I'm told that a couple of my Russian translations are just plain terrible, though, and there may be others.

Lawyers do not mix with diplomacy.

Most established novelists are writing books informed by experiences gained in their youth. Middle age is not the best time to be changing smartphones every six months or adopting new technology platforms - because we tend to get slower and less accommodating to change as we age.

My favourite movie is: "Dr Strangelove". (I haven't seen any films released in the past 2-5 years, I'm afraid: I don't do TV/cinema).

My gut feeling is that SF as we know it today is actually a heavily propagandized field that grew out of a specific set of cultural trends running in the USA and Europe between 1918 and 1950, during the post-imperial modernization period.

The Magician's Land is a triumphant climax to the best fantasy trilogy of the decade.

Biggest influence: my mother.