In the March issue of “Odyssey,” we continue with our reflections on the future role that robots and AI may play in human society and in space exploration. How long will it be before the voice of HAL 9000 can be heard asking the astronauts of the future to check a faulty AE35 unit? #Odyssey

Lovely to meet with Kayleigh today at The Travelling Bookshop on Sleaford Market and hand over an advance review copy of my forthcoming novel #FloodWatersDown. Advance review copies now available to interested media - DM me for details. #Booksky #ClimateFiction #ScienceFiction #BookSky

Flood Waters Down: climate collapse and a world drowning not just in water, but in its own arrogance, greed, and by the uncaring AI built to save it. Keep your head above water if you can — the future is here! Out 9th April by @simpsonclive.bsky.social #FloodWatersDown @cliftop.bsky.social

We're on the countdown to the publication 9 April of the new eco-thriller #FloodWatersDown by @simpsonclive.bsky.social To whet your appetite, here's a preview piece, tying in neatly with the recent floods across the UK. #flooding #climate #Booksky #author simcomm.blogspot.com/2026/02/when...

It's great to see a new Book Club starting this month in the cafe at my local pub The Brass Windmill in Helpringham. A good read, coffee, food and great company - what more could you want. #Booksky #Bookclub #Writer #Lincolnshire

What will happen when the real floods come? My new near-future eco-thriller is published 9 April. #FloodWatersDown #Booksky #climatechange

We’re seeing more AI-related products and advancements in a single day than we saw in a single year a decade ago. The experience and expertise you’ve built up may now be obsolete or a lot less valuable than it once was. #TheSentientOnes #AI #Booksky #bookshops theconversation.com/feeling-unpr...

No region will escape the impact. The tropics and southern hemisphere will be worst affected by rising heat, but northern countries will find it difficult to adapt. Their buildings designed to deal with a cooler climate. #TheSentientOnes #climatechange www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. These changes can increase the risk of heatwaves, floods, droughts, and fires. #TheSentientOnes #climatechange @cliftop.bsky.social #FloodWatersDown weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-chan...

The feature 'Drowning in Denial' - looking at climate change driven flood damage in council areas led by Reform UK - is also excellent and timely. It dovetails nicely with my upcoming novel #FloodWatersDown about survival, resistance and moral reckoning in a world undone by climate collapse.

Countdown underway to publication this Spring of my new #cli-fi novel! Available for pre-order soon. Please follow me for further release info as it happens. #Booksky

Cover design is important for books and magazines.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT EARLIER Cover reveal is always a big day for an author The title, I hope, is self-explanatory Out May 21st. Pre-order now @harpernorth.bsky.social @harpercollins.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @matthewtodd.bsky.social @zackpolanski.bsky.social

A “weather bomb”. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

If you’re in the vicinity of #Lincoln and like crime fiction then don't miss this upcoming Author Event. It's promoted by indie bookshop Lindum Books (top of Steep Hill) & features talented crime writers Lynne McEwan & Caroline Mitchell. @lynnemcewanwriter.bsky.social @carolinemitchell.bsky.social

In many people’s conversations, record heat or flooding are still described as odd weather rather than recognised as signs of a shifting climate that affects food prices and public health. #TheSentientOnes #climatechange theconversation.com/ecological-m...

Despite concerning climate change evidence in Northamptonshire, the county’s Reform-led councils have abandoned all previous Net Zero plans | Cliff Mitchell @cliffmitchell.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk

As a publisher, we’re increasingly drawn to novels that treat climate change not as spectacle, but as lived context. Stories where flooding, weather and environmental pressure quietly shape decisions, relationships and futures - often before characters fully understand what’s happening to them.

Haunting, prophetic and fiercely human. A powerful exploration of survival, resistance and moral reckoning in a world undone by climate collapse. And threatened by the very intelligence it created to save itself. Publishing APRIL 2026. #FloodWatersDown #BookSky

New Year's Day sunset over the rooftops in a small Lincolnshire hamlet. A chilly night in store.

Challenging discussions on #BBC #Radio4 #Today around the future of AI from guest editor @mustafasuleymanai.bsky.social - ties in beautifully with @authorbnugent.bsky.social newly released novel #TheSentientOnes about the rise of sentient #AI. Definitely a book to watch for 2026! #BookSky

‘Earthrise’ from lunar orbit, Christmas Eve 1968 - probably the most poignant and meaningful photo ever. Happy Christmas.

Climate crisis for the UK ranging from 4C rise in temperatures to a 2-metre rise in sea levels. Or a plunge of 6C after collapse of Atlantic Ocean currents. #TheSentientOnes #climatechange @cliftop.bsky.social #FloodWatersDown www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Captain’s Log, 20.12.25: “Trump presidency is on life support as the sordid black hole of the Epstein coverup grows ever deeper and more murky. Makes Nixon’s Watergate look like a picnic.”

George Freeman MP says the UK must build a wartime space economy to stop Russia, stand up to Trump and keep billion-pound space firms from being seized by foreign powers. simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/12/war-...

Looking for a Christmas read that’s smart, unsettling and uncomfortably close to home? The Sentient Ones by @authorbnugent.bsky.social - climate crisis, AI control and the thin line between protection and tyranny. A perfect gift for the holidays! #ChristmasReads #SpeculativeFiction #booksky

George Freeman MP says the UK must build a wartime space economy to stop Russia, stand up to Trump and keep billion-pound space firms from being seized by foreign powers. simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/12/war-...

With #AI making the news everyday now there's no better time to dip into authorbnugent.bsky.social challenging new novel #TheSentientOnes - a gripping thriller of AI rule in a near future Britain. The perfect Xmas gift too! www.amazon.co.uk/Sentient-One...

Visited this independent bookshop gem in Holt, Norfolk, today - great selection of books and lovely, helpful staff.

Chief scientist says #AI autonomy could spark a beneficial ‘intelligence explosion’ – or be the moment humans lose control. AI might accelerate biomedical research, improve health, boost productivity, give people more free time. #TheSentientOnes www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

There are lots of big news stories across the world tonight so BBC News at Ten leads again with Mason doing a hatchet job on the British Chancellor. Apart from Westminster journalists no one is interested. His little jibes & dislike of Labour make him very unlikeable. The RW media is equally nasty.

NEW! Vast swathes of Europe’s water reserves are drying up, two decades of satellite data reveals, with freshwater storage shrinking across Europe www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The launch of @authorbnugent.bsky.social new novel #TheSentientOnes in Stoke was great fun and his eye-catching robots attracted a lot of attention. My review below + DM me for publicity info or review copies. #booksky #author #scifi #books #publishing simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

“Don’t Look Back” - is this the kind of warning we chose to ignore? www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Red alert…

The launch of @authorbnugent.bsky.social new novel #TheSentientOnes in Stoke was great fun and his eye-catching robots attracted a lot of attention. My review below + DM me for publicity info or review copies. #booksky #author #scifi #books #publishing simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

✨ Exciting news! ✨ A brand‑new, in‑depth article has just been published about my debut novel The Sentient Ones. It’s a pulsatingly comprehensive look at the story, the ideas behind it, and the journey so far. #TheSentientOnes #AI centralbylines.co.uk/business/tec...

The AI machines that loved us to death A chilling near-future thriller of AI rule, rebellion, and survival – read it as a warning, or a prophecy; the future is watching either way | Clive Simpson @cliftop.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk

I’d be honoured if you’d consider reviewing my novel The Sentient Ones. But a word of caution: the story begins gently but grows increasingly dark. It’s not for the faint of heart. Kind regards, Brendan.

“The radical right leans heavily into climate science denial and obstruction of environmental measures: this is why it is sponsored by fossil fuel companies.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Delighted to announce that #TheSentientOnes is out now in all good bookshops and available to order online. #AI #climatechange

A picture speaks a thousand words - in this case 95,000 of them. Great to see The Sentient Ones by @authorbnugent.bsky.social in shops this week alongside other newly published books. It's a stand out cover for a chilling everyday tale of AI rule. #booksky #author #scifi #AI #debut #publishing

A picture speaks a thousand words - in this case 95,000 of them. Great to see The Sentient Ones by @authorbnugent.bsky.social in shops this week alongside other newly published books. It's a stand out cover for a chilling everyday tale of AI rule. #booksky #author #scifi #AI #debut #publishing

Alguém quer um galão? Luz Beach Cafe no Algarve - um dos meus favoritos. Espero voltar lá em breve!

Hungarian-British author David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker prize for his novel Flesh. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...

The ancient Greeks and Romans recognised climate changes over time and that human activity can cause it. And that an unhealthy environment makes people unhealthy, too. If only more people today were as enlightened. #TheSentientOnes #climatechange theconversation.com/ancient-gree...

Phenomenal day at Vellichor Books in Stoke on Trent for the launch of The Sentient Ones. Lots of visitors and press coverage - and great to support an indie bookshop who were brilliant hosts.