Philip Purser-Hallard
@purserhallard.com
I write stuff -- most recently Sherlock Holmes: The Monster of the Mere. Posting about writing, TV, SF, Doctor Who, politics, language, crosswords, things I like, things I'm interested in, things. He/him.
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Philip Purser-Hallard
@purserhallard.com
· Nov 14
Since new followers are arriving literally in their dozens, here's a quick rundown of my books and why, if you're interested in the stuff I post here, you might like to read them. Or vice versa.
Links are to my website, where there are links to buy from various sources.
Links are to my website, where there are links to buy from various sources.
Writing's been rubbish recently, what with All This, but after today I have about 3,000 words of a new short story. Old, comfortingly familiar characters, which helps.
January 9, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Writing's been rubbish recently, what with All This, but after today I have about 3,000 words of a new short story. Old, comfortingly familiar characters, which helps.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
I used to think that nobody chose evil, that everyone was "good" by their own understanding. The past decade has cured me of that.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
January 8, 2026 at 11:04 PM
I used to think that nobody chose evil, that everyone was "good" by their own understanding. The past decade has cured me of that.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
I used to think that nobody chose evil, that everyone was "good" by their own understanding. The past decade has cured me of that.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
January 8, 2026 at 11:04 PM
I used to think that nobody chose evil, that everyone was "good" by their own understanding. The past decade has cured me of that.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
The sheer brutal glee with which the villains of our era embrace their atrocitites. Their smirking contempt for empathy and conscience.
Choose evil? They revel in it.
This suddenly came back to me just now when my teenager was watching The Force Awakens and got to the Han Solo / Kylo Ren confrontation.
Years ago my friend Dave’s then-four-year-old son walked into a room, looked at Dave, and said, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Daddy.”
January 8, 2026 at 8:29 PM
This suddenly came back to me just now when my teenager was watching The Force Awakens and got to the Han Solo / Kylo Ren confrontation.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
If they had enforced existing laws around the largest copyright infringement exercise in human history, we would not be having the conversations we are having today.
But time and time again they are exempting a group of billionaires from the law so they can freely ruin the world.
But time and time again they are exempting a group of billionaires from the law so they can freely ruin the world.
January 8, 2026 at 7:09 PM
If they had enforced existing laws around the largest copyright infringement exercise in human history, we would not be having the conversations we are having today.
But time and time again they are exempting a group of billionaires from the law so they can freely ruin the world.
But time and time again they are exempting a group of billionaires from the law so they can freely ruin the world.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
Edinburgh has this gem:
January 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Edinburgh has this gem:
The "Oh, and you're surprised by this?" people turning up in response to actual video footage of a state-sanctioned murder of a human being are doing my head in.
Yes, bad things happen all the time, even this specific bad thing. It is still reasonable to respond to this bad thing as if it is bad.
Yes, bad things happen all the time, even this specific bad thing. It is still reasonable to respond to this bad thing as if it is bad.
January 8, 2026 at 9:48 AM
The "Oh, and you're surprised by this?" people turning up in response to actual video footage of a state-sanctioned murder of a human being are doing my head in.
Yes, bad things happen all the time, even this specific bad thing. It is still reasonable to respond to this bad thing as if it is bad.
Yes, bad things happen all the time, even this specific bad thing. It is still reasonable to respond to this bad thing as if it is bad.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
Any Green Party members or colleagues who would be interested in signing a letter to our leadership asking that GPEW stop using X with immediate effect please drop me a DM, I'll send you a link to it tomorrow. Please share.
January 7, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Any Green Party members or colleagues who would be interested in signing a letter to our leadership asking that GPEW stop using X with immediate effect please drop me a DM, I'll send you a link to it tomorrow. Please share.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
Since y'all asked nicely, here's my complete history of Robin of Sherwood. One of the finest TV shows ever made. Hugely influential. Most modern cinematic/TV Robin Hood tropes trace back to it.
As Herne would say:
"Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten."
authory.com/JohnBull/Not...
As Herne would say:
"Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten."
authory.com/JohnBull/Not...
January 6, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Since y'all asked nicely, here's my complete history of Robin of Sherwood. One of the finest TV shows ever made. Hugely influential. Most modern cinematic/TV Robin Hood tropes trace back to it.
As Herne would say:
"Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten."
authory.com/JohnBull/Not...
As Herne would say:
"Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten."
authory.com/JohnBull/Not...
Just added my pronouns to my bio, primarily to annoy the sort of people who are annoyed by people having pronouns in their bio.
January 7, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Just added my pronouns to my bio, primarily to annoy the sort of people who are annoyed by people having pronouns in their bio.
Google search really is fucked. This morning it's informed me, unprompted by any reference to either, that Toyah Wilcox and Toby Mott appeared in specific Doctor Who stories (Four to Doomsday and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy respectively), the latter playing a character called "the Rastafarian".
January 7, 2026 at 7:59 AM
Google search really is fucked. This morning it's informed me, unprompted by any reference to either, that Toyah Wilcox and Toby Mott appeared in specific Doctor Who stories (Four to Doomsday and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy respectively), the latter playing a character called "the Rastafarian".
As a curious non-historian I knew most of these, but a couple are surprising.
Here’s my list of things the public doesn’t seem to know, but historians broadly agree upon 👇
I’ve got loads!
- Medieval people washed regularly, drank water, and didn’t have rotten teeth
- WW1 did not end in 1918
- Queen Victoria was a horndog
- Ancient Egyptians invented Egyptology by excavating their own ancient monuments
- We know more about Shakespeare than many other famous Tudors
- Medieval people washed regularly, drank water, and didn’t have rotten teeth
- WW1 did not end in 1918
- Queen Victoria was a horndog
- Ancient Egyptians invented Egyptology by excavating their own ancient monuments
- We know more about Shakespeare than many other famous Tudors
January 6, 2026 at 6:21 PM
As a curious non-historian I knew most of these, but a couple are surprising.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
Just checking with how Starmer's crusade to ban apps that produce deep fakes is going
January 6, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Just checking with how Starmer's crusade to ban apps that produce deep fakes is going
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
The longer generative AI exists, the more of what we take for granted is going to become toxic cognito-hazard waste.
We are living in the era of contamination.
It is happening all around us, and the people doing it have names and addresses. 13/13
We are living in the era of contamination.
It is happening all around us, and the people doing it have names and addresses. 13/13
January 6, 2026 at 3:12 AM
The longer generative AI exists, the more of what we take for granted is going to become toxic cognito-hazard waste.
We are living in the era of contamination.
It is happening all around us, and the people doing it have names and addresses. 13/13
We are living in the era of contamination.
It is happening all around us, and the people doing it have names and addresses. 13/13
I'd consider this mode "post-cyberpunk" myself, but whatever you call it, it called it.
Many cyberpunk stories make mention of an 'older internet' that has been quarantined for a variety of reasons, either as a background detail or because characters spend some time exploring risky virtual spaces that are full of lingering dangerous ghosts, monsters and poison. 12/
January 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
I'd consider this mode "post-cyberpunk" myself, but whatever you call it, it called it.
I've been tolerating a great deal of good-natured silliness from Castle, but the episode with the "Geordie" immigrant in the English as a second language class -- played by an LA-born actor enunciating "divven't" and "radge" in his best Groundskeeper Willie voice -- has me flabbergasted.
January 5, 2026 at 10:45 PM
I've been tolerating a great deal of good-natured silliness from Castle, but the episode with the "Geordie" immigrant in the English as a second language class -- played by an LA-born actor enunciating "divven't" and "radge" in his best Groundskeeper Willie voice -- has me flabbergasted.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
2026 needs to be the year we make ‘genAI’ Not Exist. It steals and kills human creativity, it is polluting our information and real ecosystems, it is destroying lives. It generates child porn and convinces teenagers to kill themselves. The first genuinely evil technology of my lifetime. End it.
January 5, 2026 at 7:59 AM
2026 needs to be the year we make ‘genAI’ Not Exist. It steals and kills human creativity, it is polluting our information and real ecosystems, it is destroying lives. It generates child porn and convinces teenagers to kill themselves. The first genuinely evil technology of my lifetime. End it.
In Doctor Who scholarship, Chortlemuffin was a 12-year-old in 1963 who became a revered fan guru in the 70s and 80s because of all the made-up details he remembered from the missing stories.
The citation chain usually works like this:
-supposition stated as fact
-supposition with reference to reputable book from c.1930s
-reputable book from c.1930s with reference to Sir Edward Chortlemuffin, 1782
- Sir Edward Chortlemuffin, "here's an idea I'll fart out," 1782
/2
-supposition stated as fact
-supposition with reference to reputable book from c.1930s
-reputable book from c.1930s with reference to Sir Edward Chortlemuffin, 1782
- Sir Edward Chortlemuffin, "here's an idea I'll fart out," 1782
/2
January 4, 2026 at 3:25 PM
In Doctor Who scholarship, Chortlemuffin was a 12-year-old in 1963 who became a revered fan guru in the 70s and 80s because of all the made-up details he remembered from the missing stories.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
We're calling for submissions to the Black Archive from disabled authors and authors of colour, who we know have been underrepresented in the range.
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
January 2, 2026 at 11:51 AM
We're calling for submissions to the Black Archive from disabled authors and authors of colour, who we know have been underrepresented in the range.
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
I'm as keen for That Guy to drop dead as anyone, but he's a figurehead for a regime that's precision-focused on the literal realisation of a global SF dystopia ruled by a tiny elite, and the only benefit he brings them is some distracting cover. I don't get the sense they really need that any more.
January 3, 2026 at 11:21 PM
I'm as keen for That Guy to drop dead as anyone, but he's a figurehead for a regime that's precision-focused on the literal realisation of a global SF dystopia ruled by a tiny elite, and the only benefit he brings them is some distracting cover. I don't get the sense they really need that any more.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
now, it might seem odd that political commentators who advocated for the uk to leave the eu because of their belief in “the nation state” to be supportive of america’s annexation of venezuela, but what you have to remember is that those people didn’t actually think that, they were lying for money
January 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
now, it might seem odd that political commentators who advocated for the uk to leave the eu because of their belief in “the nation state” to be supportive of america’s annexation of venezuela, but what you have to remember is that those people didn’t actually think that, they were lying for money
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
The Black Archive is a series of books which take an in-depth look at individual Doctor Who stories.
We're calling for submissions to the Black Archive from disabled authors and authors of colour, who we know have been underrepresented in the range.
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
January 3, 2026 at 11:17 AM
The Black Archive is a series of books which take an in-depth look at individual Doctor Who stories.
Reposted by Philip Purser-Hallard
Call for submissions!
We'd like to expand the diversity of our Archive authors, and are looking for proposals for any available story from anyone meeting the criteria of being disabled or a person of colour
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Closing date for subs 30/06/26
Please share! #booksky
We'd like to expand the diversity of our Archive authors, and are looking for proposals for any available story from anyone meeting the criteria of being disabled or a person of colour
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Closing date for subs 30/06/26
Please share! #booksky
January 2, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Call for submissions!
We'd like to expand the diversity of our Archive authors, and are looking for proposals for any available story from anyone meeting the criteria of being disabled or a person of colour
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Closing date for subs 30/06/26
Please share! #booksky
We'd like to expand the diversity of our Archive authors, and are looking for proposals for any available story from anyone meeting the criteria of being disabled or a person of colour
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Closing date for subs 30/06/26
Please share! #booksky
This is one of those Schrodinger jokes. If it's genuine, it's hilarious. If it's not, it's just annoying.
January 2, 2026 at 12:08 PM
This is one of those Schrodinger jokes. If it's genuine, it's hilarious. If it's not, it's just annoying.
NB: Given that neither the Black Archive nor Obverse has a Twitter presence any more, if anyone wants to quote this there, please do.
We're calling for submissions to the Black Archive from disabled authors and authors of colour, who we know have been underrepresented in the range.
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.
obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
January 2, 2026 at 12:03 PM
NB: Given that neither the Black Archive nor Obverse has a Twitter presence any more, if anyone wants to quote this there, please do.