Finn Longman
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finnlongman.com
Finn Longman
@finnlongman.com
3.5K followers 550 following 6.9K posts
Author (THE BUTTERFLY ASSASSIN trilogy; THE WOLF AND HIS KING) and medievalist specialising in the Ulster Cycle. #1 fan of Láeg mac Ríangabra.

🏳️‍🌈 they/them | siad/iad
📍Cambridge, UK
♿

https://finnlongman.com
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6. Longman Family Cats: Yoko (belongs to my sibling and their partner)
November 22, 2025 at 4:25 PM
finnlongman.com
5. Longman Family Cats: Tyler (belongs to my sister and her husband)
November 22, 2025 at 4:25 PM
finnlongman.com
4. Watching the same sea from a rock in daytime
November 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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3. Watching the waves turn to silver as the sun goes down.
November 22, 2025 at 4:02 PM
finnlongman.com
2. Deeply satisfying squidgy wet moss (more fun to poke with a walking stick than to sink into in non-waterproof shoes, admittedly)
November 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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Nice little videos I found while clearing out my phone for the first time in a year or so: probably a thread

1. Small sheep friend in Donegal
November 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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Thank you to Kathleen for this lovely Goodreads review of The Wolf and His King!
The writing is gorgeous: spare and deeply moving. Given the heaviness of the story -- and there is a lot of grief, not just in the king for Bisclavret, but for other losses, estrangements, and betrayals -- it is written with a surprisingly light touch, underpinned but not weighed down by the author's obvious expertise on the subject and period. It's a real feat that such a technically advanced piece of writing feels so emotionally true and urgent, and I'm just awash in admiration for the author's guts in the choices they made.
November 22, 2025 at 11:50 AM
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The @goldsborobooks.bsky.social edition of The Wolf and His King is definitely the prettiest!

goldsborobooks.com/products/the...
Finn sprawled slightly awkwardly in front of a pile of copies of the Goldsboro edition of TWAHK, which has decorated sprayed edges. A stack of copies of the Goldsboro edition of TWAHK showing the top edge and the bottom edge of the pages. The top edge has blue leaves and yellow flowers and stars, while the bottom has red grass and purple bluebells. A side view of a stack of copies of the Goldsboro edition of TWAHK, showing an illustrated sprayed edge that continues the cover design, feat. grass, sky, and leaves.
November 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
finnlongman.com
You vs the guy she tells you not to worry about

(RIA 23 M 25, Eoghan Ó Caoimh, 1684; NLI G 113, Uilliam Mac Cartáin, 1703)
The first word ("Feacht") of Oidheadh Con Culainn from Eoghan Ó Caoimh's manuscript. The F is a small creature, badly drawn. The first word ("Feacht") of Oidheadh Con Culainn in Uilliam Mac Cartain's manuscript. The F is a much better-drawn creature, looking a little concerned.
November 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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How I look on my way to sessions (I have a new, smaller bodhrán in a more closely fitted case and it's making this significantly easier than it used to be).
Finn taking a selfie in a mirror wearing a bike helmet, raincoat and waterproof trousers, with a violin and a bodhrán on their back.
November 16, 2025 at 11:53 PM
finnlongman.com
In a manuscript with almost identical wording (from which this one might be copied, or else they had the same exemplar), it looks like this:

Potentially the same symbol but not doing the same visual pun on "falling"? Note that the first one is my smiley face scribe so he does weird stuff!
an abbreviation that looks like three Ls in a row. or a W.
November 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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Has anyone ever seen an abbreviation like this before for "do thuitim"? And can you venture a guess at *why* it means that -- what is actually going on here? Is it a pun? I mean, this one does seem to be falling off the line... see next post for a less haphazard example.
"do" plus a symbol that looks like an m falling off below the line of writing.
November 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
finnlongman.com
Looks much better with all the flowers and things these days! There were strong Apocalyptic Wasteland vibes to my days living in the Rosalind Franklin Building.
The view from the flat upstairs in the Newnham Rosalind Franklin Building, showing Strachey being demolished as the sun sets.
November 11, 2025 at 9:59 PM
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The third and final perspective in THE WOLF AND HIS KING is that of Bisclavret in wolf form, which is in verse. More here: finnlongman.tumblr.com/post/7999261...
A copy of The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman, open to the first page of chapter 3, which is in verse. Another copy holds the book open.
November 11, 2025 at 1:52 PM
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Next is the king -- controversially, in second person. I think second person is woefully misunderstood, and this is tragic, because it can do things that no other perspective can. I hope this might make people realise it's not exclusive to reader-insert fanfic! finnlongman.tumblr.com/post/7998249...
A copy of The Wolf and His King on a red background, open to the first page of chapter 2, with another copy holding it over. Again, there is a screenshot with alt text of the text in the blog post, for readability.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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Over on Tumblr (and Instagram, in abbreviated form), I'm introducing the different narrative POVs in THE WOLF AND HIS KING and why I chose them.

First up is Bisclavret-the-man's perspective, in third person, with a strong emphasis on the body: finnlongman.tumblr.com/post/7997493...
A copy of The Wolf and His King open to the first page of chapter 1, with another copy holding it open. If you click the link in the post, you can find a screenshot of the full text (with alt text) for greater readability.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM
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"How's the lead-up to publication going? Is the promo working?"
The Padme/Anakin "for the better, right?" meme, but it reads: I've had some popular posts on Tumblr and Bluesky and gained several followers! Posts about your book, right? Posts about your book.... right?
November 9, 2025 at 9:43 PM
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Ceann eile agus litriú difriúil ar focail eile ("leabhair" in áit "leamair") ach "abrach" arís.

"b8" anseo don "beannacht"! Tá sé ag éiri níos lú...
Chrioch ar sin le Segan Ó'Regain fa mair fuaras reomham é ach ma ndeairnadh dairamuid ⁊ ní le failith sirim gach naon do leighfus an stair so na aon stair eile da bhfuil san leabhair so. Bennocht do thabairt air anam an sgriomhnore ⁊ abrach an leathoir. amen
November 9, 2025 at 8:53 PM
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Tá cupla líne eile roimh sin; rinn mé iarracht é a trascríobh san alt text ach tá mé cinnte go mbéidh botúin ann.

"Bannocht do habhairt air anam an sgriobhnora agus abrach an leoghteoir. Amen" Ní thuigim "abrach" sa comhthéacs seo. B'fhéidir 'súil' (xn--lamh-bpa.org/glossary/abh...)?
Crioch leis an stair sin le Seaghan Ó Reagáin do Comhnuigeas air chnochachuilline le luais laimh. Et re droth pheann gur teannta buird na binnse fa mair fuasg reomham é arrm ma na ndearnadh dairmuid ⁊ ni le failith risim ge naon do leafus an stair so na aon stair eile da bhfuil san leamair so. Bannocht do habhairt air anam an sgriobhnora agus abrach an leoghteoir. Amen
November 9, 2025 at 8:41 PM
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17th-19th century Irish scribal abbreviations that look like text-speak: numeral 8 edition

"beannacht" (x2), "Connacht"
beannacht but it's written as ban plus numeral 8 a colophon asking for blessings to be spoken for the scribe but the word beannacht is written as bann with a numeral 8 Connacht but it's written as Con + n-stroke + numeral 8
November 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
finnlongman.com
17th-19th century Irish scribal abbreviations that look like text-speak: numeral 2 edition

("cróda", "ní fada", "damh")
croda but it's written as co2 ní fada but it's written with a numeral 2 at the end instead of da damh but it's a numeral 2 with an m-suspension stroke and a spiritus asper to show lenition
November 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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US readers! There are 100 ARCs of THE WOLF AND HIS KING, my retelling of the medieval werewolf tale, 'Bisclavret', up for grabs in this Goodreads giveaway. The book comes out Jan 27 2026, but this is a great chance to nab it early!

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
A face-out US paperback ARC of THE WOLF AND HIS KING on a shelf next to two UK proofs of the same book. The cover shows a golden wolf and crown against a backdrop of a forest; the bright colours evoke medieval stained glass windows or manuscripts.
November 8, 2025 at 2:22 PM
finnlongman.com
Ooh, I'm allowed to tell you what this was about now! This was for the special edition being sold by @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social. It's got a sprayed edge and they've all been signed in a variety of colours and one of them has a smiley face in there (the last one I did.)
The Broken Binding edition of The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman, which has a bright aqua sprayed edge to match the highlights on the gold crown and wolf that are central to the cover art.
November 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
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Seo an pictiúir iomlán (bhuel, cuid níos mó de). Rinn mé an grianghraf i... 2020 nó 2021, nuair a bhí mé i mo chónaí i gCorcaigh. Tá a lán pictiúirí agam ar street art agus murals i gCorcaigh (agus áiteanna eile)! Cha raibh mé ábalta aon rud eile a dhéanamh (mar gheall de lockdown &rl).
street art in the Huguenot Quarter of Cork City with the words "bonjour boyyyyyy" and "egalité, fraternité, cupán tae"
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
finnlongman.com
He keeps doing it. Every time somebody gets beheaded in this text, the word "head" is replaced with a little hand-drawn emoticon. And considering how many people get beheaded in this story, that's a lot of lil face drawings.
A manuscript in which two instances of the word "head" have been replaced by small faces
November 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM