Pat

Wow! What an "Aha" moment on this one! A superb Tuesday, and a superb puzzle all around. Exemplary construction, SELFFIVE notwithstanding. (But the puzzle is otherwise so delightful that I can forgive that one.)

Quite a bit slower than average for me! Wasn't really able to get into a flow on this one. The whole area around PRAGENCIES especially ground my solve to a halt. Also, seemed like a high density of niche/unfamiliar author names in the grid. One or two can be fun, because I solve the crosses and then learn about someone new. But these just felt like friction/grid-glue to me. Still, the repeated cluing was very enjoyable wordplay. Hope to see more puzzles from this constructor, just with slightly crunchier fill!

What clever construction, with good clues (they were just OBSCURE enough)! Also a really smooth solve with not a lost of crossword-ese. I smiled at my phone for a good 20 seconds when I saw the theme all come together.