut THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY out in 2026 from Gollancz & Saga Press
What do you call the masculine urge to run your hand through waist-length wheat or grass and imagine that you are dying a hugely noble sacrificial death?
a close up of a person 's hand touching a plant in a field .
ALT: a close up of a person 's hand touching a plant in a field .
media.tenor.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:27 PM
What do you call the masculine urge to run your hand through waist-length wheat or grass and imagine that you are dying a hugely noble sacrificial death?
The view from my writing desk today.
February 4, 2026 at 12:23 PM
The view from my writing desk today.
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.
February 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.
Me: Are you really going to kill off this character? Really?1?
Also me: He has to go blud, he has to go!
Also me: He has to go blud, he has to go!
February 1, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Me: Are you really going to kill off this character? Really?1?
Also me: He has to go blud, he has to go!
Also me: He has to go blud, he has to go!
Reposted by Mahmud El Sayed
Here's CLINGING TO THE STONES, inspired by Syrian history & mythology:
🌟A broken philosopher-warrior seeking a legendary spear.
🌟An imperial mother must extract her son from an impregnable fortress.
🌟Their paths are about to collide.
#QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide
🌟A broken philosopher-warrior seeking a legendary spear.
🌟An imperial mother must extract her son from an impregnable fortress.
🌟Their paths are about to collide.
#QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide
January 31, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Here's CLINGING TO THE STONES, inspired by Syrian history & mythology:
🌟A broken philosopher-warrior seeking a legendary spear.
🌟An imperial mother must extract her son from an impregnable fortress.
🌟Their paths are about to collide.
#QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide
🌟A broken philosopher-warrior seeking a legendary spear.
🌟An imperial mother must extract her son from an impregnable fortress.
🌟Their paths are about to collide.
#QuestPit #Q #A #F #agentsguide
"Blah blah blah"
by
Some Guy
Just me putting placeholder epigraphs at the start of chapters
by
Some Guy
Just me putting placeholder epigraphs at the start of chapters
January 27, 2026 at 11:33 PM
"Blah blah blah"
by
Some Guy
Just me putting placeholder epigraphs at the start of chapters
by
Some Guy
Just me putting placeholder epigraphs at the start of chapters
Bartender: Would you like ice in that, sir?
Me: Fuck ICE!
Me: Fuck ICE!
January 26, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Bartender: Would you like ice in that, sir?
Me: Fuck ICE!
Me: Fuck ICE!
"Freeeeeeeeeeze! BFBI!"
(Also, Shabana Mahmood is really making me hate my name!)
(Also, Shabana Mahmood is really making me hate my name!)
January 25, 2026 at 7:44 PM
"Freeeeeeeeeeze! BFBI!"
(Also, Shabana Mahmood is really making me hate my name!)
(Also, Shabana Mahmood is really making me hate my name!)
You are a regular character, you can enter a scene.
You are a regular character, you can make that plot point.
You are a regular character, you know when the chapter ends.
You are a regular character, you know what it means to be you.
You are a regular character, you can make that plot point.
You are a regular character, you know when the chapter ends.
You are a regular character, you know what it means to be you.
January 25, 2026 at 2:22 AM
You are a regular character, you can enter a scene.
You are a regular character, you can make that plot point.
You are a regular character, you know when the chapter ends.
You are a regular character, you know what it means to be you.
You are a regular character, you can make that plot point.
You are a regular character, you know when the chapter ends.
You are a regular character, you know what it means to be you.
That's right, REPUBLIC OF MEMORY is also a secret hardboiled detective novel (thanks to the ahem joys of multi-pov). Now ain't that a kick in the head?
crimereads.com/10-speculati...
crimereads.com/10-speculati...
10 Speculative Mysteries and Thrillers to Check Out in 2026
Interesting times lead to fascinating fiction, especially in the speculative realm, where each future-set plot point feels like a logical extension of our current woes, especially regarding the imm…
crimereads.com
January 24, 2026 at 3:17 PM
That's right, REPUBLIC OF MEMORY is also a secret hardboiled detective novel (thanks to the ahem joys of multi-pov). Now ain't that a kick in the head?
crimereads.com/10-speculati...
crimereads.com/10-speculati...
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!